"His success on the court certainly would not translate onto a NFL field. Two completely different skill sets. He is big and strong, but could not shed a NFL DB's blanket coverage like in high school. I don't want to even think what would happen if this guy went over the middle." - Commander-In-Chief

View full sizeMarvin Fong | The Plain DealerLeBron James has two MVP awards in the NBA, but few believe he could match that success in the NFL.

In response to the story Grow up a Cleveland fan and you've got character and grit: Cleveland Remembers, cleveland.com reader Commander-In-Chief doesn't see LeBron performing well in the NFL. This reader writes,

"His success on the court certainly would not translate onto a NFL field. Two completely different skill sets. He is big and strong, but could not shed a NFL DB's blanket coverage like in high school. I don't want to even think what would happen if this guy went over the middle."

"Gotta promote Radinsky as pitching coach. The best thing this team had going for the last two years has been the bully." - kmandingo

View full sizeChuck Crow | The Plain DealerIndians bullpen coach Scott Radinsky.

In response to the story Cleveland Indians considering Tom Wiedenbauer as first base coach, cleveland.com reader kmandingo thinks Scott Radinsky needs to be the Tribe's next pitching coach. This reader writes,

"Gotta promote Radinsky as pitching coach. The best thing this team had going for the last two years has been the bully."

Thistledown is sending out the Best of Ohio Series on Saturday, the final stakes races of the season.

Pay the Man with Luis Gonzalez in the saddle wins the $50,000 Rose DeBartolo Memorial Stakes on Sept. 3 at Thistledown. Pay the Man is trained by Miguel "Angel" Feliciano for Florida's Pyrite Stables.

 Thistledown is sending out the Best of Ohio Series on Saturday, the final stakes races of the season.

A lot of familiar faces are in action, including Catlaunch in the $75,000 Best of Ohio Endurance and Pay The Man chasing a win in the $75,000 Best of Ohio Distaff.

 Completing the stakes list are the $50,000 Best of Ohio Sprint, $75,000 John W. Galbreath and the $75,000 Best of Ohio Juvenile.

Catlaunch is chasing his third win in the 1 1/4-mile Best of Ohio Endurance, with victories in 2008 and 2010. Stakes for Ohio-sired runners have been very good to Catlaunch and owner Ron Fields of Scioto Farms in Chillicothe, Ohio. The homebred Catlaunch has won $121,900 this season and $1,015,844 over the years. Whether trainer Ivan Vasquez can bring 10-year-old Catlaunch back to the races in 2012 is a big question.

Catlaunch had won all four of his early starts this year, but finished fifth and fourth in the Honey Jay Stakes and Governor's Buckeye Cup in August and September. In his long career, the son of Noble Cat has won 38 of 89 races. Luis Gonzalez will be back in the saddle on Saturday.

Pay The Man was nipped at the wire in last year's Best of Ohio Distaff by Slides Choice in the most excited race on a wet and windy day, but has been almost perfect this season for Florida's Pyrite Stables and trainer Miguel "Angel" Feliciano, winning four of five races and $111,470. That has boosted her career bank account to $749,526, a record for an Ohio-bred mare.

Slides Choice has since retired, but 7-year-old Pay The Man will have young competition in the 1 1/8-mile race from stakes winner Muir Woods, a three-year-old from trainer Tim Hamm's stable.

The horse to beat in the 1 1/16-mile John W. Galbreath Stakes for juvenile fillies is Motego, Ronald Dewolfe's homebred daughter of Yonagusky that has won all four of her starts this year for trainer Joe Martin, including the Miss Ohio Stakes at Thistledown and the Tah Dah Stakes at River Downs. A pair of two-year-old colts to watch in the field of 13 colts and geldings in 1 1/6-mile Best of Ohio Juvenile are the Vasquez-trained Not an Altar Boy and License to Bling from Hamm's stable. They left the field in the dust to finish 1-2 in a Sept. 26 allowance race at Thistledown.

Sneak a Cold Treat has been on a tear for trainer Jamie Ness and owner Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc., and tops a field a 10 in the 6-furlong $50,000 Best of Ohio Sprint. The 6-year-old gelding was beaten in the sprint last fall, but has won three of four this year, including the Honey Jay Stakes here on Aug. 20. Rosario is in the saddle.

Saturday's festivities: Thistledown has children's activities on Saturday from 1-4 p.m., as well as a meet-and-greet autograph session with jockeys and a free handicapping contest for Player Rewards members. Admission and parking are free, with preferred parking available. Post time is 1:50 p.m. A Silks buffet is featured in the clubhouse from 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Call 216-662-8600 for reservations.

Pick 'em at Northfield: The weekly Belmont Park Handicapping Contest for Players Club members is on Sunday at Northfield Park, with a sign-up from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Last Sunday's winner Johnny Blevins of Akron took home $500 and a slot in January's $5,000 finale. Free Money Fridays continue through October, with envelopes handed out to Players Club members containing from $1 to $100.

Top horsemen: Yamil Rosario leads the meeting at Thistledown with 47 wins, followed by Luis Gonzalez (37). Jeff Radosevich tops the trainer standings with 28 winners, with Jamie Ness (21) second. Northfield Park driver Dan Noble is still the top driver in North America with 612 wins through Wednesday, but he's now tied for the lead with George Brennan. While Noble's horses have won about $2 million, Brennan has $12.4 million in winnings.

Big finale: Thistledown will race through Nov. 5, wrapping up its season with simulcast action of the Breeders' Cup World Championships on Nov. 4-5, which features stakes worth $25.5 million.

Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur and players reacted for the first time to Marcus Benard's motorcycle accident which occurred Monday after practice. Watch video

Conference realignment brings more money and fewer memories, and college football is about the latter as much as the former.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerAs big-time college football realigns and evolves, Bill Livingston says the push to chase more dollars has come at the cost of many of the sports' greatest rivalries -- even if Michigan-Ohio State is, for now, largely unaffected.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Ohio State traveled to Nebraska last weekend, it was the first look for Buckeye fans at the new landscape of the B1G. That's Big Ten in LogoSpeak. The "0" in the "10" of the new B1G logo is left open, both to make a G and to indicate the league is not a closed circle.

This, of course, has not been the case since 1993, when Penn State became the 11th member. But it does indicate that, while the Big Ten is in an enviable position with its huge alumni bases and storied -- if currently not all that mighty -- programs, it can be very selective and take only the choicest of future suitors. That could mean you, Notre Dame, and maybe even you, Texas.

It's nice for Big Ten fans to be on the inside looking out at the shifting landscape of college football. The B1G is not the most powerful conference on the field, that's the Southeastern. But it is the most powerful in the television network boardrooms, with itsmarkets and ratings pull.

Football is the biggest revenue-generator in college sports, and, like everything else in the big-time "amateur" ranks, the bottom line is a dollar sign. As conferences realign, seeking bigger paydays -- which come with the BCS imprimatur for the most lucrative bowl games -- the game has sacrificed stability for passing riches. The lore is less important than the lucre.

The Big Ten gets a pass on some of this. Although there are flaws with its new look, some great rivalries, like Ohio State and Michigan, have been preserved across divisional lines. But if it comes at the cost of back-to-back games between the two in the regular-season finale and the Big Ten Championship Game, which will surely happen someday, it will take a plus and turn it into a minus.

One of the great rivalries in college football, Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, vanished years ago with the dissolution of the Southwest Conference. Overnight, the Big Eight became the Big 12, absorbing four Texas teams from the defunct Southwest. The people vacuuming up the money decided to split Nebraska and Oklahoma, which had been yoked to each other like powerful and mutually cantankerous oxen, into different divisions. They no longer played, unless it was in the conference title game.

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska, at its best, was a concentrated, 60-minute demonstration of the irresistible appeal of opposites. Nebraska's Tom Osborne is remembered in part for the Fumblerooski, a trick play, but usually he was as imaginative as a silo. His Huskers were earnest, serious and slow.

In contrast, the Sooners played with a swaggering confidence. They had a roguish coach in Barry Switzer, who was as open and free-spirited as Osborne was uptight and shuttered. They seemed to be one step ahead of the law sometimes, and that same speed would often kill the Huskers.

Texas was the big-boy school in the new quartet of Big 12 members. The Longhorns are one of those schools with multiple big rivals in Oklahoma and Texas A&M. In this, they are sort of like Michigan with Michigan State, Notre Dame and the Buckeyes, or Southern California with the Irish and UCLA.

The Big 12 had many dissatisfied teams because of Texas' dominance and the conference rules that fostered it. It is breaking apart now that Nebraska is in the Big Ten and Colorado in the Pac-12. TCU might join soon, but with Texas A&M heading for the SEC next year, chances are the Longhorns and Aggies won't play each other anymore.

Each is part of the very fiber of its rival. Each fight song makes unflattering mention of the other. They represent the two faces of Texas -- the oil boom, banking and commerce state of the big cities (Texas) and the farming and ranching state of the small towns and coutnryside (A&M).

Gone. Dust in the whirlwind.

Pitt-Penn State, a rivalry almost as old as the coal seams in the state, died when Penn State joined the Big Ten. Wisconsin-Iowa is not one of the cross-division rivalries the Big Ten has preserved. The Heartland Trophy that goes to the winner of the game is only seven years old, but the rivalry is has a century behind it. The all-time standings are dead-even: 42-42-2. This game will now be a sometime thing.

College football, for all its troubles, is still great. The regular season means something, unlike the completely diluted college basketball regular season.

But when it throws away storied rivalries for no higher ideal than money, it tells us our memories mean nothing. It puts the brittle old game programs and the yellowing newspaper clippings in a box. It takes away the reason why we loved it in the first place.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

Healing from appendicitis, Mack said Sunday will be a gametime decision, but he's feeling better every day. Watch video

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerThe recent operation to remove Alex Mack's appendix may keep him out of Sunday's game against the Raiders in Oakland.

BEREA, Ohio -- Alex Mack wasn't about to let nausea and needing I.V. fluids keep him from playing Oct. 2 against Tennessee.

Little did he know at the time he was suffering from appendicitis and would have to undergo surgery the next day.

"It was annoying that I knew I was going to have to go to surgery," said Mack, who sat out practice again Wednesday and might miss the Raiders game. "I had to call my family and tell them. I had to go to the ER, which is not what I wanted to do with my bye week, or my Monday."

Mack, who would be replaced by fourth-year pro Steve Vallos, said he started feeling ill the day before the game.

"Saturday night got a little worse, then throughout the night I wasn't feeling great," he said. "I thought it was a stomach bug. We all thought it was a stomach bug."

He said he woke up feeling tired and rundown, but wanted to play. After all, he hasn't missed a snap since he arrived in 2009.

"It wasn't like everyone knew it was appendicitis," he said. "I guess 15 percent of the population has an appendix that goes the opposite direction. I'm one of those 15, so the typical what you would feel was blurry because of that.

"By gametime, after some IVs and some adrenaline and getting ready for the game, I was feeling better," said Mack. "After the game I was absolutely exhausted. Then Monday morning I was still hurting, so we got a CAT scan and it was appendicitis."

Was he at risk by playing?

"Probably the worst-case scenario would be getting speared in the stomach and having something happen," he said. "But people don't spear centers. Definitely I guess [I was] lucky, but I still think that it wasn't that serious."

"I knew he wasn't feeling well," said coach Pat Shurmur. "That happens to a lot of guys where they get sick and they play. I do know he's a very tough guy, he's a very fine center and we need to be strong up the middle here to be good. ... I've got a strong appreciation for what he is as a player."

Mack said Sunday will be a gametime decision, but he's feeling better every day. He still has some incisions from the laparoscopy that aren't fully healed.

"I generally want to play," he said. "It's what you're here for and I don't want to let my team down, so there's a strong part of that that gets you motivated to heal quicker."

Vallos, a native of Youngstown and a Boardman High grad, started eight games for the Seahawks, including seven at center.

"He's a Pro Bowl guy," Vallos said. "He's a great player. He's a leader on our offensive line and it's a tough spot. Sometimes center can be challenging, but I think we should be fine. We have great tackles and Shaun [Lauvao] and Jason [Pinkston] are doing real well."

Mack's effort against the Titans impressed his teammates.

"He's a tough guy and it takes everything to make him come out of a game," said Colt McCoy. "I know if there is a chance he can play, he will. We'll just se on Sunday."

Still absent: Cornerback Joe Haden was absent again from practice, and his knee brace was hanging in his locker afterwards. If he can't play, Dimitri Patterson will step in, then move inside in the nickel with Buster Skrine taking over outside.

"I'll definitely be ready to play," said Skrine. "I've never played that much, so I'd definitely be excited. I'm going to make the most of it if I get the chance."

Extra points: Josh Cribbs (sprained knee) was limited in practice, but said he'll be ready for the Raiders, including returning kicks. ... Tight end Ben Watson welcomed his first son into the world during the bye week, Isaiah Benjamin. He said his wife, Kirsten, and the baby are doing fine and that the bye week gave him more time with the baby. He also has two daughters, Grace Makayla and Naomi Love, both under the age of three. ... The Browns signed defensive lineman Kiante Tripp to the practice squad. He was originally signed by the Falcons in July as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia.

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot preview the Browns game against the Oakland Raiders in California on Sunday. Watch video

Mike Vrabel and Nick Siciliano, Ohio State's two most inexperienced assistant coaches, are finding their way through a 3-3 start. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State linebackers coach Mike Vrabel is a 14-year NFL veteran who is coaching for the first time, and he's on Ohio State's staff because one of his best friends, Luke Fickell, is the current head coach.

Quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano didn't even play college football, much less in the NFL, but has been coaching at various levels for 11 years, and he's on OSU's staff because the former head coach, Jim Tressel, was his mentor.

Vrabel and Siciliano couldn't be more different, but they're united by their inexperience with what's going on right now. The two junior members of the coaching staff (this is only Siciliano's third year as a full-time Division I assistant) both spoke with reporters Wednesday for the first time since the season began, with Ohio State 3-3 at the halfway point.

When it comes to the quarterbacks and the offense as a whole, and the linebackers and the defense as a whole, both are trying to figure out what hasn't worked and what they can do to make it better.

"That's why I'm asking a ton of questions," Vrabel said. "I'm wearing out those defensive coaches. I'm up and down these hallways in between the day just asking questions. I see stuff on film and what are we running to this and how is this fitting? I just want it to be right. I'm not trying to do anything that is something we did in 1998 with the Steelers. I want to do things that are right and sound."

The defense let down late in Saturday's loss to Nebraska, as the Buckeyes gave up a 21-point lead. Coaches after the game mentioned leadership as an issue. It's obvious to see the influence Vrabel had on Fickell when it came to not naming permanent captains. Fickell previously cited his former teammate as one of the best leaders he's ever seen, someone who wasn't afraid to say something unpopular. But Vrabel was not an OSU captain.

Vrabel's greatest frustration right now is the limited number of hours coaches can be with players, which isn't an issue in the NFL. So he's looking for his kind of leadership to fill in some blanks.

"Sometimes team captains, those are the most popular guys," Vrabel said. "I'm looking for guys that aren't real popular that just want to win and they're willing to call people out when they're not doing their job. Not being disrespectful and not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, but just trying to make people do their job and compete."

Siciliano is looking for consistent quarterback play, and he's well aware it hasn't been there so far this season from senior Joe Bauserman or freshman Braxton Miller. Miller, though, did show flashes against Nebraska before going down with an ankle injury.

Adding to the news from earlier in the week that Miller will be ready to start against Illinois, Siciliano, after Wednesday's practice, said, "I don't see any limitations right now."

That's physically. Mentally, Miller is still learning the game. But Siciliano twice said any problems at the quarterback position were his responsibility.

Against Michigan State, Miller struggled and was replaced in the fourth quarter by Bauserman, who led the only scoring drive against a prevent defense in a 10-7 loss. Against Nebraska, Miller looked more comfortable before his injury, then Bauserman came in and went 1-for-10 in a 34-27 loss.

"I don't think we've gone into a game [with the quarterbacks] unprepared. If there's anything that's gone wrong, it hasn't been the staff, it ultimately would be me," Siciliano said. "If for some reason they were not prepared, it was me. But I don't feel we went into a game unprepared.

"We haven't played exceptionally well on offense yet. We just haven't for four quarters. That's what the facts are. I'm not going to make excuses. We've got a lot of young guys playing, but at some point our job as coaches is to get them rolling."

Siciliano is trying to do that with the Buckeyes for the first time without Tressel, who was always a quarterbacks coach at heart. Asked directly if the offense and quarterbacks missed Tressel's input, Siciliano said, "You know, I would like to say we do, I would like to say we don't."

He said offensive coordinator Jim Bollman called about 97 percent of the plays last season, which other coaches have said previously. But calling plays is one thing, and making a game plan during the week is another.

"It's always good to have a guy who's been around the game 40 years to be able to bounce things off of," Siciliano said.

The Buckeyes don't have that guy. They do have these two assistants, in their own way, trying to get it right.

"There's no place I'd rather be," Vrabel said, "than right here."

Mike Napoli drives in winning run in 11th after a pair of sparkling defensive plays to defuse Tiger threats.

View full sizeCharlie Riedel, Associated PressRangers catcher Mike Napoli has a secure grip on the ball after withstanding Miguel Cabrera's collision at home plate to maintain a 3-3 deadlock in the eighth inning of Wednesday's Game 4 of the ALCS. Napoli eventually drove in the tiebreaking run in the 11th inning as Texas topped the Tigers, 7-3.

DETROIT -- Catching is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. Mike Napoli did it exceedingly well Wednesday night in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

Napoli delivered the key RBI hit in a four-run rally that gave Texas a 7-3 victory over Texas in 11 innings at Comerica Park. The Rangers hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and are one victory away from returning to the World Series for the second straight season.

After Josh Hamilton opened the 11th with a double, Jose Valverde struck out Michael Young. Manager Jim Leyland elected to intentionally walk Adrian Beltre to set up a double play with Napoli at the plate.

Napoli sent a soft single into center to score Hamilton for a 4-3 lead. Nelson Cruz, who beat Detroit with a walkoff grand slam in the 11th inning of Game 2, followed with a three-run homer to left center. It was his fourth homer of the ALCS and fifth of the postseason.

Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday afternoon with Detroit's Justin Verlander facing left-hander C.J. Lewis.

Napoli had two hits and shined behind the plate. When Scott Feldman, who pitched the 10th for the victory, hit fleet Austin Jackson with one out, Napoli erased the threat by throwing out Jackson at second on an attempted steal.

In the eighth, Napoli was even better. After Texas right-hander Mike Adams retired Ryan Raburn to start the inning, he intentionally walked Miguel Cabrera to face the hobbled Victor Martinez, who strained his rib cage homering in Tuesday's 5-2 victory.

Martinez foiled the strategy as he bounced a single to right field to send Cabrera rumbling to third. Delmon Young, another Tiger with rib cage issues, sent a fly ball to Cruz in medium deep right. Cruz made a clean one-hop throw home. Napoli made a nice catch, tag and roll as Cabrera tried to run him over at the plate for an inning-ending double play.

"Mike Napoli is a dirt bag," said manager Ron Washington. "He's a gamer and will do anything he can to help us win a game.

"He could have let Cabrera scare him off when he was coming down the line, but he made the tag and took the lick."

Napoli was traded twice last winter in four days. The Angels sent him to Toronto in the Vernon Wells deal. Then Toronto traded him to Texas for reliever Frank Francisco. Napoli apparently got on the wrong side of Angels manager Mike Scioscia over his lack of catching skills.

"I'm glad I can do it on the defensive side," said Napoli. "I kind of got labeled as being not too good behind the plate."

Cruz is the first player to hit two extra-inning homers in the same series. Before this flurry, Cruz spent most of September recovering from a left hamstring injury.

"We've been waiting for that for a long time," said Washington. "Tonight it was thank you Nelson Cruz."

In the seventh, the Rangers had a 3-2 lead and the guy they wanted on the mound. Alexi Ogando had two outs and an 0-2 count on Brandon Inge. Then Inge sent an Ogando fastball over the fence in left field to tie the score.

Texas, trailing Rick Porcello, 2-0, entering the sixth, scored three times. David Murphy's single led off the inning, and he came around to score when Ian Kinsler doubled into the left-field corner. The ball bounced away from Young, allowing Murphy to score from first.

Kinsler, with Elvis Andrus batting, stole third on a close play. Andrus made the theft pay off as he dumped a single into short right to tie the score. Porcello retired Hamilton on a fly ball to center to face Michael Young, who had just three hits in 29 at-bats this postseason.

After Andrus took second on Porcello's errant pickoff, Young lined a single to center for the lead. It was his first RBI of the postseason.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead on Cabrera's two-run double off Matt Harrison in the third. Inge started the rally with a one-out single. Jackson popped up to short, but Ryan Raburn singled to put Inge on second. Cabrera followed with his double to left center.

The game was delayed 2 hours and 15 minutes by rain.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

For more Cinesport video, go here.

Database: Find details about the athletic department finances for each public Division I university in Ohio.

Cleveland, Ohio - This database contains financial details and other information about the intercollegiate athletic programs at each public Division I university in Ohio.

The schools submit the information to the NCAA each year. Private schools Dayton and Xavier declined to share their forms with The Plain Dealer

Sources: The universities

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerKent State plays its home football games in Dix Stadium.

The data is from reports the schools filed with the NCAA for 2009-10, the latest year available.

Related stories

Most Ohio Division I programs depend on student fees or other college help to pay the athletic bill

How Ohio State University pays its athletic bills

Today live at 10 a.m. on "Browns Insider," join Dennis Manoloff and Mary Kay Cabot along with Tony Grossi in Berea as they preview Sunday's game against the Raiders. Get your questions in about the game, the Peyton Hillis and Marcus Benard situations and more.

Watch Browns Insider Live on cleveland.com Thursdays at 10 a.m.

Today live at 10 a.m. on "Browns Insider," join Dennis Manoloff and Mary Kay Cabot along with Tony Grossi in Berea as they preview Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Note: To turn off audio alerts in the chatroom, click on the round button on bottom left of the chat room, then preferences. Uncheck all audio options and save.

Can't make the live show? Come back to watch the archive this afternoon.

Far from his best, Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter lasted just five innings in a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night that gave St. Louis a 2-1 edge in the NL championship series. Story includes post-game video.

St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols (5) celebrates with Jason Motte after the ninth inning of Game 3 of baseball's National League championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 4-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

ST. LOUIS — Chris Carpenter matched a franchise record set by Bob Gibson with a most un-Gibson-like outing.

Far from his best, the Cardinals ace lasted just five innings in a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night that gave St. Louis a 2-1 edge in the NL championship series.

The bullpen that got no work in Carpenter's division-series clinching win over Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies came up aces with four relievers retiring the last 12 Milwaukee batters in order.

"My stuff was OK but these guys worked me hard," Carpenter said after winning his seventh postseason game to match Gibson's team mark. "All night long it was a battle. Our bullpen did a phenomenal job to finish it out and we win, and that's what's important."

Albert Pujols had one of three RBI doubles during a four-run first inning against Yovani Gallardo for the wild-card Cardinals, who suddenly are front-runners — and against the team that put them away early en route to the NL Central title.

All thanks to unsung Fernando Salas, Lance Lynn, Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte, who struck out three of the four batters he faced for the save.

"They've been great, we wouldn't be here without them," Lance Berkman said. "Over the course of the regular season they got a lot of blame when things went wrong.

"Now, they need to get a lot of credit."

The Brewers set a franchise record with 96 victories and took the Central lead for good on July 27. Now, they've got to come from behind.

Yuniesky Betancourt's infield single with one out in the fourth was the last of the Brewers' six hits. The rest of the way they had only two baserunners.

"I still feel good with our club," manager Ron Roenicke said. "This is a good club we're playing and, you know, when you make mistakes like we did the first inning, they were going to get their hits."

The Brewers have lost eight in a row on the road in the postseason, a stretch that extends to Game 1 of the 1982 World Series in St. Louis on a shutout by Mike Caldwell. It's the longest current streak in the majors.

The matchup of star pitchers fizzled, with both starters done after five innings. Gallardo tied an NLCS record with three wild pitches, while Carpenter surrendered all but one run of a four-run cushion.

The game was played in a steady drizzle with no squirrel sightings — at least not on the field. In the previous playoff game at Busch Stadium, a squirrel scampered across home plate while the Cardinals were batting against the Phillies' Roy Oswalt.

The careening critter quickly became a favorite in St. Louis as the Rally Squirrel. The Cardinals' marketing department capitalized, too, giving away 40,000 rally towels with a squirrel theme, telling fans to "Go Nuts" on the video board and dressing up someone in a squirrel costume to entertain the fans between innings.

Kyle Lohse, pitching on 12 days' rest, starts Game 4 Thursday for Cardinals against Randy Wolf.

"Hope we don't lose two in a row just to put our backs up against the wall," manager Tony La Russa said. "We're really not going to stop and think about it, because there's so much yet to do."

Motte had two saves lasting more than an inning in September and another in Game 2 of the division series against the Phillies. Salas worked the sixth, Lynn also got four outs and Rzepzcynski struck out Fielder in the eighth.

"You know, when that phone rings we get ourselves ready," Motte said.

The starters' ineffectiveness was surprising considering their track records. Carpenter has been clutch throughout his career in the postseason, going 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 12 games. Gallardo allowed only two runs in 21 innings, a minuscule 0.86 ERA, before Game 3.

The Cardinals scored in the first inning for the fifth straight game, and batted around against Gallardo. Pujols delivered an RBI double after starring in a Game 2 win with a home run and three doubles, and then singled in the second to give him six hits in seven at-bats.

St. Louis had its chances to break away later, but hit into three double plays and stranded nine runners. The Cardinals broke their own National League record for double plays this season.

Mark Kotsay started ahead of slumping Nyjer Morgan and homered for the Brewers. Betancourt had two singles and an RBI and Gallardo, a .221 hitter with a homer and four RBIs, had a sacrifice fly in the second.

Jon Jay and David Freese added RBI doubles in the first for St. Louis, which was 3 for 4 with runners in scoring position to start the game but 0 for 7 the rest of the way.

Gallardo, who's 1-7 with a 5.66 career mark against the Cardinals, trailed 2-0 after his first 12 pitches and barely made it out of the first trailing 4-0. The right-hander walked three, one of them intentional, and the Brewers had Chris Narveson up in the bullpen before Yadier Molina grounded into a double play, scoring the fourth run, for his first outs.

Gallardo trudged to the dugout after his 33-pitch ordeal, hoping for another chance in the series.

"Yeah, I mean, of course," Gallardo said. "I look forward to it. I can't wait and hopefully we'll get another shot at it."

For more Cinesport video, go here.

Paying for college sports: Ohio State has one of the few athletic departments nationally that is able to pay its own bills without student fees or general college funds. A look at the budget and the size of the program.

Plain Dealer fileRoutinely packed Ohio Stadium, with more than 100,000 seats, is one reason why Ohio State's athletic program is able to pay its own bills without student fees or general college funds.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State's $30 million fundraising effort to renovate the school's main library needed help, the athletic department stepped up with a $4 million pledge to complete the drive.

This commitment in 2008 was on top of $5 million the athletic department already promised for an overhaul of the academic centerpiece of campus.

Welcome to a rare place in the world of college sports, a place where the athletic department has extra money to share with the academic side of campus.

Money usually transfers the other way. Most college athletic programs are subsidized with student fees, taxpayer money, other money from college general funds -- or a combination of these.

Just 22 of the 120 schools playing in the top football division operated their athletic departments in the black in 2009-10, the NCAA reports. A year earlier, there were only 14.

The OSU football and basketball programs are so financially successful that they generate enough money to not only cover the bills for those sports, but also the lion's share for 32 other men's and women's teams -- more than any other public university in the country. Only Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Cornell and Stanford field more teams.

In 2009-10, 622 men and 501 women were Buckeye athletes.

Some 658 of these athletes split 400 scholarships worth nearly $12 million. Athletes in football, men's and women's basketball, and women's gymnastics, tennis and volleyball typically get full tuition, fees, room and board scholarships. Most athletes in other sports receive partial packages.

"Our philosophy always has been to provide as many opportunities as possible," said Ben Jay, OSU senior associate athletic director of finance and operations.

Ohio State generates a lot of money by selling 100,000 tickets to each home football game, tickets that go for $70 a pop ($32 for students.)

But the stadium is not big enough to meet the ticket demand, creating another revenue opportunity. Potential new season-ticket buyers have a couple of options: obtaining membership to the Buckeye or Presidents clubs.

Those require donations, but not always to the sports department.

Fans paying a minimum of $1,500 a year to be part of the Buckeye Club receive the opportunity to buy two season football tickets at an additional cost of $980. The Buckeye Club money is used to pay for athletic scholarships.

Outside the athletic department, membership to the Presidents Club can be obtained after making at least $2,500 in annual donations to academics, health sciences or the arts at OSU. Just like with the Buckeye Club, one of the benefits is the chance to buy season football tickets.

"Demand for the tickets is great. Thank God it is," Jay said. "We would be in a tough position financially if the games were not sold out."

That's because Ohio State has a huge bill to pay -- $123 million in 2009-10. By comparison, the six Mid-American Conference schools in Ohio spent a combined total of $130 million on sports the same year.

The biggest sources of income for OSU:

• $40 million from ticket sales.

• $27 million in contributions from individuals, corporations and organizations.

• $24 million in shared revenue from the NCAA and the Big Ten.

• $13 million from licensing and ads.

View full sizeKen Marshall, The Plain Dealer

Paying for college sports: Athletic programs at every Ohio public university but Ohio State depend on student fees or other public support. The subsidy from non-sports sources usually tops 65 percent. Is it worth it? Watch video

AP fileKent State's football team played on the big stage at Penn State in 2010. This year, the Golden Flashes traveled to Alabama.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Take a full course load at Cleveland State University, and you will pay about $600 a year for intercollegiate sports, even if you do not attend a single game.

Students at the University of Akron paid $16 million in fees to support athletic programs in 2009-10. The school kicked in another $1 million.

At Ohio University, the total from students and other public sources was nearly $19 million. Totals ranged from $10 million to $17 million at Ohio's other Mid-American Conference schools.

The harsh truth: College sports couldn't exist as they do at just about every public university in Ohio without money from students, taxpayers or other non-athletic school sources. The exception: Ohio State. (See related story about Ohio State University.)

For the others, ticket sales, TV revenue and souvenirs don't come close to covering the bills. So it's left to thousands of students who don't play sports to bridge the gap.

But as students and parents face college bills increasing faster than inflation, and as the state's share of the higher education costs have been shrinking, does this investment in sports make sense?

"Athletics play an important role, but it has to be kept in the context of the university's core mission, which is education," said Amy Perko, executive director of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. The commission, a watchdog of sorts for college sports, counts among its members several university presidents.

Outside of Ohio State, Ohio's 10 public universities spent $128 million in student fees and other public support -- nearly $700 for each student -- to support intercollegiate athletics in 2009-10, The Plain Dealer found in a review of the latest financial filings to the NCAA. (The state's two Division I private schools -- Xavier and Dayton -- declined to share their reports with The Plain Dealer.)

College administrators across the state contend the investment enhances student life, connects to alumni and serves as a marketing tool. Applications increase, they say, after success on the field.

"Having a competitive athletic program is a marker that you have life outside the classroom," said Greg Hand, a spokesman for the University of Cincinnati. "I am sure that without a nationally known intercollegiate program, this institution would have a very different reputation. It is a very direct way to communicate that you are a big-league institution."

Students interviewed during Kent State's move-in day this summer echoed that sentiment.

"Sports are such a big part of college," said freshman Andy Brooks of Amherst. "It's a big reason why I came here."

Increasing costs

Others wonder whether the level of spending is worth it, or if it can be maintained.

The Knight Commission on Oct. 24 will report that from 2005 to '09, spending per athlete nationally at the 100-plus big-time programs increased 50 percent -- more than double the increase per student on academics.

Cincinnati's spending went up dramatically after it joined the Big East Conference a few years ago.

Even after the Cincinnati athletic department received $13.5 million in reported direct institutional support in 2009-10, the program operated $2.6 million in the red, increasing six straight years of deficit spending to a total of $32.8 million.

Cincinnati, which averaged 35,067 fans for home football games and 7,344 for home men's basketball games last year, cannot generate money like the big powers of college sports.

At Ohio University, where the subsidy covered 82 percent of the athletic budget in 2009-10 -- mostly through general student fees -- the faculty senate took a formal stand last year. It passed a resolution calling the current funding "incompatible with the academic mission of higher education."

"The typical Ohio University student is paying approximately $750 a year to subsidize the athletic program," said English professor Joseph McLaughlin, chairman of OU's faculty senate.

"Over four years, without getting into inflation, we're talking about $3,000. ... Yet their attendance [at games] is low."

Student attendance at OU averaged 5,300 for football and 1,100 for basketball (excluding games during winter break) last year, up about 30 percent for each sport.

Admission to events is free for the 19,000 full-time students at the Athens campus.

To cut costs, OU in 2007 eliminated men's indoor and outdoor track, men's swimming and diving, and women's lacrosse. Otherwise, the school's entire athletic program would be at risk, said the athletic director at the time.

OU President Roderick McDavis said he hopes to rely more on donations and ticket sales to cover the increasing costs. Yet, McDavis said intercollegiate sports are important.

McDavis said the primary reasons students choose OU are for the academics, the campus beauty and because it has a Division I sports program.

McLaughlin, however, questions what is being spent on sports at a time when many senior faculty positions are being eliminated.

"I don't understand why the taxpayers, the legislators and the governor believe the state can subsidize as many Division I programs as Ohio has," McLaughlin said.

Ohio, in fact, leads the nation with eight public schools competing at the highest NCAA level.

Jim Petro, the governor-appointed chancellor of higher education for the state, said through a spokeswoman that the schools decide how to spend their money. Requests to interview Petro were declined.

Among Ohio's six Mid-American Conference schools, student fees or college general funds covered nearly 70 percent of the athletic budgets on average in 2009-10, the last year for which the reports are available.

At CSU, of the Horizon League, student fees or general funds totaled 84 percent, highest in the state. That's typical of a Division I program nationally that does not field a football team. About $4 of every $5 spent on CSU sports was covered by student fees.

CSU Athletic Director John Parry said competing at the Division I level carries a higher cost than Division II or III, but also produces a higher profile for the university. Parry, formerly the AD at Brown and Butler universities, believes success leads to more student applications.

Making ends meet

Yet, as CSU coped with an $8 million state budget cut, it decided this past spring to eliminate baseball at a savings of about $500,000 a year, and dismiss at least for now the thought of adding a football team.

View full sizeKen Marshall, The Plain Dealer

Cutting down to just a few athletic teams is not an option. NCAA rules -- drawn up by university presidents -- mandate participation in at least 14 sports for Division I members (16 for those with top-division football teams), plus a schedule heavy with other Division I opponents.

Kent State Athletic Director Joel Nielsen said he spends more than half his time on fundraising, knowing that he cannot turn to the university for more money to pay higher coaching salaries and expenses.

Benefactors are increasingly essential across college sports.

Bowling Green's new Stroh Center ($7.7 million from Kerm and Mary Lu Stroh) includes the Frack Court ($2 million from Bill Frack).

"Without people making the donations, the taxpayers would howl if they had to pay for it," said Frack, a big fan from Findlay.

Despite the donations, however, a $60 per semester student fee has been added beginning this fall to help pay for the building. Students in 2009 approved the fee, though a minority voted.

Frack, 76, recently pledged another $10 million from his future estate for recruiting, coaching salaries and money to lure high-profile teams to play games at BG, among other things.

"When I started going, finances and recruiting didn't seem to be a problem. . . . That has changed," Frack said. "Basketball was really down as far as financial support. I thought, 'I can do something about that.' "

Breaking point?

Many university presidents are worried about funding sports, according to a survey of 95 presidents from colleges with major football programs. Nearly half said they were concerned about the portion of institutional resources being used on sports, and about the same number said they feared they would have to cut some sports, the Knight Commission reported last year.

Kent State President Lester Lefton believes intercollegiate sports are an important part of campus, but he said the spending trend cannot continue, especially when it comes to coaching salaries and facilities.

Lefton said Kent has tried to control costs by renovating facilities instead of building new. As for coaching salaries, Kent is on the low end of the MAC, though the salaries are increasing there as well.

Kent's athletic budget in 2009-10 was nearly $20 million, nearly $16 million of which was paid for by student fees or general school funds.

"We get a lot of value for our $19.5 million," Lefton said, noting that Kent repeatedly has been recognized as the MAC's best overall sports program. "We're winning."

Asked for a comparison on the academic side, Lefton said Kent's College of Architecture with about 300 students has a budget of close to $20 million.

Academics may be the mission, but it is because of sports that Division I schools see their names scroll across television screens with score updates.

"It resonates with alumni. It resonates with prospective students," CSU's Parry said. "You can have an incredible chemistry department, but unless they cure cancer or something, it doesn't generate the publicity that a winning sports program does."

Reported with Bill Lubinger, Plain Dealer reporter

Bowling Green hired a firm to produce a video, with some humor, to thank the donors for the school's new Stroh Center. Among those featured is Bill Frack.

What will be the key to victory for the Browns on Sunday?

Hillary Jones-Mixon / Oakland TribuneOakland Raiders coach Hue Jackson and the late great Al Davis.

The Cleveland Browns will visit the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. It's at a time with the Raiders coming off a 25-20 emotional victory over Houston. Sunday will also be a time where the Raiders will honor owner Al Davis, who died last weekend.

It's an Oakland team with the league's leading rusher in Darren McFadden, speedy receivers and a defensive line that is seven deep.

How will the Browns beat the Raiders?

Brock Lesnar may leave the UFC for one more WWE match.

Eric Jamison / Associated PressBrock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar's recent comments was good news for wrestling fans and probably bad news for UFC fans at the same time.

Lesnar, a former wrestler, who now participates in mixed martial arts, says in a recent interview with ESPN that is not considering a full-time return to professional wrestling.

If you believe him, Lesnar says he's committed to the UFC and to mixed martial arts.

However.

That said, Lesnar’s inclusion in a new wrestling video game underscores an on-going relationship with WWE and he admits that he could be interested in a one-off swan song in sports entertainment someday, like the one rumored with the Undertaker at this year’s WrestleMania.

And Lesnar says that under the right circumstances he would have one last match.

“I think if Vince McMahon and I were able to sit down at the same dinner table and break some bread that we could come up with some kind of game plan. At the end of the day, I'm an ultimate fighter. That's who I am and that's who I'll always be. I was an entertainer but at the end of the day, I'm still as real as it gets. I think a lot of things have to fall in the right places for something like that to happen.”

The Raiders are national news, riding an emotional and spiritual tidal wave, writes Jerry McDonald of MercuryNews.com. "A team that's motivated like this, you never know what kind of damage they can do," NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci said. McDonald writes how Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns is a trap game for the Raiders. Why? Here come the...

George Bridges, MCTDarren McFadden (20) has blossomed so far this season into one of the NFL's most productive running backs.

The Raiders are national news, riding an emotional and spiritual tidal wave, writes Jerry McDonald of MercuryNews.com.

"A team that's motivated like this, you never know what kind of damage they can do," NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci said.

McDonald writes how Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns is a trap game for the Raiders.

Why?

Here come the Cleveland Browns (2-2), coming off a bye, with their wins coming over teams (Indianapolis and Miami) with a combined record of 0-9, playing in the first game at O.co Coliseum since the death of Raiders owner Al Davis.

It has the makings of a mismatch.

So coach Hue Jackson is trying to prevent the kind of emotional hangover that could lead to an upset loss in a classic trap game.

More Browns

The News-Herald: Silver and black lives on.

CantonRep.com: Hue Jackson is high on Browns linebacker Chris Gocong.

The Chronicle-Telegram: Center Alex Mack's status is still up in the air.

Mike Adams couldn't wait to get back on the field.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerMike Adams

The Columbus Dispatch has this story about left offensive tackle Mike Adams who returned to the field last Saturday after serving his five-game suspension.

“All day, my heart was beating fast,” Adams said after the game. “I couldn’t wait to get out there on the field. When it was 10 o’clock, I wished we played at noon. When it was noon, I was like, man, I wish we played at 3:30. When it came time, I was definitely ready. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”

Adams showed no signs of rust, writes Bill Rabinowitz. Adams often lined up against All-American Jared Crick of Nebraska, Adams had his way. On one play, he pushed Crick all the way to the right side of the line.

“He was definitely acting like a leader out there,” said tight end Jake Stoneburner, who was Adams’ teammate at Dublin Coffman. “He was so excited to be out there, and you could see that in his play.”

Adams credited his work on the scout team during his suspension for his smooth return.

Around the Horse Shoe

Who will become the backup quarterback?

Toledo Blade reporter Matt Markey writes about injustice in college football.

Predictions for Illinois and Ohio State.

Doug Lesmerises writes on Cleveland.com about Terrelle Pryor.

Ohio State's athletic department can pay its own bills.

Last season, Peyton Hillis became one of the most popular players on the Cleveland Browns. Has his popularity dropped recently?

Plain Dealer file photoIs Peyton Hillis still a fan favorite?

Peyton Hillis, at least last season, became one of the most popular players on the Cleveland Browns.

A hard-running style, along with a few touchdowns, also helped Hillis to get onto the cover of the Madden video game.

But has Hillis' popularity slipped? Bob Frantz writes on News-Herald.com how the speed at which a sports star in Northeast Ohio can go from beloved to hated is absolutely staggering.

That's not to say, of course, that such shifts in public opinion aren't warranted in many cases, but the sight of a fan favorite morphing into a public enemy in this part of the sports world is truly something to behold.

Frantz gives examples from LeBron James to Jim Thome to Braylon Edwards.

Now it appears it's happening again.

From callers to my radio program to online message boards and social media postings, most fans seem ready to give the would-be working-class-hero the boot.

So do you still support Hillis?

Cuyahoga Heights HS graduate says Raider fans remind him of Browns fans with their passion for the game. Watch video

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

The Browns are headed to California this weekend to take on the Oakland Raiders, which was a perfect occasion to have a special guest on SBTV, former Raiders linebacker Jack Squirek. Jack is a native Clevelander who grew up a Browns fan and played at Cuyahoga Heights High School before heading to play Big Ten football at Illinois.

Squirek's most memorable moment was intercepting a Joe Theismann pass and returning it for a touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII, helping the then-Los Angeles Raiders defeat the Washington Redskins. The play landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Squirek talks about his memories of late Raiders owner Al Davis; what kind of atmosphere the Browns can expect for Sunday's game; and his favorite Browns players when he was growing up.

SBTV will return Friday with Plain Dealer Browns reporter Tony Grossi answering fan questions from his weekly Hey, Tony! feature.

And remember to watch the Browns Insider show that streamed live today at 10 a.m. and is archived for your viewing pleasure.