Evan Moore catches his second TD and Greg Little his first. Colt McCoy is 10 of 18 for 96 yards and three TDs.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerAlex Mack keeps Detroit's Corey Williams at bay as Colt McCoy scrambles out of the pocket in the first half of Friday's exhibition game at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notes, observations and some facts on the second quarter ...

• After a 20-yard punt return by Jordan Norwood takes it to the Lions' 21, Colt McCoy goes for the end zone on first down. Evan Moore comes down with the ball in the right corner over Erik Coleman. But the official rules Moore's feet didn't land in bounds. Pat Shurmur challenges, and wins. Touchdown.

• Shaun Hill replaces Matthew Stafford. Browns bring in some defensive subs. Coming in are Marcus Benard, Titus Brown, Scott Paxson, Ko Quaye and Buster Skrine.

• On third-and-2, Browns insert some starters on the front. Hill, in trouble, runs into Ahtyba Rubin for a 4-yard sack.

• Lions put in second team defense. Ndamukong Suh is out. Whew.

• McCoy gets leveled below the knees by Quinn Pitcock on a third-down incompletion. The roughing penalty keeps alive the drive. Two plays later, McCoy gets off a 10-yard pass to Alex Smith and McCoy is felled to the ground again.

• McCoy has Josh Cribbs on a go route down the left sideline. The ball is there, but Nathan Vasher is called for interference on the breakup. First down at the Lions 6.

• Five penalties in six-play sequence -- three on Browns.

• Throwing from the 13, McCoy connects with Greg Little crossing left to right in the end zone. Little takes the ball and punts it into the stands. Shurmur has a fatherly chat with Little on the sideline. (Hint: Act like you've been there before.)

• Browns put No. 1 defense back in with 4:34 left.

• Lions moving the ball in no-huddle mode. Reach the Browns 31 at two-minute warning. A 49-yard field goal made by Nick Harris -- Detroit's punter.

• McCoy is 10-of-18 for 96 yards, three TDs.

The home run has been Tomlin's constant companion this season. Friday night, the Indians couldn't overcome three blasts by the Tigers.

DETROIT -- Josh Tomlin gave up three home runs in the span of seven hitters Friday night against Detroit. He started the game with five scoreless innings, worked into the seventh for the 13th time this season and didn't walk a batter for the 11th time in 25 starts.

"That's his M.O.," said manager Manny Acta. "He's around the plate. He throws strikes. He gets people out.

"When he doesn't make pitches, and people get him, he's a fly ball pitcher who gives [homers] up with nobody on base. We know that."

So do the Tigers, who beat the Indians, 4-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 44,222 at Comerica Park. All four runs came on homers by Austin Jackson, Alex Avila and Jhonny Peralta as they stretched their AL Central lead over the Tribe to 2 1/2 games.

Tomlin has allowed 23 homers this season, second-most in the AL. He's allowed 12 to lefties, 11 to righties. Fifteen have come with no one on base.

There's another thing Tomlin does. He always pitches at least five innings. His big-league career consists of 37 starts and he's pitched five or more innings each time out. Managers like that kind of consistency.

"We'll take him. We like him the way he is," said Acta. "He's been very effective for us. He wasn't crushed. He gave up four runs in 6 2/3 innings. A lot of people will take that every day."

It just didn't work Friday night.

Jackson ended a scoreless duel between Tomlin and right-hander Max Scherzer with his two-run homer in the sixth. He hit a 0-1 pitch over the fence in left for a 2-0 lead. The Indians scratched out a run in the seventh to make it 2-1. Carlos Santana reached on a leadoff single, took third on Lonnie Chisenhall's infield hit and scored on a wild pitch.

Tomlin came out for the seventh and retired Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, Detroit's top two pitchers, before Avila and Peralta hit consecutive first-pitch homers to knock the Indians out of the game. Avila, who came into the game hitting .426 (20-for-47) in August, homered to right. Peralta homered to left.

It was Avila's 14th homer and Peralta's 18th.

"I was happy with the way I threw the ball for five innings," said Tomlin. "After that I have to make better pitches."

Tomlin (12-6, 4.03) said Jackson hit a good pitch that was down and in. He said Avila and Peralta put good swings on bad pitches.

"It wasn't like I got frustrated and couldn't close out an inning," said Tomlin. "I didn't say 'dang, I just gave up a home run, I've got to make a pitch here.' I kept trying to pitch to contact, but I made mistakes."

Scherzer (13-7, 4.23) silenced the Indians for seven innings. He allowed one run on five hits, striking out six and walking two. The Indians made him throw a season-high 127 pitches, but could not take advantage of the fat pitch count.

"He was effectively wild," said first baseman Matt LaPorta. "We chased a lot of balls. We could have been more patient."

Scherzer is 2-0 with a 3.72 ERA in three starts against the Indians this year. He's 3-3 in his career. Lefties came into the game hitting .299 with 15 homers against Scherzer. The Indians, including switch-hitters, stacked the lineup with eight lefties -- but went 4-for-20 and didn't drive in a run.

"He had a good change early in the game," said Acta. "Anytime he went to it, he was very effective against our left-handers ... guys like Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo. It's got good down action and when he's on with fastball, he can be pretty tough."

Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 36th straight save.

Until Jackson's homer, the Tigers' best threat was turned away by stellar defense. After Peralta singled to start the third, Wilson Betemit sent a drive to left which Michael Brantley ran down, stretched to make the catch and fired back to cut-off man Asdrubal Cabrera. Before Brantley caught the ball, Peralta was already around second. After the catch, he tried to make it back to first, but a great relay throw from Cabrera beat him to the bad for to complete the double play.

Brantley had another nice defensive play as he slid into four territory to catch Avila's fly ball for the second out of the fifth inning.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

Saturday's jersey scrimmage will determine a lot of position battles for Ohio State, including on the defensive line, where options abound.

View full sizeOSU photoRedshirt freshman J.T. Moore is pushing for playing time on the OSU defensive front.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State's first-team offense lined up for a red-zone drill on Thursday, the Buckeyes' playmakers barely had a chance. Though senior defensive end Nathan Williams, an All-Big Ten candidate, was out of practice with a shoulder bruise, his absence was barely noted, because the next defensive linemen up were so ready.

On the first two snaps of the scrimmage setup, redshirt freshman J.T. Moore blew up the plays. On the fourth play, true freshman Michael Bennett was in the backfield immediately, flushing quarterback Braxton Miller out of the pocket.

Those were the type of plays that defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Jim Heacock had to love. They were also the type of plays that make his decisions about his linemen more complicated.

Ohio State's quarterback battle is the most visible competition in camp, but at the rest of the positions, plenty of fights over playing time remain. They are divided into two basic categories: positions where the Buckeyes are deep (defensive line, secondary, running back, tight end) and positions where the Buckeyes are thin (offensive line, linebacker, receiver).

Either way, Saturday's jersey scrimmage at Ohio State will be the most important day of preseason camp. Head coach Luke Fickell said the staff will back off on the teaching and let the players go. The players will sink or swim, the test telling the decision-makers who's ready to join the two-deep.

For Heacock, the job will be picking those who will play this season from a large group of candidates, including seven redshirt or true freshmen. Bennett and Moore are two young Buckeyes making strong cases.

"I would imagine I've got probably 14 guys that could get in the two-deep, in the top eight," Heacock said. "So there's a lot of guys that have a chance. The biggest thing we have to do is zero in on a top eight after the scrimmage so we have a few weeks to bring that unit together and get those guys playing together."

The top five on the line look set: Williams, juniors John Simon and Garrett Goebel and sophomores Johnathan Hankins and Adam Bellamy. The rest of the spots seem up for grabs, with Moore playing well behind Williams at the Leo position, the standup defensive end for the Buckeyes, and Bennett making a move up the depth chart this week.

Bennett is doing it with a splint on his left arm, necessitated by the broken forearm he suffered in a postseason high school all-star game in January. Like a lot of linemen, he's free to focus on one position in college after playing both sides of the ball in high school.

He's a product of Centerville High School, A.J. Hawk's alma mater, where he actually was an offensive lineman first.

"Every game I was just dead tired," Bennett said, "so this year it'll be really nice to just focus on defense."

The Buckeyes' greatest collection of true freshman talent is on the defensive line, where, besides Bennett, Joel Hale turned heads during spring practice and Steve Miller, Kenny Hayes and Chase Farris were major recruits. But not all of them are going to play this season, and Saturday will help determine the redshirt candidates.

"I think they all have the ability. As long as they understand what they're doing, they can go out and play relaxed and play football," Fickell, a former OSU nose guard, said of his young linemen. "The thing about the defensive line is we want to play eight guys, and that's why we always stress to our young guys you have to got to develop and come along, because we can't be successful unless we have eight guys."

At some other positions, the Buckeyes might have trouble after Saturday deciding who should play in September. On the defensive line, the bigger problem should be deciding who to sit.

Another good game for Colt McCoy and the Browns' new offense.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerPat Shurmur and Colt McCoy celebrate the official review that confirms Evan Moore's sliding touchdown catch in the second quarter of Friday night's game against the Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- OK, I'll just say it.

After two preseason games, it appears the Browns have the right combination of a coach, an offense and a quarterback.

This is not to turn Pat Shurmur into another Paul Brown or Colt McCoy into the next Bernie Kosar. But Shurmur's West Coast offense fitted to McCoy's accurate passing and fast-thinking were on display in the first half of the Browns' preseason game with Detroit.

Look at that pass into the corner of the end zone, caught by Evan Moore for a 21-yard touchdown. And that deep throw to Joshua Cribbs that led to a pass interference penalty -- McCoy making sure it could only be caught by Cribbs.

That quick toss to Moore for a 2-yard touchdown. And that soft touch of a pass to rookie Greg Little for a 13-yard touchdown.

McCoy put up 21 points on the scoreboard, playing all but the final series of the second quarter. He was 10-of-18 passing for 96 yards. Compared to last week's opener against a Green Bay defense that was so passive and bland that McCoy seemingly had six weeks to throw -- this was a much tougher assignment.

The second-year quarterback impressed because he had no Peyton Hillis (hamstring injury) in the backfield. Last year's leading receiver -- tight end Ben Watson -- also didn't play. The Lions also pressured McCoy, knocking him down five times in the first half after throwing a pass.

But coming off his 9-of-10 performance in last week's preseason opener, McCoy had another impressive night throwing the ball. He rarely seemed confused about who is the best target. When no one was open, he threw it away. He had two passes dropped, and there was no real running game while he was on the field.

Without Hillis (Montario Hardesty also was held out), Detroit paid no attention to any play fakes to Brandon Jackson. The free-agent acquisition from Green Bay had only 19 yards in eight carries. To be fair to Jackson, the offensive line had some rough moments, and Jackson's best attributes are blocking and pass-catching.

It will be critical for the Browns to work on their running game next week in Philadelphia, especially if Hillis and Hardesty play. No matter how effective the passing game, you still must run the ball with authority in the cold weather of the AFC North.

Meanwhile, the Browns looked rather sloppy in other areas. They were flagged for seven penalties in the first half. The offense had an illegal formation on the Lions' 8. Moore jumped offside on the Lions' 3. Rookie Buster Skrine was flagged twice for being offside.

When it comes to the defense, it's hard to evaluate. They had four starters missing -- two linebackers, two safeties. Jabaal Sheard stood out by forcing and recovering a fumble and with some significant pass rushes. But the defense still seems to lack some needed speed. D'Qwell Jackson did have some very good plays at middle linebacker.

Despite the penalties and some other mistakes, the Browns still seem ahead of where you'd imagine at this point -- especially on offense as McCoy continues to deliver the ball to the right receivers at the right time.

In the end, the Browns' backups blew a 21-13 halftime lead and lost, evening their exhibition record at 1-1.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerWhile Tony Pashos keeps Detroit's Willie Young under control, Colt McCoy scans the field for a receiver during the second quarter of Friday's game against the Lions.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The second time around, Colt McCoy was knocked to the ground at least six times and suffered two drops by his receivers early. He was missing his lead running back, his No. 1 tight end and the starting left guard.

And he threw three touchdown passes.

In the end, the Browns' backups blew a 21-13 halftime lead and lost to the Detroit Lions, 30-28, evening their exhibition record at 1-1. The highlight of the second half was an 81-yard touchdown run by Browns undrafted free agent Armond Smith on a simple inside handoff. Smith, the last running back on the depth chart, cut inside a humungous seal block by backup tackle Branndon Braxton and raced alone the length of the field.

Smith later fumbled two times, contributing to the evening's demise.

“We went to getting pretty sloppy,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “Numerous penalties and two fumbles. Those are killers. The guys in the game are in charge of winning the game.”

The Browns' first-team defense held the Lions' starting offense to a touchdown and a field goal. Rookie end Jabaal Sheard forced and recovered a fumble. Tackle Ahtyba Rubin had a sack.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was without No. 1 receiver Calvin Johnson. No. 2 Nate Burleson hurt the Browns, however, with two catches, one for a touchdown over Mike Adams, and another for 30 yards against Joe Haden. Burleson also had a 26-yard run.

In some ways, McCoy's performance in about a half's work was more impressive than his 9-of-10 outing against Green Bay. He started slowly, going 4-of-10 in the first quarter, and was banged around by just about every member of the Lions "Silver Crush" except Ndamukong Suh, who received a steady helping of Tony Pashos and Shawn Lauvao.

But every time the Browns got close to the end zone, they scored seven instead of three.

McCoy was a more efficient 6-of-8 in the second quarter and benefited from an acrobatic touchdown catch by tight end Evan Moore, his second of the night. Rookie Greg Little caught the third TD crossing the end zone from 13 yards out.

“He did a good job,” Shurmur said of McCoy. “He executed like you’d expect. They came after us with some pressure and he stood in there and executed. I think he would tell you he missed some throws out there.”

McCoy said, "I think a lot of people were ready to anoint us after last week. Tonight we faced a good front and we had our ups and downs, for sure. We capitalized on some short fields. We didn't settle for field goals. There's a lot of rough things that went on. We weren't in as good as tempo at times as we'd like to be."

Shurmur displayed aggressive play-calling in the red zone, something we haven't seen since the 1980s.

On the first trip following Sheard's strip and recovery of a Jahvid Best fumble, McCoy completed a short pass over the middle to Josh Cribbs inside the 10. On third-and-1 from the 2, McCoy sprinted right out of the pocket and flicked the ball to Moore, who couldn't be covered.

The next time, Jordan Norwood's 20-yard punt return gave the Browns first down at the Lions' 21. On the first play, McCoy spotted Moore beating Lions safety Erik Coleman on a corner route in the end zone. McCoy put the ball on Moore's outside shoulder and Moore stretched for the catch, but the official ruled he didn't get his feet down in time.

For the second game in a row, Shurmur threw the challenge bean bag. For the second time, he won. Replays showed Moore's toes dragging the ground as he made the catch and the call was reversed.

The third TD drive was an arduous, 10-play series that featured six penalties, including five in a sequence of six plays. McCoy survived a roughing call on ex-Ohio Stater Quinn Pitcock, who tackled McCoy below his knees, and a long chase by defensive end Keyunta Dawson.

On the next play from the Lions' 13, McCoy connected with Little in the end zone. Little promptly punted the ball into the stands. That act earned him a lecture from Shurmur on the sideline.

“He made a great play and I said in my opinion you tarnish a great effort by booting the ball in the stands,” Shurmur said. “I don’t want that. It’s been addressed and I don’t expect to see that again.”

McCoy was removed with 1:44 to go in the half, Shurmur said, because the first-team offense got in 34 plays.

The defense gave up an 80-yard drive in eight plays on the Lions' second possession. Burleson's 26-yard end-around run took the Lions past midfield. It looked like the Lions were stymied when pressure from Rubin and then from Sheard forced Stafford into throwaways on second and third down. But a holding penalty away from the ball on cornerback Dimitri Patterson gave Stafford a second chance.

He caught tight end Brandon Pettigrew beating Joe Haden for a 27-yard completion. And then from the 4, Stafford's play-fake froze Adams for an instant, and Burleson came down with Stafford's pass just at the end line for the touchdown.

Burleson later beat Haden for a 30-yard catch, setting up a short field goal. Kaluka Maiava's coverage of Pettigrew on third down kept the Lions out of the end zone.

"I thought they battled," Shurmur said of the No. 1 defense. "This is a pretty explosive group on offense. I thought they did a good job battling."

That wasn't the case in the second half. After Smith's 81-yard TD run moved the Browns ahead, 28-13, the Lions scored on a 7-yard Drew Stanton pass to Maurice Stovall, a 20-yard Stanton pass to tight end Joe Jon Finley, and a 48-yard field goal by Dave Raymer.

The contest was constantly interrupted by penalties, chasing the announced crowd of 56,004 to the exits after halftime. The Lions had 14 penalties for 123 yards, the Browns 12 for 88.

On Twitter: @TonyGrossi

Moore, who's been having an excellent camp, caught two touchdown passes in Friday night's game, but left before the end of the first half.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerEvan Moore doesn't hide his enjoyment following the first of his two TD catches in the first half Friday night against Detroit.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Evan Moore caught two touchdown passes in the first half, but left the game late in the second quarter with a possible concussion.

Coach Pat Shurmur said Moore "got dinged'' and is undergoing further evaluation.

A concussion would be a concern, because Moore suffered one last year, in week two against Kansas City. The NFL is taking concussions very seriously, especially multiple ones. Moore came up slowly after a 17-yard catch over the middle and went to the locker room before halftime. He did not return and was not available after the game.

Before he left, he caught the two TDs, including an acrobatic, over-the-shoulder catch on a 21-yarder in the end zone from Colt McCoy in which he managed to keep his feet inbounds.

"That guy by far has the best hands on the team,'' said receiver Greg Little. "That catch was amazing.''

Moore caught a 2-yarder in the end zone to open the scoring and the 21-yarder that put the Browns ahead, 14-10, in the second quarter. The latter was first ruled an incompletion and then reversed after further review.

"Evan is definitely a weapon,'' said McCoy. "He's a big target and he creates mismatches. I thought he played excellent. He got some good balls and then we got him out of there.''

Moore's preseason success has been even more welcome considering that Ben Watson has been bothered by injuries. Watson suffered a concussion the first week of camp and sat out Friday with a hamstring injury. Watson was the Browns' leading receiver last season with 68 catches for 763 yards.

Act like you've been there: Little had a superb first half, making a leaping 12-yard catch on the opening TD drive and then catching 13-yard TD to increase the Browns' lead to 21-10. But Little celebrated the score by kicking the ball into the Dawg Pound, about eight rows up.

That prompted Shurmur to give Little a lecture on the sideline, placing his hand on his shoulder and presumably setting him straight about the kick.

"I told him, 'you tarnished a great effort by booting the ball in the stands,''' said Shurmur. "I don't expect to see that again.''

Little said he regretted it, but was just so excited to be back playing and scoring again.

"I do regret it because of the negative scrutiny it brings,'' said Little, who wasn't flagged. "I want to be known as a team player.''

Another hobbled back: Backup running back Brandon Jackson left the game in the third quarter with turf toe and did not return. The injury is a concern because Peyton Hillis is nursing a sore hamstring and Montario Hardesty is still easing his way back in from his knee surgery. The Browns play Thursday night in Philadelphia.

After Friday's game, Shurmur indicated Hardesty will play against the Eagles. "We'll put him back in live action with a solid week and a half (of practice) under his belt.''

Sheard's big play: Jabaal Sheard showed flashes of the big-play ability the Browns projected when they drafted him in the second round. On the Lions' opening drive, Sheard not only forced running back Jahvid Best to cough up the ball after a 1-yard gain, he recovered the ball to set up a TD.

Sheard also forced an incompletion on the next drive when he chased Matt Stafford out of the pocket. He chased Stafford again on the next play, but it was wiped out by a holding call.

Browns will watch Pryor: The Browns will send a representative to Pittsburgh on Saturday to watch former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor work out in anticipation of Monday's supplemental draft. Team officials have stated their interest in third-stringer Jarrett Brown as their developmental quarterback.

Up and down: Cornerback Joe Haden gave up two big passes in the first half, a 27-yarder to tight end Brandon Pettigrew and a 30-yarder to Nate Burleson. But he rebounded with a breakup to Burleson in the second quarter to force a punt.

Sitting out: The Browns were without several players: Mohamed Massaquoi (foot), Carlton Mitchell (finger), Usama Young (hamstring), Hardesty (knee), Hillis (hamstring), T.J. Ward (hamstring), Chris Gocong (neck), Eric Steinbach (back), Watson (hamstring), and Scott Fujita (thigh). Some of the replacement starters were Ray Ventrone for Ward, Mike Adams for Young, Jackson for Hillis, Brian Smith for Fujita, John Greco for Steinbach and Moore for Watson.

Extra points: Rookie returner Buster Skrine committed two false start penalties on punts. ... The offense got off to a poor start when tight end Alex Smith and rookie Owen Marecic dropped passes and Skrine false-started. ... It was old home week for many former Browns, including Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, Jerome Harrison, Corey Williams and Mike Bell. The Browns committed seven penalties in the first half alone.

Schedule: The Browns are off on Saturday. Practice resumes Sunday with one practice open to the public, from 8:45-11:15 a.m.

Watch video as Browns head coach Pat Shurmur and Colt McCoy as they talk about the QB's performance against the Lions. Watch video

Click on the video to the right to watch highlights from the post-game press conference with Browns head coach Pat Shurmur and Colt McCoy as they talk about the QB's performance against the Lions.

Read below quotes from the locker room as well. Transcribed quotes were provided by Cleveland Browns.

Head coach Pat Shurmur

“Let me start with the injuries. Brandon Jackson had turf toe; he was getting evaluated we’ll know more about him tomorrow. Evan Moore got dinged up. They brought him in and I haven’t had a chance to fully get all the information on that one yet, so he’s being evaluated. That’s it really for the most part on the injuries. Typically on a game like this, we’ll wake up in the morning and there will be some other guys that feel a little bit sore. Second half, and really throughout, and although we found a way to get up 21-13 and there was some really good stuff in the first half. Then we come out in the second half and score right away, which was good. It’s very hard to get that type of a lead in the NFL. Then we really started getting pretty sloppy. When you look at it, numerous penalties and then those two fumbles in the second half led directly to points. Those are killers. I told the guys, ‘The guys that are in the game are in charge of winning the game and you cant be sloppy.’ You have to take care of the football and you cant have penalties because it gets you out of rhythm, its gets you behind as far as trying to move the football because you have long-yardage situations. There’s a lesson in that and fortunately, its preseason. Again, there was some good stuff in there to build on. There were a lot of guys that got a lot of playing time. We had six or seven guys that would typically be starters that weren’t in the game. A lot of the others guys kind of got pushed up to the front and some of the guys that were twos and threes got a lot of work in the second half. That’s about what I have for you, I’m disappointed especially in how sloppy the second half was."

QB Colt McCoy

(On the play of the starting offense)- “A lot of people were ready to anoint us after last week. Tonight we faced a good front, a good defensive football team, and we had our ups and downs for sure. The first half, for the most part, I thought we took advantage of two things. We capitalized on short fields. They gave us a turnover on the minus side of the field and we punched it in. We also had a punt return inside the 50 and punched that in on the short field. Those are two things that are crucial to win football games. We didn’t settle for field goals. When we got a short field, we scored touchdowns. There were a lot of rough things here and there that went on. We had a lot of penalties and we weren’t in as good of a tempo at times that we’d like to be.”

WR Greg Little

(On his touchdown catch)- “It felt good to finally get in the end zone and get the monkey off my back. I was a little overjoyed.”

(On punting the ball in the end zone)- “The official told me to watch out for it in the regular season and that it would be a penalty. I have to be cautious of that and not hurt the team with self-imposed penalties.”

(On his touchdown catch play call)- “I was just so happy that the line held up, and for Colt to make that read, and for me to come open and make the catch. It was overall a good play call in the red zone by Coach Shurmur.”

WR Josh Cribbs

(On the game tonight)- “We feel ready, we got a lot of work in but we have a long way to go. We have room for a lot of improvement. “

(On Colt McCoy’s performance)- “One thing Colt is doing great is spreading the football around. That is what this west coast offense allows us to do. Some great athletes are going to come out of this offense. Colt is going to spread the ball around and the athletes are going to make plays.”

(On the sloppiness in tonight’s game)- “People are disappointed that we didn’t finish. We were up and then we turned the ball over, dropped some balls and we have to do better. As a whole I feel like we got a lot of work in but we still have a long way to go.”

Sneak a Cold Treat roared to the lead right out of the Thistledown starting gate and held off Allsarott to defend his Honey Jay Stakes title.

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- Sneak a Cold Treat won the $50,000 Honey Jay Stakes at Thistledown on Saturday afternoon, roaring to the lead and holding off Allsarott at the wire to defend his title in the six-furlong test for Ohio-bred sprinters.

"Sneak a Cold Treat can go long, but he's a better sprinter," said Jamie Ness, the dominant trainer at Thistledown this season. "You always worry, because a lot of things can go wrong. But he made a good break coming out of the gate, and held off the later closer. He got the job done."

Ridden by Yamil Rosario for owner Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc., Sneak a Cold Treat clocked the six furlongs in 1:10.38 for his third win in four starts this season. Ness plans to point him to the $50,000 Best of Ohio Sprint on Oct. 15 at Thistledown, which will wrap up the season for the six-year-old brown gelding, a son of Snuck In out of the Formal Dinner mare, Frozen Dinner.

"I like to give this horse about five or six weeks between races," said Ness. "That's what I did going into the Honey Jay Stakes, and Sneak a Cold Treat was ready to race."

Sneak a Cold Treat ($5.60, 3.40, 3.40) finished a length in front of Allsarott ($5.60, 4.20). Perfectly Played ($10.60) came from the back of the pack to finish third.

Sneak a Cold Treat, at 8-5, was a slight favorite over the veteran Catlaunch, at 9-5, but the 10-year-old from the Scioto Farm of Chillicothe wasn't up to the task after winning all four of his stakes outings this season. Catlaunch was still in contention while on the outside at the half-mile mark, but started to fade heading to the final turn.

"You've got to give Catlaunch a lot of credit," said Ness. "It's really something that at that age, he's still competing at the stakes level. Today just wasn't his day."

Ness has strings of horses racing at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa., and Thistledown.

"Thistledown fits some of the horses I have, and I like the track surface and the people here," said Ness. "I think the key to success is giving the horses the best feed, the best training and run them in the right spots."

Somewhere along the line, reporters turned into advocates, not critics. The staggering fall of legendary Cleveland figures like LeBron James and Jim Tressel should mean that era is over for good.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerLeBron James' aerial spectaculars with the Cavaliers inspired fanciful writing from professional writers who should have known better, says Bill Livingston. But that's a mistake Bill plans not to make again.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland labors under the double whammy of the downfall at Ohio State of Jim Tressel, the local boy who made great, and of the brusque desertion of the Cavaliers by LeBron James, the Akron phenom.

Here, they were bigger shocks even than revelations of the randy private life of Tiger Woods.

Fans have been so starved for victory in this town that the checks on zealotry were lost in regard to both. No sense of balance corrected the tilted equilibrium. That criticism applies to the media members, too. Somewhere along the line, our understandable passion became undeniable advocacy.

I regret it with James. I was not as guilty with Tressel, but enough so that I can't exempt myself.

It was the exact opposite of how many of us started out. I became a newspaperman when the business was changing 40 years ago, when no one wrote about a "blue-gray October sky" or "the Four Horsemen," except to mock them. The critical impulse was well-developed in those days. It has been for years.

"Stop Godding up these athletes," scolded Stanley Woodward, the editor of the great Red Smith, who stopped.

The problem was that, while we might have wanted to give the pedestal on which fans placed undeserving players a good shove, those of us of a certain age had fallen under the sway of the most successful propaganda organ in sports history, NFL Films. It is fitting that its founder, Ed Sabol, was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sabol's influence was vast. He set the coverage template for press box romantics everywhere. Even ESPN learned from him.

Like many writers in my generation, I was beguiled by Sabol's lens. Some of us can't think of Lambeau Field without mouthing the words "frozen tundra" or of the Raiders without the lyrics of "The Autumn Wind" stumping through our heads on a buccaneer's peg-leg. ("The autumn wind is a pirate/Blustering in from sea/With a rollicking song he sweeps along/Swaggering boisterously.") It was the Tinker to Evers to Chance of football.

Then, I got to cover Julius Erving early in my career and James more than a few years later. The challenge with both was to describe the indescribable. But no matter how high they flew, the real challenge, I observed, was for them to remain well-grounded.

Such sentiments, although earnestly expressed, made for dull stuff, however. That was certainly true of Dr. J's across the foul lane, fly-by of the baseline, reverse layup in the 1980 NBA Finals. It was also true of James' 48-point game against Detroit in the 2007 conference finals. Keeping it real was boring. Flights of fancy, the air up there, that was the stuff of dreams.

Even though James' "talents" really were overwhelming, I know now I should have included the shadows as well as the sunlight. That would have prepared the fans for disappointment. But keeping James here became a civic cause and an economic imperative. Politicians statewide raised their voices in song, pleading with him to stay.

It also seemed petty to recount every ungracious act of self-absorption or cheapness. We knew he needed work on his manners. We didn't know until the end that he needed work on his competitiveness.

With Tressel, there had been several signs that with a really good player he would look the other way. Ray Isaac at Youngstown State and Maurice Clarett and Troy Smith all foreshadowed his final scandal with Terrelle Pryor. I wrote scathingly about the Clarett and Smith suspensions, but most readers considered them aberrations because of Tressel's many good deeds in both public and private. His shining record on the field did not hurt, either.

Ohio high school coaches loved Tressel almost as one of their own. A religious man, he appealed to people of faith. Ardently patriotic, he was a red, white and blue symbol of all that was right with his American flag lapel pin.

It was he who made the chests of fans in his hometown puff with pride when Ohio State won the national championship. It was he who thrived on preparation and painstaking detail, unlike James' abundance of sheer athletic ability. It was Tressel who showed everyone that underdog dreams could come true.

Maybe not renouncing now how grand the 10 years were with him means I became one of the Godder-uppers I started out deploring. But it was thrilling, it was fun, and every Saturday was memorable.

It was only for a little while anyway. It's twilight for heroes now.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

Choo says there's "no big issues" with his injured thumb since returning to the Tribe.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerShin-Soo Choo says no pitcher is more of a challenge than Detroit's Justin Verlander.

DETROIT -- A quick conversation with the right fielder on his return to the team after injury.

Q: How is your left thumb right now after undergoing surgery after being hit by a pitch on June 24?

A: My thumb feels pretty good. Since the first day I came back until now, I don't feel any pain. A couple of times I've got jammed by pitches and it's hurt, but it goes away. There are no big issues.

Q: Who is the toughest pitcher you've faced?

A: Justin Verlander. He throws hard and he has good mechanics. He can throw three or four different pitches for strikes any time and in any count.

Q: What kind of glove do you use?

A: I use a Mizuno glove. I've used the same glove for four years. It was custom made. They made an outline of my hand on paper and made the glove to fit it.

Q: You've had your ups and down this season. How do you look at it as a whole?

A: I just want to stay healthy and hope nothing more happens with the thumb. I want to finish strong and hopefully the team makes the playoffs. We have over a month left and I'm not thinking about my numbers.

The front office went out and got two good players in Ubaldo Jimenez and Kosuke Fukudome. That's what you want. They're giving us a chance to win.

Q: Do you think you've put your OVI arrest behind you?

A: I've already apologized to everybody. Everybody makes a mistake. I made a mistake and I'm sorry. I still hear it from some people, but I don't have to listen to it.

Ohio State does have the longest streak in the nation of appearing in the AP preseason poll. It's now at 23 years.

View full sizeAP photoQuarterback Landry Jones and the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners earned Doug Lesmerises' vote as the top team in the country in the AP preseason poll.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The preseason rankings are in and the thoughts on Ohio State are united.

The Buckeyes are pretty good. Not great. But pretty good.

The Associated Press preseason poll was the latest, released on Saturday, with the Buckeyes ranking No. 18 and fourth among Big Ten teams, behind No. 10 Nebraska, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 17 Michigan State. That matched most of the major rankings: The coaches poll has Ohio State No. 16, Sports Illustrated has OSU 19th, while the Sporting News has the Buckeyes at 17 and ESPN.com ranks them 18th.

While this is the first time since the national title season of 2002 that the Buckeyes aren't in the top 10 of the AP or coaches poll, Ohio State does have the longest streak in the nation of appearing in the AP preseason poll. It's now at 23 years.

On my AP ballot, Ohio State is 17th, the fourth Big Ten team behind No. 5 Nebraska, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 11 Wisconsin. Impressed by Michigan State's defensive line, quarterback experience and running game, I rank the Spartans higher than any AP voter.

The Buckeyes are ranked in the top 10 by three of the 60 voters and were also left out of the top 25 by five voters.

Overall, the SEC leads all conferences with eight ranked teams, led by No. 2 Alabama. The Big Ten has four ranked teams, as does the Big 12, led by No. 1 Oklahoma.

Doug Lesmerises' AP ballot

1. Oklahoma; 2. Alabama; 3. Florida State; 4. Boise State; 5. Nebraska; 6. South Carolina; 7. LSU; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Michigan State; 10. Oregon; 11. Wisconsin; 12. Stanford; 13. Oklahoma State; 14. Virginia Tech; 15. Notre Dame; 16. USC; 17. Ohio State; 18. West Virginia; 19. Arizona State; 20. Miami; 21. Georgia; 22. Florida; 23. Penn State; 24. Texas;25. Pitt

With the upcoming season in labor limbo, one particular Cavaliers guard sparks questions this week.

View full sizeScott Shaw, The Plain DealerRamon Sessions could still have a significant role with the Cavaliers next season, even with Baron Davis and Kyrie Irving getting a lot of playing time.

Hey, Mary: When do you think the season will start? And what can we get for Ramon Sessions? -- Anthony Kimbrough, Cleveland

Hey, Anthony: Based on everything I'm hearing, I would be surprised if the season started before January. As for Sessions, I'm not sure if the organization has made up its mind to trade him. I think the team is intrigued by playing any two of these point guards together. If a move is made, I would expect an attempt to get more scoring and athleticism on the wings.

Hey, Mary: I was wondering what kind of free agents do you see us going for, if any? Where do you think Ramon Sessions is going since the drafting of Kyrie Irving? -- Mitch Sutherland, Mishawaka, Ind.

Hey, Mitch: I don't think the Cavs will be big players in the free-agent market. I think there are a number of question marks about this team that have to be addressed first, including what kind of shape Anderson Varejao and Semih Erden will be in whenever they return. As for Sessions, see above.

-- Mary

By Tim Reynolds Associated Press Coral Gables, Fla. -- A sports bar is packed with Hurricanes boosters, most of whom are wearing their team's orange and green colors. They spontaneously break into chanting their unofficial anthem, "It's great ... to be ... a Mi-a-mi Hurr-i-cane!" As they sing, the sight of Nevin Shapiro running into an Orange Bowl end...

By Tim Reynolds Associated Press

Coral Gables, Fla. -- A sports bar is packed with Hurricanes boosters, most of whom are wearing their team's orange and green colors. They spontaneously break into chanting their unofficial anthem, "It's great ... to be ... a Mi-a-mi Hurr-i-cane!" As they sing, the sight of Nevin Shapiro running into an Orange Bowl end zone and getting chased off by a security guard pops onto nearby televisions.

Groans rise from the crowd.

WALTER MICHOT/MIAMI HERALDNew University of Miami football coach Al Golden answers reporters' questions last week in Coral Gables, Fla.

For Miami football and its fans, there's just no getting away from The Scandal. The sports bar scene happened at a long-scheduled gathering in Palm Beach County, where Hurricanes fans tried generating enthusiasm for the new season. A few days ago, that would have been easy. Considering this get-together came two days after Yahoo Sports published its report that Shapiro -- the mastermind of a $930 million Ponzi scheme -- provided money, sex, cars and gifts to 72 players over a nine-year period ending in 2010, it's nearly impossible.

The NCAA is investigating what happened. There's plenty to sift through. How did this happen? Who let this happen? Why did Shapiro have such access? Did anyone check his background? And perhaps most important, how did these secrets, if true, remain secrets for so many years?

Simple questions, lacking simple answers.

"It was one guy with a lot of money," said former Miami quarterback Steve Walsh, who led the Hurricanes to the 1987 national title and is now a high school coach in West Palm Beach, Fla. "And it wasn't his, so he was going to spend it freely. That's the other part of it. It's so difficult for an athlete. If some guy wants to buy you drinks, 'Sure!' You're not going to say, 'Who are you?' And now the guy's sitting in prison. In there, he can allege all he wants."

Shapiro is serving a 20-year sentence for his crimes, with federal officials saying he is scheduled to be released in 2027. He already is serving his penalty. It could be months before Miami knows what penalty, if any, it will face for having a rogue booster first try to befriend, then bring down, dozens of Hurricanes over the span of nearly a decade.

"That's my school," said Maria Elena Perez, Shapiro's attorney. "I didn't want any of this to happen to my school."

The current Hurricanes implicated by Shapiro in the Yahoo Sports story are quarterback Jacory Harris, safeties Vaughn Telemaque and Ray Ray Armstrong, receivers Travis Benjamin and Aldarius Johnson, defensive linemen Marcus Forston, Olivier Vernon, Marcus Robinson and Adewale Ojomo, tight end Dyron Dye, defensive back JoJo Nicholas and linebacker Sean Spence.

They have not spoken publicly about the matter. Their teammates who are talking say they don't have the answer to that fundamental question -- "How?" -- either.

"It came out of nowhere," center Tyler Horn said. "I can't control it. And if I can't control it, there's no need to be worrying about it."

Shapiro's deep pockets

Miami's Hurricane Club has nine levels of giving, and each step up the ladder means better gifts and greater access to the athletic department. The top levels ($30,000 or more) provide just about anything a fan would want -- sideline passes, VIP passes, exclusive reception invitations, even interacting with a student-athlete.

Shapiro promised plenty, including a $150,000 pledge for a student-athlete lounge that was supposed to bear his name. He made other donations as well, including $50,000 to men's basketball.

Things like that endeared him to Miami, a private school of more than 9,000 undergraduates and an endowment in the neighborhood of $600 million, although the athletic department has long said it lacks the deep pockets of many schools it competes against. Shapiro became a highly valued donor. When he wanted something like seeing practice, typically someone would at least listen.

"The way it would work is, someone from the Hurricane Club or whatever would walk him to the field and tell the security guards and the coaches who he was and why he was there," said an athletic department employee, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigations by both the NCAA and the university. "It didn't happen a lot. One day, I was out there and saw the guy trying to get into a huddle. Never saw that before by anyone."

That incident happened while Larry Coker coached the Hurricanes.

When asked about Shapiro on Friday, Coker told The Associated Press he knew about the former booster during his time at Miami but never interacted with him. He didn't elaborate further.

"He's a bad person," Coker said.

Coker's successor had the same sentiment.

When Randy Shannon took over as coach, Shapiro's access to practice stopped. Shannon played at Miami in the 1980s and told confidants that he had seen people like Shapiro around the program before, warning assistant coaches that if he ever learned they interacted with the booster, he would fire them personally.

"Randy told everyone, players and coaches," said a former football assistant coach, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he expects to be interviewed by the NCAA. "Deal with him at your own risk. He told me personally, 'The guy's poison. Bad news. Trouble.' And we listened. So then the guy started trying to reach out to players directly more and more. They would come to us and complain that they'd go bowling and he'd show up. It was a running joke around here. We'd ask, 'See your stalker last night?'"

Shannon, who was fired by Miami in November, declined comment when reached by The Associated Press. Another member of his staff, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Shannon was not an ally of Shapiro.

"Randy hated the guy," the second coach said.

But, according to Shapiro, some players hung out with him anyway -- a thrill for someone who has described himself as a lifelong Hurricanes fan. He was even featured in 1992 by The Miami Herald, which detailed his antics as he sat in the stands watching Miami play rival Florida State in a particularly close game not decided until the final moments. He screamed, "We are the gods of college football!"

Whether he still feels that way is anyone's guess. This much is clear: He's gone from fan to pariah in a hurry.

"We've overcome many, many obstacles over the years," said former Miami player and longtime radio analyst Don Bailey Jr. "And we've proved five times, when people tell us something is impossible, it's only their opinion."

Until the scandal broke Tuesday, when Shapiro's accusations were detailed by Yahoo Sports, some around the Hurricanes never knew who the short, brash, aggressive man was. Others knew his name, but didn't know what he looked like until seeing images and videos that popped up in recent days. Many players denied knowing him whatsoever, even after they were accused by Shapiro of taking his money and gifts.

"I don't know about everybody else. I can only speak for myself," said one of those implicated, Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson. "I don't really know what it is he alluded to."

Shapiro's lifestyle began unraveling a couple years ago, when the money started running dry and investors began thinking they'd been had. He never paid for the lounge. He stopped paying for his tickets. He even asked for the $50,000 he donated to the men's basketball program back.

By then, the damage was done. Shapiro's claws were deeply within the Hurricanes.

"It makes me sick," said former Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt, who now holds the same job at Texas Tech. "It makes me sick. I gave my being and every waking moment I had for three years to that program. So, yeah, it's sad. It's disappointing."

Hocutt became aware that Shapiro was making threats more than a year ago. While the university said it looked into those claims, it appeared few, if any, took him seriously.

"It was allegations that a convicted felon was making from prison," Hocutt said. "And we could not find any credible information. ... We didn't know what allegations he was making, how significant or insignificant they were. But from July or August (of 2010) through last Thursday, which was my understanding when the NCAA notified Miami, there was not another word about this spoken. It was a rogue booster and convicted felon saying things. There were more important things to focus on."

Hocutt hired Al Golden as Miami's football coach in December. Golden said he was unaware of the Shapiro story and threats until the Yahoo Sports piece was published, meaning he was not told of the looming problem during the interview process.

"There was no reason to," Hocutt said.

All the reasons they couldn't find then are staring them squarely in the face now, in the form of Shapiro's allegations. Miami joined a growing list of schools with major football programs to be investigated by the NCAA for rule-breaking in the past 18 months. Others include Southern California, Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and LSU.

And one of the principals involved in the USC matter, Reggie Bush -- who lost his Heisman and saw his team stripped of a Bowl Championship Series title -- even says something needs to change.

"Obviously a lot of things going on right now are terrible, moreso for the college players," said Bush, now with the Miami Dolphins. "It's tough when you can take a college player's career and dream away from him at the snap of a finger. Something needs to be done."

Shapiro's past was an open book

 What remains baffling to many people, including some at Miami, is that when Shapiro was a big-wheel donor, anyone with a computer could have found that his background was not pristine.

Miami-Dade County court records show that not only was Shapiro guilty of felony aggravated battery against a club owner Peter Honerkamp in 1995, but ordered to pay $7,340 in a related civil case and serve 18 months' probation. Honerkamp said Shapiro suckerpunched him during a dispute about cover charges and nearly lost sight in one eye.

Shapiro's stepfather, Richard Adam, was indicted in Florida in the 1990s for allegedly helping operate a loan scheme that resulted in clients losing somewhere around $5 million in fees -- a case with some obvious similarity to what Shapiro did years later, though on a much larger scale. After spending years in a Canadian prison while fighting extradition to the United States, Adam eventually reached a plea deal on a conspiracy charge.

Adam's lawyer at the time: Maria Elena Perez, who now represents his stepson.

"We all thought he was spending his father's money at first," said the Miami athletic department employee, referring to Shapiro. "That's what he said."

Shapiro had a yacht, a multimillion-dollar home, fancy cars, jewelry, all the toys suggesting success. He sat courtside at Miami Heat games, even getting to be around Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade in some social situations.

That, too, seemed to all be a facade. Shapiro promised to buy more than $700,000 worth of tickets from the Heat. He never paid.

"It's very unfortunate," Wade said when asked about the Miami situation and Shapiro's involvement with the Hurricanes. "I wish the best for Miami. I'm a big supporter of the university."

Wade said nothing surprises him anymore when it comes to scandals, and Jack Hulse would agree.

Hulse, who now lives in Indiana and still lists a second address in Sarasota, Fla., lost nearly $500,000 in Shapiro's scheme, thinking he invested in a grocery-distribution business. Instead, federal prosecutors said Hulse's money -- and tens of millions more, including about $1 million from former Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez (a close friend of Miami President Donna Shalala) and his family -- went toward paying off at least $5 million in illegal gambling debts and a lavish lifestyle filled with excess.

"Nevin Shapiro used other people's money to live a fantasy life built on false promises to unsuspecting victims," said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Hulse could not agree more.

"I met him one time at a birthday party," Hulse said. "He just kind of seemed like he was full of himself. Somebody pulled me in and introduced me and that was basically it. He introduced himself and he wasn't somebody I would be particularly thrilled to be around. A little cocky guy."

Hulse doesn't expect to ever recover his money through the forced bankruptcy proceedings, or the court order than Shapiro repay his victims nearly $83 million.

"Pennies on the dollar," Hulse said. "If that."

Freebies are not new

At the booster event, Walsh grabs the microphone and starts telling a story about the end of the 1985 season.

It's a few days before the Sugar Bowl, and he and some Miami teammates are in a New Orleans bar. Someone offered to buy the Hurricanes some drinks and they accepted, never thinking twice about checking out who the man was.

"We didn't care," Walsh says. These were the big, bad Jimmy Johnson Hurricanes, after all. A team full of swagger that had just closed the regular season by embarrassing Notre Dame 58-7 and were just starting a run of what would become an NCAA-record 58 straight wins at home.

So on some of the things Shapiro alleges -- the most minor claims -- Walsh almost apologetically can understand how difficult it would be for anyone to turn the freebies down.

"I've never met Nevin Shapiro," Walsh says, before adding, tongue in cheek, "he never bought me dinner, never bought me drinks. I'm jealous."

A few people laugh.

"But in all seriousness," Walsh continues, "you look at the source. The guy made a living, almost a billion-dollar living, by telling lies. ... If the money went from his account to a player's account, we've got problems. If the money went from his account to a player who signed with his agent, Miami's got problems. That all remains to come out. Some people don't have the best intentions. They want to be closer to the program and will do anything to get closer."

And in this case, no one at Miami pieced together the entire Nevin Shapiro story in time to avoid maybe the biggest mess in program history.

Murray will play No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who advances when Tomas Berdych withdraws from their semifinal because of a shoulder injury.

Al Behrman, Associated PressAndy Murray defeated Mardy Fish, 6-3, 7-6 (8), Saturday at the Western & Southern Open in Mason.

MASON, Ohio — Andy Murray survived enough break points to set up a tournament title match against the world's top player.

The Scotsman overcame a pair of break points late in the second set, then another in the tiebreaker, beating American Mardy Fish, 6-3, 7-6 (8), Saturday and advancing to the final at the Western & Southern Open.

He'll play No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who advanced when Tomas Berdych withdrew from their semifinal because of a shoulder injury. Murray will be trying for only his second tournament win this season, to go with his title at the Queen's Club in June.

"I think it would be perfect preparation to play him before the U.S. Open, to see what I need to work on," Murray said.

He got his chance by hanging on.

Murray survived a 2-hour, 18-minute match on a hot, humid afternoon that took a toll on both players. Murray repeatedly bent over and grabbed the back of his legs during a close second set that included six service breaks.

The fourth-ranked Murray lost his opening match in Montreal last week, but recovered quickly in Cincinnati, where he reached the semifinals for the fifth time in his past six tournaments. Now, he gets a chance for his second title in Cincinnati -- he also won it in 2008, his first Masters series championship.

This one was a struggle.

Fish has gotten the better of his matches against Murray lately, beating him three times last year. Plus, he's on one of the best spurts of his career, winning 14 of his last 16 matches coming in. He reached the semifinals with one of the best wins of his career, beating No. 2 Rafael Nadal for the first time in seven matches.

He'll be the top-ranked American heading into the U.S. Open.

"It will be much different for me this time, in a good way," Fish said. "I hope to keep playing the way I'm playing. I'm right there. I played good all week. Just trying to solidify my spot, show that I belong, convince myself that I belong as well."

Fish showed right away that he badly wanted to reach the Cincinnati finals for a second year in a row.

During the fourth game, Fish came to the net and dived while trying to make a return, landing hard on his right knee. Blood trickled from two scrapes by the knee for the rest of the game, which Murray won to break serve and go up 3-1.

It was a telling moment. Fish was the only player who hadn't lost a game off his serve during the tournament. He would be broken four times overall in a match full of break chances.

The second set came down to saving break points, and Murray was a little better at it. There were four straight breaks, six in all, during the set.

Murray held serve to tie it at 5, then had a triple break opportunity in the next game. Fish escaped with the help of an ace, then wasted a couple break points of his own, sending it to the tiebreaker.

At that point, Murray was starting to show the strain, grabbing the back of his legs and bending over to stretch them after chasing down a shot.

He overcame a set point during the tiebreaker, took it to 8-7, then appeared to end it by returning Fish's second serve down the line. Fish thought the shot was on the line, but challenged the call anyway while approaching the net to shake hands.

The replay showed the ball was barely out. The tiebreaker was all even at 8.

"I was lucky," Fish said. "I was really surprised."

Two points later, it was finally done.

After only one set, Djokovic's match was over.

Berdych hurt his right shoulder while reaching for a ball during his quarterfinal win over Roger Federer. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to play against Djokovic, who is 57-1 this season and unbeaten on hard courts.

Berdych, who hasn't reached a final since Wimbledon last year, broke Djokovic and led 5-4 in the first set. He double-faulted to even the match -- a sign the shoulder was becoming a problem -- and Djokovic broke him again to win the set 7-5. That's when Berdych withdrew.

"In the beginning, it was so-so and I was able to hit a few balls," he said. "But when the match was going more and more, it was just worse and worse. There was no chance to serve."

Djokovic knew coming in that Berdych was hurt and could see it affect him as the match went on. Djokovic was glad to be on the court for only 52 minutes, noting he's worn down from playing so many matches this summer.

"Well, to be honest, not (feeling) 100 percent, definitely," he said. "But I'm getting out there and trying to give my best to win every match I play in. I know that I felt better last week. But look, it's another final. It's a great achievement. Tomorrow I'll get another title."

In a little less than three quarters of work, the Browns' second-year quarterback has completed 19 of 28 attempts for 231 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain Dealer"There were good and bads," Browns QB Colt McCoy said after the first-team offense's work Friday against Detroit. "You saw the game, we have some work to do."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If the first two preseason games are any indication, Colt McCoy is going to rock this West Coast offense.

In a little less than three quarters of work, the Browns' second-year quarterback has completed 19 of 28 attempts for 231 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His completion rate is 67.9 percent and his rating is 132.6.

In his nine possessions, McCoy has produced five touchdowns, and has gone 3-for-3 inside the 20, including 2-for-2 during Friday night's 30-28 loss to the Lions.

"I think we feel pretty good right now about our red zone offense," said McCoy after Friday's game. "We obviously still have to keep working. I think our main focus right now, when we go back and watch the tape, is that we are punching it in when we get down there but we have to figure out how to get it there. A couple of times, we had opportunities but we had to get off the field early."

McCoy threw three touchdown passes in the first half against the Lions despite a rocky start, the absence of several starters and getting drilled five times after the throw. The first drive, a three-and-out, began with drops by Alex Smith and rookie Owen Marecic.

"We started off kind of slow," said McCoy. "We dropped a couple of balls early and when those things happen, your rhythm starts going and it took us a little while to feel good. On the last long drive before the half we got a couple of penalties that helped us move the ball down the field, but we started to get a little bit of rhythm.

"There were good and bads. You saw the game, we have some work to do."

McCoy has found a favorite target in tight end Evan Moore, but Moore left in the second quarter with a possible concussion and might have to sit out the dress rehearsal game Thursday night in Philadelphia. Moore also suffered a concussion last season against Kansas City, but was active the following week.

Before he left, Moore caught two touchdown passes and a 17-yarder over the middle that led to a TD. He got up slowly after the 17-yarder and then false started a couple of snaps later. Soon thereafter, he was sent to the locker for exams and didn't return.

"Evan creates mismatches," said McCoy. "On the first touchdown tonight, we had him on a safety and he got into space and he made a nice play. He's a guy you can line up out wide or you can stick him inside. I thought he made a great play on the second touchdown catch."

Josh Cribbs said one of the best things about McCoy is that he's getting everyone involved.

"He's doing great is spreading the football around," said Cribbs. "That's what this West Coast offense allows us to do. Some great athletes are going to come out of this offense. Colt is going to spread the ball around and the athletes are going to make plays."

Sharing the praise: Rookie Jabaal Sheard was quick to credit fellow rookie Phil Taylor with making possible Sheard's strip and fumble recovery of Jahvid Best that led to a touchdown.

"Phil wrapped him up and was squeezing him to death and all I had to do was go in there and poke it out," said Sheard. "It was a good play by the rest of my defense. They stepped up and they forced the ball to my side and they made the tackle. I just tried to strip the ball and it happened to pop out. I mean, the ball was just laying there. I just dove for it and covered it up and tried to protect the ball."

Sheard isn't taking starting at right defensive end for granted.

"I want to get better and help the team however I can," he said. "I don't know if the job is mine. I'm not ever going to tell myself the job is mine. I just want to get better."

Checking out a Buckeye: The Browns were one of 17 NFL teams that attended Terrelle Pryor's Pro Day near his hometown of Jeannette, Pa., on Saturday. Now, they must decide if they'll bid on Pryor in Monday's supplemental draft.

Pryor ran in the 40 in 4.36 seconds and threw a variety of passes, according to reports.

"I'd like the opportunity to play quarterback, but I'll do anything that a team needs me to do to win," he told reporters.

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was also there to support Pryor.

"He did great," Tressel told ESPN. "He'd help a lot of teams."

Practice switch: Sunday's training camp practice time has been switched to 10:30 a.m. -12:45 p.m. The final two open practices, Monday and Tuesday, are 8:45-11:15 a.m.

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

The Indians, in the middle of a race for AL Central title, shouldn't be conducting a tryout at second base, but that's exactly what they're doing.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerLuis Valbuena has shown some defensive skills at second base, but his hitting success in Columbus has disappeared while at the plate in the big leagues.

DETROIT -- Manny Acta would like one of his two second basemen to eventually win the job. Until that happens, it's going to be a tryout camp for Luis Valbuena and Jason Donald.

Jason Kipnis' hamstring injury has opened the door to this competition and it couldn't come at a more inconvenient time. Kipnis was not a Gold Glover defensively, but he gave the offense a lift as they go down the stretch in a three-way race with the Tigers and White Sox in the AL Central.

Unless GM Chris Antonetti can trade for a veteran second baseman before the Aug. 31 deadline, it's the only option Acta has.

Valbuena has started the first two games since Kipnis was placed on the disabled list Friday. He's had an impressive season at Class AAA Columbus (.299, 57 runs, 20 doubles, 16 homers and 71 RBI), but it hasn't translated in Cleveland. He went into Saturday's game hitting .120 (3-for-25) in his third big-league tour.

When Orlando Cabrera started to struggle at second early in the year, the Indians promoted Cord Phelps from Columbus, but Phelps struggled. He's hitting .299 (108-for-361) with 12 homers and 59 RBI at Columbus, but the call went to Valbuena.

"There was some consideration for Cord, but Valbuena had the best numbers in Triple-A of anybody," said Acta. "He had 71 RBI and 16 RBI. He's been up here before. He's had success before. He has experience. He was the right guy for us to bring up here."

Valbuena's last taste of success in the big leagues was 2009 when he hit .250 (92-for-368) with 25 doubles, 10 homers and 31 RBI. Last year he hit only .193 (53-for-275) and lost the second-base job.

"There is a long list of guys whose numbers in the minors haven't translated up here," said Acta. "It's a different ballgame, my friend. Different competition. Different ballparks.

"It doesn't matter who it is. Until they get up here, none of us know what they can do."

Which makes Valbuena even more puzzling and the tryout at second base even more important.

One bad start: Ubaldo Jimenez will make his fourth start for the Indians on Sunday against the Tigers.

Start No.3 did not go so well Tuesday in Chicago. Jimenez, acquired from the Rockies on July 31, allowed five runs, four earned, on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. It took him 105 pitches and he couldn't throw his fastball or breaking ball where he wanted.

"It was just one bad game," said Jimenez. "I'm not going to take anything from that game."

This will be the third time Jimenez faces the Tigers this year. He's 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA against them. In his career, he's 2-2 with a 3.75 ERA against Detroit.

Slump City: Travis Hafner is in a slump. During the Indians' series against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, Hafner was visibly and vocally upset with several strike calls by umpires. Asked about his growling at the umpires in Chicago, Hafner just smiled and said, "It was an interesting series."

Hafner went 3-for-18 with eight strikeouts against the White Sox.

The problems continued Friday night in a 4-1 loss to Detroit. Hafner took an 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He's 3-for-19 on this trip and hitless in his last 11 at-bats. There have been questions about Hafner's health, but he said, "If I didn't think I could be productive, I wouldn't be out there."

Hafner has had a foot problem since early in the season and can no longer run hard. Now he just runs slowly.

"Whenever he gets into those funks, he starts expanding the strike zone and gets out of the zone," said Acta. "When he's going really good, you can see him taking pitches that are two inches off the plate."

Roster move: Shelley Duncan, recalled Friday, was placed on the Family Medical Emergency List before Friday's game and left the team. Ezequiel Carrera, optioned to Columbus on Saturday, replaced him.

Duncan must stay on the list for a minimum of three days and a maximum of seven.

"It's a family matter," said Acta.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

On Friday afternoon, the Indians trailed Detroit in the AL Central by 1 1/2 games. On Saturday night, they were 3 1/2 back and trying not to get swept out of Comerica Park on Sunday.

View full sizeDuane Burleson, Associated PressA wasted night for the Indians was symbolized by Michael Brantley dropping Brandon Inge's short pop fly to left with the bases loaded in the fifth inning Saturday night at Comerica Park. Not only was Victor Martinez able to score on the play, Brantley's throw to third base to force Alex Avila was off-line even though Brantley was no more than 60 feet from the base.

DETROIT -- The Indians arrived in the Motor City with ideas of regaining first place from the Tigers in the AL Central. Good idea, bad execution. Oh, yeah, and the location for such grand plans was lousy.

Manny Acta's ballclub cut the Tigers' lead to 1 1/2 games by taking two out of three from the White Sox. But they were headed to Comerica Park and that's not good for the Indians. The Tigers proved that Friday night with a 4-1 victory. The proved it again, with vigor, Saturday in a 10-1 throttling of David Huff and the Tribe's invisible offense.

For two years it's been a standoff. The Indians don't win at Comerica and the Tigers don't win at Progressive Field. Last year, the Indians were 8-1 at home and 1-8 in Detroit. This year they're 5-1 at home and 1-4 in Detroit.

"It's too bad, because I like this ballpark," said Acta. "It's a very nice ballpark. But we just don't win here."

Sunday would be a good time to figure out how to win in the massive confines of the Tigers' lair. The Indians acquired Ubaldo Jimenez from Colorado for just such an occasion. He'll face Rick Porcello as the Tigers decided to give ace Justin Verlander an extra day's rest after he won his 18th game Tuesday. Any pressure to use Verlander was eased by Detroit outscoring the Indians, 14-2, in the first two games of the series.

"Every five games is a big game for Ubaldo and everybody else," said Acta. "But it is a very big game for him to salvage the series and send us back home 2 1/2 games back ... which is not so bad."

After Sunday, the Indians and Tigers meet six more times in September, three at Progressive Field and three at Comerica.

After three strong starts, Huff lasted only 2 1/3 innings. It was Acta's quickest hook of a starter this season when an injury wasn't involved. He allowed five runs on four hits and four walks. In his three previous starts, he'd walked four in 17 2/3 innings.

"I don't know what it was," said Huff. "I was just trying to get the ball down and find the strike zone. When I did, it was up and over the middle."

Said Acta, "We were never in this one from the beginning. David didn't give himself a chance. He didn't throw the ball over the plate. Against a lineup like that, you're not going to get away with it."

Huff (1-2, 2.70) threw only 53 percent (35-for-66) of his pitches for strikes.

Doug Fister (5-13, 3.49) held the Indians to one run on six hits in seven innings. The only run he allowed was Shin-Soo Choo's first homer since May 13. Choo hit that homer off Fister when he pitched for Seattle.

The Tigers led, 4-0, after two innings. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez drove in runs in the first. Brandon Inge, just up from Class AAA Toledo, homered in the second and Magglio Ordonez added a sacrifice fly.

Detroit stacked its lineup with eight right-handed hitters, including two switch hitters, and they accounted the four hits and runs that Huff surrendered.

Choo's homer in the third made it 4-1, but that was the last sign of offense the Indians offered. The Indians stacked their lineup with eight lefties, but they did little damage.

"Fister did a nice job pitching inside to our lefties," said Acta. "I'm not going to blame our guys. We're not the '27 Yankees, we know that. But I'm not going to take credit away from Fister."

The Indians were still within striking distance when the Tigers pulled away with two more runs in the fifth. Both runs were unearned as Michael Brantley dropped Inge's fly ball to left with one out and the bases loaded. Martinez scored on the error and the bases remained loaded. Ramon Santiago followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.

It was Brantley's third error in 112 games.

"He dropped the ball," said Acta. "He made two great plays Friday. It happens to the best of them."

The Tigers added three more runs in the seventh on five hits against Frank Herrmann.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

If it seems like Joe Haden is everywhere, it's because he is. The second-year Browns cornerback is vying for the title of Mr. Cleveland with his popularity and accessibility around town.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerIf it seems like Browns' cornerback Joe Haden is everywhere around Northeast Ohio when he's not on the Berea practice field, it's only because Haden wants it that way. "What else would I be doing -- sitting at home by myself?" Haden said. "It's all about giving back, and at the same time, it's so much fun."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Like most newcomers to a city, Joe has spent the past few months trying to learn the details of his new home. He's explored the streets, eaten at loads of restaurants, been to plenty of sporting events, and made oodles of new friends. Some of those pals, he's even invited to share lunch with him at his favorite joint down the street. His treat.

Normally, all of this would be unspectacular.

But the fact that he's Joe Haden, the second-year Browns cornerback, makes it notable. Not many professional athletes inject themselves into their community promptly upon arriving to play for a new team. Fewer do it in a town where they have no ties. But the gregarious 22-year-old Haden now rivals teammate Josh Cribbs, a Kent State product, for the title of Mr. Cleveland in his first off-season, with a schedule that has included:

• Attending Cavaliers games dressed as Anderson Varejao (with a springy-haired wig) and Baron Davis (with a painted-on beard);

• Making celebrity appearances at the Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon and Lee Evans Celebrity Flag Football Game;

• Buying lunch for several dozen of his closest Twitter friends at Sushi Rock;

• Shooting hoops with fans at Cedar Point;

• Attending several Indians games, one in which he dressed as reliever Tony Sipp;

• Agreeing to every autograph request and generally becoming the most visible athlete in town.

If it seems like Haden is everywhere, it's probably because he is.

• Cleveland fans' photos with Joe Haden.

"You'd think all kinds of marketing guys were behind it, but it's just Joe being Joe," said Joe Haden Jr., the football player's father. "He's a good kid and he likes to have fun. He's done a better job than any marketing firm could."

None of the fan interaction and high visibility has been calculated, Haden swears. He just doesn't like being alone, never has. He likes to have fun, always has. Haden is the oldest of five boys in his family, the talkative clan leader whose wide, toothy smile draws people to him like kittens to a saucer of milk.

When he attended Florida, where he first began to play defensive back after a high school career as quarterback, he was the first on the dance floor at clubs, the first to make friends with a simple trip to the grocery store.

Said Sean Cabble, his college buddy and business manager: "If he's awake, he's doing something."

"What else would I be doing -- sitting at home by myself?" Haden said. "It's all about giving back, and at the same time, it's so much fun."

Especially for fans on the receiving end of Haden's generosity. Stephen Marini Garvin saw Haden's tweet offering to buy a meal at Sushi Rock this summer, and merely shrugged until his brother argued, "Why wouldn't we go?"

Garvin and his brother were the first to arrive out of about 75 people who received free sushi, and had a short conversation with Haden about their alma maters -- Garvin attended Florida State. Garvin was impressed.

"For me as an FSU alum to say that means he truly is performing above and beyond expectations both on and off the field," he said. "The way he continues to show support for Cleveland's other professional teams and members of the community should be a blueprint to athletes everywhere. He's a welcome change to the last guy we thought loved Cleveland as much as we loved him."

That's a not-so-subtle dig at one local product who never seemed to embrace Cleveland in the same way during his seven years as a Cavalier.

"When LeBron James was around here, you didn't know it," said Haden's personal assistant, Jason Simmons. "Joe's a really good guy for the city because wherever he goes, he talks to everyone."

Added Theresa Bolinger, a friend of Haden's: "LeBron was from here and he couldn't even do all the stuff Joe does."

Despite Haden's on-the-go schedule, he makes his job with the Browns his priority. He revels in the nickname "Lockdown Joe" that has been replicated on T-shirts by a local company. He logged six interceptions in his rookie season, and became known as a fast-learning speedster who has star potential.

Dedicated Browns fans appreciated his interaction via his Twitter feed @joehaden23, which declares he's "No Ordinary Joe."

John Rozak, a 21-year-old from Medina, was the sole fan sporting Haden's jersey at Browns training camp one day last week. Rozak received Haden's autograph last year after a game, and has been a devoted follower ever since.

"I like the fact that he's active in the city," Rozak said. "You see him at Cavs games and Indians games all the time. You always see Cribbs and Haden on TV, and they're always tweeting."

Haden contends he has yet to deny an autograph request, and is quick to accept most appearance offers. At a recent celebrity football appearance before the start of training camp, he grinned and signed every item shoved in his path. The hot, summer sun beat down, but the signing continued for anyone who asked for his scrawl.

"I say yes a lot more than I say no," Haden said. "I like interacting with people. Sometimes it can be overwhelming with everyone coming up all the time. It can be a little much. But you still do it. You've got to take the bad with the good."

Said Haden's father: "He hasn't had to be prepped on any of this. This is him. What you see is what you get."

Haden wants this season to be his breakout year, when he proves he can cover anyone on the football field for the Browns. But that doesn't mean he plans on curtailing his social nature. He still plans on his weekly bowling outing at Corner Alley, even if he hasn't seen his scores improve.

"It's really easy to do, honestly," Haden said. "Even if I didn't play football, I'd be doing all this stuff. I'm just trying to have a good time and make sure everyone knows I care about this city and appreciate the fans."

After Saturday's big scrimmage, Ohio State should open the season with both Joe Bauserman and Braxton Miller getting time at quarterback.

View full sizeAP photoFifth-year senior Joe Bauserman continued to build a case for being the Buckeyes' starter on Sept. 3 when Akron visits The Horseshoe. But that doesn't mean the job will remain his throughout the season.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Joe Bauserman lofted a 55-yard pass over the top of the defender, hitting freshman receiver Devin Smith in stride on the best throw during Ohio State's jersey scrimmage Saturday.

Braxton Miller completed a 58-yard pass, this one going for a touchdown, but it was receiver Chris Fields who deserved the credit, reaching back for a ball thrown behind him, with one defender calling it a lucky pass.

Later in the scrimmage, Miller completed a pass in the middle of the defense to freshman Evan Spencer, who broke a tackle and raced into the end zone for a 27-yard score, one of two Miller touchdowns on the day. On the very next play, Bauserman threw into the end zone, missing receiver Corey Brown and clapping his hands in frustration after cornerback Travis Howard made the interception.

Bauserman the senior. Miller the freshman. The last two quarterbacks standing in what started as Ohio State's four-man battle to replace Terrelle Pryor. On the most important day of preseason camp, which quarterback earned the right to play in the Buckeyes' season-opener against Akron on Sept. 3?

Both.

But if there's a guess to be made with a week left of camp, before the Buckeyes get into their regular weeklong prep for the Zips, it's that Bauserman will open as the starter, while Miller will play as well, with the chance to win the job later in the season.

"Based on what we've done in the past, I think we've got to have two quarterbacks ready," offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. "Especially early in the year, we always play a couple guys. I think right now we would follow suit in that direction."

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain Dealer"I think he did a good job moving around," head coach Luke Fickell said of freshman QB Braxton Miller on Saturday, "and I don't think he turned the ball over and that's the number one thing we focus on."

There's a big difference between, say, starting Terrelle Pryor last season and giving Bauserman a series or two against weaker nonconference opposition and the situation the Buckeyes face now. Playing a second quarterback now won't be a token move.

Bauserman, who led an impressive touchdown drive to start the scrimmage, still looks more comfortable with the entire offensive package. But Miller clearly has the higher ceiling. While Bauserman is mobile, Miller impressed with some shifty, sharp cuts in traffic, and he showed speed to get the corner along with some physicality. He finished an 8-yard run by lowering his shoulder to take on a hit from safety Christian Bryant.

"I think he did a good job moving around, and I don't think he turned the ball over and that's the number one thing we focus on," head coach Luke Fickell.

Miller also put a potential touchdown between two defenders onto the hands of T.Y. Williams that was dropped, then also overthrew an open Verlon Reed on what should have been a first down.

According to unofficial stats, Bauserman was 7-of-13 for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Miller was 9-of-17 for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Also unofficially, Bauserman, who took more reps with the first team, looks like the No. 1 quarterback. And Miller looks like 1A.

Other scrimmage notes:

• The Buckeyes didn't keep a running score, unlike former coach Jim Tressel. The jersey scrimmage is offense vs. defense to determine which unit gets to wear the scarlet jerseys in practice later. Fickell said the coaches would score the game later on film, based on toughness and turnovers, because during the scrimmage Fickell didn't want players looking at the score and having it affect how they played.

• Fickell has liked the competition in camp, but he thought the players were dragging a bit Saturday.

"I'd like to see more emotion, but I guess that's part or camp," Fickell said.

At one point, defensive assistant Taver Johnson yelled at the first-team defensive line and secondary to get off the bench and stand on the sideline to watch the second-teamers play.

• Running back Jaamal Berry sat out with what looked like a hamstring injury. The coaches said it's not serious, but it made the running back battle harder to evaluate. With Dan Herron suspended, it looks like Jordan Hall will open as the No. 1 back, though Berry and Carlos Hyde should also get carries.

• Fields seems to have secured the No. 3 receiver spot behind Corey "Philly" Brown and Verlon Reed. Freshmen Smith and Spencer, who both made plays Saturday, seem to be fighting for the No. 4 spot.

• Senior Andrew Sweat led the defense with nine tackles, including four tackles for loss, and looked smooth getting to the football, which is just what the weakside linebacker is supposed to do.

• The second-team defensive line is so far ahead of the second-team offensive line, it made it difficult to evaluate the second-team offense at times. Overall, the defense won several short-yardage situations, and after one stop on fourth-and-1, new linebackers coach Mike Vrabel and longtime defensive coordinator Jim Heacock shared a fist bump.

There's plenty of pressing questions pouring out of this week's reader mailbag.

View full sizePaul Bereswill, Associated PressMatt LaPorta's season-long struggles at the plate cost him considerable playing time this summer and leave the Indians with more questions at first base for the future.

Hey, Hoynsie: I don't understand why Matt LaPorta sits so much. While Carlos Santana has been in the lineup daily despite a year-long sub-.240 average, LaPorta hasn't had that chance. Manny Acta's play one game, sit the next two regimen has hurt LaPorta's development. -- Scott Carpenter, Sarasota, Fla.

Hey, Scott: If Matt LaPorta wants to play more, he has to hit more. It's that simple.

Hey, Hoynsie: Hindsight is often used by Indians fans in a negative way. However it can work both ways. Do you think the Tribe ultimately dodged a bullet due to its unsuccessful attempt at trading for Carlos Beltran? -- Gareth Harris, Westlake

Hey, Gareth: No telling if Beltran would have come down with a sore wrist if the Indians acquired him. I think they would have been excited to get him if he accepted their trade proposal.

As it is, they're getting decent production out of Kosuke Fukudome.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians are having an unexpected year of contention that may lead to a Central Division title. I think they deserve a nickname. My suggestion for this year's Indians team is "The Team That Wouldn't Die." -- Rich Smith, Columbus

Hey, Rich: I think Dracula might sue for copyright infringement.

Hey, Hoynsie: With Jason Kipnis showing us he can play second base and Lonnie Chisenhall doing all right, the infield is solidifying. Do you see Lou Marson being the regular catcher and Carlos Santana moving to first base? -- Geoffrey Lee, Strongsville

Hey, Geoffrey: I still think Santana is more valuable to the organization as a catcher than a first baseman. I know his defense needs to improve behind the plate, but I think he could be an All-Star behind the plate. At first base, he'd be average.

If Marson is going to be a starting catcher, he's going to have to show he can defend himself at the plate. So far that hasn't happened.

Hey, Hoynsie: Jim Thome played for the Tribe his first 12 years. When -- not if -- he is elected to the Hall of Fame, what are the chances he will be wearing an Indians hat on his plaque? -- Dan McKee, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

Hey, Dan: The Hall of Fame decides which team a player represents after he's been elected to Cooperstown. Statistically it's based on where he had his best years and the most sustained impact.

If Thome gets in, I'm sure it will be as a Cleveland Indian.

Hey, Hoynsie: During the Twins' recent series against the Indians, their announcers said several times that Grady Sizemore was "out for the season." Do they know something more than Tribe management has said publicly? -- Gene La Suer, Des Moines, Iowa

Hey, Gene: Head trainer Lonnie Soloff said Friday that Sizemore could be playing in rehab games sometime in early September. It's still questionable if he'll make it back by the end of the season, but I wouldn't count him out.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerNick Hagadone has allowed 52 hits in 64.1 innings this season with Akron and Columbus.

Hey, Hoynsie: How are Nick Hagadone and Zach Putnam doing at Class AAA Columbus? Should we expect to see either of them called up in September? -- Steve Alex, Gainesville, Fla.

Hey, Steve: The Indians are going to need extra arms in September because of the makeup doubleheaders. Hagadone and Putnam could get a look, but I think Josh Judy would get the call in front of them.

Hey, Hoynsie: I went to see Ubaldo Jimenez's first start at home and it was like a Cavs game. The noise level was intolerable. The stupid screaming commercials between batters, the jet engine-volume "contests" between innings. It is not possible to talk to the person sitting next to you. Next time you see Larry Dolan, please ask him if the Tribe could have one game a year with no PA system. Just turn off all the noise, stop the commercials, and have a "throwback" day at the ballpark. Why, they could even raise the ticket prices to cover the lost revenue. I would gladly pay another $5 bucks to not have to endure the screaming. -- Lee Petersen, Akron

Hey, Lee: I think those days are gone for good. Every big-league ballpark presents the game the same way. My advice: Bring your ear plugs and learn to read lips.

Hey, Hoynsie: I was in Cleveland recently for two Indians games and the Browns games. I noticed on my ticket that it said that games are subject to time change. On Sunday, the game was rained out. I know that the Indians have had a number of games start at noon this season. Is there any reason why the Indians knowing the weather situation on Sunday couldn't have made the call the day prior to move the game to a noon start with a better chance of getting a game in and not having to have another rainout added to the end of the year? -- Zachary Hitchcock, Clarksville, Tenn.

Hey, Zachary: I believe it's mentioned on the ticket that games are subject to time change because one of the national TV networks could add that game to its schedule, thus changing the start time. Those changes are usually made weeks in advance.

I realize it's a long haul from Tennessee only to be rained out. However, changing the start time of a game with only 24 hours notice would cause too many headaches.

Hey, Hoynsie: I noticed that Delmon Young was traded to the Tigers after passing through waivers? Wouldn't the Indians have had the opportunity to claim him? If so, why wouldn't they take a chance on him? Is money getting in the way again? -- Annie W., Washington, D.C.

Hey, Annie: The Indians could have claimed Young, but didn't. GM Chris Antonetti would give no details when asked about Young, but I don't think Young's 2011 salary stopped the Indians from getting involved. The Twins have already paid for most of his $5.375 million contract for this season.

Young has not had a great year on the field. He's also eligible for arbitration this winter as are several members of the Indians' current roster.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians' extra-inning game vs. the White Sox on Tuesday was filled with an unusual amount of blown calls by the umpires and an inconsistent strike zone. Does a team have any recourse when this happens? Does an umpiring crew get judged by a higher authority that informs them that they blew it? -- Dustin Lecate, Atlanta

Hey, Dustin: Teams can complain to the commissioner's office, but I don't think it does much good. Umpires are supervised, reviewed and graded. MLB has a computerized system in each park to judge an umpire's work behind the plate on balls and strikes. Umpires can be reprimanded and fined.

To put it mildly, the umpiring crew of Laz Diaz, Wally Bell, John Hirschbeck and Scott Barry had a tough night Tuesday at U.S. Cellular Field.

Hey, Hoynsie: Is baseball still considered "our nation's pastime"? What percentage of MLB players are born outside this country? -- James Wright, Tucson

Hey, James: Baseball might not be our national pastime any longer -- the NFL probably has that cornered -- but it definitely has become more international regarding the men who play it.

When this season opened, 27.7 percent (234 of 846) of the players on 25-man active rosters and disabled lists were born outside the United States, according to MLB. The all-time high was 29 percent in 2005.

The top 10 countries supplying big-league talent were the Dominican Republic (86 players), Venezuela (62), Canada (16), Cuba (11), Japan (10), Mexico (8), Australia (5), Panama (4) and Colombia (3), Curacao (3) and Taiwan (3). Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, has 20 players.

-- Hoynsie