Moss, a Broadview Heights resident, will be chasing history when the MinuteMenJobs.com Ohio Open Championship gets under way Monday in Medina County.

Associated PressRob Moss of Broadview Heights raises the Ohio Open trophy after winning the tournament at Tam-O-Shanter Golf Course in Canton. Moss is trying to become the third four-time winner of the event.

History could be equaled when the MinuteMenJobs.com Ohio Open Championship golf tournament gets under way Monday at two new sites.

The field of approximately 200 players will play at two courses in Medina County for the first time in the tournament's 88-year run while Pepper Pike pro Rob Moss chases history.

Moss, from Broadview Heights, previously won in 1999, 2001 and 2005 and can become just the third four-time winner of the event, joining Denny Shute (1929, 1930, 1931, 1950) and Billy Burke (1938, 1939, 1945, 1955).

As is his style, Moss had no idea he is on the fringe of history.

"If it should happen to come true, it would be nice to be in the same company as those two players," said Moss, a Kent State graduate. "But, I don't think about things like that until they happen. I have three goals every year and playing well in the state open is one of them."

The field, a mix of about 100 pros and almost as many amateurs, will alternate 18 holes between Weymouth Country Club and Fox Meadow Country Club on Monday and Tuesday. The final round will be played Wednesday at Weymouth after the field is cut to the low 50 and ties. The two courses are about seven miles apart.

The NOPGA ended a three-year stay at Quail Hollow and entered into a two-year agreement with Fox Meadow and Weymouth last winter. NOPGA Executive Director Dominic Antenucci said the decision to move was made to have a more centrally located site.

"Both courses are close to I-71 and are easily accessible," said Antenucci, who added that the event has increased its sponsorship representation over the last several years. "It's the highest we've had since we left Tam O'Shanter [after 2003]."

New Albany Golf Club pro Bob Sowards will not return to defend the title he won last year as he has been granted a sponsor's exemption to play in a Nationwide event in Columbus. Sowards got $8,000 for winning last year. The size of this year's purse has not been decided but is expected to be in the same vicinity.

Other former champions in the field include Massillon's Vaughn Snyder (2009), Groveport's Eric Frishette (2007), Lancaster's Chris Black (1998), Canfield's Dennis Miller (1996), Dublin's Tony Mollica (1989) and Canton's Gary Robison (1986). Other notable winners include Byron Nelson (1940-41-42), Herman Keiser (1948, 1951), Jack Nicklaus (1956) and Tom Weiskopf (1965).

The Gladiators score 20 consecutive points to open the fourth quarter and defeat the Power, 67-55, at The Q, to clinch the American East Division.

View full sizeTim Harrison, Special to The Plain DealerCleveland's Dominick Goodman pulls down an onside kick attempt over Pittsburgh's Jason Willis to seal the Gladiators win Friday at Quicken Loans Arena.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Gladiators won a division title Friday night -- and kicked Pittsburgh to the curb in the process.

The Gladiators scored 20 consecutive points to open the fourth quarter and defeated the Power, 67-55, at The Q.

Rookie quarterback Kurt Rocco went 25-of-35 for 297 yards and eight touchdowns as the Gladiators (10-7) clinched the American East and eliminated the Power (8-9) from the postseason. One game remains in the regular season.

Cleveland secured the No. 2 seed in the American Conference and a first-round home game in the Arena Football League playoffs.

The Gladiators have qualified for the playoffs in two of their three seasons in Cleveland. They were a wild-card entry in 2008 and missed in 2010. The league shut down in 2009.

"We're all excited to be going to the playoffs, but we've still got work to do," Rocco said.

Rocco, a Mount Union product, continued his quality play at The Q, where the Gladiators have won six straight and are 7-1. Rocco has been so-so on the road, where the Gladiators are 3-6. Rocco was coming off a subpar performance last week in a 49-21 loss at Philadelphia.

"I don't know why we can't win more on the road, or why I don't play consistently well on the road," he said. "Whatever it is, we need to fix it. I just know I'm comfortable at home."

The game was televised by NFL Network. Among those in attendance were Gladiators adviser Bernie Kosar and Power part-owner Lynn Swann.

The Power outscored Cleveland, 20-8, in the third quarter. It took a 48-47 lead on the final play of the quarter.

View full sizeSpecial to PDGladiators fans Wayne Grindle Sr., left, and Wayne Grindle Jr., 10, both of Parma, show their support.

On the first possession of the fourth, Rocco connected with Dominick Goodman for an 18-yard touchdown. Matt Denny's extra point made it 54-48.

On the first play of the ensuing possession, Pittsburgh quarterback Bernard Morris fumbled the snap, and defensive lineman Prentice Purnell recovered at the Power 4-yard line. Two plays later, Gladiators fullback Russell Monk scored on a 2-yard run.

Morris was sacked minutes later by linebacker Tim Cheatwood and fumbled. A Rocco-to-Goodman pass for 16 yards made it 66-48 with four minutes left. The extra point was good.

"You can't turn the ball over in this league, or any league," Gladiators coach Steve Thonn said. "I kept telling the defense, 'Keep being physical and good things will happen.' "

The Gladiators led, 39-28, at halftime. Rocco was near-perfect, going 16-of-18 for 192 yards and five touchdowns. Robert Redd had four receptions for 77 yards and three touchdowns.

The Gladiators received the opening kickoff and scored relatively quickly. Troy Bergeron made a sliding catch of Rocco's 18-yard pass for a 7-0 lead.

During its first possession, Pittsburgh committed two penalties and eventually faced fourth-and-15 from its 17. Morris heaved a pass toward the right corner of the end zone that appeared ticketed for an incompletion. The ball bounced off the top of the padded wall and remained in the air long enough for Willis to grab it. Yes, the off-the-wall play -- in this case covering 33 yards -- is legal in arena football.

The Gladiators answered with a fourth-down TD pass the conventional way. Facing fourth down at the Pittsburgh 9, the Gladiators initially sent the field-goal unit on the field. After a timeout, Rocco and the offense returned.

Rocco thought Pittsburgh would be in zone coverage; instead, the Power went with man-to-man. That brought a smile to Rocco, who threw to a spot in the left corner and let Redd run to the ball. Redd snatched it with one hand, knocking open an end-zone door in the process.

Early in the second quarter, Rocco executed a basic pitch-and-catch to Bergeron for a 13-yard touchdown. Bergeron had broken wide open from right to left.

After each team scored touchdowns, Morris set up in the end zone and surveyed the defense. As Morris raised his arm to throw, the ball popped out. Cheatwood, a Benedictine graduate and former Ohio State Buckeye, pounced on the ball for a Cleveland touchdown.

A video review confirmed the call.

The Gladiators failed on a two-point conversion attempt, keeping the lead at 32-14.

Pittsburgh, in danger of getting routed, righted itself and scored with just over one minute left. Willis caught a 9-yard pass from Morris.

Redd caught a 24-yard TD pass with 39.4 remaining for another 18-point advantage. Pittsburgh again reeled in the Gladiators to within arm's length, Morris finding Mike Washington from 8 yards with five seconds remaining.

Cleveland opened the game with an offensive line of center Michael Ward, guard/tight end Louis and guard/tight end Jeff Maddux. Ward, from Akron, made his Gladiators debut.

For the season opener against Spokane on March 19, the line was center Billy Eisenhardt, G/TE Adam Tadisch and G/TE Calvin Wilson. Eisenhardt and Wilson are injured; Tadisch has moved on.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com, 216-999-4664

On Twitter: dmansworldpd

Was the Roger Clemens mistrial an epic case of prosecutorial incompetence? Or could it be that it was never meant to be more than a symbol of governmental vigilance?

View full sizeManuel Balce Ceneta, Associated PressRoger Clemens leaves federal court in Washington after a judge declared a mistrial in his perjury trial.

The cover-up is usually worse than the crime. It was for football coach Jim Tressel in the Ohio State memorabilia sale scandal. In Clemens' case, it was going to be harder to prove, too.

In the court of public opinion, many fans think Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). A man does not naturally bulk up with several pounds of solid muscle mass and win the Cy Young Award at the age of 38 and again at 41. A power pitcher does not get to be that way at that age without a little help from his friends, in this case a tell-all trainer named Brian McNamee who claims he injected Clemens with steroids.

Perjury is hard to sell to a jury, though. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors zealously pursued Barry Bonds, the steroid suspect who owns the all-time home run record, on charges he perjured himself about PED use before a grand jury. They came away only with a trifling obstruction of justice conviction, in part because evidence that was crucial to their case was excluded by the presiding judge's ruling.

That the Clemens trial never got past its second day is being called a colossal mistake by prosecutor Steven Durham and his staff. The error centered on their disregard of evidentiary rules.

After what are called "in liminie" motions challenging evidence, a pretrial ruling by U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton made testimony by the wife of Andy Pettitte, Clemens' former teammate, inadmissible. Laura Pettitte had said in an affidavit in the 2008 congressional hearings that her husband told her Clemens had admitted he used human growth hormone one time.

Such evidence is hearsay because Laura Pettitte did not hear Clemens say it directly. Walton thumbed it out of his trial as surely as umps eject a manager who insists on arguing balls and strikes.

Yet on the second day of the Clemens trial, prosecutors played a videotape of a congressman reading from Laura Pettitte's 3-year-old affidavit. A transcript was also shown on a screen for the jury to read in case they missed some of the words.

"I think that a first-year law student would know you can't bolster the credibility of one witness with clearly inadmissible evidence," snapped the judge, in declaring the mistrial.

How could such a monumental gaffe have happened?

Were the prosecutors simply ignoring the pretrial ruling and flouting constitutional protections of due process of law?

Were the prosecutors unhappy with the jury, which they and defense attorneys had taken a week selecting?

A Sept. 2 hearing will determine if Clemens will face another trial.

That is unless it can be proven that the prosecutors deliberately provoked the mistrial.

With perjury such a difficult verdict to get, with key evidence already excluded, with the country in danger of literally going broke, with influential voices such as Artur Davis, a former House member and now a criminal defense lawyer in Washington saying, "This is not the wisest use of public resources," is it possible that the Clemens trial was only a symbol of federal concern and nothing more?

It might seem a stretch to think of it as a way of cutting the prosecution's losses, but it makes a kind of cockeyed sense.

Anti-government forces who think the only role the central government should have in American life should lie in maintaining armed forces will seize on the aborted trial as more evidence of Washington's bumbling. But just getting Clemens in dock for a day was a demonstration that the government tried to make a statement about drug cheating in baseball after years of willful neglect by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and the players union.

The feds went after the biggest slugging name in Bonds and the biggest pitching name in Clemens. That convictions were unlikely because even the most unlikable defendants are afforded the constitutional protections and evidentiary safeguards is not a bad thing. Turning a blind eye to drug cheats, for one, is surely worse.

A day that began with howling rain and wind ended in bright sunshine, a turn of meteorological fortune that helped sort out a bunched-up field at the British Open.

The Associated PressNorthern Ireland's Darren Clarke reacts after putting a birdie on the 12th green during the third day of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's golf course Sandwich, England, Saturday, July 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

SANDWICH, England (AP) — A day that began with howling rain and wind ended in bright sunshine, a turn of meteorological fortune that helped sort out a bunched-up field at the British Open.

Darren Clarke was among those catching a break with the weather, shooting a 1-under 69 Saturday for a one-stroke lead heading to the final round and putting little Northern Ireland in position to claim its third major championship in a little over a year.

"If somebody had given me 69 before I was going out to play, I would have bitten their hand off for it," Clarke said.

Then, the persnickety weather along the English seaside took a sudden turn for the better.

"We did get very fortunate with the draw," Clarke conceded. "Sometimes to win any tournament the draw can make a big difference, but in the Open championship it makes a huge difference. We got very lucky."

Clarke doesn't have it locked up yet. Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler led an American charge up the board, looking to end the country's longest drought without a major title in the modern Grand Slam era.

The Ulsterman was at 5-under 205, with Johnson just one shot behind after his second straight 68. Fowler posted a matching 68 and was at 208, tied with first-round leader Thomas Bjorn, still in position to erase the memory of his meltdown at Royal St. George's in 2003.

The Associated PressDustin Johnson of the US plays a shot off the 13th tee during the third day of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's golf course Sandwich, England, Saturday, July 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)

Through lunchtime, heavy showers and winds gusting over 30 mph forced players to don bulky, oven-style mitts between shots, huddle under flapping umbrellas and try to find a way to get around the course without giving up too many shots to par Saturday.

"It was playing stupidly difficult," said Edoardo Molinari, who sloshed to a 76. "Some holes were just a joke."

But the foul weather eased up in time for those with late tee times to start putting up red numbers. It sure sorted out the 71-player field, which had been separated by only seven strokes going into the day. Now, the margin from top to bottom is 20, with only 11 players within five shots of the lead.

Clarke posted his third straight round in the 60s, suddenly a contender for his first major championship after coming into the Open as a 42-year-old afterthought.

He used to be the face of Northern Ireland golf, only to get left in the background by two of his younger countrymen. First, Graeme McDowell won the 2009 U.S. Open. Then, Rory McIlroy romped to an eight-stroke win in that same championship last month at Congressional.

Now, all eyes are on Clarke. McIlroy faded from contention with a 74, his round ruined by a double-bogey at the 14th where he drove it out of bounds. The 22-year-old is now a staggering nine strokes behind Clarke, with little hope of claiming the claret jug on Sunday.

Clarke climbed into the top spot all by himself with a birdie at the 12th, then coasted to the clubhouse with six straight pars under skies that had turned from gloomy to sunny.

Johnson kept up the strong play that began with a hole-in-one on Thursday, briefly claiming a share of the lead before a bogey at the 13th knocked him back.

At the start, he looked like a guy who might miss the cut when he played the first 12 holes at 4 over. But that ace on the 16th hole seemed to turn things around. He finished with a 70 Thursday, then put up consecutive 68s.

"The ace," he said, "really kind of got me going."

Johnson has shown he can contend in majors, leading last year at both the U.S. Open (where he played miserably on the final day) and the PGA Championship (a much-debated penalty cost him a spot in a playoff). Now, he wants to show he can finish.

"I've been in this situation a few times, so I think the more and more you can put yourself in a situation, the more comfortable you get," Johnson said. "I'm going to be pretty comfortable out there (Sunday) because I know what to expect, I know how to approach it, and I know what I do in those situations."

The 22-year-old Fowler, playing with McIlroy, teed off about the time the worst of the rain lashed the course. But the American phenom held it together better than his partner, and birdied three holes down the stretch after the weather improved.

"I had quite a bit of fun out there," Fowler said. "Obviously, it wasn't the best of conditions. But you knew it was going to be tough, and you just had to make the best of it."

Another American, 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, started the day tied with Clarke but struggled in the final group with a 73. He'll have some work to do to win a second major title, four shots back at 209 and tied with Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez.

The group at 210 included Phil Mickelson, who's never played especially well in the British Open but seems to be approaching links golf with a better attitude. He carved out a 71 to stay in contention.

Lefty is the last of the Americans to win a major, taking the 2010 Masters. Since then, they've gone five straight without a title, but they'll have plenty of challengers to send at Clarke on Sunday. Anthony Kim and Davis Love III also were within five strokes.

"The European Tour guys have been playing well," Johnson said. "But we've got a good shot at getting one."

McIlroy was kicking himself for one terrible shot, the blunder at No. 14 which likely ended any shot he had of winning a second straight major.

"You've done so well for 13 holes to keep yourself in it," he said. "You've got half of Kent on your left and you hit it right. It was a bit disappointing."

Early on, the weather was downright brutal.

Umbrellas snapped. Bo Van Pelt went through eight gloves trying to keep his hands dry. Some golfers turned around their caps when putting so they wouldn't have to deal with rain dripping off the bill.

The 495-yard 14th, which played into the teeth of the wind, was an absolute beast. The 71 players posted a 65-over total at that hole, averaging nearly a stroke above par. There were only 18 pars, and not one player managed a birdie.

"Whenever you have social rounds and it starts raining a little bit, you say, 'I'm outta here boys,'" said defending Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who wasn't too upset about a 74. "I couldn't do that today."

Five-time Open champion Tom Watson played in the worst of the weather and still managed a 72. The 61-year-old showed those youngsters how it's done.

"The conditions are bothersome, but you just try to do the best you can to keep your grips dry and your wits about you and go about your business to try to make pars out there," Watson said. "Par is a great score out there, obviously. But it's a struggle."

Not for Clarke.

A quick chat with the Tribe's backup catcher, who has thrown out 18 of 37 runners attempting to steal this season.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerA broken bone in high school convinced Lou Marson that getting behind the plate was a safer and more enjoyable sporting pastime than sitting in the pocket trying to complete passes.

BALTIMORE, Md. -- A quick chat with the Tribe's backup catcher, who has thrown out 18 of 37 runners attempting to steal this season.

Q: What kind of quarterback were you at Coronado (Ariz.) High School?

A: I was a drop-back and let-it-go type quarterback. I threw the ball down the field. I'd stand in the pocket, step up and let it go. I got hit hard.

"I ended up breaking my collarbone in the third game of the season in my senior year. We were playing our crosstown rival (Chaparral High School). That's when I started concentrating on baseball. They'd just moved me to catcher so I guess it worked out good.

Q: You were born in Scottsdale, Ariz., and still live there. How do you stand the heat in the summer?

A: I was just so used to the heat, it was all I knew. I grew up in it, riding my bike everywhere. The day I was born (June 26, 1986), my mom told me it was 123 degrees.

Q: When you first caught Carlos Carrasco in the minors with the Phillies, did you ever think you'd both get to the big leagues?

A: I knew he had really good stuff and he was one of the guys the Phillies liked a lot. I knew if he stayed healthy, he'd make it to the big leagues.

When I decided to sign professionally, I knew I had a good chance to learn and make it to the big leagues as a catcher. I felt I was athletic enough to do that.

Q: Who was your favorite player growing up?

A: It was Chipper Jones. I was a third baseman and he was always on TV with the Braves. He was a good third baseman, switch-hitter, had a good swing. It's kind of cool he's is still playing.

Q: In the Indians media guide it says your grandfather Louis had a big influence on you. Why is that?

A: My whole family is originally from Detroit. My great grandparents moved from Italy to Detroit. That's where my parents were born and raised.

My grandpa moved to Arizona to start a general contractor/real estate business called Louis Marson and Sons. My dad took it over, but my grandfather was foreman on the job sites and I'd work with him.

He's 75 and still working. He's in really good shape. He always tells me that he wanted to be a baseball player when he was young. But his dad told him, 'Are you kidding? You're no Joe DiMaggio. You're not born to play like that.' So he gave him a trowel and he became a mason.

The American women's soccer team plays for the World Cup Sunday. A lot of people, including many little girls, will be watching.

View full sizeFrank Augstein, Associated PressThe excitement of the United States women's team reaching the finals of the World Cup isn't the story of an American underdog, but Abby Wambach (celebrating a goal by teammate Lauren Cheney, rear, against France) and her teammates are inspiring young girls around the country, says Bill Livingston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At mid-morning Wednesday, a day so bright and pleasant it made you realize this is what you were waiting for throughout the snowy winter, a girls team was practicing on the North Olmsted soccer fields. It was a day they had been anticipating, too.

Odds were that no Abby Wambachs or Hope Solos were in the making out there. Still, Brad Friedel -- the Bay High School goalkeeper who eventually played for the USA in the World Cup and then for such famous English Premier League teams as Liverpool, Blackburn and Aston Villa -- played on the same grounds as a boy.

Friedel's lineage was not the one that mattered Wednesday, though. The little girls playing with such loud joy know only players such as Solo, the USA team's goalkeeper, whose diving stop on a point-blank penalty kick beat Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup in Germany, or Wambach, who saved the team in the same game with a 122nd-minute goal on a header, the latest in World Cup history.

Wednesday afternoon, Wambach scored the go-ahead goal by heading a ball on a corner kick into the net against France in the semifinals.

The American women's World Cup run is a great story, but it is one which, for dramatic purposes, is dwarfed by that of Sunday's opponent in the final, Japan. It will not be characterized that way in the narrative of the American news shows, especially given the never-give-up nature of some of the USA's World Cup victories. But it is true.

The tsunami and resultant nuclear catastrophe in Japan this year mean their team is playing for a moment's diversion for the survivors in the midst of nearly inconceivable loss, a lift to the spirits after national heartbreak. The scale is simply larger. The American team cannot pretend to be playing for as much.

At the same time, the stakes are high for the Americans. Gender equity in American sports began with the passage of Title IX legislation in 1972, but that does not mean a global demonstration of excellence is not a needed boost.

View full sizeMarcio Jose Sanchez, Associated PressHope Solo and the American women will be playing for their own potential Sunday, for their own dreams of being world champions, and for those of the young girls they inspire, says Bill Livingston.

It has been a dozen years since Brandi Chastain drove the penalty kick into the Chinese net at the Rose Bowl to win the 1999 World Cup, launching the short-lived Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). If Jess and Jules, the English girls who were the leading characters in the 2002 movie "Bend It Like Beckham," stayed to play in the United States after their college scholarships ran out, they would be playing in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) now, a significantly downsized league.

The USA's surge to the World Cup final possesses the always potent appeal of national pride. It is what turned Lance Armstrong into an American icon in the otherwise obscure sport of cycling. It is why the Miracle on Ice in 1980 might have been the previous century's most emotional American sports moment. It will not be in this country's character to view its soccer team as the spoilers in the World Cup final.

But there have been examples of such teams winning on the national stage. In 2009, North Carolina beat Michigan State in the NCAA men's basketball championship game, which was held in Detroit. The inspired Spartans were playing for their state, which had been hit harder than any other by the recession.

In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series with a ninth-inning rally in the seventh game against the New York Yankees. That autumn, so soon after the 9/11 attacks, the Yankees were the favorite team, just that once, of many fans.

The American women will be playing for their own potential Sunday, for their own dreams of being world champions, and for those of the young girls they inspire.

By 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in North Olmsted, practice was breaking up. The girls swigged water or Gatorade as they were herded into minivans, the soccer parent's vehicle of choice.

The USA-France game was beginning in a half hour. The girls would benefit from the examples they saw then of strong, confident women athletes. If no female Friedels had been on the field, they had had fun trying.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

With a trademark wire-to-wire performance, Catlaunch eclipsed the $1 million mark in career earnings by easily holding off the pack Saturday afternoon.

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- With a trademark wire-to-wire performance, 10-year-old Catlaunch eclipsed the $1 million mark in career earnings by easily holding off the pack to win the $50,000 George Lewis Memorial at Thistledown on a hot, dusty Saturday afternoon.

"The track was deep, fluffy and a little slow, but Catlaunch is a strong horse and can handle that," said owner Ron Field of Scioto Farm of Chillicothe. Fields said that jockey Luis Gonzalez tried to slow things down after Catlaunch blasted to the lead with an opening quarter-mile in 22.4 seconds, but Catlaunch didn't agree. He stayed on top the whole way, covering the one and one-eighth mile race in 1:53.2.

"Catlaunch races his own race," said Fields said of his homebred son of Noble Cat. "You can tweak things a little bit, but if you really mess with him, he won't finish first."

Now 4-for-4 this year -- all in stakes races for Ohio-breds -- Catlaunch ran his career earnings to $1,011,844. While Ohio-bred Kingpost topped $1 million in the late 1980s and Harlan's Holiday did it in 2003, Catlaunch reaped his riches strictly in Ohio stakes races. Catlaunch has won a record 22 of them.

Trained by Ivan Vazquez, Catlaunch ($2.40) maintained a 3-length margin for most of the race, opening it to 3 3/4 lengths at the wire. Busha ($5.20, 2.80) hung tough for second, a nose in front of Raise The Reward ($2.80).

"I'm not sure where Catlaunch will race next," said Fields. "I won't race him for peanuts, on the chance he might get hurt. I'm thinking of bringing him back to Thistledown for the $50,000 Honey Jay Stakes [on Aug. 20]. He likes this track, and that would be a good race for him. We're just taking it one day at a time, and one race at a time."

Fields is happy his senior citizen of thoroughbred racing is still doing well, but he's ready for the day when Catlaunch loses some of his speed and toughness.

"He's been such a great horse for us for so long, he's got a home with us forever," said Fields.

Colt McCoy is hoping reports are true that the NFL lockout could be over as early as next week.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerColt McCoy passed on some quarterbacking wisdom during his youth camp at Strongsville's Pat Catan Stadium Saturday afternoon.

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- Colt McCoy announced to the media at his camp for kids Saturday at Strongsville High that the NFL lockout was over.

"Just kidding," McCoy said with a laugh while taking a break from working with the 250 kids at the camp, ages seven to 14.

But McCoy knows it might be just a few days before such an announcement will be no laughing matter. According to multiple national reports, the NFL could have a new labor agreement by early as Thursday, and players could be in training camp soon after.

"Well, I mean I think you have to be [optimistic]," McCoy said. "This process, it's been a long time. So collectively, I think speaking for our organization, we're ready to get back to work."

McCoy admitted he doesn't have any inside knowledge. "I keep up with our player reps Scott Fujita, Tony Pashos and Ben Watson," he said. "Those guys do a great job of informing us what's going on. You hear stuff every day that sounds like we're inching closer and closer. We're all just anxious to get back to work."

McCoy acknowledged that even though the players have gotten together for four lockout camps, they still have plenty of catching up to do.

"How much is it gonna help? I don't know, but the fact is that we've got together four or five times and we've worked really hard," said McCoy. "We've spent a lot of time breaking down the playbook, understanding the basics of the West Coast, so absolutely that will help.

"But we also understand that it's going to take time. Offensively, we have to figure out what are we going to do? What's our go-to stuff? We've got to figure out who's going to play where, and how it's all going to work and we need that coaching. Defensively, it's going to take time to make that change to the [4-3], to get the guys in the right places."

McCoy said the workouts have been important because most other teams know their offenses, their defenses -- and their coaches.

"We're in a little bit different situation," he said. "We're not making any excuses. When it's time it's time. But certainly we're ready to get this over with."

He might not have to wait much longer.

Manny Acta is building a team of scrappy, persistent, resilient and pesky players to match the personality of the town they call home.

Lenny Ignelzi, Associated PressLonnie Chisenhall missed just three games before returning to the Tribe's lineup after getting hit in the face by a pitch.

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The Indians have this theory about putting a ballclub together.

They believe if they kind find talented players, who are physically and mentally tough, who will work together and do the things necessary to win, they can have a chance to contend. In other words, they believe they can win with a $49 million payroll as opposed to the Yankees $200 million payroll.

"Our team has been resilient all year," said manager Manny Acta. "That's something we've tried to build on right out of spring training.

"We're trying to build a club that resembles our town -- blue collar, scrappy, pesky and resilient. They've been that this year. And we passed that along to the guys who are coming up from the minors.

"The guys that are coming up understand the way we play the game here. It's been that way here and I hope it continues. It's trickled down to our farm system, too."

Rookie third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall got the message. Hit in the right side of the face on July 7 by a pitch from Toronto's Carlos Villanueva, Chisenhall missed the next six days, including three games and three days off for the All-Star break, but was back in the lineup Thursday against Baltimore after passing a battery of tests to check his vision and for signs of a concussion.

In Friday's 6-5 victory, Chisenhall singled home the winning run in the seventh inning and doubled in the eighth.

When he met with reporters after the game, Chisenhall smiled and said, "You guys are going to get me from my good side, right?"

Chisenhall's right eye is still bloodshot and his face is black and blue where he suffered a broken nasal cavity.

"I get hit a lot because I stay in the box a long time," said Chisenhall, "but before this I was only hit in the head once. That was in a high school and it was a skipper off my helmet.

"This time I turned my head just in time."

Chisenhall, called up from Class AAA Columbus on June 27,  is hitting .270 (10-for-37) with four doubles, one homer and three RBI.      

Tonight's lineups:

Indians (49-42): LF Michael Brantley (L), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (S), DH Travis Hafner (L), 1B Carlos Santana (S), 3B Lonnie Chisenhall (L), 2B Orlando Cabrera (R), RF Austin Kearns (R), C Matt LaPorta (R), CF Ezequiel Carrera (L), RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-6, 4.28).

Orioles (36-54): SS J.J. Hardy (R), RF Nick Markakis (L), CF Adam Jones (R), C Matt Wieters (S), 1B Derek Lee (R), 3B Mark Reynolds (R), LF Felix Pie (L), DH Nick Remold (R), 2B Blake Davis (L), RHP Alfredo Simon (1-2, 4.85).

Him vs. me: Hardy is 1-for-3 against Carrasco. Asdrubal Cabrera, Jack Hannahan and Kearns are each 1-for-1 against Simon.

Lefty righty: Lefties are hitting .315 (64-for-203) with seven homers and righties are hitting .210 (39-for-186) with three homers against Carrasco. The Orioles have four lefties, including one switch-hitter, in the lineup.

Lefties are hitting .354 (12-for-48) with two homers and righties are hitting .286 (16-for-56) against Simon. The Indians have six lefties, including two switch hitters, in the lineup.

Umpires: H Brian Knight, 1B Chris Conroy, 2B Hunter Wendlestedt, 3B Bob Davidson. Davidson, crew chief.

Quote of the day: "If you're not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he'll be ready to take your job," Brooks Robinson, Hall of Famer and Baltimore third baseman.

Next: RHP Jeanmar Gomez, who will be activated before the game, will face Baltimore's Rich Atkins (0-0, 8.22) on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. STO/WTAM will cover the game.

Although the NBA hasn't announced what will happen to the draft if the entire 2011-12 season is lost, perhaps it could follow the model established by the NHL in 2005.

View full sizeAP fileWould the system used by the NHL after its lost lockout season of 2004-05 (which led to Sidney Crosby donning a Penguins sweater) be followed by the NBA if the lockout consumes the 2011-12 season?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At least once a month, I get a question about the 2012 NBA lottery and draft if the entire season is lost in the labor dispute.

When I have contacted the league for clarity, I have been told that the league will address those questions when -- and if -- it must. As one league spokesman said in an email response last week, "The entire focus is on getting a deal. ... Not going to speculate on 2012 Lottery and Draft."

But I can tell you what the NHL did after it lost the 2004-05 season and prepared for the 2005 draft that included phenom Sidney Crosby. NHL spokesman Gary Meagher explained the process in an email.

"Every team had a chance at the No. 1 pick," he wrote. "Here was how it worked:

"The draft drawing, a weighted lottery system, was used to determine the order of selection for all seven rounds of the entry draft. Under the weighted lottery system, the clubs that neither qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, nor were awarded the first overall selection in each of the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 entry drafts, had the greatest chance of receiving the first overall selection, 6.3 percent. These clubs were the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers.

"Ten clubs met one of the seven criteria listed above and had a 4.2 percent chance of winning the drawing, while the remaining 16 clubs had a 2.1 percent chance."

Of course, the Penguins won the lottery, took Crosby with the No. 1 pick and won the Stanley Cup in 2009.

Staying home: Cavaliers player representative Anthony Parker, who is a free agent, had a marvelous career while playing in Israel, but he said via email recently that he was not considering playing overseas if there is a lengthy lockout.

A representative for Omri Casspi said Casspi also was not considering playing overseas next year, although he is playing for Israel in the upcoming European Championships. Calls to Andy Miller, agent for Christian Eyenga, and Dan Fegan, agent for Anderson Varejao, have not been returned.

Eyenga, a native of the Republic of Congo, played in Spain before joining the Cavs, as did the Brazilian Varejao. Coming off an ankle injury that cost him half of last season, Varejao would be an unlikely candidate to return overseas.

Mitchell memory: Retired Plain Dealer reporter Burt Graeff, a longtime Cavs beat writer, had some interesting memories of the late Mike Mitchell, the former Cav who passed away in June after a two-year battle with cancer.

"Bill Fitch was in his final season as Cavs coach when Mitchell was drafted with the 15th pick in the 1978 draft," Graeff wrote in an email. "Fitch was set on taking him with the 15th pick, when he got a call from Pat Williams, who was then GM of the 76ers. Williams told Fitch not to draft Mitchell because he was a chain smoker. It was not true, but Fitch said GMs around the league would use all sorts of tactics to sway teams from taking certain players.

"Mitchell was having a poor first training camp and Fitch could not figure out why. In fact, he asked Mitchell if he ever smoked, which he denied. After a trip to the Cleveland Clinic, it was determined Mitchell was uptight about being such a high draft pick and it affected his play. He was put on Valium and was fine afterward."

Graeff mentioned, as did several readers, that although Mitchell was from Atlanta, he attended Charles W. Eliot school in Cleveland for a time.

Graeff's email concluded, "The man could shoot the rock."

The last word: Although No. 1 draft choice Kyrie Irving talks about remaining humble and hungry, he also is confident.

Asked before the NBA draft which team was favored to win the NBA title next season, he said, "Whatever team I go to."

On Twitter: @pdcavsinsider

Alfredo Simon, in just his second start of the season, holds the Tribe to two runs on three hits in seven innings.

View full sizeAP photoBaltimore's J.J. Hardy begins his slide home with the Orioles' first run of the game on a Adam Jones sacrifice fly Saturday night at Camden Yards.

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Right-hander Alfredo Simon pitched seven quality innings Saturday night to lead Baltimore to a 6-5 victory over the Indians at Camden Yards. The victory ended the Orioles' season-high nine-game losing streak.

It was Simon's longest appearance since he went 7 2/3 innings Sept. 23, 2008 against the Rays. It was just his second start of the year as the Orioles scramble to try and reorganize a rotation hit by injury and poor performance.

Simon, according to media reports, is scheduled to return to the Dominican Republic on Sunday for a hearing. He was charged with manslaughter on January for the shooting death of a man during a New Year's celebration.

The Orioles could place him on the restricted list.

Baltimore took a 1-0 lead in the first off Carlos Carrasco. J.J. Hardy hit a leadoff double off the right-field wall. He took third of Nick Markakis' fly ball to the track in left and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adam Jones.

Simon (2-3, 4.36), who closed for the Orioles last year, was making just his fifth start in the big leagues. He allowed two runs on three hits. He retired nine straight before Michael Brantley singled to start the fourth.

Carrasco, trying to rebound after two bad starts going into the All-Star break, retired seven straight after Jones' sacrifice fly. He gave up a leadoff double to Markakis in the fourth.  Markakis moved to third on two ground outs, but Carrasco was one strike from ending the inning when Derrick Lee lined a 1-2 pitch into left center field for an RBI single and a 2-0 lead.

Reynolds followed with a double over Brantley's head in left. Third-base coach Willie Randolph waved Lee home, but good relay work by Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera cut him down at the plate to end the inning.

The Indians tied it on Brantley's two-run double off Simon in the sixth. Orlando Cabrera and Lou Marson scored.

Carrasco, however, made another two-strike mistake in the sixth. Markakis gave the Birds a 3-2 lead when he homered on a 0-2 pitch.

Simon, who had not pitched more than 4 2/3 innings in one game this season, threw only 76 pitches, but 56 (71 percent) went for strikes.

The Orioles turned a 3-2 lead into a 6-2 runaway with three runs in the eighth. Markakis and Jones made it 4-2 with consecutive doubles off Rafael Perez. Felix Pie finished the scoring with a two-run double past third off Frank Herrmann.

Carrasco (8-7, 4.25) allowed three runs on five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two on 103 pitches.

The Indians rallied in the ninth on Orlando Cabrera's three-run double to the gap in right center off Kevin Gregg. The Orioles closer walked the bases loaded with one out before striking out Lonnie Chisenhall. Cabrera followed with his double.

Lefty Mike Gonzalez relieved and retired Grady Sizemore on a hard grounder to first for the save. 

Former St. Edward wrestler preparing for UFC lightweight title bout in October. Watch video

View full sizeJefferson Applegate, Special to The Plain Dealer"When it didn't happen, that was a hard pill to swallow," former St. Edward wrestling standout Gray Maynard says of failing to claim an NCAA national title while at Michigan State. It remains a motivating factor for his UFC fighting career. "It's still a hard pill to swallow, to know there's a dream out there that you didn't achieve."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's 1982, and a determined 3-year-old has traded Oshkosh B'gosh overalls for wrestling tights. He bounds into the training room, clutching his first pair of wrestling shoes, a treasured gift from one of his father's high-school teammates.

Gray Maynard is in Brecksville at his first wrestling camp. It won't be his last. As he grows from toddler to collegian, he'll attend camps all over the country, feeding the drive and honing the skills that will make him a high-school champion in two states and earn him All-America honors in college.

He hasn't yet choked on the bitter knowledge that his greatest ambitions -- to be an NCAA champion and to wrestle for the United States in the Olympics -- will never happen. He doesn't yet know that that those failures -- if that's what they are -- will lay the foundation for a career.

Opening that door, walking into that Brecksville gym was the first step on Maynard's collision course with one of the best MMA fighters in the world: lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. And that fight, to be held Oct. 8 in Houston as part of UFC 136, is his chance at something even more elusive:

Redemption.

"This is it"

Las Vegas -- Randy Couture's Xtreme Gym, set back in the gleaming sandstone and glass of industrial western Las Vegas, smells of sweat and work, of old boxing-glove leather and canvas and industrial-strength disinfectant.

The sound system blares the music of Adam Lambert -- Really? Adam Lambert? -- as the eye shadow-sporting "American Idol" alum's video flashes on giant plasma screens. The place has that open-ceiling warehouse look, with silver insulation jammed between steel girders that sport the unit flags of the First Cavalry, the 101st Airborne, the 57th Infantry and the POW-MIA banner. And, of course, the Stars and Stripes.

This building reeks of dreams.

The gym owned by the mixed martial arts legend is divided into equal halves, but one side is more equal than the other. Students and accountants and casino workers toil on one side. The other side, the Orwellian side, is the domain of the pros.

In the center of the octagon toils Gray Maynard, a short but powerful man who long ago outgrew those 3-year-old's wrestling shoes.

Opponent after opponent rolls into the cage like transmissions on an assembly line. Each fighter has been chosen because he has a skill that mirrors one of Edgar, the UFC lightweight champion. One fighter is quick with his hands. One has outstanding jiu-jitsu skills. One, the shortest of the bunch, was a bronze-medal wrestler in the 1996 Olympics, and moves with the speed and agility that suits his Spider-Man shirt.

They are there to train Maynard to battle Edgar. For a third time.

On April 2, 2008, Maynard -- a 1998 state champion wrestler at St. Edward High School -- beat Edgar at UFC Fight Night, before Edgar became champion.

This year, at UFC 125 on New Year's Day, they fought to a draw in a five-round battle in Las Vegas. The contest was so epic that UFC President Dana White ruled that the two would meet for a third time, rather than, as originally planned, have Anthony Pettis fight the winner.

They were scheduled to headline UFC 130 on May 28 in Las Vegas, but both suffered injuries: Edgar had bulging discs that led to his ribs popping out of joint; Maynard had a cut above his right eye, and knee and elbow injuries that required minor surgery in California.

Now, the fight is set for this fall.

"This is it for Gray Maynard," said White. "Literally everything he's worked for, everything he's ever wanted in his whole life goes into this next fight."

Born to fight

Maynard, 32, is not a complex man. But he is driven. Sitting at his dinner table in Las Vegas, shortly after scarfing down a plateful of spicy pasta prepared by Jess Wheeler, his girlfriend of 11 years, the reason for his resolve becomes clear. And it's a reason even he may not realize.

From the time he was 12, Maynard dreamt of becoming an NCAA champion. Not once. Not twice. Three or four times. He did earn All-America honors at Michigan State three times, but each year, came up just shy of an NCAA crown.

"When it didn't happen, that was a hard pill to swallow," he said. "It's still a hard pill to swallow, to know there's a dream out there that you didn't achieve."

Two dreams, really. When he finished at Michigan State in 2003, Maynard went to Arizona to train with Luke Richesson, now the strength and conditioning coach of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. The goal was the 2004 Olympics.

"That didn't work out," is all Maynard will say.

It wasn't an injury or a loss that cost him that dream. It was something much more mundane, something more painful because of its everyday-life twist: His Olympic weight class was eliminated. What he'd pursued his entire life was gone in an instant, and he'd had no say in the matter.

Dejected, Gray returned to Las Vegas, resigned to getting a job in the real world. In Maynard's case, it was land acquisition at a time when the Vegas market was booming. Maynard was good at it, and his paychecks for one deal often were in the six-figure range.

For some, providing a nice home and a comfortable lifestyle for you and your college sweetheart is enough. Gray Maynard is not content with "for some." Depressed and unfulfilled, his weight rose to almost 200 pounds, nearly 50 above his college wrestling days.

Then, fate presented a chance for a rematch for a man who hates losing more than anything. One of Maynard's Arizona contacts remembered his prowess as a collegiate wrestler and called on him to be a sparring partner for UFC great B.J. Penn. In 2004, Penn was preparing to fight Rodrigo Gracie in Rumble on the Rock 6 in his native Hawaii. It was like feeding a starving man filet mignon. A different, happier Gray Maynard came back to Vegas, knowing what he had to do.

He ditched the real-estate job to do what Jess said he was born to do. He teamed with Couture, a three-time title-holder in mixed martial arts, and in 2007 won a spot in Season 5 of the UFC's hit reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter." His coach? The sparring partner who was his inroad to mixed martial arts: B.J. Penn.

Maynard lost to Nate Diaz in the TUF semifinals there. He has neither lost nor looked back since.

Driven from the start

Maynard's girlfriend may have a degree in psychology from MSU, but she's right about his biological bent towards wrestling.

Jan Maynard, Gray's father and best friend, grew up in Cleveland as one of nine siblings and was a two-time state champion at Cleveland's old South High School. He took home the crown for 103 pounds in 1962 and 112 a year later.

After injuries cut short his wrestling career at Arizona State, Jan went into the restaurant and nightclub business. It's a profession that requires a lot of moving. The family spent time in Arizona, Ohio, Tennessee and finally settled in Las Vegas.

Gray was a good athlete in just about any sport he tried, but decided to focus on wrestling when he was a high school sophomore. A love for the physical demands of the sport and its "you beat me or I'll beat you" mentality meant there really was no other choice.

But the competition in Nevada wasn't up to the standards Gray had set for himself, so he looked for another school. Maynard visited several, but in reality, there was only one choice -- St. Edward. It wasn't his dad's alma mater, but it was in the town where his father made a name for himself. Having relatives there might ease the blow of living so far from home, too.

But it was St. Ed's wrestling pedigree -- 12 state team titles by 1996, when he made the decision -- that was the determining factor.

It wasn't a case of Jan and Linda Maynard being indulgent and catering to a spoiled child. Nor was it a father's use of his son to fulfill his own dreams. They knew that Gray had a gift for wrestling, and Jan was never the kind of father who would kill his son's desire by pushing him too hard.

In the end, Gray and his parents struck a deal: If he wanted to go to St. Ed for his junior and senior years -- 1997 and 1998 -- he had to do two things as a 10th-grader in Vegas: maintain a high grade-point average and win a state title.

"I'll be damned if he didn't do all the things we set out for him," said his father with a laugh.

Being away from home is difficult at that age, and it probably wasn't any easier on a kid who battled a slight stuttering problem. But Maynard's willingness to persevere and rise above those hurdles was an example of just how much he wanted to be the best.

St. Ed wrestling coach Greg Urbas remembers Maynard as a tough, strong kid whose aggressiveness on the mat was his strongest asset. Few arrived for practice earlier or stayed later, and none worked harder. At St. Edward, Gray finished second in the state in 1997 as he battled through loneliness and adjusted to life in a school that requires ties and stricter regimen than that found in Las Vegas schools. But St. Ed was the foundation upon which Maynard has built his career.

"I had some of my toughest workouts at that school," Maynard recalled. "Coach Urbas? He doesn't try to do a speech, but it would end up turning into inspirational speeches before practice. He knew how to light that fire under your butt. And Hef [assistant coach Jim Heffernan], he was my idol. I wanted to try to impress him every day."

In 1998, his senior season, Maynard went undefeated. He was never even taken to the mat, and was a state champion and national wrestler of the year. That was a forerunner of the success he's had in whatever he's undertaken.

"I think the biggest thing that attracted me to him," said his girlfriend, Wheeler, "is something that I'd never encountered with other people. He always knew what he wanted, and no matter what, he'll get it. There's no doubt.

"We used to fight when we were in college, and we would get into arguments, and he would always put things so introspectively, so differently than how anyone else would think of stuff, and make it really logical and realistic.

"I hated it," she said, laughing. "I had never had anybody talk to me like that before and put it in touch with reality. I had never met anyone who had the heart and the dedication and the passion and the drive and the will to no matter what, accomplish his goal."

Lessons learned

These days, Maynard puts in the physical work: He trains four or more hours a day, seven days a week; and follows a strict diet that is high in vegetable content, omits dairy products and limits his red meat intake to organic beef.

But don't tell Maynard he has a great work ethic. What he has is a fear of not achieving another dream.

"I work hard because if I don't, there's a loss right around the corner, and that's humbling, thinking that another man can beat you up," Maynard said.

Maynard is something special because work ethic isn't limited to the what he does in the octagon. He's one of the UFC's better students of striking, which has helped turn an All-America wrestler into a contender in a sport where fists are just as critical as takedowns and escapes.

When he first came to the sport, his aggression worked against him. Wrestlers go after their opponents, drive into them. Maynard tried to do the same thing, slinging haymakers while windmilling into rivals like a drunk on Saturday night. That's a waste of energy and rarely effective. Now when he attacks, he picks his moments, sometimes letting his opponent come to him. The counterpunch can be the most effective blow in fighting, as greats from Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Leonard knew ... and Maynard has learned.

At his home that night, Maynard pulled out a collection of boxing DVDs. He and Jess digest them the way kids suck up Harry Potter movies. Only Maynard is studying, learning, soaking in style and technique as if by osmosis.

Maynard does all this because he doesn't want to be the biggest fish in a small pond; he wants to be the biggest shark in the entire ocean. The next step in that evolution is beating Edgar.

In the first round of their UFC 125 draw on New Year's Day, Maynard erupted, putting the champion down three times. Many said the fight should've been stopped there. Maynard didn't press the fight in the second round, which allowed Edgar to regain his legs and battle back.

"It wasn't that I got tired," Maynard said. "I had that adrenaline dump. All your hopes and goals and everything you could ever hope for, that you trained for, is right there. It's happening, you know? And you see it.

"And then it doesn't. It hits you and you're drained," he said. "Afterwards, you're like, 'What happened?' You feel lazy. Your arms feel heavy. Your legs feel heavy, and that's how I felt after the first round.

"You learn from it," he said. "Now I know."

Gil Martinez, Maynard's striking coach and one of his key corner people during UFC fights, has seen it all in more than a quarter century as a boxer and coach. Martinez insists the draw will work in Maynard's favor when the two fight again. Because it was a title fight -- Maynard's first -- it was a five-round bout. Previously, he'd fought only the three five-minute rounds of an undercard fight.

"This was a big lesson for Gray," said Martinez. "It was his first five-rounder. Now that he's been through that, he's going to remember. He knows he can push the pace more."

Eyes on the prize

Those are the lessons that occupy Maynard's mind, whether he's in the gym or at home sitting at his dark wooden kitchen table, obsessed with proving to himself and others that his non-title win over Edgar was no fluke.

Through the screen door of his home, you can hear crickets chirping in the dry darkness of the Nevada night. But Maynard is so focused on the goal that he's oblivious to the beauty around him. His conversation, measured and nearly devoid of the stammer he's fought all his life, is resolute, purposeful and empty of arrogance.

Jess' and Gray's words to each other are those of people comfortable with each other and themselves. Theirs is not a house, it's a sanctuary, its earth-tone walls and sandstone exterior melding into the desert surroundings, unblemished by a blade of grass or any other green thing.

The stainless-steel stove and refrigerator and the scarred granite countertops bear testimony to heavy use by the youngest old couple in the neighborhood, thirtysomethings who start yawning at 9:30 p.m. No cables run to the widescreen television affixed high on the living room wall, overlooking a sectional and a sheet-covered massage table. Viewing is limited to those fight DVDs and Netflix movies.

The TV is an afterthought to the spartan d cor. The walls bear no posters, the shelves no trophies. The accumulations of his career in wrestling and MMA are in storage or at his parents' home. Only Maynard's training schedule book -- a looseleaf binder replete with diet, critiques and handwritten motivational snippets -- hints at his job.

If the house is his refuge, the gym and the octagon are his office.

Dana White, the UFC president, believes fighting is the sport that defines Man. In the heat of Couture's gym, hearing, seeing and feeling the blows echo through the air, drinking in the aroma of sweat, work and disinfectant, it seems ludicrous to challenge White's claim.

For when you win a bout, you don't just conquer an opponent. You beat defeat.

And that -- not taking Frankie Edgar's title -- ultimately is what Gray Maynard has been pursuing since he was that 3-year-old clutching his first pair of wrestling shoes.

The lockout hasn't kept fans from wondering about the Cavaliers' next steps in rebuilding.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerCleveland Cavaliers draftees Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving are only part of the organization's rebuilding process ... although some fans wish the team had done more on draft night.

Hey, Mary: I am very disappointed in the Cavs' second round of the draft. Why would they pass up a talented SG/SF such as Tyler Honeycutt (who was projected a few months ago to go in the first round) when they so desperately need athletic SGs/ SFs? Or will the Cavs give Manny Harris a legitimate chance to win the starting SG position?

Why don't the Cavs admit they are three years away from serious contention and build with young players vs. trying to hire retreads who will be only be good for a year or two? The fans will show up for young exciting players, even if the record may not be the best. -- Tom, Cuyahoga Falls

Hey, Tom: As I've said before, I didn't care for what the Cavs did in the second round, either. Clearly, they didn't share your enthusiasm for Honeycutt, and I would argue that they gave Harris a legitimate chance to win the position last year, which he didn't do. But they are more than willing to admit they are two or three years away from contending.

In fact, they're most concerned that fans will expect too much this season because of the young players they've added and the veteran players returning from injury.

Hey, Mary: I am confused about something. How can players such as Kobe, Carmelo and others sign contracts overseas? Aren't they under contact? I know we cannot sign players overseas who are under contract. -- Roger Perdue, Middletown, Ohio

Hey, Roger: In essence, all NBA contracts are frozen until the lockout is lifted, which leaves current NBA players free to explore other options. Certainly any contract with a team overseas includes a provision that allows the player to return to the NBA as soon as the lockout is lifted.

Hey, Mary: If this truly is a full season lockout, could an owner, say Mikhail Prokhorov, attempt to bring Euro league teams to his arena for selected open dates? He has openly stated his desire to promote internationally and he does have considerable influence abroad.

In February after pro football, the NBA really owns the sports calendar. It could put pressure on the players if the fans focus their interest (and dollars) elsewhere. -- Mark Monroe, Martinez, Calif.

Hey, Mark: Nothing would prevent Prokhorov from bringing in Euro league teams. In fact, nothing would prevent him from bringing them in even during an NBA season. He might have to convince teams that would be giving up home games, but something tells me he has enough cache -- and cash -- to get that done if he so chose. I don't think there would be enough fan interest to put any pressure on the NBA players to reach a settlement with the owners, though.

Hey, Mary: I'm very confused, I've heard that pick that we've got from the Sacramento trade is Houston's pick? Can you please clarify this for me? -- Vinny Horvath, Euclid

Hey, Vinny: The pick is Sacramento's, not Houston's.

-- Mary

The fans' interest in bolstering the receiving corps is well known, but the Browns will likely target other areas, says beat writer Tony Grossi.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerIt's going to be a frantic few days for (from left to right) Mike Holmgren, Pat Shurmur and Tom Heckert when the NFL lockout finally ends and free agent decisions have to be made.

Hey, Tony: Do the Browns have enough cap space to strengthen themselves through free agency in the receiver, defensive end and/or the safety positions? Would you agree these are the weakest areas to upgrade? -- Mike Davey, Toronto, Miss.

Hey, Mike: When a new CBA is negotiated, salary cap space will not be a problem for the Browns. They have effectively ridded themselves of several bloated contracts during the last two years. I believe the weakest positions in need of upgrade are defensive line, safety and linebacker. You can argue they need a No. 1 wide receiver, but they don't seem to agree.

Hey, Tony: You've said the Browns won't be active going after big-name FAs. Do you see a lot of UDFAs coming in? Which ones? -- Alex Del Piero, Scotland

Hey, Alex: I would anticipate the Browns signing 10 to 12 undrafted free agents. It's impossible to project whom.

Hey, Tony: It appears you are convinced the Browns' problems are self-inflicted by poor ownership decisions. Then how far away is this organization compared to Pittsburgh as being competent football leaders and not just another unattached owner with a group of "good ol' boys" spending his endless dough? -- Bruce Hoover, Groveport, Ohio

Hey, Bruce: It's hard to quantify. The Steelers have had the same philosophy for roughly 40 years. Does that mean the Browns need 40 more years under Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert to catch up? 'Course not. How many years? I'd rather put it this way: They need to score more bull's-eyes on player decisions than the Steelers from this point forward. And they need to find an elite quarterback to compete with them.

Hey, Tony: I enjoy articles written by Mary Kay Cabot and by yourself. How do both of you decide who's going to cover which aspects of the Browns? -- Al Winterhalter, Strongsville

Hey, Al: We've worked together on the Browns since they returned in 1999. We, along with our editors, decide how to break up the coverage. It's a good mix of ideas.

Hey, Tony: If this lockout is done by July 20, when will free agency season open? It appears the free-agent transactions will be going on the same time camp opens up. Sounds as if the situation would be a bit odd for the free agents, being in camp and then signed by another team. If you were a free agent, would you show up for camp? -- Rod Sauer, Athens, Ohio

Hey, Rod: By definition, free agents are unsigned -- so they don't attend any camp until they're under contract. Soon as the lockout is lifted, rules will be announced on timetables to sign undrafted and unrestricted free agents. No doubt, many players will be joining new teams after camps open.

Hey, Tony: I'm a little confused about this "cash floor" being talked about in the new CBA. As I understood the old CBA, teams had a salary cap that covered both ends of the scale. That is, if I'm not mistaken, say the figure allowed for payroll was $190M; teams had to stay under that number, but also had to spend at least 85 percent of it or 161.5M on the current year's payroll with all the bonuses, etc., which left them with a little wiggle room to be able to sign extra players in case of multiple injuries leaving the team short at a position.

How is this different from that? Or am I mistaken about the old CBA's minimum salary cap? One reader, Austin, wrote in about John Clayton saying teams like Tampa and Cincy have in excess of $60 million they would be forced to spend to get to the cash floor. Where did this money come from? If it was left from last year when there was no salary cap, why would they need to spend it this year when the CBA will be different?

Seems the whole system should start over with the new labor agreement. -- Tom Hill, Plain City, Ohio

Hey, Tom: The last salary cap in 2009 actually was about $127 million. One difference in the proposed new deal is the salary floor will be closer to 90 percent of the cap, which raises the threshold of the lowest-spending teams. The cash floor refers to actual cash spent on salaries and bonuses -- not the inflated, projected numbers contained on the back end of contracts.

Hey, Tony: With Nike getting the NFL contract in 2012, what are the chances of them messing with the Browns' uniform? -- Michael Bluth, The O.C., Calif.

Hey, Michael: Teams have final approval over any changes in uniforms.

View full sizeTracy Boulian, The Plain DealerLawrence Vickers' job security is clearly at risk when the Browns open up their doors after the lockout.

Hey, Tony: When everything finally shakes out and if Lawrence Vickers is not on the roster, can you please push and push for an explanation? I'm sure a lot of people want to understand where this decision came from. -- Tom Goodsite, Kirksville, Mo.

Hey, Tom: The answer likely will be: Any personnel moves we make are for the good of the team.

Hey, Tony: Has RT Tony Pashos, RG Shawn Lauvao and RB Montario Hardesty been participating in the Camp Colt practices, and has there been any indications that they look up to speed? -- Alan Fojt, Manassas, Va.

Hey, Alan: A source said that Lauvao and center Alex Mack were present, but Pashos and Hardesty were not, due to previous commitments.

Hey, Tony: Hopefully this suggestion will not be needed next Sunday. But back in late 60s early 70s, Henry Kissinger was trying to end the Vietnam war with peace talks in Paris and was getting nowhere. Johnny Carson came up with a solution. Make them negotiate nonstop in Youngstown until they find a solution. I would add in only serving White Castle hamburgers and gas station coffee until the players and owners came to an agreement. This lockout would be settled in less than 36 hours. -- Austin Lindsay, Logan, Ohio

Hey, Austin: A better place would be a service plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Hey, Tony: Do you think if Art Modell didn't move the team, the Browns would have won the Super Bowl in 2000 and been the perennial contender the Ravens have been? Why or why not? -- Paul Marston, Seattle.

Hey, Paul: Possibly, but only if he would have sold the team, as he did in Baltimore.

Modell moved the team because he was careening toward bankruptcy. Shortly after moving, he was forced by the NFL to find a buyer because he didn't have the capital to operate the franchise.

Although the seeds of the Ravens' Super Bowl team were planted in the 1996 draft -- Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis -- it didn't crystallize until future owner Steve Bisciotti provided the money for the team to really blossom. The two-phased sale of the Ravens to Bisciotti -- 45 percent in the first three years, and then 54 percent more after that -- also forced Modell to meddle less, although it was portrayed that nothing had changed.

If Modell had sold the Browns and left them in Cleveland, a new owner might have been able to duplicate the success of the Ravens if he had left the burgeoning organization intact. Imagine a football management tandem of Bill Belichick and Ozzie Newsome.

Hey, Tony: When I listen to all of the QB talk surrounding the Browns, I hear of McCoy, Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme ... yet on the roster is Jarrett Brown and when I looked him up he seems to be the most impressive of the bunch in terms of potential. Why do we not hear more about him? -- Chester Hopkins-Bey, Cleveland.

Hey, Chester: A better question from me is why do so many readers think Jarrett Brown is the answer to the Browns' historical woes at quarterback. Seriously, the Browns -- GM Tom Heckert, coach Pat Shurmur, President Mike Holmgren -- have not uttered a single word about Brown since he was signed in January. We don't know what Brown is doing on the roster or what role the Browns envision for him.

View full sizePD historical collectionIn 1948, Marion Motley and the Browns rocked an all-white uniform, which could be the basis of a "throwback" look --- but Tony Grossi isn't buying.

Hey, Tony: As you have lifted your ban on jersey questions, let me again try to sneak this question in: Why don't the Browns ever wear the white helmets on a "throwback" weekend? All the Otto Graham, Marion Motley, etc., tapes show the Browns with white helmets. With all the bizarre throwback uniforms worn, I would think the Browns could and should go back to the originals. -- Wesley Penn, Dunnellon, Fla.

Hey, Wesley: Keep it up and the uniform moratorium will be reinstalled before the lockout is lifted. White helmets with white jerseys? Why not add the white pants for an icicle look?

Hey, Tony: I've only seen about five Oregon Duck football games in the last two years, but one player other than LeMichael James made a lasting impression.

Last year's bowl game against Ohio State and this year's national championship game against Auburn showcased a too-small defensive end/linebacker named Kenny Rowe. He often played from a stand-up position and would end up in pass coverage occasionally. He has a nose for the ball, is a great pass rusher, a playmaker, and all he does is play the game like a natural.

Unfortunately for Rowe the pro scouts saw him as a tweener at 6-2, 237 pounds and like many very good players, he went undrafted. Last year, he led Oregon with seven sacks and 16 1/2 tackles for a loss while topping the conference with five forced fumbles. What he may lack in speed he makes up for in football instinct. Some team is going to pick up this too slow linebacker and find it impossible to cut him. Do you remember Kenny Rowe and do you think the linebacker-thin Browns might give him a look? -- Jan Bilson, Bradenton, Fla.

Hey, Jan: Ok, you've convinced me. You should be his agent. I'll be looking for him when undrafted free agency starts.

Hey, Tony: So last week while waiting in a jury selection room for several hours I came across an article in ESPN The Magazine from January and they were contemplating what losing team would breakout in 2011. They considered strength of schedule, injuries in 2010, defensive maturity, running game, close losses in 2010, along with a few other factors and their overall conclusion was the Browns.

I'm still not ready to renew Sunday Ticket, but doesn't it look like there a chance Shurmur and his staff have a slim, but real, opportunity? -- Doug Shaffer, Orange, Calif.

Hey, Doug: Prior to this endless lockout, I might be talked into agreeing with the story. But I think the lockout has really killed the chances of a first-year coaching staff with a "green" quarterback from breaking out. Pat Shurmur and his staff couldn't be placed in a worse situation.

Hey, Tony: Is there any player on the Browns that you'd be willing to single out as your "favorite" player to watch? -- Scott Yehl, Princeton, N.J.

Hey, Scott: I'm really excited to see Colt McCoy perform in the new offense. Montario Hardesty captured my excitement in his first six carries in the last preseason game before he got hurt. I'm also looking forward to seeing Jabaal Sheard, whom I believe was the team's best draft choice. Also, rookie fullback Owen Marecic is supposed to be a unique player, so he'll be interesting to follow. My single favorite player to watch? Probably Hardesty.

Hey, Tony: I know teams can't have contact with players during the lockout. Does that also prevent them from having contact with agents of drafted players? My question is with the lockout potentially ending on July 21, will that leave enough time for rookies to get signed before training camp starts? Do you think the Browns have been in contact with agents regarding contracts and also do you see any of the top 3 picks being difficult signings? -- Andy Mitchell, Columbus.

Hey, Andy: The new CBA will contain a rookie wage scale that should end the whole concept of rookie holdouts.

Hey, Tony: I figured I need to get a jersey question in before your moratorium ends. Do you know how much longer the Browns plan to wear the "AL" patch? I realize they did it to honor the late Al Lerner, but Lerner passed in 2002. Do you feel it's time to move on? -- Dustin S., Queens, N.Y.

Hey, Dustin: I don't forsee the Browns removing the "AL" patch under the Lerner family ownership.

Hey, Tony: Camp Colt, great! After all, the starting job is his to lose. Seneca is there too, great! So, why it isn't Seneca teaching the guys about the West Coast offense instead of Colt, given the huge gap in experience? I know Seneca wants to start and is holding back a few tricks, but it makes me more than a little concerned about team unity and attitude. Am I missing something here? -- Seren Hrachian, Athens, N.Y.

Hey, Seren: Wallace is a team player. I think you're over-thinking this issue.

-- Tony

To the former Cleveland St. Joseph star, it just doesn't seem possible it happened so long ago.

AP photoDesmond Howard waves to the crowd after receiving his blazer, emblematic of induction into the College Football Hall of Fame Saturday.

Rick Gano

Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Desmond Howard shook his head and smiled. It's been 20 years since he won the Heisman Trophy at Michigan as an electrifying pass catcher and kick returner.

To the former Cleveland St. Joseph star, it just doesn't seem possible it happened so long ago.

"Time just flies doesn't it? Twenty years is unbelievable. That's one of those things when somebody says it you kind of got to do the math in your head, like 'Yeah I guess he's right,'" Howard said Saturday night when he was enshrined with 15 other players and four coaches into the College Football Hall of Fame.

"Wow."

Asked what had changed most in the game since he flying over fields in Ann Arbor, even striking a Heisman pose after scoring a touchdown, Howard was quick with an answer, just as he was on the field.

The spread offense with multiple formations and receivers.

"Everyone wants to spread people out and try to get mismatches out there in space," he said. "When I played -- if I did that can you imagine the numbers?" he said with a big laugh.

"You got to understand I won the Heisman within the rhythm of our offense. ... We had guys who could tote the pill and we toted it, we just didn't throw the ball to 21. We tried to run the ball, that was still our primary goal."

Also inducted Saturday night were: Dennis Byrd (North Carolina State, DT, 1965-67); Ronnie Caveness ( Arkansas, LB 1962-64); Ray Childress (Texas A&M, DL 1981-84); Dexter Coakley (Appalachian State, LB, 1993-96); Randy Cross (UCLA, OG, 1973-75); Sam Cunningham (Southern California, RB, 1970-72); Michael Favor, North Dakota State, C, 1985-88); Charles Haley (James Madison, DE, 1982-85; Mark Herrmann (Purdue, QB, 1977-80); Clarkston Hines (Duke, WR, 1986-89); Desmond Howard (Michigan, WR, 1989-91); Mickey Kobrosky (Trinity College, Back, 1933-36); Chet Moeller (Navy, DB, 1973-75);

Jerry Stovall (LSU, HB, 1960-62); Pat Tillman (Arizona St., LB, 1994-97); Alfred Williams (Colorado, LB, 1987-90). Coach Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin, 1990-2005); Coach

Mike Kelly (Dayton, 1981-2007); Coach Bill Manlove, (Widener, 1969-91), Delaware Valley, 1992-95), La Salle, 1997-2001); Coach Gene Stallings (Texas A&M, 1965-71), Alabama, 1990-96).

Byrd, Tillman and Kobrosky were inducted posthumously. After his college days, Tillman went on to an NFL career with the Cardinals. After three seasons in the NFL, he enlisted in the Army. He was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004.

Haley emerged from little-known James Madison to become one of the NFL's most ferocious pass rushers and played on five Super Bowl championship teams with Dallas and San Francisco.

"I never dreamed of going to college and when I got to college I never dreamed of going to the pros," Haley said. "I was fortunate enough to have coaches to be visionaries and build a foundation and give me a skill set. .. It's not all about how athletic you are, it's about having the smarts to understand all the pieces of the puzzle that is going around you at the time."

Cunningham had the nickname "Bam" for his punishing running style. He had four touchdowns in a 1973 Rose Bowl win over Ohio State. In his first game in 1970 against Alabama, he scored two TDs and had 135 yards rushing against the then all-white Crimson Tide, leading a victory in a milestone performance.

"It has afforded a lot of black athletes the opportunity to play wherever they want to play," he said earlier.

Alvarez transformed a Wisconsin program that was struggling to win games into a Big Ten and national power and ended up winning three Rose Bowls.

"It's kind of a culmination," he said of his selection. "It's what I did for a living. ... It's pretty special."

Nothing like a pennant race to keep the weekly readers mailbag full for beat writer Paul Hoynes.

View full sizeAP photoLate-night wins in Phoenix (Lou Marson and Chris Perez celebrating a late-June win over Arizona) didn't satisfy some Indians fans who want to see games against NL teams a little closer to Progressive Field.

Hey, Hoynsie: What's the logic, if any, of MLB sending the Tribe to "far-away places" like San Francisco and Arizona for interleague games? I'm sure most fans would rather see them playing Midwest teams like Cincy, the Cubs, Milwaukee, St. Louis and the Pirates. -- Dale Brodt, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Hey, Dale: The idea behind interleague play is for the fans in every city to get a chance see the best players in the opposing league. Last year, the Indians played teams from the NL East, with the exception of their home-and-away series with Cincinnati and a three-game visit to Pittsburgh.

This year they played the NL West, along with Cincinnati and the Pirates. Next year, if the pattern holds true and interleague play hasn't been changed by potential realignment, they'll play teams from the NL Central.

Hey, Hoynsie: I understand he's in the division, but what kind of deal would it take to get Michael Cuddyer here? He can play either corner outfield or infield position and second base. Plus he's a right-handed bat with power. Seems like he'd be the perfect fit at the right price. -- Joe Cepec, Dublin, Ohio

Hey, Joe: I feel the same about Cuddyer as you. But there are hurdles to clear in bringing him to Cleveland. First, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is not going to give up on this season until he's absolutely convinced he can't win it. Second, Cuddyer is a key player on and off the field for Minnesota. Yes, he's a free agent, but I think they'd try hard to keep him.

The Twins are 4-1 against the Indians with 13 more games left to play following the break. Cuddyer, by the way, is making $10.5 million this year. Depending on how much of Cuddyer's contract the Indians take would determine the kind of player they'd give up. The less money they'd take on, the more talented the player and vice versa.

Hey, Hoynsie: I was wondering, with Luis Valbuena ripping it up in Class AAA Columbus this season, do you see the Indians using him in a trade? -- Zach Spero, Cynwd, Pa.

Hey, Zach: Valbuena was promoted just before the All-Star break to try and help the offense make sure Orlando Cabrera doesn't have to play second base every day.

The Indians, I'm sure, would talk about dealing Valbuena, but I think he'd have to be included in a multi-player deal. I don't think you're going to get a lot in a one-for-one deal.

Hey, Hoynsie: Does Shin-Soo Choo intend to use his time on the DL to get his DUI case behind him? It seems that might clear his mind to concentrate on his batting. -- David Buckley Jr., Broadview Heights

Hey, David: I think Choo's main concern while he's on the disabled list is getting healthy.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerJeanmar Gomez gets Sunday's start against Baltimore, and will get a full chance to stick in the Indians' rotation, says Paul Hoynes.

Hey, Hoynsie: It looks like the Tribe may well have the foundation of a great pitching staff. Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and Josh Tomlin seem solid. Alex White really showed something when he was healthy. Who do you think will emerge as the fifth starter -- Zach McAllister, Mitch Talbot, Fausto Carmona or David Huff? -- Geoffrey Lee, Strongsville

Hey, Geoffrey: Right now it looks like Carmona is the No.5 starter with Jeanmar Gomez replacing Mitch Talbot in the No. 4 spot.

Hey, Hoynsie: Your Cliff Lee/Carlos Carrasco comparison chart from two Sunday's ago shows that you're still desperately champing at the bit in an attempt to justify the 2009 trade, after which you bad-mouthed Tribe fans as complainers.

But if Jason (loose bodies) Knapp was the "must-have" guy in the four minor-leaguers for one Cy Young winner deal, doesn't it prove that management really doesn't know what it's doing and is relying on the "blind squirrel" method of acquiring talent? -- Joseph Ladd, Cleveland

Hey, Joseph: I think you've got it wrong. You're the one who doesn't seem to be able to admit that the front office acquired a promising big-league starter in Carrasco and a solid defensive catcher in Lou Marson.

Yes, Knapp and Jason Donald have been slowed by injuries. After the Indians traded Lee, he was dealt two more times -- once by the Phillies and once by Seattle. In those three trades, first baseman Justin Smoak is generally regarded as the best player acquired for Lee. Carrasco is No.2.

Come on, Joseph, you can admit that much can't you?

Hey, Hoynsie: I know the Tribe is looking to see if they can trade for a player that could help. The Astros' Hunter Pence might be a good fit. He's 28, bats righty and is a solid pro. What do you think the chances are? -- Russell Gantos, Houston

Hey, Russell: I like Hunter Pence. From what I've heard, the Astros won't trade him.

Hey, Hoynsie: This probably happens often in the National League, but when a pitcher leaves for a pinch-hitter, is he out of the game from a pitching record standpoint? -- Kevin Galvin, Lakewood

Hey, Kevin: He's out of the game, period. His line score is immediately announced when the pitcher is replaced by a pinch hitter.

Hey, Hoynsie: How many options does a player get per year and/or contract? Do they reset if a player is traded? -- Andrew Busser, Westlake

Hey, Andrew: Each players has three options. An option lasts a year. If a big-league team exercises that option, promotes or demotes a player, the option lasts the whole season. That means they can send him up and down as many times as they want and it still only counts as one option.

Last year Jensen Lewis had one option remaining. The Indians bounced him between Cleveland and Class AAA Columbus five times. They've done the same thing with Travis Buck this year. No matter how many times a player comes and goes, it still only counts as one option if it's done in the same year.

Once a player gets done with an option, it's gone. It can not be reset if he's traded to another team.

Hey, Hoynsie: It seems as if we have a lot of good young infielders (Chisenhall, Kipnis, Valbuena, Phelps, Donald, LaPorta). How do you see them all in the long term? Who will be starting, who will be on the bench, who will be traded? Also, should we look into anything with the Indians drafting (Francisco Lindor) and signing (Dorssys Paulino) young shortstop prospects? -- Dan Desai, Toledo

Hey, Dan: Chisenhall was already starting at third base before he got hit in the face with a pitch. Kipnis could be the starting second baseman by 2012. LaPorta has been starting at first all year. Phelps, Valbuena and Donald are utility guys.

The Indians drafted Lindor and signed Paulino because you can never have enough middle of the diamond players. Especially when they have offensive potential.

Hey, Hoynsie: We Indians fans complain about our lack of breaks ('95 WS strike zone, '97 Mesa, '05 and '07 chokes, etc.), but think if:

• Tribe loses one game playoff in '48 in Boston, just another close call.

• Black Sox scandal doesn't break (with star players suspended) in August of 19'20, with Indians in close race with White Sox. We probably finish second. -- Jim Claeys, Cuyahoga Falls

Hey, Jim: You're a ray of sunshine.

Hey, Hoynsie: From what I've seen so far, Cord Phelps doesn't appear ready to play second base at the major-league level. -- John Eckhardt, Pittsford, N.Y.

Hey, John: The Indians felt the same way and optioned Phelps back to Class AAA Columbus just before the All-Star break.

Hey, Hoynsie: Why isn't anyone pushing Asdrubal Cabrera for American League MVP? There is no doubt he has more impact on the success of his team than any other single player in the league. Take him away and the Indians probably have a losing record. The MVP is not the guy with the most homers or highest batting average -- but the guy who makes the most difference. -- Steve Schneider, Reno, Nev.

Hey, Steve: Way too early for such talk. Not arguing about Cabrera's performance, but let's see what the second half brings.

Hey, Hoynsie: Are you surprised that the Tribe hasn't struck quickly to add some talent? Dolan did say "we will spend when we contend," didn't he? We certainly traded players aggressively like Bartolo Colon and CC Sabathia. -- Jeanine Rossi, Cleveland

Hey, Jeanine: If the Indians make a move, it's going to be closer to the July 31st deadline for making a deal without waivers.

When the Indians dealt Colon and Sabathia, they were cutting payroll and rebuilding. They're in a different situation.

-- Hoynsie

Grant, who has the disease, serves as a community ambassador for the Portland Trail Blazers. Because of the labor dispute between league owners and players, team employees can't have contact with players.

EVAN AGOSTINI/APBrian Grant says his fundraiser to raise money for Parkinson's disease will proceed, despite the NBA lockout.

Anne M. Peterson

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The NBA lockout isn't really posing any challenges for Brian Grant's big fundraiser to fight Parkinson's disease, contrary to widespread reports and Internet buzz.

Last summer, a few NBA players lent Grant a hand in his "Shake It Till We Make It" gala dinner and golf tournament. This year, that won't be the case.

Grant, who has the disease, serves as a community ambassador for the Portland Trail Blazers. Because of the labor dispute between league owners and players, team employees can't have contact with players.

There will be plenty of other celebrities to help Grant's cause on July 31 at the Rose Garden Arena dinner. The golf tournament will be held the next day at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club west of Portland.

Grant raised $350,000 last year, with participants including Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali, Pat Riley and Bill Russell.

Reports surfaced this week that Grant was being hamstrung by the no-contact edict and the story spread to Twitter. But the criticism was unfounded, said "Shake It Till We Make It" spokeswoman Sara Perrin.

"The NBA has been an awesome partner for us. They couldn't be more supportive," she said.

Grant can't address the rumors himself without facing a possible fine.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank says neither Grant nor the Blazers have asked for an exemption to the no-contact rule. But others have asked and received exclusions.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was allowed to appear with his team at the recent ESPY awards. Employees of the Miami Heat were permitted to attend Chris Bosh's wedding this weekend.

The NBA was criticized for allowing Michael Jordan to play in a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe this weekend -- while Grant had not been given the same blessing. But Frank said Jordan, an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, and Vinny Del Negro, coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, checked with the league office before the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship to make sure they weren't breaking any rules.

Frank told The Associated Press in an email that there are no rules against owners and players being at an independent event, such as the golf tournament, where they're among many other people. Problems arise when team business or the labor dispute is discussed.

But Grant, as a team employee, cannot invite current players to attend his own fundraiser unless he has an exemption. Additionally, the event takes place at the Rose Garden, which could be problematic.

The collective bargaining agreement between team owners and the players' union expired at the end of the day June 30. Owners locked out the players after the sides remained far apart in their final proposals.

Among the sports celebrities attending Grant's dinner this year are Riley, Russell, Charles Barkley, Bill Walton and Detlef Schrempf. Muhammad Ali's wife, Lonnie Ali, will speak. Muhammad Ali also suffers from Parkinson's.

The fundraising dinner is sold out, Perrin said.

Only a few active NBA players, including Portland's Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, attended the event last year.

A first-round draft pick in 1994 out of Xavier, Grant played for five NBA teams. The dreadlocked 6-foot-9 forward built a reputation for hard-nosed play after a ferocious battle against Karl Malone in the 1999 playoffs.

In the 2000-01 season, the Heat moved him from power forward to center after Alonzo Mourning developed a kidney illness, and he helped the team to 50 wins.

He averaged 10.5 points and 7.4 rebounds over his 12-year career before retiring in 2006 because of chronic knee problems.

Two years ago, soon after he decided to make Portland his home, Grant was diagnosed with Parkinson's. About 1.5 million Americans have the disease, which destroys brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical key to the functions that control muscle movement. Patients suffer from increasingly severe tremors and periodically rigid limbs. They can have trouble walking, speaking and writing.

There is no cure.

Camp Colt could have been a disaster for the Browns' young QB, but he showed some moxie in pulling his teammates together during the lockout.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerColt McCoy has been able to organize his veteran teammates during the NFL lockout in a way that speaks to his growing skills as a leader on the Browns, says Terry Pluto.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's never a lockout in Northeast Ohio when it comes to weekend opinions about local teams.

About the Browns...

1. No one has talked about it, but the four "Camp Colts" could have been a disaster for quarterback Colt McCoy. After all, who is McCoy to try and organize and run practices? He's started eight games, been in the NFL for one season. But the young Browns quarterback pulled it off, and gained even more respect from his teammates. Rather than come across as bossy, he was quietly confident and communicated a lot with the players in between each camp so that they had a sense of working together.

2. Working in McCoy's favor are the ages of the receivers and running backs. Everyone is young. Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi were 2009 second-round picks. Greg Little was a second-rounder this season. Joshua Cribbs is a veteran, but he just wants to do the right thing and win games. He helped set up the camp at Kent State, his alma mater.

3. Also attending some of the camps were Carlton Mitchell and Jordan Norwood, two young receivers liked by General Manager Tom Heckert. Some in the Browns' front office think Mitchell could be a surprise contributor in the new offense because he runs very well after making the catch.

4. Am I thrilled to hear Little had 93 parking tickets on five different cars when he was at North Carolina? Or that some of the cars ticketed included a BMW, Acura and Nissan -- according to the Charlotte Observer? It does not mean Little is a bad guy. It does mean the Browns have to watch his sense of entitlement. He became a second-round pick despite being suspended (for taking gifts from an agent and supplying false information to the NCAA). The Browns need to make sure Little earns his playing time, because a lot has been handed to him in the past.

5. As for the running backs at Camp Colt, Peyton Hills was drafted in 2008, Montario Hardesty was drafted in 2010. Hillis and McCoy also have become close friends. The tight ends are Ben Watson, Evan Moore and rookie Jordan Cameron. This is Watson's eighth season, but like Cribbs, he's a good guy who wants to buy into the program. Cameron has made an impression with his leaping ability and athleticism.

6. While some offensive linemen have shown up for the various camps, not a lot can be done on the field with them. There is no blocking and tackling. Most of the work on offense is running pass patterns from the new West Coast playbook.

7. Seneca Wallace was at some camps, but not this one. The other quarterback was Jarret Brown, who started for West Virginia in 2009. He is known as a runner, but Brown did start 15 games as a senior in mostly a pro-style offense. The Mountaineers were 11-4 in those games, he completed 63 percent of his passes and became the school's first quarterback to throw for more than 2,000 yards since Marc Bulger in 1998. He backed up Patrick White until 2009.

8. Brown was not drafted in 2010. Part of the reason is he had only 11 TD passes, compared to nine interceptions. He also lost six fumbles. He is 6-3, so he has decent size -- but 20 of his passes were batted down. But the Browns were intrigued enough to sign him on Jan. 11. Brown did open the 2010 season on the 49ers, but was cut. Maybe he is the young quarterback that team president Mike Holmgren says he likes to bring in each season for a tryout.

9. There are more veterans on defense, which is why it was wise for Scott Fujita to be the point man in bringing those guys to camp. Fujita is respected because he's headed into his 10th season, played in a Super Bowl and also has been a key guy in the labor talks. He also received help from Sheldon Brown -- another key veteran. Brown said he had rotator cuff surgery at the end of the season, but is optimistic about his shoulder being healthy this year.

10. This is a big IF, but if Robaire Smith is correct when he says his back injuries are behind him, that could be a major boost to the defensive line. The 33-year-old Smith can play in either the 3-4 or 4-3 offense, and can play end. So the new Browns line would have Smith and rookie Jabaal Sheard at the ends, rookie Phil Taylor and veteran Ahtyba Rubin at the tackles. Marcus Benard can be a pass-rushing end, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Browns signed another veteran defensive linemen.

About the rookie salary cap...

1. The best thing about the coming NFL labor settlement is a rookie salary cap. Under the new agreement, No. 1 pick Cam Newton will receive $22 million over four years, with a player option for a fifth season. Last year's top pick -- Sam Bradford -- signed a 6-year, $78 million deal, with $50 million guaranteed.

2. It appears rookie salaries will be cut between 50-75 percent, which is not just good for the owners, but also the league. One of the toughest situations for coaches and veteran players is when a rookie walks into the dressing room as the team's highest-paid player -- before he played a single snap. That was the case on the Browns with Joe Haden (2010), Joe Thomas (2007), Braylon Edwards (2005), Kellen Winslow (2004), Gerard Warren (2001) and Tim Couch (1999). The only reason Courtney Brown didn't make the make the list in 2000 is Couch was paid so much in 1999.

3. The outrageous salaries given to rookies chewed up salary cap room that could have been given to veteran. Thankfully, the players figured that out and didn't turn this issue into a deal breaker.

4. The rookie salaries also made it hard to trade top draft picks. Many teams didn't want to trade picks or veteran players to move way up in the draft -- and into a messy contract situation.

5. This also should cut down on the rookie holdouts, which always are destructive to the team and player.

About Cleveland State basketball...

View full sizeLisa DeJong, The Plain DealerD'Aundray Brown (32) will be asked to take a leadership role on the Cleveland State basketball team for the 2011-12 season.

Since the NBA has shut down and also told its executives not to speak to the media, I will use some Sunday space in the next few weeks to talk about area Division I basketball teams -- starting with Cleveland State.

1. The Vikings were 27-9, went to the NIT and saw Norris Cole picked in the first round of the draft and traded to Miami. Coach Gary Waters said, "No one can replace Norris, but we do have D'Aundray -- people forget that."

2. That's D'Aundray Brown, who had a medical redshirt last season. He started in his first three years for the Vikings. Not big-time scorer, Brown did average 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds as a junior -- when he often played power forward at 6-4. He is expected to start at small forward.

3. Cole was the point guard, and he may be replaced by 5-8 recruit Charlie Lee from Milwaukee, or 6-4 Sebastian Douglas. Waters says Lee reminds him of Earl Boykins, recruited by Waters at Eastern Michigan. He doesn't believe Lee is a Boykins-type scorer, "but he is a real floor general." Douglas was a recruit from Houston in 2010 who sat out last season with a knee injury. Waters considers him a big-time athlete who can play either guard spot or small forward.

5. The Vikings do return starting guards Tre Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery. Does Waters start Lee/Brown at the point and go with three guards again as Montgomery and Harmon also start? And have a 6-4 power forward in Brown? Probably not, because one of his goals is to improve the rebounding. He will have to sort through all the guards.

6. Warren Harding recruit Tre Brown will not enroll because of academic issues. Several players have transferred: Joe Latas (Houston Baptist), Josh McCoy (Missouri-St. Louis) and Anthony Wells (IUPUI). McCoy and Wells wanted more playing time, and Waters said Latas will pursue his seminary degree. The St. Peter-Chanel product already has two degrees from CSU.

7. Latas was the backup center to Aaron Pogue, who returns. That backup role will be filled by Devon Long, a sophomore from Michigan who was listed at 6-7, 265 pounds. "He's lost some weight and could be our best low-post scorer," said Waters.

8. Enrolling at CSU is Justin Jamison, who is 6-10. He played basketball and baseball at Benedictine and Strongsville. He was drafted in the 13th round by the Texas Rangers, but was cut. Waters said Jamison is expected to walk on to the basketball team, and could be in the mix for minutes at center.

9. Cleveland Central Catholic recruit Anton Grady will battle Strongsville's Tim Kamczyc and sophomore Ludovic Ndaye for time at power forward. "I do expect Anton to get some minutes right away this season," said Waters.

10. Besides Lee and Grady, the Vikings have 6-2 guard Ike Nwamu from North Carolina and 6-6 forward Marlin Mason coming in. Waters said Nwamu is a "great athlete." You can find some incredible dunks by Nwamu on YouTube.

About the Tribe...

View full sizeAP photoA .300 hitter with power as a part-time player with Washington, Michael Morse would fit a lot of needs for the Indians if he became available at the trade deadline.

1. A player for the Indians to consider is Michael Morse, who plays some first base and outfield for the Washington Nationals. I first read the suggestion from Paul Cousineau, author of the excellent blog DiaTribe. Morris, 29, played little for Seattle and was traded to Washington in 2009. It was only last season that he hit .289 (.871 OPS) with 15 homers and 41 RBI in 266 at-bats. This season, he's at .306 (.886 OPS) with 15 homers and 49 RBI.

2. Morse is attractive because he makes only $1 million and won't be a free agent until 2014. The price could be high for Morse in terms of prospects, but I'd be willing to talk about most guys in the system -- but not the prized group of Jason Kipnis, Drew Pomeranz, Lonnie Chisenhall and Alex White.

3. Morse is a right-handed hitter who makes more sense than 33-year-old Ryan Ludwick, who could leave at the end of the season. He's not a prime defender at any position, but he can play the corner outfield spots, first and third base.

4. Ludwick went into the weekend batting .243 (.689 OPS) with 11 homers and 55 RBI for San Diego. In July, he was 6-of-43 (.140) with one homer. In June, he batted .240. While San Diego is a tough place to hit, Ludwick has been so-so at home (.234, .695 OPS, 5 HR) and away (.251, .684 OPS, 6 HR). He will be a free agent after the season.

5. Jeff Francoeur is batting .264 (.747 OPS) with 12 homers and 56 RBI for Kansas City. He has 15 stolen bases, plays a superb right field and is only 27. He also would make sense for the Indians. Francoeur has a player option of $4 million for 2012. If the Indians are pushed to give up a starting pitcher such as Jeanmar Gomez or Zach McAllister in a prospect package for one of these players, I prefer Morse because he can't walk away at the end of the season.

6. Josh Willingham also has been mentioned, and he's hitting .249 (.763) with 12 homers and 46 RBI for Oakland. He's averaged 20 homers and 65 RBI over the previous five years with Washington and Florida. He also can be a free agent.

7. The Tribe says it doesn't have to deal for a right-handed hitter as most the teams they will face the rest of this season have only one lefty in rotation -- but let's face it, they need a right-handed bat for next year, too.

8. David Huff may be a starter in one of Monday's doubleheader games. He is 8-3 with a 3.86 ERA at Columbus. That is his lowest ERA in three years at Class AAA. The lefty could be used in a deal, especially that his average fastball has moved up from 89 to 92 mph.

9. Finally healthy and feeling confident after head and knee injuries this spring, Jason Donald is hitting .318 (.876 OPS) in Columbus. In his last 10 games, Donald is batting .375, and is at .350 vs. lefties this season. He could join the Indians in the near future, replacing Luis Valbuena as the utility infielder.

10. The Know the Score Summer Sports Luncheon hosted by Les Levine and featuring PD writers Paul Hoynes, Tony Grossi and myself will be held Thursday at 11:45 a.m. at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven in Mayfield Heights. Call 440-449-0700 for more information.

Whether purists like it or not, Kyle Busch joined an elite list in auto racing history, becoming the third NASCAR driver to win 100 races.

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) Kyle Busch grabbed a souvenir for the victory lap he'd perfected 99 times before: A white "100" flag that rippled out the window of the No. 18 Toyota, one special number and a giant slice of NASCAR history.

Whether purists like it or not, Busch joined an elite list in auto racing history, becoming the third NASCAR driver to win 100 races.

Busch's victory Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway also tied him with Mark Martin for first place in career Nationwide Series victories with 49. Busch has 22 wins in Sprint Cup and 29 in the Trucks Series.

"It will stick out for a long time because it is No. 100," Busch said. "But I'm not going to say it's the biggest one. This is certainly a special day."

It might not even be his biggest win this weekend if Busch can win the Sprint Cup race Sunday.

It might be hard to remember if Busch reaches his eventual goal of winning 200 races.

Only "The King" has hit that whopping number.

Richard Petty is NASCAR's career leader with 200 wins and David Pearson is second with 106. Petty won all of his races at the Cup level. Pearson won 105 races in Cup and one in Nationwide. Busch has 100 wins spread over NASCAR's top three national series.

"You set your goals high and get out there and try and do it," Busch said. "It's down the road, but hopefully one day we get to 200."

Busch, the 2009 Nationwide champion, won for the sixth time this season.

Asked how many of his 99 victories he remembered, Busch said this week he only thinks about the next one.

It's here.

Busch, only 26 years old, took a victory ride around the track holding the "100" flag out the window.

One of the most polarizing drivers in the sport, even the milestone cause a stir, with old-school fans feeling Busch's total shouldn't be lumped with Petty and Pearson.

Petty's son, and former driver, Kyle, posted on Twitter he felt it was an unfair comparison.

Busch understood those feelings. But 100 wins is 100 wins.

"Certainly, mine's a little bit different," Busch said. "But it feels good."

He has 22 wins in 240 career Cup starts; 49 for 217 in Nationwide; 29 for 93 in Trucks.

Martin, who has 96 career NASCAR wins, was one of the first to shake Busch's hand and offer congratulations.

Martin races only a few times in Nationwide each year, but did win a race in Las Vegas this year. Martin recalled the first time he saw Busch turn some practice laps, and feeling like the teen had been racing "forever."

"He was a natural from the first time he slipped into one of those big stock cars," Martin said. "It's been amazing to watch. It's hard for me to get my arms around where is he at his age."

Kevin Harvick was second and Kasey Kahne third. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Aric Almirola rounded out the top five. Carl Edwards completed barely 60 laps into the race with a bad engine. He finished the race in ESPN's broadcast booth.

Busch led the final 33 laps and blew past the field on restarts to win on a green-white checkered finish.

One of the drivers left behind was Harvick.

Harvick has been embroiled in a feud with Busch and the pair was placed on probation earlier this year for a pit road dust-up at Darlington. Late in the race, Harvick said over the radio that NASCAR president Mike Helton told him "not to touch" Busch. Harvick was unhappy with NASCAR's decision.

"I was told a few weeks ago if we touched the 18 car, we'd be parked," Harvick said. "It would have been a lot easier to win if you didn't have handcuffs put on you."

Busch said he had no problems with Harvick.

"I raced him as clean as he raced me," Busch said. "If he got a warning, I'm sorry he got a warning. I did not get a warning. I raced hard, I raced clean and I am where I am."

Busch's first win came only 12 days after his 19th birthday in the 2004 Nationwide race at Richmond International Raceway. He's won at 25 different tracks and had NASCAR's first three-race weekend sweep last year at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch has won Nationwide races in eight straight seasons, including a record 13 times in 2010.

With sunglasses parked on his cap, and a smile, Busch listened in the news conference as a list of his accomplishments was rattled off.

"I think we get it," he said.

The list will only grow.

Cinesport video: New England 200

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

Sometimes real life is stranger that fiction. How else to explain the Pirates being in first place in the NL Central after 18 consecutive losing seasons?

View full sizeGene J. Puskar, Associated PressThe cheers are back in Pittsburgh for the Pirates, as Andrew McCutchen and the Bucs are in a pennant race for the first time in nearly a generation.

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Andrew McCutchen says it would make a great book or movie. A life-changing event, he called it.

In Pittsburgh he will get no argument, because after Friday night's victory over Houston the Pirates were in first place in the NL Central. After 18 straight losing seasons, the Pirates in first place? Send the script to Steven Spielberg.

What's next, a Cleveland-Pittsburgh World Series?

Don't laugh. Commissioner Bud Selig said the first two box scores he checks every morning belong to the Pirates and Indians. Two downtrodden, small-payroll, Rust Belt teams, who just happened to enter the weekend leading their divisions.

"It would be quick travel. I wouldn't mind that," said McCutchen, the Pirates' multi-talented center fielder, of a potential Fall Classic with the Tribe.

The Pirates haven't been in first place at this point in the season since 1997. They haven't been to the postseason since 1992 and last placed in the World Series in 1979.

McCutchen, Pittsburgh's No.1 pick in 2005, didn't feel the weight of all that losing when he joined the Pirates in 2009. He was in the big leagues and nothing else mattered.

"I was just excited to be here," he said. "But once that settled down, then I started to notice. Then it started to sink in. It's all about winning here. ...

"You want to win and you're losing. You want to go out on the field and change it. The next thing you know ... you don't like it."

McCutchen, hitting .290 (96-for-331) with 22 doubles, four triples, 14 homers, 56 RBI and 54 runs, says things began to change when Clint Hurdle was hired as manager during the off-season. Hurdle took the Rockies to the World Series in 2007.

"Clint always says there are two things we can control -- our attitude and effort. Everything else will take care of itself, everything else is inevitable," said McCutchen.

McCutchen said that after Hurdle benched him in May for not hustling.

The Pirates, in a close race with St. Louis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati, have one of the best pitching staffs in the National League. The starters are 36-28 with a 3.56 ERA. The bullpen is 12-15 with 27 saves and a 3.16 ERA. Starter Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.01) and closer Joel Hanrahan (0-1, 1.34, 26 saves) joined McCutchen at the All-Star Game.

Offensively, they don't do a whole lot. They're ranked 11th in batting average at .246, 12th in runs at 358 and 14th in homers with 59 among the NL's 16 teams.

Hanrahan says it's been a blast watching a city ruled by the NFL's Steelers and NHL's Penguins come back to the team with the deepest roots in the region.

"The fans don't feel embarrassed to come out anymore," he said. "The real baseball fans have been sitting at home cussing out their TV and cussing out the Pirates.

"Now they can go to the games and wear their Pirate hats and Pirate shirts. Before they'd come to the games rockin' Steeler shirts and Penguin hats. Now you come to the games and it's all Pirates stuff. You got McCutchen shirts everywhere. You've got [second baseman] Neil Walker shirts everywhere."

The Pirates have drawn 1,060,993 fans in 45 home dates to PNC Park. They rank 21st in attendance, averaging 23,577 per home game. They finished 27th last year, drawing just over 1.6 million fans. The average home attendance was 19,918.

"They're buying into it," said Hanrahan. "They're energizing us as well. It's a lot more fun playing in front of 35,000 instead of 15,000. They've been great all year."

McCutchen feels the Pirates' story is worthy of celluloid or print because it pertains to any team or any person has who has known the taste of failure and replaced it with something sweeter.

"We went from saying what we could do in spring training to believing what we could do," he said. "Now I feel every time we go out on that field that we know we'll win that game. That's why I feel the second half is even going to be a better time than the first."