The Browns have done plenty of losing since their return in 1999, but here are 10 losses that really stand out.

David I. Andersen, The Plain DealerDwayne Rudd took his helmet off too soon in this 2002 game against Kansas City, giving the Chiefs an extra play they used to kick a game-winning field goal with no time on the clock.

Helmet-flying, bottles-walloping, snap-deflecting, depths-plumbing -- the Browns have done it all when it comes to losing.

They have lost 128 times in 12 full seasons since their return, or an average of more than 10 games per year. They are, as of this moment in time, 3-6 this year and 67-134 overall since 1999. Their winning percentage is .333.

Poor talent evaluation through many regimes is the biggest reason why. It is, however, inaccurate to say the cupboard was bare. It has been filled instead with cream pies and banana peels.

The Browns' 10 Most Unbelievable Losses Since 1999 (With Two of Them This Season):

1. The Helmet Game -- It is unassailable as the top entry, unmatchable in idiocy, unthinkable in execution. Dwayne Rudd's celebratory helmet toss after he almost -- but, oops, not quite -- sacked Trent Green on the game's last play, led to 315-pound lineman John Tait's long ramble with Green's lateral, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Rudd, and a Morten Andersen field goal on a final, untimed play that gave the Chiefs a 40-39 victory in 2002.

2. It's not over until it's over -- In 2001, the Browns' sideline was a lovefest in Chicago, with new coach Butch Davis hugging players and equipment men high-fiving as they wheeled trunks to the apparent victors' locker room. That would have been the Bears, unfortunately. Someone named Shane Matthews threw two touchdown passes in the last 28 seconds around a recovered onside kick to force overtime. The second TD was on a Hail Mary pass off a tipped ball. A pick-six off a tipped Tim Couch pass in OT won it, 27-21.

3. It's not over even when it's over, part two -- Shades of Ruddgate! After the Browns committed pass interference on a Hail Mary play on the last snap, Detroit got another play on an untimed down in 2009. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had been hurt on the desperation heave, with his arm looking like it had been extruded from a pasta machine. But he used the timeout the Browns stupidly called after the penalty to recover well enough to send backup Daunte Culpepper off the field and throw his fifth touchdown pass. With the PAT, the Lions won, 38-37.

4. Bottlegate -- Displeasure at an overturned fourth-down conversion in the red zone in the final minute on replay led to a long delay, while beer bottles, hurled by angry fans, decorated the turf. Had Quincy Morgan either (a) caught the ball or (b) not preened and made the "first down" arm signal, the Browns would have either (a) converted or (b) got the next play off before the replay official intervened. The Jaguars won, 15-10, in 2001. Post-game discussion was enlivened by the assertion of Carmen Policy, the Browns' president, that "those bottles are plastic. They don't pack much of a wallop."

5. Three-Ball, side pocket -- If you were scoring at home last Sunday, it went from long snapper Ryan Pontbriand, to the right foot of Alex Mack, to holder Brad Maynard, to Phil Dawson's instep, to wide left. The missed chip-shot field-goal attempt allowed the Rams to win, 13-12.

6. The Northcutt is the Deepest -- In the Browns' only playoff appearance since their return, they lost, 36-33, in early 2003 after leading the host Steelers, 24-7, with 3 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Davis ordered a prevent defense, defensive coordinator Foge Fazio challenged Davis to a fist fight then and there (not really, but he should have), and Dennis Northcutt dropped a third-down conversion right in the breadbasket from Kelly Holcomb. It would have let the Browns run out the clock.

7. The "Bluto" Game -- In his second game as a Brown in 2004, new quarterback Jeff Garcia completed eight of 27 passes for a quarterback rating equal to the GPA of any member of the Delta House in "Animal House," including future Senator John Blutarsky -- 0.0. After suffering a safety with eight seconds to play, the Browns tried an onside kick from their own 20, on which Kellen Winslow Jr. broke his leg. The Cowboys won, 19-12.

8. Second Down, Second Chance -- Todd Peterson's field goal with 7:46 remaining in overtime came one play after Alvin McKinley blocked his 24-yard attempt. But because it was only second down and Pittsburgh's John Fiala fell on the bouncing football -- which never crossed the line of scrimmage -- the Steelers retained possession. Peterson's third-down kick gave them a 16-13 victory.

9. Time to panic? -- Holcomb threw for 400 yards and five touchdowns, and the Browns put up 48 points. Alas, Cincinnati put up 58. Davis resigned after the game in 2004, saying he had suffered a panic attack beforehand. Perhaps it was triggered by reflection upon his draft picks.

10. The Siesta Snap -- Backup Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski caught the Browns asleep on a snap with 14 seconds left on the play clock and 41/2 minutes left in the game in this year's opener. The 41-yard TD gave the Bengals a 20-17 lead that they increased to 27-17. Browns coach Pat Shurmur charged the Bengals with illegal substitution on the play. It had all the substance of Policy's view of half-empty plastic bottles.

Breaking down the four components of today's Ohio State football game: physical, emotional, mental and, a part of the game that's too easy to forget these days, the fun.

Abby Drey, Centre Daily Times via MCTContaining Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still, here chasing Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase last month in Happy Valley, will be a key focus for the middle of the Ohio State offensive line.

Massaquoi has missed most of the past three games because of the lingering effects of a concussion. Watch video

"I would anticipate he plays, for sure," said coach Pat Shurmur. "I think that's fair to say."

"I'm real optimistic right now," said Massaquoi, who's listed as probable. "I've had no setbacks and I feel really good. I'm just looking forward to Sunday."

Massaquoi, who received plenty of reps in practice, said he won't be concerned about a recurrence because the team medical staff has been so careful. He also said he's ready for a full load if called upon to start.

"If I'm active, I'm going to feel comfortable," he said. "I'm not going to play restricted. I'm not going to play cautious."

He said he won't worry about going over the middle or taking a big hit.

"No, because whenever you start playing timid and you start worrying about other things then you leave yourself vulnerable for other things that may pop up that wouldn't have happened if you had just gone out there and played normally," he said.

Massaquoi, who's missed most of the last three games with his concussion, has 18 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns this season.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerMohamed Massaquoi, shown here after catching the game-winner against Miami in Week 3, will be back on the field for the Browns on Sunday after missing time due to a concussion.

No drills for Hardesty: Running back Montario Hardesty (calf) ran on his own for the third straight day but didn't participate in drills. Hardesty is listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision, but it looks as if he might need another week. "He's increasing his workload and we'll see on Sunday," Shurmur said.

Ward in boot: Safety T.J. Ward had his cast removed Friday and is now in a walking boot. The Browns are confident Ward, who has a sprained foot, will play again this season. Meanwhile, Usama Young, coming off a good game against the Rams, will start again in his place.

Lauvao fined: It took the NFL a week to announce the fine, but guard Shaun Lauvao was fined $7,500 for head-butting linebacker Brian Cushing in Houston on Nov. 6.

Mitchell back: Starting defensive end Jayme Mitchell was back on the field Friday after missing Thursday's practice for a personal reason, and is expected to play Sunday. He sat out last week with chest and ankle injuries and was replaced by Emmanuel Stephens, who had four tackles. "He's back out here and he's doing great," said Shurmur of Mitchell.

FREMONT, Ohio — If you had figured Avon for zero passes in a half of football, you would likely have the Eagles on the short end of the score. You would have figured wrong.

Avon running back Ross Douglas, shown during a game earlier this season, had four touchdowns on Friday night. - (PD file photo)

FREMONT, Ohio — If you had figured Avon for zero passes in a half of football, you would likely have the Eagles on the short end of the score.

You would have figured wrong.

Relying on its underused running game, Avon secured a Division II regional championship by grinding out yards when it counted most in a 35-21 victory against Tiffin Columbian at Don Paul Stadium. The Eagles (12-1) will play Aurora in a state semifinal on Friday at a site to be determined.

After watching the Tornadoes (10-3) score two touchdowns in the third quarter to tie the game, 21-21, the Eagles got two of their own in the final stanza to decided matters.

Junior running back Ross Douglas scored on runs of 3 and 41 yards, the latter with 1:34 to play to lock it up.

"We took what they were giving us," said Douglas, who earlier had scoring runs of 7 and 39 yards to finish with 158 yards. "They only had five or six in the box. The offensive line played great."

The Avon defense also did its part, especially since it had to deal with the all-purpose running of Columbian senior Jack Jacoby. Running either out of the shotgun or as a back, Jacoby was the focus for the offense as he rushed 40 times for 197 yards. Tiffin totaled 328.

After scoring on a 3-yard run in the first half, Jacoby had scoring runs of 3 and 2 yards in the third quarter.

"He's a good patient back," said Avon two-way junior lineman Alex Kelly. "We knew he was going to get his yards. You just have to come off the field, clear your head and get it done next time."

Avon got it done late when it stopped Columbian on a fourth-down play at its 42. Trailing, 28-21, Columbian quarterback Ben Davis tried to work an out route to wide receiver Jordan Dye. Avon junior cornerback Ralph Smith stepped in front for an interception with 3:04 to play.

"We were in man-to-man and they threw that comeback on me before," said Smith, who picked off a second pass in the game's final minute. "The second time I read it and got the pick."

Avon, which had used the throwing of senior quarterback Justin O'Rourke much of the season, limited him to 5-of-9 passing for 73 yards -- all in the first half. The Eagles did use senior wide receiver Matt Eckhardt, but it was as a running back.

Eckhardt's 41-yard run on a reverse set up the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

"I'm really proud of our offense and the defense," said Avon coach Mike Elder, whose club totaled 349 yards of offense. "The defense had to face one of the best running backs around. My heart goes out to those kids from Tiffin."

The Eagles jumped on the Tornadoes at the start, driving 61 yards in six plays. Douglas supplied 53 if those yards and got the score on the 39-yarder.

Columbian attempted to answer, but sophomore Ryan Lynch fumbled and Avon senior lineman Greg Harrison made the recovery at the Eagles' 35.

Avon made it pay by covering 65 yards in 12 plays, with Douglas scoring from the 7.

The Tornadoes got untracked as they took advantage of a short punt to cut the deficit in half. Moving 55 yards in seven plays, they scored on a 3-yard run by Jacoby at 3:49 before the break.

Avon came right back as it put together a quick 55-yard drive.

O'Rourke connected on a 29-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jacob Mullins that put the ball on the Columbian 21. The Eagles went to senior fullback Austin Bevins for two runs up the middle, the second from the 2 to push the lead to 21-7.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168

On Twitter: @Joe Maxse

SOLON, Ohio — Defense wins big football games, and that was demonstrated in Aurora's 21-14 overtime victory over Walsh Jesuit in a Division II, Region 5 title game Friday at Solon's Stewart Field. The victory puts Aurora (12-1), ranked No. 6 in the final Plain Dealer poll, into next Friday's 7:30 p.m. state semifinal game against No. 5-ranked Avon...

Aurora players surround Devin Levan (21) after his interception on the final play against Walsh Jesuit, sealing the win in overtime. - (Joshua Gunter, PD)

SOLON, Ohio — Defense wins big football games, and that was demonstrated in Aurora's 21-14 overtime victory over Walsh Jesuit in a Division II, Region 5 title game Friday at Solon's Stewart Field.

The victory puts Aurora (12-1), ranked No. 6 in the final Plain Dealer poll, into next Friday's 7:30 p.m. state semifinal game against No. 5-ranked Avon (12-1) at a site to be determined.

Although it was quarterback Blake Calcei's 4-yard touchdown run that proved the difference in the extra session, it was 6-5, 245-pound junior defensive end Patrick Dougherty making a key play in the game.

With the top-seeded Warriors (10-2) facing a third-and-goal on Aurora's 4-yard line during their overtime possession, Dougherty stuck up his left hand and batted down a pass by Nick Wargo.

Wargo was intercepted by senior Greenman Devin Levan on the next play to end the game and snap Walsh's win streak at nine games.

"I was just trying to get to the quarterback," said Dougherty. "I saw [Wargo] throw the ball so I put my hand up there because I didn't have anything to lose. I figured batting the ball down was better than nothing."

The score was tied, 7-7, after a first half where defense was emphasized.

The Warriors' defense took the spotlight first, stopping Aurora four times on a first-and-goal on the 1-yard line.

Aurora then got an interception from Levan to stop a Walsh drive, only to give the ball back to the Warriors on the ensuing play. Antoine Smith pounced on an Anthony Melciori fumble off a Blake Calcei pass on Aurora's 39 yard line with 5:30 left in the first half.

The Warriors took a 7-0 lead seven plays later on Brock Jones' 6-yard run on a drive which was keyed by two Nick Wargo passes, one for 18 yards to Kevin Enright and the other a 23-yard completion to Doug Lewis. Duke recruit Ross Martin, who had a 51-yard field-goal attempt blocked and a 54-yard try slice wide left, kicked the extra point.

Aurora got on the scoreboard with 19 seconds remaining when Calcei broke open down the right sideline for a 34-yard touchdown jaunt on a fourth-and-1 to cap a six-play, 58-yard drive. Melchiori added the extra point.

Melchiori more than made up for his fumble.

The Kent State recruit accounted for six receptions, good for 27 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown with 6:33 left in the third quarter. His extra-point kick put the Greenmen ahead, 14-7.

"I'll do anything as long as we win," Melchiori said. "If it means I have to clean the locker rooms, I will."

No. 8-ranked Walsh tied the game 78 seconds into the fourth quarter when Wargo snuck in from a yard, capping a 15-play, 80-yard march that ate up almost eight minutes off the clock.

Jones was the workhorse for Walsh as the 5-10, 190-pound senior ran for 123 yards.

"We're very disappointed," said Warriors coach Gerry Rardin. "The kids had done a great job all year.

"It's just disappointing to have it end like this."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bfortuna@plaind.com, 216-999-4665

On Twitter:@BobFortuna

WARREN, Ohio — The previous two times Kirtland journeyed to Mollenkopf Stadium, it left in sorrow and shock. Friday night, it went home celebrating and anticipating.

Kirtland running back Damon Washington ran for 97 yards Friday night before leaving the game in the third quarter with a mild concussion. - (Gus Chan, PD)

WARREN, Ohio — The previous two times Kirtland journeyed to Mollenkopf Stadium, it left in sorrow and shock.

Friday night, it went home celebrating and anticipating.

The Hornets won their first regional championship, 35-7, against Columbiana Crestview in the Division V, Region 17 final.

Now 13-0 for the first time in school history, the prospect of a state title grows larger.

"This is something we've been sweating and working as hard as we possibly can for since our eighth-grade year," said senior Erick Zuberer, a two-way tackle. "This win is everything to us. It's amazing."

Kirtland lost to Ursuline in a heartbreaking regional final in 2008, 18-17, and again to Ursuline last year, 48-0. Those are distant memories now as the Hornets look forward to breaking new ground.

It won't get any easier in next Friday's state semifinal. No. 2-ranked Kirtland plays No. 6 Bucyrus Wynford (13-0), which beat No. 8 Lucasville Valley, 54-48, in overtime Friday. The state semifinal site is to be announced Sunday.

"This gives us some big momentum in the next weeks," senior running back/linebacker Christian Hauber said. "As we go on, we know how good our defense really is."

Kirtland's defense played so well, it almost made Hauber's offensive performance an afterthought. He rushed for 200 yards on 26 carries and scored four touchdowns. The Hornets barely skipped a beat when Hauber's backfield partner, junior tailback Damon Washington, left the game with a head injury in the third quarter.

Hornets coach Tiger LaVerde has been saying this for weeks how special this defense is. It's fair to assume he has folks' attention by now.

"This is the best defense I've ever coached. I say it every week and every week they continue to prove it," he said.

Crestview (11-2) rolled up more than 400 yards rushing in each of its first two playoff wins. It had 74 yards rushing Friday. Tailback Nick Blower, who had 304 yards last week against St. Thomas Aquinas, ran for 19 yards before getting hurt in the second half.

"We knew they were going to be the best defensive team we played, and they played great tonight and did a good job of shutting us down," Crestview coach Paul Cusick said.

The defensive play of the game was turned in by Hauber early in the second quarter. With Kirtland leading, 14-0, Crestview had fourth-and-1 at the Hornets' 11-yard line. Hauber anticipated a handoff to the right side, penetrated and wrapped up fullback Tom Oliver at the line.

"That was a big momentum swing," Hauber said. "If we let that happen, it's 14-7 and it's anybody's ballgame. We went into halftime up, 14-0, and had our heads up high."

Washington gave Kirtland a 6-0 lead in the first quarter with a spectacular second effort on a 28-yard run. He was hit and nearly taken down, but he broke free and looped around the right end, picking up a sealing block from quarterback Scott Eilerman.

Crestview fumbled a punt return late in the first quarter. Nick Dhondt made a terrific, open-field tackle, and Ryan Loncar recovered at the Crestview 44. A pass interference penalty aided a quick scoring drive capped by Hauber's 6-yard run over right tackle. Washington scored the two-point conversion.

Washington had 96 yards on 17 carries. LaVerde described Washington's injury as a mild concussion.

Hauber scored on runs of 27, 52 and 1 yards in the second half for a 35-0 lead. The latter TD followed a 39-yard interception return to the 1 by Sam Kukura

"I'm happy for my community and these boys," LaVerde said. "It's fun. This is a fun thing."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661

On Twitter: @TimsTakePD

SOLON, Ohio — Someone forgot to tell Blake Calcei this was supposed to be the Zach Quinn vs. Brock Jones show. While Jones got his yards for top-seeded Walsh Jesuit's football team Friday, Quinn was merely a decoy for third-seeded Aurora in a 21-14 Division II, Region 5 final overtime win over the Warriors.

Blake Calcei had 108 yards rushing on 15 carries in Aurora's victory Friday night. - (Joshua Gunter, PD)

SOLON, Ohio — Someone forgot to tell Blake Calcei this was supposed to be the Zach Quinn vs. Brock Jones show.

While Jones got his yards for top-seeded Walsh Jesuit's football team Friday, Quinn was merely a decoy for third-seeded Aurora in a 21-14 Division II, Region 5 final overtime win over the Warriors.

And boy, did Calcei ever step up when the Greenmen (12-1) needed him.

While Quinn (10 carries, 28 yards) was held in check, the Warriors didn't have an answer for the Greenmen's wily quarterback.

That he opened and closed the scoring for Aurora was fitting for a squad that never gave up.

"It's not about me, it's all about the team," Calcei said. "It doesn't matter if we win and I have to hand the ball off 100 times. If I have to do that and we win, that's the best thing."

It turns out Calcei didn't have to do that much as coach Bob Mihalik called his quarterback's number 15 times.

It led to 108 yards rushing and essentially closed out the Warriors (10-2), who couldn't convert in overtime when they needed to score.

"What can I say about Blake Calcei?" Greenmen wide receiver Anthony Melchiori said. "He's like Tim Tebow. How he can keep things under control is beyond me. He's been an athlete for us all year long."

That athlete was nails for Aurora in the first half when it looked like the Warriors were going to take control as they were up seven with 1:38 remaining before intermission.

Calcei marched the Greenmen 58 yards in 79 seconds and scored on a remarkable 34-yard run.

Hit virtually every step of the way, the senior finally found the edge to tie things at 7-7.

Calcei gave the Greenmen their first lead, connecting with Melchiori on a 4-yard score in the third quarter.

"I just do what the coach asks me to do," Calcei said. "It took more than me. It took great blocks. Everyone wanted to win this game. The dream continues."

That dream continued thanks to the heady play of Calcei.

While he was almost impossible to take down when he ran, he was just as solid when he threw, going 10-of-13 for 60 yards and a score.

That he didn't throw a pick -- he's only thrown three this season -- was nothing new.

When Calcei went in from 4 yards out to seal it in overtime, it marked his ninth rushing touchdown of the year and brought his season total to 648 yards.

"He's the guy we count on," Melchiori said. "He's great under pressure and keeps his composure. He makes us a better team."

Brad Bournival is a freelance writer in North Royalton.

See a photo gallery from the game here. BEDFORD, Ohio — Chagrin Falls stayed on the path it has followed all season.

Chagrin Falls' Bradley Munday stretches for the end zone but is down at the 1-yard line during the first quarter. - (Lisa DeJong, PD)

See a photo gallery from the game here.

BEDFORD, Ohio — Chagrin Falls stayed on the path it has followed all season.

St. Vincent-St. Mary lost its quarterback, and lost its way.

Chagrin Falls again proved it can play up a notch and defeated SVSM, 30-12, on Friday in a Division III regional championship game at Bedford's Bearcat Stadium.

Playing in Division III after finishing as the Division IV state runner-up in each of the past two seasons has not hampered the Tigers. They will take a 13-0 record into next week's state semifinals against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, which defeated Dover, 70-44.

The Tigers took advantage of five SVSM turnovers Friday. They turned what had been a defensive struggle for three quarters into one-way traffic over the final 12 minutes as they scored 14 straight points while keeping the Irish off the scoreboard for the final 24:35.

SVSM quarterback Kevin Besser was injured with 7:53 remaining in the second quarter. Coach Dan Boarman thought it was a medial collateral ligament injury. Chagrin led, 9-7, at the time and Besser had completed 2 of 5 passes for 46 yards. He did not return.

"Losing your quarterback obviously changes your game plan," said Boarman. "But you can't make that many turnovers against a team like Chagrin Falls. If you do, you are going to lose."

With a strong wind coming out of the south, Chagrin senior Alex Hallwachs kicked field goals of 21, 28 and 31 yards in the first half. SVSM (10-3) countered with a stunning 78-yard run by SaeVon Fitzgerald and a safety when the ball was snapped over the head of Chagrin Falls punter Anthony DeCamillo and out of the end zone.

SVSM led, 12-9, at the half.

With Besser sidelined, the Irish offense struggled. They were held to 265 total yards. The Tigers' defense never let the Irish establish consistency.

"That has been what we've done all season," said Chagrin coach Mark Iammarino. "If you look at all our big games this season -- Aurora, West Geauga and our playoff games -- our defense has carried us."

One of the biggest plays of the game was a punt by DeCamillo that went 65 yards in the air and hit the turf like a rock, rolling another 6 yards before it was picked up by Franshon Bickley, who lost 7 yards trying to find a crack in the coverage.

It was just another example of special teams being a key part of a defense.

Chagrin Falls took the lead for good in the third quarter after its defense, sparked by seniors Mike Tozzi and Dan O'Kane, forced a second straight three-and-out.

Quarterback Tom Iammarino, son of the coach, found DeCamillo over the middle for a 15-yard gain on a third-and-12 play with a little less than five minutes to go in the quarter.

Jack Campbell gained 11 yards on one play and running mate Bradley Munday gained 16 on a reverse that put the ball at the Irish 1-yard line. From there, Vidmer, who also made several key plays at linebacker, bulled over to give the Tigers a 16-12 lead.

Campbell, a hard-running junior, led all ball carriers with 123 yards on 22 carries. Munday finished with 55 yards on seven carries. Iammarino completed 9 of 18 passes for 84 yards.

Fitzgerald led SVSM with 121 yards on 11 carries. Bickey and Jordan Hargrove each caught three passes for a combined 108 yards.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:trogers@plaind.com; 216-999-5169

On Twitter:@TimRogers

BEDFORD, Ohio — If your football tastes skew toward high-scoring affairs, highlighted by crisp offensive plays and long touchdown runs, then this probably wasn't the game for you. If you prefer more of a defensive battle that takes place on a cold Ohio night, featuring big hits, turnovers and wild plays, then this was exactly your sort of game.

St. Vincent-St. Mary's Sae'Von Fitzgerald fumbles during the first quarter. - (Lisa DeJong, PD)

BEDFORD, Ohio — If your football tastes skew toward high-scoring affairs, highlighted by crisp offensive plays and long touchdown runs, then this probably wasn't the game for you.

If you prefer more of a defensive battle that takes place on a cold Ohio night, featuring big hits, turnovers and wild plays, then this was exactly your sort of game.

Friday's game between top-seeded Chagrin Falls and sixth-seeded St. Vincent-St. Mary had seven total turnovers -- not including a blocked punt and a punt snap that sailed over the head of the punter for a safety.

Oh, and just for good measure, Chagrin also had a 72-yard punt.

The Tigers defeated the Fighting Irish, 30-12, in a regional final at Bedford.

Chagrin's defense forced five Irish turnovers -- four fumble recoveries and one interception, led by Anthony DeCamillo's fumble recovery and interception. Jack Campbell, Kurt Vidmer and Michael Munday recovered fumbles for the Tigers (13-0).

If you're going to advance in this tournament, you have to have a standout defense," Chagrin Falls head coach Mark Iammarino said, "and I think that's one of the reasons we're sitting where we are."

One particularly wild series of plays occurred in the third quarter, when the teams combined for three turnovers -- two interceptions and a fumble on a play that looked like it was intercepted -- in a span of three plays from scrimmage.

The teams traded interceptions on successive plays, but the next play from scrimmage was the wildest.

SVSM quarterback Clayton Uecker threw deep for Franshon Bickley, and it appeared a Chagrin defensive back picked off the pass. But Bickley wrestled the ball away from the defender before he hit the ground, and Bickley started upfield before Vidmer applied the hit and forced the fumble. DiCamillo scooped up the ball for the Tigers.

SVSM forced two turnovers, both coming courtesy of Tyler Bischof, who intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, and also blocked a punt and picked up a safety on a punt snap that sailed over the punter's head and out of the end zone.

But SVSM's turnovers and offensive miscues were too much to overcome.

"When you have five turnovers against that team, you're gonna lose," SVSM head coach Dan Boarman said. "You can't make mistakes, that's the bottom line. Those mistakes came back to haunt us."

Bill Mayville is a freelance writer in Parma Heights.

The Browns were burned on 75-yard screen pass to Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew almost exactly a year ago. Can they keep Jones-Drew from running all over them this game?

View full sizePhelan M. Ebenhack, Associated PressMaurice Jones-Drew breaks away with a screen pass for a 75-yard touchdown against the Browns last season in Jacksonville. It's a scenario the Browns don't want to repeat at home on Sunday.

BEREA, Ohio — The Browns are hoping Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew doesn't do Sunday what he did against them last season.

It was almost exactly one year ago -- on Nov. 21, 2010 -- when Jones-Drew racked up a career-high 220 yards (rushing and receiving) against the Browns -- including 75 yards on a backbreaking screen pass that helped finish off the Browns. Late in the fourth quarter with the Browns ahead, 20-17, Jones-Drew took the seemingly innocuous short pass and darted through a flurry of flailing arms until Joe Haden ran him down at the 1-yard line.

Jones-Drew plowed in from the 1 on second down for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:30 left and the Jaguars won, 24-20.

"Looking back on last year, we just didn't make tackles," Browns tackle Ahtyba Rubin said. "He kind of got away from us and had great vision and took it to the house. We have to get MJD to the ground this game and then we'll be all right."

Easier said than done for the Browns' 30th-ranked run defense. The 5-7, 208-pound dynamo is fourth in the NFL this season with 854 yards rushing and first with 191 attempts.

"He's a very rare combination," defensive coordinator Dick Jauron said. "He's got a body type that you don't see a lot in this league. He's definitely not small -- that is not a small person. He's short, very compact and very powerful. When you're trying to tackle him, he doesn't give you a lot of surface to hit. He has great pad level. He runs with a low profile, great balance and great power. Whenever you watch tape of him you see him run over linebackers, see him run over defensive linemen and come out the other side running."

Jones-Drew rushed for 133 yards against the Browns last season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Of course, many of the Browns' defensive starters from that game have been replaced, but the new crew is struggling, too. The Browns have allowed 568 yards rushing over the past three games, an average of 189 yards per game.

"[Jones-Drew] is a tremendous challenge," Jauron said. "They do a real nice job scheming for him in the run game. He's not just a runner, he's a very big part of their passing game and he's a terrific protector. This is an all-around football player. This is a real pro, this guy. He's got the numbers to prove that he really plays well. We'll have a tough time. We have our work cut out for us with this one."

Linebacker Scott Fujita, who was out for the season with a knee injury last year when Jones-Drew lit up the Browns, is gearing up for the player Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano described earlier this month as "a rolling ball of butcher knives."

"He's one of my favorite backs in the league because he's so good," Fujita said. "I enjoy watching him play and I have for his career. He's powerful, he's explosive, extremely athletic and he's difficult because he can hide. He's hard to see over the pile, locate where he is. He's got such great vision so he can stay hidden and then find the hole and just burst through it."

Another thing Jones-Drew does well is run low -- "lower than an ant's belly" -- Steelers defensive end Ziggy Hood said earlier this season.

"I've seen a few clips where his shoulder pads are literally a foot off the ground," Browns linebacker Chris Gocong said. "You've got to get really low, too. He's just a load."

Jones-Drew is 7 inches shorter than last week's featured back, St. Louis' Steven Jackson, but cornerback Dimitri Patterson says that contrast is overrated.

"I don't know why people call Jones-Drew little because he's not little," said Patterson. "He's just short. He's built like a ball. It's hard to get your arms around him, and he runs so strong, with such confidence and with a purpose. He's very explosive. He feels like he can score every time and that type of guy doesn't come around a lot. He's one of the most unique backs in the league."

With the Browns' troubles against the run, teams have running the ball an average of 37 times per game -- and they're expecting no less from Jacksonville.

"Until we get that fixed we're going to keep having problems there," Fujita said. "We've got to get as many hats on him as possible."

Jones-Drew, whose running backs coach is former Browns running back Earnest Byner, doesn't let up on the road. Over the past three seasons, Jones-Drew leads the NFL with 94.8 yards rushing per road game. This season, two of his three 100-yard games have come away from Jacksonville.

"He's definitely the main focus for us," said Usama Young, who will again replace strong safety T.J. Ward (foot). "As a defensive back, you're looking and you don't even see him sometimes. He just bursts out of there. He's one of those backs you've got to wrap him up and we're going to have to swarm to tackle him."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Gabbert is one of four rookie quarterbacks in the NFL this season, and he might be struggling the most.

View full sizeMichael Conroy, Associated PressBlaine Gabbert is completing less than 50 percent of his pass attempts this season.

Forgive Blaine Gabbert if his rookie-season statistics thus far aren't all that eye-popping. He isn't supposed to be here.

The 22-year-old quarterback out of Missouri was forced into the starting position earlier than he or Jacksonville ever planned. Training camp began with David Garrard as the Jaguars' starter, but he was cut before the season started.

Then, quarterback Luke McCown lost the position to Gabbert when he threw four interceptions in a loss to the New York Jets in the second week of the season.

That makes Gabbert one of four rookie quarterbacks in the NFL this season, and he might be struggling the most. He has passed for 1,025 yards, completing a meager 47.9 percent of his passes.

"There have been other guys that have come in and had their struggles, but he's our guy," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio told Jacksonville reporters. "We're going to grow around him and [we're] going to need to play better around him and [we're] going to need to play better football as a football team and find ways to win."

The Browns see Gabbert, though, and understand that there are still ways the young player can hurt them.

"He's got a strong arm and he's mobile," Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron said. "He can hurt you with his legs, come out of the pocket and hurt you. We've got to do our best to keep him in there. He's learning how to play, the same as all young players."

Gabbert is still learning. He wasn't even supposed to be here, so forgive him, for now.

-- Jodie Valade

The Browns and Jaguars have had some strange encounters since 1999.

View full sizeAssociated Press file photoQuincy Morgan, left, catches a Hail Mary for a touchdown with no time on the clock on Dec. 8, 2002, leading the Browns to a win over the Jaguars.

1. Expect the bizarre Strange things happen in Browns-Jaguars games. Just last year the Browns had six defensive takeaways -- and lost. Remember Tim Couch's Hail Mary pass to Quincy Morgan to win in 2002? How about Bottlegate in 2001? And a 48-0 Jacksonville win over the Spergon Wynn-led Browns in 2000? Simply the worst exhibition of quarterbacking in franchise history. What will today add to this storied "rivalry"?

2. MoJo's mojo Maurice Jones-Drew put the finishing touches on the Jaguars' win last year, taking a benign screen pass and slicing up the Browns' defense for 75 yards to set up his 1-yard winning TD run. Like Steven Jackson posed with the Rams last week, Jones-Drew gives the Jaguars a weapon the Browns don't have. He's capable of controlling the day or winning the game on one play.

3. Red zone mythology Contrary to perception, the Browns and Jaguars are not the worst teams inside the red zone. But they are the worst at getting to the red zone. The Browns have made 18 trips, scoring eight touchdowns (44.4 percent). The Jaguars have made 15 trips, scoring seven TDs (46.7). Nine teams have worse TD percentages from the red zone, including -- surprise, surprise -- San Francisco and Dallas.

4. Young gun Blaine Gabbert is the third first- or second-year quarterback faced by the Browns this season. Let's see how the Browns' defense has fared: Cincinnati rookie Andy Dalton left the season opener after an injury in the first half. He threw for 81 yards and one touchdown, but departed with the Bengals behind, 14-13. St. Louis' Sam Bradford didn't light up the Browns, throwing for only 155 yards and one TD. But both those teams ultimately won. On the Browns' home field, to boot.

Look for Green Bay to stay undefeated after a victory over Tampa Bay, says Tony Grossi.

View full sizeAlex Brandon, Associated PressIt's up to quarterback Vince Young (9) to keep the Eagles' faint playoff hopes alive today against the New York Giants.

Arizona at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.

TV: WJW Channel 8.

Early line: 49ers by 10.

Tony's take: 49ers beat these bums up. 49ers, 27-10.

San Diego at Chicago, 4:15 p.m.

TV: WOIO Channel 19.

Early line: Bears by 4.

Tony's take: Devin Hester adds to NFL TD return record. Bears, 24-17.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 8:20 p.m.

TV: WKYC Channel 3.

Early line: Giants by 3 1/2.

Tony's take: Vince Young won't change the season for Eagles. Giants, 26-20.

Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1 p.m.

Early line: Ravens by 7.

Tony's take: A favorable matchup for Bengals, but Ravens rarely lose at home. Ravens, 21-17.

Tampa Bay at Green Bay, 1 p.m.

Early line: Packers by 14 1/2.

Tony's take: Packers have '72 Dolphins in their sights. Packers, 31-20.

Oakland at Minnesota, 1 p.m.

Early line: Raiders by 1 1/2.

Tony's take: Typically a game Raiders would lose, but not now. Raiders, 23-20.

Carolina at Detroit, 1 p.m.

Early line: Lions by 7.

Tony's take: Another wild one that could go either way. Lions, 31-27.

Dallas at Washington, 1 p.m.

Early line: Cowboys by 7 1/2.

Tony's take: Tony Romo, Mr. November. Cowboys, 24-12.

Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m.

Early line: Dolphins by 2.

Tony's take: Bills soothed by tropical South Florida breezes. Bills, 24-14.

Seattle at St. Louis, 4:05 p.m.

Early line: Rams by 2.

Tony's take: A game only a Browns fan could love. Seahawks 20, Rams 17.

Tennessee at Atlanta, 4:15 p.m.

Early line: Falcons by 6 1/2.

Tony's take: These two teams can play real physical. Falcons, 20-17.

GROSSI UPDATE: Last week overall, 6-10 (.375); season overall, 96-50 (.658); last week vs. spread, 6-10 (.375); season vs. spread, 78-65-3 (.545)

The Browns might want to make a little more effort in creating an offense that gives Colt McCoy a better chance to succeed.

View full sizeDavid J. Phillip, Associated PressIt's a been a rough season for Colt McCoy, so perhaps the Browns might want to at least consider tweaking their offense a bit to better-suit McCoy's strengths.

Colt McCoy could use a hand, and we don't mean applause.

Browns coach Pat Shurmur is dedicating the season to installing the West Coast offense -- for better or worse.

In Denver, Broncos coach John Fox is making it up as Tim Tebow goes.

After Thursday's win over the Jets, Tebow is 4-1 as a starting quarterback -- this despite long stretches in games where the Broncos' offense is reduced to often throttled to near suffocation.

The Broncos had just 134 offensive yards before Tebow led a 95-yard scoring drive with John Elway looking on, culminating with his 20-yard TD run.

Fox's philosophy? Do whatever it takes to win. You get no points for style.

Tebow wins. Looks terrible doing it, but he wins. That's enough for now.

"Let me tell you something," Fox said to NFL.com after last Sunday's win over Kansas City in which Denver threw eight times and ran it 55 times. "My man is really good in this offense. You know what I mean? If we were trying to run a regular offense, he'd be screwed."

View full sizeAPThe Broncos are running a college-style offense with Tim Tebow.

So Denver forges ahead, even if there's a good reason why the option attack isn't viewed as a long-term solution in the NFL. One undeniable fact about the NFL is defenses always adjust. Sometimes later than sooner, but always.

Shurmur's philosophy, which is to say team President Mike Holmgren's philosophy, isn't going to win many fans, especially while a guy like Tebow is electrifying a fan base.

The approach: Let's use this season to see what fits and what doesn't in the offense we trust will take us where we want to go.

"We believe in what we're doing," Shurmur said last week.

Few want to embrace that for obvious reasons, not the least of which is an unwatchable product. But remember why the arrival of Holmgren excited you in the first place: his resume on offense.

Nothing Shurmur could do with McCoy is as dramatic as what Tebow is doing in Denver. He can't turn McCoy into an off-road vehicle. Tebow is a Hummer. There's nothing quite like him.

But Shurmur can do some tweaking to help his quarterback survive the season -- maybe even move the ball -- until the Browns acquire players who better fit what they want to do. Shurmur showed that last week, using more shotgun, employing the wildcat, calling more first-down pass plays.

Maybe with the return of Peyton Hillis and/or Montario Hardesty, Shurmur can tilt the offense in the direction of the power running game and worry about the development of the West Coast offense in the off-season.

Holmgren and his hand-picked coach understand the low tolerance level for pleas for patience in a town that's heard it from four other regimes since 1999. So they don't admit that's what they're asking. They send the mixed signal that they're trying to win now despite showing no urgency to do so.

They traded down in the draft. They did nothing in free agency. The power running game featuring Hillis was devalued philosophically even before Hillis' injury.

It's frustrating for fans, obviously. But I'd wait awhile before declaring the West Coast a bust and Fox's way as the right way. Tebow's fun to watch, as ugliness goes.

He's a unique weapon. But convention will come for him, too. The NFL is a passing league.

In the meantime, one point is undeniable.

The Broncos are helping their quarterback succeed, given the cards dealt.

Now there's a thought.

Critical play

Some criticism goes with the territory, especially when it's your own territory.

Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith went for it on fourth-and-inches in his own territory in overtime against New Orleans last week. The Saints stopped Michael Turner and kicked a short field goal to win. Smith expected strong criticism and got it.

View full sizeAPBrowns coach Pat Shurmur needs to take some cues from Falcons head coach Mike Smith, above.

Said Smith: "We have passionate football fans here in Atlanta, OK? Regardless of what the outcome is, someone has an opinion, and that's great for your fan base. That's what you want to have happen, and I'll just leave it at that."

Only one more question, coach.

Could you repeat that to Shurmur, whose postgame skin after losses is thinner than a bad comb-over?

He said it (10 years ago)

"Those are plastic bottles, and I don't think they pack much of a wallop." -- Carmen Policy, defending Browns fans after the "Bottlegate" incident against Jacksonville.

Especially compared to the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon we're guessing was in the winemaker's hand during that game.

Spinoffs

• A friend points out the Occupy Wall Street protestor screaming to a CNN reporter Thursday about the evils of the "1 percent" was wearing a Yankees cap.

• The trumped-up buzz in the buttoned-down golf world around Tiger Woods facing off against Adam Scott (and Tiger's old caddie, Steve Williams) at the President's Cup on Thursday in Australia died when the two threw down and Sumo-wrestled on the first tee. . . . Check that, I'm told they shook hands and went about their business.

This is golf, after all. What did people think would happen? Any semblance of an MMA beatdown was reserved for the 7-and-6 thumping Scott and K.J. Choi gave Woods and Steve Stricker.

View full sizePD fileRemember, those plastic bottles don't pack much of a wallop.

• Money isn't everything. But if Woods made me as much cash as he made Williams, I not only wouldn't rip him in public as Williams has done, I would refer to him only as "Your Excellency."

• Shurmur says running the ball at the end of the Rams game didn't rule out a touchdown, adding, "You can pop a run." Yes, you can. Your backup tight end filling in at fullback for the first carry of his NFL career, though, probably can't.

• Jack Del Rio has three winning seasons in nine years in Jacksonville with two playoff appearances. If he had six losing seasons in nine years here, he'd be in the post-1999 Ring of Honor.

• International soccer federation chief Sepp Blatter lamely responded to claims of racist comments made on the field of play by saying, "Bring [the] two people together and say, 'Shake hands.' "

Tune in tomorrow, when Blatter solves world hunger by suggesting people eat more.

You said it: (The Slightly Expanded Sunday Edition)

Hi, Bud: What offensive secrets do you think [former Browns and current Jacksonville receiver] Brian Robiskie has given the Jaguars this week? -- Tom, Parma

Beware the 4-yard pass on third-and-6.

Former Browns DB Leigh Bodden on "CelebriDate"? Really? Don't you have to be a celebrity first? -- Roberto Kirchoff

Apparently, Buster Skrine was unavailable.

Bud: Sunday's disaster between the bottom-dwelling Rams and the fast-sinking Browns brought new meaning to the phrase "Titanic struggle." -- Ignatowski

I thought Kate Winslet singing the national anthem while perched on a cruise ship bow in Lake Erie was a nice touch.

Bud: It appears success and fame have contributed to Peyton Hillis' downfall. Is it better to toil in mediocrity and obscurity? -- Chuck Levin

Look what it's done for me.

Dear Bud: Is it possible that since the Browns 'Brain Trust' has elected to rebuild the team in the same manner our Air Force rebuilt Dresden in 1945, Holmgren is just paying us back for continually referring to him as "Holmgrum"? -- Jim, Brunswick

First-time "You said it" winners receive a T-shirt from the mental_floss collection.

Bud: Did Alex Smith get his one carry because it was Senior Day? -- Joe S

Repeat winners only get their number called once.

Bud: Can repeat winners at least get a Grady Sizemore or Brian Robiskie shirt? -- Joe S

Repeat winners are not eligible for collector's items.

To reach Bud Shaw: bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639

On Twitter: @budshaw

It is hard for the Buckeyes seniors who had to bear the brunt of the blame thanks to scandal and suspensions to let their remnant of this season go.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain DealerBuckeyes running back Dan Herron consoles teammate DeVier Posey as they walk off the field after losing to Penn State on Saturday in Columbus.

The pair had sung the alma mater Saturday after another Ohio State defeat, 20-14, to Penn State, and now they were walking toward the tunnel with the scarlet awning, the one that led to the locker room.

That tunnel with its worn red carpet, had been their shared vision of redemption, of belonging again, through all the practices they had spent on the scout team and all the games they had watched from afar on television. Herron missed six games, Posey 10, for their parts in two separate scandals.

The Penn State game was Posey's only home game of the season.

There was not as much to redeem, however, as there had seemed to be before the rocks got turned over at Penn State a fortnight ago and Jerry Sandusky ran out. Selling jerseys for tattoos and taking payment from a booster for work not done doesn't carry much weight compared to child-molestation charges.

Still, it was hard for the seniors who had to bear the brunt of the blame to let their remnant of the season go. The three previous seasons had included only six defeats. Because of the suspensions -- to Posey, Herron, and, for five games, to Mike Adams, the Buckeyes' best receiver, back and offensive lineman respectively -- there have already been five defeats this year.

As the lights burned in the dark above the towering stands, Posey turned to look back, taking it all in, lumen by lumen. "I was taking a last look at Ohio Stadium," said Posey. "It's a special place. Everybody knows that. You guys know that. It's the place that molded me as a man. I was honored to be a Buckeye."

What eight sexual assault victims say happened at Penn State makes the scales of justice seem badly out of balance. The OSU players spent most of a year as national pariahs, but their indiscretions seem inconsequential compared to allegations of damaged children, sexual predation and the possibility of trials, prison, and whatever else turns up to rebuke the image of Penn State as a football Camelot.

The Penn State players were treated respectfully by the fans, especially after Ohio State players exchanged pregame handshakes and well-wishes with them. That was only right. They had no part in the scandal.

But more than a few observers probably felt differently about the phalanx of blue-coated Penn State coaches on the visiting sideline. Many of them are lifers in insular State College, yet none of them knew anything? None of them thought the sudden retirement of the much acclaimed Sandusky, the architect of the defense for so long at "Linebacker U," and at the youthful coaching age of 55, was not a bit peculiar? None of them believed his failure to land another coaching job was not odd?

It is easy to criticize the OSU players whose selfishness led to such a bitter, dark season here. But there are degrees of bitterness and shades of darkness. The lights at the Horseshoe flared brightly, but so did the insights Posey shared after the game.

He spoke of the season as one of "service." He meant teaching the young receivers a veteran's tricks. He meant doing without the fame that was such a drug that his pal, former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, jumped to the NFL rather than suffer its loss.

"You have to serve before you can lead," Posey said. He said he was thankful to have gone through such a hard time, while never denying he had brought it on himself.

Maybe in a fairy tale world, this Buckeye team would have come together more effectively. Adams spoke wistfully of the crowd surging onto the field after the Buckeyes beat Iowa in overtime in 2009 to clinch the Rose Bowl bid, and of the scarlet storm of celebrating students on the field when Wisconsin fell on a miracle pass this year. But the field emptied quickly Saturday of players and coaches. Defeat does not encourage a big cast of extras.

For his part, Posey was not the difference-maker he hoped to be. He caught four balls for 66 yards, but the rest of the team caught only three for 17.

His best play came when he broke off a short sideline pattern, after being pushed out of bounds, making him eligible by rule, and raced back inside the lines for a 39-yard reception. It came off freshman quarterback Braxton Miller's scramble in the first half and showed the impoverishment of experience among the rest of the receivers. The "scramble drill" is a rudimentary adjustment, in which the short guys go long and the receivers going long come back to the ball. But it took Posey to turn it into a big play.

Next week is Michigan, a one-game season, as they say. More big plays will be needed. The possibility of upsets is why they play the game, though, and as Posey and the other suspended seniors learned, that is a privilege, not a right.

The game will be played in Ann Arbor, however. Two hours after the finish Saturday, the tunnel's red carpet had been stowed away for the winter.

To reach Bill Livingston: blivingston@plaind.com, 216-999-4672

On Twitter: @LivyPD

Ohio State's 20-14 loss to Penn State on Senior Day is a disappointing, yet fitting, last home game for the 2011 season.

To get down early, struggle to throw the ball, give up big plays on defense and find themselves 1 yard short on a fourth-quarter, fourth-down run by the freshman quarterback forced to make it up as he goes along -- the final home game, a 20-14 loss to Penn State, fit the 2011 season.

"I think you can go on and on about possible reasons, but there's no excuse for that," OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said of his defense, though his thoughts could have applied to the whole team.

"I just don't think there's any excuse. You've got to go out and compete -- I don't care if you have 11 freshmen on the field. We've got to expect to play better than that.

"To be honest, I feel sorry for the seniors. They've put in a lot and been through a lot and withstood a lot and kept coming back. I feel sorry for them that we couldn't do a better job today."

Down, 10-0, early for the third straight week, the Buckeyes got as close as 17-14 before the Nittany Lions' 46-yard field goal on the last play of the first half put them ahead, 20-14. The second half was scoreless, highlighted by an OSU goal-line stand and lowlighted by two backbreaking fumbles. The closest the Buckeyes got to the end zone in the second half was on Braxton Miller's desperate last scramble on fourth-and-10, as he dove for the first-down marker at the Penn State 31-yard line and landed short at the 32 with 1:41 to play.

"Braxton can literally do anything he wants in the backfield with his feet," OSU junior tight end Jake Stoneburner said. "So you've got to feel that every play."

It wasn't enough this time. In the win over Wisconsin three weeks ago, Miller's 40-yard touchdown in the final minute saved the game. In the loss to Purdue last week, he led the game-tying drive but saw the final extra point blocked on the way to an overtime loss. This time, the final drive fell a yard short, a fitting example at how the life has been drained from this team over the course of the season and the past 11 months.

"I want to say 'no,' " senior center Mike Brewster said when asked if the Buckeyes were drained, "but at some point I'm sure there is going to be that . . . at the end of the day, we're just college kids."

At 6-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes have their most losses since Jim Tressel's 7-5 debut in 2001. They continue to enter new territory with every defeat and now are looking to avoid their worst record since going 6-6 in 1999.

"Nobody in that locker room after the game is used to losing," Heacock said. "You kind of expect to win, and that's good. It's difficult sometimes, and I think they're struggling with it, as well they should, as we all should. It's not acceptable."

With a trip to Ann Arbor ahead, 9-2 Michigan is in position to set itself up for a BCS bowl bid with a victory, while the Buckeyes are at best trying to position themselves for maybe the Gator Bowl. They are the underdog and the spoiler to the team they've beaten on the field nine of the past 10 years. Michigan is all Ohio State can hang on to.

"If you can't get up for that game being an Ohio State Buckeye, I don't think you should have signed your scholarship," junior safety Orhian Johnson said.

Senior running back Dan Herron said, "We get that win up there, we can change a lot of things."

There's a lot the Buckeyes should want changed. Ohio State left the team hotel early Saturday afternoon with underdog Illinois leading Wisconsin, 14-0, knowing an Illini upset would put the Buckeyes back in control of their own destiny to win the Leaders Division. That slim hope vanished around kickoff, with the Badgers' 28-17 win. Now Penn State (9-2, 6-1) will play for the Leaders Division title at Wisconsin next week.

Ohio State will be playing to save the present as everyone talks about their future. There remains mutual interest between Ohio State and former Florida coach Urban Meyer, and that topic only will continue to intensify.

"Those are the things that I have no control over," OSU coach Luke Fickell said. "We're talking about the game, and we're going to move on and talk about Michigan."

At this point, there's not much new to say. Beat Michigan. And try to fix what continues to not work.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479

Tait hated how James was called "The Chosen One" and "King James."

But he never hated LeBron James.

View full sizeHector Gabino, El Nuevo Herald via APLeBron James looks for driving room around Miami's Dorell Wright in the second quarter of a game when he was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

About the book

In the new book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (softcover / $15.95 / 264 pages), Terry Pluto teams up with legendary broadcaster Joe Tait to tell the story of Tait's four-decade career as "the Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers" and as a play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians and other local teams. The book also includes personal recollections from dozens of Tait's fans and colleagues.

---

Win a free copy of the book!

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are giving away three copies of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." To have a chance, just submit a short video of you doing one of Tait's signature calls. Click for full details and upload form.

Read more

• Calendar of book signings
• Website for the book (JoeTaitBook.com)
• Complete Cleveland Cavaliers coverage
• Terry Pluto's columns
• 'Things I've Learned from Watching the Browns'
• 'Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame'
• 'The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers'

When LeBron James was playing for Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Joe hated the hype. He hated the team playing a national schedule, traveling all over the country for tournaments. He hated how some of those high school games were televised on ESPN, the first high school team to be featured on the national sports network. He hated how James was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and other national magazines. He hated how James' team was covered nearly as well as the Cavaliers when James was a senior. He hated how James was called "The Chosen One" and "King James."

But he never hated LeBron James.

"I don't blame him for all that," said Joe. "It's just the professional sports mentality permeating all the way down into the high schools. Some of the summer teams are just cesspools."

Joe loves small-time high school sports, which is why he'd broadcast a few high school games each winter -- usually from small towns with teams where most kids won't play after high school. It reminds him of the high school games he called as a young broadcaster at small stations in the Midwest.

For Joe, it's like taking a professional shower after all the noise and glitz he endured nightly in the NBA for decades. Because Joe started his career in the Cavs' first season, his best memories are when the team was fighting for its survival. In 1970, there were two basketball leagues -- the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA). Part of the reason Cleveland, Portland and Buffalo were granted NBA expansion teams in 1970 was so the upstart ABA would not put teams in those cities. Joe and everyone associated with the NBA in the early 1970s knew two pro leagues would never survive. They knew some franchises would fold or move. They knew the last thing pro basketball needed was an overblown sense of entitlement.

So it's hard for Joe and most others from that basketball generation to comprehend the star system that transformed James and some other high school players into instant celebrities and ordained superstars at the age of 16. While some players could go straight from high school to pro ball in the 1970s, very few did. The three most notable were Moses Malone, Bill Willoughby and Darryl Dawkins. Most players waited at least three years before leaving college for the pro draft.

But starting in 2001-02 -- James' junior season -- pro scouts were drooling over a 16-year-old from Akron.

Like any sane adult, Joe knew this was not a healthy situation for any young player.

As Joe said, "So much of it was embarrassing."

And as he stressed when talking about James -- he doesn't blame LeBron.

"Somewhere, there was a report that LeBron never talked to me," Joe said. "That's just not true. I never had a problem with him. He'd say hello to me, I'd say hi to him. We never carried on any long conversations, but we were always cordial and professional."

Joe was 66 years old when an 18-year-old LeBron James was the Cavs' No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft. They didn't have much in common. In Joe's final decade with the team, he didn't have much connection with the players. They were generations apart in age and interests. You could say that an NBA lifer such as Joe could have been helpful to a young LeBron James . . . or any other young player . . . but most young millionaires don't think they need much advice.

Joe realized James was unlike any Cavs player -- ever. Not one was as physically gifted. Not one was marketed so aggressively. Certainly, no Cavalier ever had more media attention, commercial endorsements and demands on his time.

"I asked simply that LeBron do one postgame interview a year with me," said Joe. "So many of our games were on national TV, and they always wanted him. He usually did his one interview a year. One time, I remember him coming over to the press table, sitting down in front of me. I said, 'Well, look who is here!' LeBron said, 'I told you that I'd come.' "

And they did a nice interview.

* * *

LeBron was not Joe's favorite member of the James family.

"He was fine, but his mom [Gloria James] was always super-friendly to me," said Joe. "Whenever she saw me, she'd run up and give me a big hug. I enjoyed her."

Then Joe smiled, laughed and told this story . . .

"At halftime of my 3,000th Cavs broadcast, my family was up in a loge that the Cavs had provided," he said. "My son Joe looked down at the broadcast area and saw a woman sitting in my lap. He asked my wife [Jeannie], 'Who is that woman sitting in Dad's lap?' Jeannie looked down and said, 'Oh, that just Gloria.' She knew that Gloria liked to run over and give me a hug. Gloria loved listening to the games on the radio."

* * *

In his final decade doing the Cavs, Joe noticed how players suddenly had "guys." They were personal assistants. Or posse members. Or hangers-on. Or whatever you want to call certain people who were always around the players.

LeBron James had a guy -- Randy Mims.

He was allowed on the team plane and stayed at the team hotel. As Joe said, "LeBron would tell Randy to get something -- and Randy would get it. Or he'd tell Randy to call someone -- and Randy would make the call. You could say he was LeBron's 'Bobo' or whatever, but he was a nice guy and never really got in the way -- at least as far as I know."

For decades, the team had one bus from the hotel to the arena for players, coaches and media members who regularly traveled to the games. But not long after James arrived, they added a special bus for the media.

"I guess they didn't want us with the players and coaches," said Joe. "For a while, they had a full-sized bus, and the only ones on the second bus were Randy Mims and me. Then they went to a 24-seater, and it was still the two of us. We got a laugh out of that. Then LeBron wanted Randy on the first bus, so I rode alone. Then the TV guys starting using the media bus, and sometimes they had some corporate types and contest-winning fans on that bus."

While Mims was with James from the start of his pro career in 2003 -- even sitting right behind the bench during games -- he never had an official position with the team until 2006. Then he was named "team liaison" by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's front office.

"Dan overdid it trying to placate LeBron," said Joe. "There were times when we had one travel schedule, but LeBron would want to stay an extra day in a certain city because he had a commitment or whatever, and we'd change it to suit LeBron. I'm sure Dan felt that he had to do about anything he could to keep LeBron happy . . . he sure was packing the arena with fans. LeBron could have run naked down Euclid Avenue, and everyone would say how great it was that he was working out to stay in shape. People just loved him, and everything he did was great."

It's fair to say James added about $100 million to the value of the franchise.

"But it's like raising a child," said Joe. "If you give him everything he wants, anytime he wants it . . . that kid is going to come back one day and steal your car."

* * *

In James' final season with the Cavs, Joe had a sense something was wrong.

"I had no idea about him going to Miami, but I just sensed he was not coming back to Cleveland," he said. "I look back now, and I'm convinced that LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all knew what they were going to do even before LeBron's last Cavs season. I have no cold, hard facts; I just sensed it."

Joe said that while James and former Cavs coach Mike Brown usually got along, "Mike was never LeBron's kind of coach. He was a defensive coach . . . and LeBron would probably rather play for someone like [his former high school coach] Dru Joyce II. I heard there were some problems with LeBron in the dressing room that last season, but I never went in there after the game. So I really don't know, and I didn't make it my business to find out. I just had a feeling that LeBron was like a guy who knew he was going to be somewhere else next season."

Joe said watching the Cavs lose to Boston in the 2010 NBA semifinals, James' lack of leadership was on display for everyone to see.

"He never was a real leader," Joe said. "When we got into the playoffs with Boston and it was clear they were playing their best basketball -- and the Cavs just weren't good enough -- it had a real detrimental effect on his game. I don't know how much his elbow was hurting. I do know that he just didn't play as hard or shoot as much as he should have. He looked defeated, almost as if he just wanted the playoffs to be over and done with. He never has been, never will be a leader. And down deep, he knows it. That's why he left to go with Wade. He'd rather let Wade be the leader."

* * *

Joe did watch the entire Decision show on ESPN, a marketing ploy by James and his associates. They sold the 60-minute special to the all-sports network on which James would talk to sportscaster Jim Gray (who was hired by James, not ESPN) to announce his decision about what team he had picked.

"He knew what he was doing, and he didn't feel right about it," said Joe. "He barely looked at the camera. He seemed very uncomfortable. He never dreamed how this would come off-the negative effect. He still can't believe how it turned the fans against him in every city where he plays on the road. He just didn't get it."

James clearly had ventured out of the safety zone of his hometown team and adoring fans. He went from one of the most likable athletes in the world to one of the most despised, according to several marketing surveys.

"In Cleveland, if he had a bad game or made a mistake -- people would just say that was OK, he'll play better next time," said Joe. "He could do no wrong. No wrong at all. Everyone loved LeBron. That's why he was so surprised by the negative reaction to the ESPN show. . . . He thought everyone would like it because everyone always seemed to like about everything he did."

When Gilbert wrote an email ripping James and calling him a quitter, Joe said the first thing that crossed his mind was, "Dan, you created the monster, now you have to live with it."

But Joe also said he appreciated how Gilbert stood up for the fans and reflected what most of them were feeling about The Decision.

"Dan Gilbert did everything, I mean everything, he could to make LeBron happy," said Joe. "And then LeBron turned right around and took a hike to Miami."

* * *

While Joe didn't watch the 2011 NBA Finals, he was very pleased that Dallas upset James and the Miami Heat.

"The fact that LeBron and Wade and the rest could decide to get together and make their own team, it was great that they lost," said Joe. "I don't care what these guys get paid. But I don't want the inmates running the asylum. I don't want the players acting like this is some summer league all-star team that they put together themselves -- it makes the fans feel something is really wrong with the league. You could end up with all the good players in a few cities, and the league will die a miserable death. The fans will know something rotten is going on."

Joe knows the TV ratings for the Finals were high, "because about everyone outside of Miami wanted to see the Heat lose." Joe said he often was turned off by Dallas owner Mark Cuban, who "can be an insufferable ass." But he found himself laughing at and with Cuban when the Mavericks' owner stood next to the championship trophy and puffed on a victory cigar.

"It was a very good thing that Miami took gas in that series," said Joe.

Joe did watch some of the postgame press conferences and saw how "LeBron suddenly looks like and feels very old."

He said James "still has a hard time with the idea that fans can't stand him. He is having a terrible time dealing with defeat. Then when he said that the people who were against him were still going to have the same problems in their lives when they wake up the next day . . . of all the stupid things to say. I wonder if he'll ever win a championship. I don't know if he has the guts to do it. All the stuff is piling up on him now, and for this, he has only himself to blame."

* * *

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the last Cavs player who had a close relationship with Joe.

"He went to Miami to try and get a championship ring before he retired," said Joe. "He wasn't even in uniform for some of those games in The Finals. He wanted to be a contributor, playing 15, 20 minutes a game and helping a team win a title. He loved, absolutely loved Cleveland. But when LeBron left, he knew they couldn't win here -- and the team wanted to rebuild and get younger. So he went to Miami. I'm telling you, the culture shock was hard on him."

Joe said one of Ilgauskas' friends visited the veteran center and his wife in Miami.

"I was told they were never happy, and the longer they were there, it got progressively worse," he said. "Mrs. Z is from Cleveland. That was a zoo down there. I feel bad for him, because I'm sure it's not anything close to what he expected."

Reader stories

At age 11, I heard one of the most endearing radio calls known to Clevelanders: Joe Tait's Miracle in Richfield. It hit me harder than I realized. I ended up with a copy of that album from the series and had it signed by every player on the team-including Joe. Foots Walker is the only signature still missing. I showed the album to Joe at a game one night. He got quite the laugh, while I was falling in love with basketball.

Since that initial meeting, I was at games with Joe that defined him. The four-overtime thriller versus the Lakers in 1980 was declared by Joe as his favorite game. I was unfortunate to watch "The Shot" live. I went to Joe's last game when Ted Stepien was in charge.

The 1985 series versus Boston, the Mark Price-Brad Daugherty years, the LeBron James domination-all spent with Joe. Being there, though, did not create the memories. Those came from listening to Joe in the basement of my parents' house where I grew up. One light on . . . Joe on the radio . . . hanging on his every word. I can proudly say that I literally went years without missing a game.

TV games were rare when I grew up, so Joe (thankfully) is what we had. I was so nervous during one of the Jordan-led Bulls games that I took the radio into my closet and listened to Joe in the dark. I figured I could handle it if it was just him and me.

I graduated from college in 1988 and received a degree in -- you guessed it -- radio and TV broadcasting. That didn't pan out, but Joe's influence did. I stayed with basketball, began coaching at the ninth-grade level and earned my teaching degree. I would eventually, and proudly, serve as the head boys' basketball coach at Copley High School. I was there, in total, for 15 seasons.

Basketball led me to many of the greatest relationships in my life, and I can't help but feel that Joe's voice was the trigger that began a fabulous journey. That journey also includes thousands of kids who have created immeasurable influence upon my life. I feel indebted to a man I've only met once, but whose voice I have felt for nearly 35 years.

-- Dana Addis, Wadsworth, Ohio

One of the greatest nights of my life was sharing the Cavs' first-ever trip to the NBA Finals with Joe in 2007. Saturday night, June 2nd, at The Q. I was working for the opposition, the Pistons, as their radio pregame and postgame host. I got the chance to sit in "The Perch," just two seats away from Joe.

As a native Clevelander and longtime Cavs fan, I had to admit I was torn. The Pistons are my employer, and the more they win, the more I get to work and enjoy a run to the NBA Finals again. But I wanted to see history, and I wanted to see Joe finally get to the biggest stage.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter and the Cavs clinging to a one-point lead. Daniel "Boobie" Gibson hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and the crowd at The Q went crazy!

The Cavs were ahead by six points, and the Pistons called a timeout. I leaned back in my chair, and I looked at Joe. He looked at me.

I said, "Joe, this is it, brother! Are you going nuts?"

In classic Joe Tait fashion, he takes off his headset and answers back, "Matthew, win or lose, I get to go home in 10 minutes and 45 seconds, and this is just another ballgame."

He then resumed his spot at his table next to his mini lamp and continued to call the action. The Cavs were not going to be denied. Gibson hit another triple, and then the Cavs were up, 83-71. The dagger 3-pointer had the crowd in a frenzy.

Timeout, Pistons.

I could not help myself. I leaned back in my seat again, looked to the right and made eye contact with my idol. We smiled at each other, and I said, "Come on, man, admit it-this is awesome! You are going to the Finals, Joe!"

I didn't know what Joe would say. Would he acknowledge the moment? He looked to his right and then his left, almost to make sure that nobody was creeping in on our conversation. I waited for a response.

Joe then nodded his head in approval and says, "OK, you got me. This is pretty neat!"

That was all I needed to hear. It was so special. I was so happy for him, and I felt so lucky and honored to be able to share that moment with him. The Cavs won, and after the game, Joe even donned an Eastern Conference Champions hat.

-- Matt Dery, Royal Oak, Michigan

Excerpted from the book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (c) 2011 by Terry Pluto and Joe Tait. All rights reserved. This text may not be reproduced in any form or manner without written permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. The book is available at Northeast Ohio bookstores and online from Amazon.com and BN.com, in both print and e-book editions. For more information, call the publisher at 1-800-915-3609 or visit its website: grayco.com

Read all five excerpts

The early years of Joe Tait's career were, like a lot in broadcasting, a string of short-term jobs in crazy conditions.

View full sizeScott Shaw, The Plain DealerJoe Tait's enthusiasm for calling high school and small-college sports events in Northeast Ohio reflected his roots in radio -- where he would take pretty much any opportunity that passed his way.

About the book

In the new book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (softcover / $15.95 / 264 pages), Terry Pluto teams up with legendary broadcaster Joe Tait to tell the story of Tait's four-decade career as "the Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers" and as a play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians and other local teams. The book also includes personal recollections from dozens of Tait's fans and colleagues.

---

Win a free copy of the book!

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are giving away three copies of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." To have a chance, just submit a short video of you doing one of Tait's signature calls. Click for full details and upload form.

Read more

• Calendar of book signings
• Website for the book (JoeTaitBook.com)
• Complete Cleveland Cavaliers coverage
• Terry Pluto's columns
• 'Things I've Learned from Watching the Browns'
• 'Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame'
• 'The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers'

When Joe finished his three years in the Army, he needed a job. He had a friend who remembered him from his days in Monmouth. That was Steve Bellinger, who had become the station manager in Decatur, Illinois.

Bellinger had been the owner and general manager in Monmouth, and he was willing to apply for a military deferment, claiming Joe was "necessary for his business operation." But as the Army recruiter told Joe: "You take that, and you are going to be with him for a long, long time. You are necessary for his operation."

Joe said: "I didn't want to be with him for a long time. I didn't want to stay in Monmouth for years." He wanted to work in a major market, especially Chicago. He grew up listening to WGN, WLS and other Chicago stations.

"The farm where I spent some time was about 100 miles from Chicago," he said. "I grew up a Cubs fan, which I later realized was great preparation for being a broadcaster in Cleveland."

Joe sometimes acts as if he's a small-town radio guy who made it in the big time, but in his own way, he was very driven and ambitious. Consider how he created opportunities to broadcast games, everywhere from Illinois to Turkey ... and now he was back in Illinois.

* * *

Bellinger had a job for Joe in Decatur. He was "Jolly Joe Tait," the morning voice of WDZ. "Dee Zee Does It!" was the station's motto.

But there was nothing "easy does it" -- working long hours for little pay -- especially for a young man just out of the army with big radio dreams. Joe applied for an opening in Rockford at WJRL. The last three letters of the station were JRL for the man who owned it: John Rogers Livingston. Rockford was a larger market and closer to Chicago. When Bellinger heard Joe was looking for another job, he was very unhappy with Jolly Joe Tait.

"He called me in and fired me," said Joe.

Bellinger believed Joe should have been more loyal because of their experience together in Monmouth, along with Bellinger hiring Joe when his tour in the Army was over. Of course, Joe did most of the work for free in Monmouth and was paid a fistful of nickels and dimes in Decatur.

Joe recalled Bellinger also telling him: "Everyone should be fired twice. The first is for shock value. The second time is to make you realize that it may be your fault."

Joe sat there for a moment, just staring at him.

"Then I called John Rogers Livingston and told him that I had been fired," said Joe. "He said that he had a place for me."

Joe became the "Morning Mayor of Rockford."

"I played music in the morning and did sports at night," he said. "I said things like, 'Here's Joe Tait ... turning the tables on you.' Then I'd put on a record."

Joe paused.

"I did two terms as Morning Mayor of Rockford," said Joe. "I worked there twice."

* * *

Joe loves the Harry Chapin song "WOLD," about an aging disc jockey and talk show host who bounces from town to town.

"It's the theme song for those in small-town radio," he said.

He spent less than a year in Decatur. He spent about a year in Rockford. He went to WILO in Frankfort, Indiana ... "Home of the Hot Dogs!"

"I was fired there on Christmas Eve," said Joe. "The owner called me in and said there had been 42 people come and go in the six months that I was there."

Joe wasn't sure where this conversation was headed, but he didn't feel good about it. The owner then said: "Only you and [news director] Dick Partridge are still here. I've got to believe it's your fault. You're fired."

This was firing number two, and Joe discovered himself leaning over the desk, his right hand on the station manager's throat.

"There was one of those old radiators on the wall, and I was so close to pounding his head into that radiator," Joe said. "I finally pulled back and asked him to give me my third-class license -- you needed one of those to work at a station back then -- and let me get out of there before I did something that would make both of us sorry."

That was in 1964, and Joe had been fired twice in less than two years since leaving the Army. But Rockford was willing to take him back, and he also did a television sports show in addition to the second term as Morning Mayor.

* * *

Joe later did three years at WOUB in Athens, Ohio, where he also taught broadcasting classes at Ohio University. He lasted there for three years.

"I couldn't handle the eggheads anymore," he said. "The academic types drove me nuts. This was the late 1960s, with Vietnam and all the student protests. I left in 1968. As I drove out of town, the National Guard showed up in full combat gear because the students had tried to burn down the bookstore. They also had set fire to the porch of the president's house."

His next stop was WIOK: "Serving the Twin Cities." Not Minneapolis-St. Paul ... it was Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

He broadcasted Illinois State football and basketball games, and the Bloomington Bobcats of the Illinois Collegiate Baseball League. A local newspaper story reported: "Besides Bobcats baseball, Joe has lined up a 22-game football schedule, including all Illinois State games, home and road, live and direct. For roundball games, he has arranged to broadcast over 70 basketball games, including all ISU games, live and direct. ... One weekend in September, he will have four football games in 40 hours ... two college, two high school games."

Notice how nearly everywhere Joe went, he created opportunities for himself to broadcast games. He didn't wait for someone to ask -- he found ways to make it happen.

* * *

He also was applying for jobs and being rejected. Joe kept the letters in his scrapbooks. One is from Darrel Jones, operations manager of Peoria's WMBD, "First in the Heartland."

"Your excellent tape background and tape are most impressive. However, it arrived about two weeks late as we hired a new sports director about one week ago."

This was from WLW in Cincinnati: "Thank you for your application for the position of Programming Director ... we have had over 60 applicants and we finally have found the right man in Cliff Hunter of New York."

Rex Davis of KMOX in St Louis wrote: "Your tape was given a careful hearing by our entire Sports Department and the consensus was that it's 'pretty good.' But there is no sports opening here, and I do not see that possibility in the near future. ... One complaint was that there was not enough variety in your delivery -- especially in the basketball and football sequences. As they put it, you were 'always up' instead of a lower pitch, at times, which would increase the opportunity of a dramatic 'rise' when such is necessary. ... It might interest you to know that Jack Buck thought your baseball was quite good."

This letter meant a lot to Joe, because Buck did the Cardinals on KMOX, and a major-market station did take him seriously.

"I came very close to getting a job in Chicago doing the Major Soccer League," he said. "It was at WGN in Chicago, and Jack Brickhouse was doing the games. He admitted knowing nothing about soccer. I had done soccer at Ohio U, and I sent them a tape. They invited me to Chicago."

He sat in the radio booth for a Cubs game with Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau. He went to dinner with Brickhouse, who said, "As far as I'm concerned, you've got the job."

Here it was ... the big break ... WGN ... Chicago.

"As I was driving back to Ohio U, there was a sports report on the radio that the Chicago soccer franchise had been sold and moved to Kansas City," he said. "A few days later, I got a nice letter from Brickhouse saying he was sorry things didn't work out, and they didn't have any other openings."

Joe thought he had a job as a sports director at WCFL, a 50,000-watt Chicago station that billed itself as "The Voice of Labor."

"I was going to be hired to do 60- to 90-second blurbs on high school sports," Joe said. "Three days later, they were no longer 'The Voice of Labor.' They'd changed formats, and my job disappeared."

* * *

Between rejections and after a year in Bloomington-Normal, Joe took a job in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was at WBOW: "On the banks of the Wabash."

Joe did some high school and college games. He was interim station manager and was doing some pregame and postgame shows for the Indiana Pacers of the old American Basketball Association. At this point, Joe was 33 and had a sense that he'd never make it to a major market. He had done everything from being a morning disc jockey to selling and reading advertisements to being a program director to being an engineer to broadcasting nearly every sport.

He had started at the bottom and worked his way up to the middle of the radio markets in the Midwest.

One day, he was reading the Terre Haute paper and noticed Bill Fitch had been named coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, an NBA expansion team. Joe decided to write him a note, congratulating him on the new position.

"I always knew you'd make it in the big time," wrote Joe. "By the way, if you ever need anyone to do for the Cleveland Cavaliers what I did for those Monmouth Fighting Scots (66-0), let me know. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Then Joe said, "I mailed it and forgot about it."

He had not seen or talked to Fitch since 1960. It was 10 years later. He wasn't even sure if Fitch would remember him.

Reader stories

In 1966-67, Joe gave his proteges at Ohio University assignments to cover various team sports for the Bobcats. I remember being assigned the Ohio U. wrestling team with coach Harry Houska, a Cleveland native. I didn't know anything about wrestling but sure learned in a hurry. He also assigned me to the 6 a.m. sportscast on a daily basis. That was nice -- waking up at 5 a.m. Joe would listen to tapes and make his critique. With FM radio still a passing thought in those days, Joe gave us the OU freshman football and basketball games to broadcast as well as plenty of high school action in both football and basketball.

Joe was also able to experiment covering lots of sports that you would never hear on radio back then. We covered the track meets, lacrosse games and created opportunities for great learning experiences that helped us all in our broadcast careers. I do remember Joe creating a post-football scoreboard show that I anchored. We were able to put our own twist into the show.Joe gave me great advice when I became the sports anchor on WFMJ TV in Youngstown. Work hard, meet and greet as many people and coaches, and get involved in the community. I did just that. He also said when people criticize you, make sure they spell your name right. I use that philosophy today in my radio career.

I had the pleasure of working with Joe for many years as one of his radio engineers. I now live in Chicago, and when Joe would come to town for the Bulls-Cavs game, we would usually get together for a bite to eat. One evening, I picked up Joe, and we went back to his hometown of Aurora, Illinois. As we drove down the streets of the town, I only wish I had a tape recorder with me.

Joe showed me where his old house was. He showed me where the old fish market was where his mother use to have him pick up fish for his family fish fry on Friday nights. We came to a street corner, and he said this was where he broke his foot and had one of his worst summers as a kid because he had to wear a cast and couldn't play in ballgames.

Since it was so long ago, I asked Joe if he had a job lighting the candles in the street lights, too. We had a good laugh. On the way back, Joe said he knew a short cut, soooo, I took his advice and ended up in a huge housing development big enough to look like a city itself!Joe said, "Well, it USED to be all cornfields here. I guess it was longer than I thought since I came this way."

Excerpted from the book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (c) 2011 by Terry Pluto and Joe Tait. All rights reserved. This text may not be reproduced in any form or manner without written permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. The book is available at Northeast Ohio bookstores and online from Amazon.com and BN.com, in both print and e-book editions. For more information, call the publisher at 1-800-915-3609 or visit its website: grayco.com

Read all five excerpts

When remembering it 36 years later, Tait shook his head and said: "I was sick to my stomach. It was the worst thing that I ever saw during a broadcast."

View full sizePlain Dealer Historical CollectionInjured umpire Nestor Chylak, right, leads his crew (from left): Joe Brinkman, Nick Bremigan and Larry McCoy off the field during the Beer Night melee at Cleveland Stadium June 4, 1974.

About the book

In the new book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (softcover / $15.95 / 264 pages), Terry Pluto teams up with legendary broadcaster Joe Tait to tell the story of Tait's four-decade career as "the Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers" and as a play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians and other local teams. The book also includes personal recollections from dozens of Tait's fans and colleagues.

---

Win a free copy of the book!

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are giving away three copies of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." To have a chance, just submit a short video of you doing one of Tait's signature calls. Click for full details and upload form.

Read more

• Calendar of book signings
• Website for the book (JoeTaitBook.com)
• Complete Cleveland Cavaliers coverage
• Terry Pluto's columns
• 'Things I've Learned from Watching the Browns'
• 'Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame'
• 'The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers'

It was a night when fans were admitted to the bleachers at old Cleveland Stadium for 50 cents. It also was a night when a 12-ounce cup of beer was sold for a dime.

What could you buy for 60 cents? Try six cups of beer, the purchase limit for one person. How's that for restraint? You are limited to a mere six cups ... 72 ounces ... of beer. Of course, you could get into another line at another concession stand and buy six more beers, assuming you had another 60 cents.

So for $1.70, you could buy a bleacher seat to a Tribe-Texas Rangers game ... and drink a dozen beers.

"But it was only 3.2 [percent alcohol] beer," the Indians would later plead, as if it were unsweetened Kool-Aid.

It was June 4, 1974. Joe was calling the game on the radio with Herb Score. Most Tribe fans know what happened. Drunken fans stormed the field in the ninth inning, starting a riot. The game was suspended.

But for several innings before that, drunken fans staggered onto the field. This was in the era of streakers, and a few folks shed their clothes and dashed across the outfield. At one point, a gallon jug of Thunderbird -- yes, someone smuggled a gallon jug of cheap wine into Beer Night -- was heaved out of the stands and landed near Texas first baseman Mike Hargrove. Yes, that's the same Mike Hargrove who later played for and managed the Indians.

Joe watched it all, and when remembering it 36 years later, he shook his head and said: "I was sick to my stomach. It was the worst thing that I ever saw during a broadcast."

This is not to stumble down memory lane of a beer-soaked event that lives in infamy in the memory of many Cleveland fans. It's to tell the story behind the story.

"I called Beer Night a riot," said Joe. "I said it was 'a disgrace to the game and to the Indians.' I said the Indians 'have only themselves to blame because it was a STUPID promotion. ... Members of the front office left early.'"

Joe paused and shook his head again.

"When I first heard about the 10-cent promotion, I knew it was stupid," Joe said. "Whoever is going to show up for 10-cent Beer Night was going to be there to get drunk. If he's not drunk before he gets there, he will be when he leaves. ... We first had two streakers ... then five streakers. ... I think I counted about 20 by the end of the game. ... Never knew why, but running around naked was a big deal back then."

Umpire Nestor Chylak called the game in the ninth inning, awarding a victory to Texas. By then, fans were on the field, trying to steal caps, gloves and anything else they could from the players. Some threw up on the grass, a few passed out.

"Even Herbie [Score] said this was getting totally out of hand," said Joe. "Then we saw some of the Indians hierarchy bailing out in the sixth inning. It got serious when a fan took [Texas outfielder] Jeff Burroughs' cap. Burroughs ducked and sort of stumbled. ... [Texas manager] Billy Martin was worried about Burroughs, and he came out of the dugout with a fungo bat. A bunch of players went with him. Fans stormed the field ..."

Joe shook his head yet again.

"Fans were swinging chains -- don't ask me where they got to chains from. They broke off pieces of chairs ... [Indians manager] Ken Aspromonte led his players to the field, and you had the picture of the Indians and Texas players fighting together, retreating back into the first base dugout ... [Tribe pitcher] Tom Hilgendorf had his head split open when someone threw a chair out of the upper deck and it hit him."

The national publicity was horrible, a game in Cleveland destroyed by a bunch of beer-soaked fans. The team had a ridiculous promotion and not much extra security.

"[Tribe President] Ted Bonda wanted me fired because I called it a riot," said Joe. "Well, it was a RIOT. The only reason that it wasn't a worse RIOT is because I called it a RIOT on the radio, and a bunch of police heard me, and they came down to the Stadium to see what was going on. Some of them told me that they called the station house and said they better send reinforcements down to the Stadium to check it out."

So when Bonda confronted Joe about calling it a riot, Joe said, "That's because it was a RIOT!"

Joe said it's important to remember what life was like for Cleveland in the 1970s.

"Every week, the Laugh-In show did Cleveland jokes," he said. "It was when the mayor's hair caught on fire, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire. Cleveland was a butt of national jokes."

And then there was Beer Night. Plain Dealer columnist Hal Lebovitz wrote this: "Joe Tait, who is going to get a National Basketball Association referee killed some night with his highly charged criticisms, didn't help on the Indians play-by-play broadcasts by his repeated huckstering 'Come out to Beer Night and let's stick it in Billy Martin's ear.'"

Reading the story 36 years later, Joe said, "What I said on the air was, 'Let's make a lot of noise and stick it in Billy Martin's ear.' For that, he wanted to blame me for what happened."

The Indians had a few near brawls with Martin's Rangers before Beer Night when they played in Texas. Martin had said his team had nothing to worry about when they came to Cleveland "because nobody goes to the games." He didn't know about Beer Night.

Lebovitz wrote: "The impression may not have been one that Joe intended, but that's the inference the listeners got. Thus, Joe, with his high-voltage delivery, conceivably helped create an atmosphere that led to the final scene."

Joe countered with a charge about a cartoon in Lebovitz's own sports section of an Indian holding boxing gloves, as if preparing to fight the Texas players. Lebovitz came back with a second column, admitting the problem was not the cartoon or Joe's remarks. It was "only because the fuel was there ... the alcohol. Without the fuel, it's impossible to have a fire."

The Indians sold 65,000 beers that night. Lebovitz estimated the average adult had about five beers. Bonda wanted to fire Joe to take the heat off what had happened on his watch. He was team president. The team was being ripped by nearly every media outlet across the country. Comedians used it for an endless series of jokes.

"Nick Mileti owned the team back then," said Joe. "He was out of town during the riot. He came back, talked to me on the phone about what happened. He talked to the ushers, the police and the players -- anyone he could who was at the game. He also listened to the tape of the broadcast. He told Bonda something along the lines of 'I can't see anything wrong with what Joe said. It obviously was a riot.' That was it. I kept my job."

Joe said he listened to the game tape "several times. ... I don't regret a thing I said." Then Joe remembered this story, meeting Chylak. They talked about Beer Night, and the umpire mentioned how the Indians were down, 5-0, then came back to tie up the game.

"Joe, I figured as long as they're not shooting or anything like that, we'll get it done," said Chylak. "All of a sudden, I felt some pressure behind the left heel of my shoe. I turned around, looked down and there was a hunting knife sticking in the ground right behind my shoe. That's when I said, 'Game. Set. Match. We're outta here!'"

Reader stories

In the 1970s, Joe was broadcasting Indians games. I was about 12. I'd always try to hear the first pitch because right before the start of the game, my beloved Herb Score would say: "And here is Joe Tait to tell you THAT ..."

Joe Tait (always in a very upbeat tone): "It's a BEAUTIFUL day for baseball."

Of course, Joe would say this every game, regardless of the weather. It could be 40 degrees with a 20 mile-per-hour wind, but Joe would still belt out that it was a beautiful day for baseball.

But what I really waited for was the response Herb would give to Joe when Joe would say how beautiful it was when the weather was actually horrible. Herb's comments like "You're nuts" or "You're crazy" never failed to put a smile on my face.

When I was a young teenager in the 1970s, Indians games were broadcast on TV only on the weekends. So on many, many summer evenings, I would settle down in my bedroom with my transistor radio and follow the team by listening to Joe Tait and Herb Score call the games. ... I scored the games on score sheets I designed myself and my Dad ran off on the mimeograph machine at work. I always appreciated the fact that Joe made sure to keep me up to date with all the pertinent game facts -- substitutions, scoring decisions, and the like -- while bringing the game and the atmosphere at old Cleveland Stadium alive through his play-by-play. On school nights, I often fell asleep listening to Joe on the little speaker I plugged in to my radio and placed under my pillow.

Excerpted from the book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (c) 2011 by Terry Pluto and Joe Tait. All rights reserved. This text may not be reproduced in any form or manner without written permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. The book is available at Northeast Ohio bookstores and online from Amazon.com and BN.com, in both print and e-book editions. For more information, call the publisher at 1-800-915-3609 or visit its website: grayco.com

Read all five excerpts

One of the early Cavaliers heroes won the eternal affection of Joe Tait for an off-the-court kindness.

View full sizePlain Dealer Historical CollectionJoe Tait's favorite player didn't earn that distinction by his play on the court -- as memorable as that was. But it was Nate Thurmond's way with Joe's occasionally-distant father that made a difference.

About the book

In the new book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (softcover / $15.95 / 264 pages), Terry Pluto teams up with legendary broadcaster Joe Tait to tell the story of Tait's four-decade career as "the Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers" and as a play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians and other local teams. The book also includes personal recollections from dozens of Tait's fans and colleagues.

---

Win a free copy of the book!

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are giving away three copies of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." To have a chance, just submit a short video of you doing one of Tait's signature calls. Click for full details and upload form.

Read more

• Calendar of book signings
• Website for the book (JoeTaitBook.com)
• Complete Cleveland Cavaliers coverage
• Terry Pluto's columns
• 'Things I've Learned from Watching the Browns'
• 'Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame'
• 'The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers'

Joe often has said that Nate Thurmond was one of his all-time favorite Cavaliers. Most of us assumed it was because Thurmond was the veteran presence that sparked the Cavs to the Miracle of Richfield season. He was a class act, a Hall of Famer. But he only played with Cleveland fewer than two seasons.

But there's more to the story.

"He meant a lot to my father," said Joe.

Growing up in the Tait home was not easy for Joe. His parents were often distant with each other. His father was called "The Judge," because he was considered wise and decisive when it came to making decisions. But someone called "The Judge" is not a man who is quick with a compliment, a smile or an encouraging word. Joe's dad thought his son was wasting his time (and part of his life) chasing his dream of being in radio.

That began to change when Joe became the voice of the Cavaliers, even though Joe's dad still thought sports were rather frivolous.

Then his dad met Nate Thurmond.

"The Cavs were in Chicago, and my father came to the team hotel to meet me," said Joe. "I had cleared it with the Bulls so my father could sit with me at the press table at the old [Chicago] arena. Fitch set it up so my dad could ride with us on the team bus to from the hotel to the arena."

As each player came to the lobby, Joe introduced them to his father. The players were all pleasant, shook hands -- but nothing more than being nice to someone who was the dad of a guy they knew and liked. But the 6-foot-11, balding Thurmond immediately began talking to Joe's father. Joe's dad knew nothing about sports and had never heard of Nate Thurmond.

"My father also had some problems when it came to race relations," said Joe. "He never used any racial slurs or told racial jokes. But he was very fearful of black people and didn't have a high opinion of them in general. But there he was, talking to this huge black man. I have no idea what they talked about, but they talked in the lobby, and they talked on the bus. After the game, they talked again on the bus coming back."

At the arena, Joe's father asked his son, "What kind of player is Nate Thurmond?"

"He's in the twilight of his career, but he's still an outstanding talent, and he's one of the greatest players in the history of the league," said Joe.

Joe's dad said: "Well, he's an outstanding human being. Really an impressive guy."

Joe's was stunned, because his father rarely passed out those compliments. The next time the Cavs were in Chicago, Joe's dad also was at the hotel. The players came down, and Thurmond walked over and said, "Mr. Tait, it's good to see you again!"

They shook hands like old friends.

"My father was always impressed that Nate remembered his name," said Joe. "I really believe those were the first times that my father ever had long, serious talks with a black person. Where he lived was a rural area in Amboy [Illinois], and it was all white. The people he worked with at the phone company were mostly white women. His talks with Nate made him think differently about a lot of things."

Joe said he didn't inherit the racial prejudices of some people around him because he interacted with minorities in school.

"In high school, there was a car pool for four of us," he said. "Two of us were white, one was black and one was a racial mix. One of the mothers drove us to school, and we all kicked in for gas. Our school was integrated. Being around black people was not a big deal for me, and it continued when I covered sports."

But Joe said the NBA can teach some life lessons because the vast majority of the players are black. Often, the coaches are black. Whites are the distinct minority.

"After I joined the Cavs, my first roommate was Joe Cooke -- a black guard from Indiana," he said. "In those days, if you wanted a single room, you had to pay extra. I didn't have any extra money, so I had a roommate. I didn't think twice about the color of the roommate. You just wanted to be with a good guy, and most of the guys in my early years with the Cavs were really good guys -- and I got to know them well."

* * *

Thinking about Thurmond and his father reminded Joe of a different story.

It begins after a game in Milwaukee. This was 1975, so the team still flew commercial. The airlines had a problem with the tickets. Not enough seats for the players for a flight from Milwaukee to Cleveland. Finally, the airline decided to bus the team from Milwaukee to Chicago, where they could catch a flight to Cleveland.

But when they arrived in Chicago, there still were no seats on a flight to Cleveland. Fitch was outraged. The airlines were of no help. The team had a home game at the Coliseum that night. Finally, trainer Ron Culp arranged for Wright Airlines -- a private company based in Cleveland -- to send a plane to Chicago to get the players and bring them back to Cleveland. That meant hours of waiting around the airport.

"Nate sensed the players getting upset and restless," said Joe. "I watched him walk over to every guy and tell them how lucky they were to be in the NBA, to have the jobs they had and the money they made."

Joe heard Nate say at one point: "You're a pro. Now, damn it, sit there and relax. We are going to play a game tonight when we get home, and we need to get ready for it."

The plane showed up about 5:30 p.m. By the time they arrived at the Coliseum, it was 10 p.m. for a 7:30 game.

"We were playing New Orleans, and they had warmed up about six times by the time we got there," said Joe. "The game started about 10:45. We just beat the crap out of them."

Joe's memory is correct, the final score: Cavaliers 112, New Orleans 90.

"We won that game because Nate made sure everyone's head was in the right place," said Joe.

* * *

Joe believes Thurmond also had an impact in how Joe's dad viewed his son. They began to accept each other, and Joe's dad had a new sense of appreciation for his son.

That's because he saw Joe at work in Chicago, sitting next to his son courtside. He saw how Joe was liked and respected by men such as Thurmond and Bill Fitch. He realized that all the work Joe had put in to reach major-league radio had been worth it. His father never exactly said those things, but Joe knew their relationship was changing for the better.

"In the last 10 years of his life, we got along well," said Joe. "I'd visit him on the farm, and we'd take long walks in the country, talking about society and life in general."

Joe can't recall any specific conversations, but there was a general sense of peace and comfort between the two men.

"My dad died in 1980," said Joe. "He was 79, I was 43. He and his second wife were visiting Vicksburg, the Civil War battlefield. He called that night to say hello and said they went to the museum. The old fellow selling the tickets said, 'You better come in here quick, because we're still winning the war.' My father thought that was really funny. ... That night, he died in his sleep."

Joe paused for a moment, trying to remember if his father ever said anything about his career choice.

"He did, once, near the end of his life," said Joe. "He said, 'This sure turned out better than I thought it would for you.'"

Reader stories

When I was 8 years old in 1988, we had just moved to Philadelphia from Cleveland. My family had lived in Ohio for generations, so the concept of being "away from home" was very new to us. My father surprised us one day by getting tickets to see the 76ers play the Cavaliers at the Spectrum. My dad typed up a little message, doubting his plan to give it to Joe in the press box would actually work. Joe not only took the time to speak to my father, he read my dad's message on the air to our friends and family back in Cleveland who were listening.

My father, Dave (Westie) Westphal worked for the Cleveland Cavs in Richfield and then in Cleveland. He was in sales in Premium Seating. When I was little, my Dad would take me to all of the home Cavs games on Friday night. We'd walk around greeting his clients. We'd often wave to Joe, and he would wave back. In grade school, I did a report on sports broadcasting. My Dad got me an official interview with Joe. It was great sitting in his Richfield office. Shortly thereafter, as my sister and I were going to bed, my Dad turned up the radio in the house and played a "play-by-play" tape Joe made for me. It was me, out on the court vs. Michael Jordan. My favorite line was: "Dan 'The Man' Westphal, playing like a man here tonight at the Richfield Coliseum." My father passed away in 2001. Seeing and hearing Joe brings nothing but warm feelings about my Dad.

Excerpted from the book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (c) 2011 by Terry Pluto and Joe Tait. All rights reserved. This text may not be reproduced in any form or manner without written permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. The book is available at Northeast Ohio bookstores and online from Amazon.com and BN.com, in both print and e-book editions. For more information, call the publisher at 1-800-915-3609 or visit its website: grayco.com

Read all five excerpts