Veteran Cavs broadcaster Joe Tait calls the LeBron James TV show "an embarrassment" to everyone involved. A quick chat with Cavs radio broadcaster Joe Tait.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerCavaliers broadcaster Joe Tait.

Did you watch the LeBron James special?

I mostly certainly did.

Your reaction?

It was an embarrassment to everyone involved -- the league, ESPN, LeBron, everyone. Making it worse, they didn't even know it was an embarrassment.

Is that all?

How about this: It also was a culmination of six weeks of [free agent] unbridled idiocy.

What did you think James would do?

I thought he'd stay with the Cavs.

Why did he leave?

Pure ego.

Meaning?

He played here for seven years and didn't win a championship. He wants a championship now. He's got everything else. In Miami, he may or may not get it.

How did James look on TV?

Uncomfortable, not natural. I wished I was watching it with someone who knows about body language, because it seemed to me that there was something wrong.

Did it surprise you that Jim Gray put together the idea of the special, persuaded James to go along and then sold it to ESPN? Then Gray, who was paid by James, did the interview?

In that embarrassment, nothing surprises me.

What did you think of [Cavs owner] Dan Gilbert's letter?

It was great! Outstanding! He said what a lot of people felt. I understand, because I felt the same way. A lot of people did. I give him credit for saying it.

-- Terry Pluto

Wearing their new uniforms for 13,000 delirious fans, then displaying them hours later for photographers — and even donning them for the contract-signing ceremony in owner Micky Arison's office — James, Wade and Bosh got their welcoming celebration in Miami on Friday night, formally becoming teammates and probable favorites to win multiple NBA championships.

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade was on the right side of the photo, then realized that wasn't the optimal spot for the shortest guy in the frame.

So he moved to the middle, LeBron James on one side, Chris Bosh on the other.

Picture perfect.

Wearing their new uniforms for 13,000 delirious fans, then displaying them hours later for photographers — and even donning them for the contract-signing ceremony in owner Micky Arison's office — James, Wade and Bosh got their welcoming celebration in Miami on Friday night, formally becoming teammates and probable favorites to win multiple NBA championships.

Wade is Miami's star and Bosh's decision was the one that seemed to pull it all together, but in many respects, the night was all about James. Farewell, Cleveland. Hello, Miami.

"I've made the right decision," the two-time reigning MVP said.

A packed arena of Miami Heat fans, plus another 10,000 or so outside the building, couldn't have been more thrilled to hear James say those words. His acquisition by the Heat became official Friday, and he, Wade and Bosh arrived together in a spectacle typically reserved for rock concerts and award shows.

Dressed in a white Heat uniform for the first time, James took a look at his new home crowd, folded his arms across his chest after he and his teammates were dropped from the sky on a forklift, and nodded.

The MVP has taken center stage in Miami.

"We know what the fans want," James said.

In case there was some question, they told him: Yes, a "Beat L.A." chant broke out in July, call it an opening salvo aimed at the two-time defending champion Lakers.

Great fanfare. Great expectations.

"It's still surreal, man," Wade said. "Me, Chris and 'Bron. We ready. We want to go to the gym now."

After their arrival, Bosh pointed to the fans and screamed, while Wade aimed his index fingers at the crowd and James strutted about to the fans' delight.

They walked down the stairs to a long runway, slapping high-fives with fans, clapping their hands and soaking in the atmosphere.

"We wanted to come here, then LeBron wanted to come," Bosh said. "Let's get it done, man. Let's get this thing going."

The Heat sent two future first-round and two second-round picks to the Cavaliers for James, while packaging two first-round picks to the Raptors for Bosh.

"We here now," James said. "And we're here for a long time."

Wade, Bosh and James all signed their six-year contracts earlier Friday night, each set to make about $2 million less than the $16.6 million they could have demanded for the coming season.

"All three of these gentlemen up here are going to be here for a long time and they're going to be here for a long time for us to enjoy, thoroughly enjoy," Heat president Pat Riley said.

At the rally, which was announced Friday afternoon and people still snatched up all 13,000 available seats in an hour, fans were given posters with James, Wade and Bosh together in Heat uniforms — "Yes. We. Did." was the slogan in big white letters.

If Riley gets his way, the party will be the first of many for the NBA's newest star cluster — a grouping everyone, even Wade, is still getting used to.

"When I look around and see No. 6 and No. 1 on the court with me, that's when it's going to see real," Wade said.

James will wear No. 6 in Miami, Bosh No. 1, both having switched their numbers. Wade considered swapping his No. 3 as well.

"Then I realized, three is magical, and now it represents more than just my number," Wade said. "It represents the three of us making sacrifices as well."

Wade and Bosh decided Tuesday that they would play together in Miami, releasing that information to the world on Wednesday. With that, it was all up to James, who said he decided Thursday morning — hours before his made-for-TV announcement special that night — that he'd join the Heat and form a power triple.

James touched down Friday morning, took his physical, and then arrived for the party.

Expectations couldn't be higher, and James, Wade and Bosh all accepted the challenge.

"Bring it on. We'll accept it," Wade said. "At the end of the day we know what's important. And what's important is winning ballgames and winning championships. So once you do that, winner take all."

Just two days after "The Decision" went against Cleveland and the Cavaliers, the huge mural started coming down from an office building near the Q.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerWorkers begin removing the famous LeBron James mural from a building across the street from Quicken Loans Arena, bringing a semi-official end to the King's seven-year career in Cleveland.

Workers began dismantling the 10-story-tall iconic image of James on a mural in downtown Cleveland on Saturday. The billboard has dominated the city's skyline for years but is being removed after the superstar announced he was leaving the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.

As strips of the image of James, his arms outstretched and head thrown back after doing his pregame powder toss, began coming off, pedestrians stopped on Ontario Street to take photos and cars pulled to the side for one last look at No. 23, who has gone from being a hometown hero to villain.

"We are removing the LeBron James Witness mural in downtown Cleveland and expect the process to be completed within a few days," Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Wilkins said he does not yet know what the company's plans are with the gigantic sign, which includes the phrase: "We Are All Witnesses" over James' image.

On Friday, several fans gathered on the sidewalk outside the Landmark Office Tower as workers prepared to remove the billboard.

"My mom wanted us to get a picture of it before they brought it down," said Kayla Mack of Norwalk, Ohio. "It's very bittersweet."

After James announced his decision to leave Cleveland as a free agent Thursday night, some irate Cavs fans feeling betrayed by the Akron native they've cheered for since he was a teenager, burned the two-time MVP's jersey. Others hurled rocks at the mural, which towers over the corners of Ontario and Prospect avenues -- a long 3-pointer from Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cavaliers.

- Associated Press

The Indians shuffled their catching rotation, promoting Chris Gimenez and dropping veteran Mike Redmond.

ST. PETERSBURGH, Fla. -- The last-place Indians continue to go young.

Veteran catcher Mike Redmond was designated for assignment Saturday. Chris Gimenez was promoted from Class AAA Columbus to replace him. Gimenez can catch and play a variety of other positions.

The Indians could have recalled Lou Marson, who opened the year as the Indians catcher, but he's been struggling offensively at Columbus.

"We want Lou to continue to play every day," said Chris Antonetti, Indians assistant general manager. "He's working hard to get his swing back."

Redmond played a big part in helping Fausto Carmona get off to a good start this season. Redmond was Carmona's personal catcher until Carlos Santana was called up last month and basically put Redmond out of a job.

He's only made one start since July 2.

"We certainly appreciate the work Mike did with Fausto early in the season," said Antonetti.

Carmona will be the Indians only representative at the All-Star game.

Gimenez was hitting .276 (54-for-196) with 10 doubles, nine homers and 32 RBI at Columbus. Marson is hitting .162 (11-for-68) with four homers and 23 RBI.

Redmond hit .206 (13-for-63) with five RBI in 22 games for the Indians. The Indians can trade, release or try to get Redmond through waivers.

LeBron James leaving the Cavs, how did I miss it?

UPDATED: 7:15 p.m.

Patty Burdon / Special to The Plain DealerIn trying to figure out why the surprise of LeBron James' departure was so acute, Terry Pluto came up with one reason: Superstars whom you first meet as high school freshmen (above) seldom keep the same view of the world.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sometimes I see what exactly what I want to see.

I don't see what is ... I see what I want reality to be.

That's why I believed LeBron James would sign an extension to remain with the Cavaliers.

I was looking at a 25-year-old LeBron James as if he were the James of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary -- rather than the calculating James who signed with the Miami Heat. I ignored the James who refused to say more than hello to new Cavs coach Byron Scott, who spent more than an hour waiting for James at the MVP's basketball camp early in the week.

The James of my mind played for the same two coaches from the fourth grade through high school -- Dru Joyce II and Lee Cotton. It was the same James who turned down chances to transfer to major basketball prep schools across the country, insisting he could stay in Akron and turn the Irish into the No. 1 team in the country.

That happened in James' senior year. I always thought his goal was to stay home and do the same for the Cavs.

I first interviewed James after his freshman year, when he became a sensation on the summer basketball circuit at the famed 5-Star Camp. He told me how he would stick with his friends -- Dru Joyce III, Sian Cotton and Willie McGee. He said, "Nothing would break us up. Not girls. Not basketball. Nothing."

James indeed remained loyal to them -- and others on his high school team. I had a freeze-frame vision of the James who appeared in the terrific documentary, "More Than A Game," the story of his high school team. I knew his mother. I know the projects where James lived at different times. I even know people had their hair done by Freda James, his grandmother who died when James was 3 years old.

By the time he reached the NBA, James changed, but I didn't want to admit it. I took solace in the fact that he still went to local high school and college games, to watch friends play. I found it hard to believe he'd leave that behind.

But every year, there were more business types selling James on the idea of being a global icon. He tuned out former coach Mike Brown, and I ignored it.

It was easy to point out how James stayed out of trouble with the law, how he never skipped practice or was late for buses or flights. He usually said the right things at his surprisingly mature press conferences for someone so young.

There was a sense of relief when James signed the three-year extension heading into the 2006-07 season. I should have seen how James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were all putting themselves in position to possibly bolt their respective teams three years later.

Northeast Ohio has been looking for a local pro sports hero since Bernie Kosar was cut by the Browns in 1993. I wanted James to fill that void. He won two MVP awards, the Cavs won more games in the last five seasons with him than any other era.

When James was distracted and distant in this season's playoffs, I wrote it off to his aching elbow -- despite even more marketing types around him, more talk of his coming free agency. Now, it seems he was plotting his exit.

It was hard to believe James had the gall to go on national television and dump on his hometown, as he did in his self-absorbed ESPN special. Or how he didn't call the Cavs with his decision at all. Nor did his agent, or business partner Maverick Carter. It was Richie Paul, a member of his posse, who delivered the bad news to the Cavs once the ESPN special went on the air.

I forgot it was Dru Joyce III who decided to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary rather than Akron Buchtel, and how James and the other followed. The pint-sized point guard was the leader of the Irish, not James.

Even in the NBA, James talked as if he wanted to be the leader, but had trouble with the role. Now, it seems Wade is the new Joyce III in James' life. He was the power behind bringing James and Bosh (a nice guy, but not a leader) to Miami.

Another influence on James is Wes Wesley -- a mysterious deal maker. Wesley wanted James out of Cleveland. Then Carter told Jonathan Abrams of The New York Times that Wesley was out of the inner circle: "All the Wes rumors are untrue and he will not be at the meetings [with NBA teams]. Wes has nothing to do with where he goes."

Guess who was at James' side in Miami? World Wide Wes was back.

The James Gang fooled so many. I should have seen it coming.

There's a good chance the Indians will be looking for a third baseman next season. Jared Goedert may get a chance to audtion for the job with a September call up from Columbus.

Ken Carr / Indians Prospect InsiderJared Goedert could well get a chance to show his abilities with the Indians during the second half of the season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians' 2010 regular season. The Indians play Tampa Bay tonight in the third game of a four-game series at Tropicana Field.

Tropicana Field's dimensions: Left field line 315 feet, left center field power alley 370, center field 404, right center field power alley 370 and right field foul line 322.

Pre-game notes:

Game 87: Manager Manny Acta says third baseman Jared Goedert is "making a push" at Class AAA Columbus. Where that push may lead will be intriguing to watch.

Goedert is hitting .325 (40-for-123) with 15 homers and 32 RBI in 31 games at Columbus. He's played 26 games at third, a position that could have a help wanted sign hanging on it sometime this season if the Indians are able to trade Jhonny Peralta.

He opened the year at Class AA Akron and hit .325 (53-for-163) with seven homers and 32 RBI.

"Goedert is having a very good year in Triple-A," said Acta. "The last two years he's been pretty much recovering from the (shoulder) surgery that he had. Apparently, he's come back from that and is swinging the bat well.

"He's making a push. What can I say?"

Acta said if Goedert could get a September call up "if he continues to push himself and plays as well as he's playing."

Goedert was a ninth-round pick out of Kansas State in 2006. He hit 20 homers at Class A Lake County and Class A Kinston in 2007.

Lonnie Chisenhall is the Tribe's top third base prospect. He's hitting .267 (71-for-266) with eight homers and 37 RBI at Akron, but is probably a year away from the big leagues.

Peralta can be a free agent at the end of this season. The Indians hold a $7 million option on him for 2011. It's unlikely they'd exercise that. So far, there has been little, if any, interest in Peralta regarding a trade. 
 
Lineups:

Indians (34-52): CF Michael Brantley (L), 2B Jayson Nix (R), C Carlos Santana (S), DH Travis Hafner (L), RF Austin Kearns (R), 3B Jhonny Peralta (R), 1B Matt LaPorta (R), LF Shelley Duncan (L), SS Jason Donald (R) and LHP Aaron Laffey (1-2, 5.18).

Rays (52-34): CF B.J. Upton (R), DH Carl Crawford (L), 3B Evan Longoria (R), 1B Willy Aybar (S), C Kelly Shoppach (R), RF Ben Zobrist (S), 2B Sean Rodriguez (R), SS Jason Bartlett (R) and RHP Matt Garza (9-5, 4.23).

Umpires: H Tim Welke, 1B Scott Barry, 2B Mike DiMuro, 3B Jim Reynolds. Welke, crew chief.

Quote of the day: "If I had my career to play over, one thing I'd do differently is swing more. Those 1,200 (1,210) walks I got, nobody remembers them." -- late Hall of Famer PeeWee Reese.

Next: RHP Justin Masterson (3-8, 5.22) vs. RHP Jeff Niemann (7-2, 2.65) Sunday at 1:40 p.m.

The truth is LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had been plotting combining their forces in the NBA for years. It was part of a complex master plan that was never guaranteed, but the trio's heartfelt desire for much of the past four years.

Al Diaz / Miami HeraldWith multiple sources now willing to fill in the blanks, it becomes more and more clear how much advance work and planning was put in by (from left) Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James -- as well as Miami Heat President Pat Riley -- to bring the NBA's three biggest free agents to South Florida. It was anything but a last-minute decision by James.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- During a rally for Miami Heat fans Friday night, Chris Bosh said he'd been talking with new teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade about the moment for months.

It was a slip, which some -- including Bosh -- quickly noticed. Bosh's statement hinted there was a long-standing plan in place to gather in Miami. That potentially would not only be against NBA rules, but also poor taste -- considering Bosh and James were supposedly completely focused on the task at hand with teams in Toronto and Cleveland.

Bosh quickly revised the statement and said they'd been talking about it for "days." But it was hardly correct. The truth is James, Bosh and Wade had been plotting this for years.

That won't be comforting for Cavaliers fans who are still reeling from what many considered James' stunning departure. For those deep in the process, however, it was hardly stunning. It was part of a complex master plan that was never guaranteed, but the trio's heartfelt desire for much of the past four years.

Now that the move has been made, the veil of secrecy is being lifted to a degree as people begin to talk. Or, in some cases, brag. The Plain Dealer talked to numerous sources to piece together a picture of how James ended up in Miami.

It is still a somewhat fuzzy image; James and his close friends and business associates may never tell the whole story. But here are the broad strokes:

The seeds of the massive move were planted back the summer of 2006 after Bosh, James and Wade finished up their third seasons. Established all-stars and clearly the future of the league, the three were part of a bonding effort led by USA Basketball to revamp and re-energize the national team after the disappointing 2004 bronze medal.

Already close as members of the same draft class, the Team USA experience strengthened the relationship. Even before the team gathered in Las Vegas to prepare for the World Championships that summer, the three had talked at length about playing for that team. After a poor experience at the Olympics in 2004, they had to recruit each other to get the top players to try the process again.

That same July, the co-op took on another role when all three decided to extend their contracts with their teams. They couldn't all become unrestricted free agents until 2007 anyway under the rules, so the smart play was for them to extend with the Raptors, Cavs and Heat respectively.

But with some of the league's high-profile older stars perceived as stuck in long-term contracts with struggling teams -- Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett eventually demanded trades out of unhappy situations around that time -- the three decided to go for a shorter contract.

Eugene Hoshiko / Associated PressBy the time Team USA was preparing for the 2008 Olympics, sources say Chris Bosh and LeBron James had frequently shared their common desire to play together with Dwyane Wade for an NBA franchise. There were already several teams -- most notably the New York Knicks but including the Miami Heat -- gutting their rosters in order to free up salary cap money for the summer of 2010.

After talking amongst themselves, James, Bosh and Wade decided to accept three-year extensions. It would make them all unrestricted free agents at the same time in 2010. For players on maximum contracts, becoming an unrestricted free agent after just seven years in the NBA is rare. But it would put them all in position to potentially team up that year, a fact that was not lost on them.

In the ensuing years, four important events happened that were major contributors leading to their union in 2010.

One was a very positive and emotional summer in 2008 in China, where the trio were part of the gold medal-winning Team USA. They proved they could play effectively together. For the most part, they checked their egos, with Wade even deciding to come off the bench.

Second, Los Angeles-based management company Creative Artists Agency decided to get into the basketball agent business. Seeing how influential they could be in the summer of 2010, CAA bought the agencies that represented James, Bosh and Wade. Bringing them all under one roof gave CAA huge control of the market and took down any barriers the three would have with negotiations.

Third, the recession hit and NBA owners started tightening their spending, a trend that would last for two years. The result was a bubble of salary cap space that would eventually result in giving numerous teams large blocks of cash in 2010.

Fourth, the struggling New York Knicks launched a plan in the fall of 2008 to clear off enough cap space to sign two maximum level free agents in an effort to recruit James to New York. Though he never said so directly, James began openly flirting with the thought. Other teams, many of whom where struggling, saw the opening and hatched the same plan.

That included the Heat, who were in the midst of a large-scale rebuilding process after a 15-win season. They had won the title in 2006, but made several trades that eventually caught up with them. With Wade already on the team, team president Pat Riley decided to begin his own cap manipulation, even if it limited what the Heat could do with Wade during two of his prime years.

The Knicks got most of the attention for positioning themselves for James, especially when they traded away their best players for pennies on the dollar in an effort to clear the books. But Riley was just as passively aggressive in not spending, at one point last summer getting into a public battle with Wade, who was frustrated at the lack of roster additions.

It was a risk to mess with Wade as he headed for his own free agency, but Riley had been watching and doing background research. He knew the three wanted to play together and he knew he had a glamour destination to offer, a history of success and Wade already on the team. He crunched the numbers over and over and thought he could get close to clearing three maximum salary spots -- or at least get close.

He didn't quite get there, but close enough to pull off the major score. In addition to the weather and the city's attractions for young rich athletes, Riley knew the lack of a state income tax in Florida could help him sell it.

Alexia Fodere / Miami HeraldAccording to sources, Heat President Pat Riley made sure to reassure James that his close friends would be taken care of by the franchise, in much the same manner the Cavaliers had accomodated them for the last seven years. It might have been the final factor that convinced James to leave Cleveland.

Riley really put the plan into action last November. During a Cavs visit to Miami, Riley arranged a get together with Michael Jordan and James. Jordan, who was in town to do some Nike work with Wade, at the time did not own a majority of the Bobcats.

During the meeting, Riley talked to James about how more modern players should pay homage to Jordan. Riley had always led this effort, retiring Jordan's No. 23 in the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena even though Jordan -- of course -- never played in Miami.

The Cavs knew about it and while it seemed like it could be classic tampering, they decided not to make an issue of it. The meeting -- technically -- wasn't about free agency. Only, of course it was.

That night James and Wade staged an another strong individual battle. But the Cavs won when the Heat didn't have enough down the stretch, a common problem with Miami's roster last season. After the game, and after seeing Jordan and Riley sitting together courtside, James made an emotional statement right on the court that he was going to ditch jersey No. 23 out of respect to Jordan. In fact, he felt all players should stop wearing No. 23.

It was controversial and got headlines. Riley didn't care so much about the statement but how his conversation obviously influenced James. Without much doubt, it gave Riley confidence that he could win James over by playing to his emotions when it came time for free agency. Riley became more dedicated than ever before to trying his grand plan of getting all three stars to South Florida with the poaching of James being the grand prize.

That was why he was so amped up before his presentation to James in Cleveland a week ago. He packed up his seven championship rings, had his salary cap specialists create displays to show how Florida taxes could save James money and brought along Alonzo Mourning to make an emotional pitch about how the team backed him up as he recovered from a kidney transplant.

It was also made known to James that the Heat would take care of his friends much in the same way as the Cavs. There would be special treatment at the arena, changing practice and travel schedules to allow for moneymaking late-night parties in various cities and perhaps even hiring a James associate for a high-paying position in the organization.

This was nothing knew for Riley, he made the same accommodations for Shaquille O'Neal and, to a lesser extent, Wade in recent years.

Riley was so focused that he paced the halls outside James' offices while waiting for James to arrive for the meeting. The meeting went so well and so long that the Heat took up some of the Los Angeles Clippers' scheduled time with James.

But Riley may not have even needed to slam dunk the presentation. He already had a huge advantage working long before he even got to Cleveland.

As was their plan four years earlier and was discussed more deeply in 2008, Bosh, Wade and James had been talking. Unlike Bosh or James, Wade took the step of actually recruiting free agents to his team. Riley's efforts were more successful than the Knicks, and Miami had the most salary cap space.

Getting all three together was only really possible in Miami. Wade pushed the topic. Despite being discouraged by Commissioner David Stern and perhaps breaking tampering rules again, Wade flew with Bosh to Akron to meet at James' house in the last week of June. Still under contract with the Heat, Wade got the other two to the brink of a deal to join up.

All the players still met with teams just to make sure they wanted Miami. Both Wade and James were interested also in Chicago, where there was a chance two of them could match up and play with rising star Derrick Rose. But Wade stayed strong to Riley's plan and kept tugging on James and Bosh.

Though many thought James would seriously consider Knicks and Nets, part-owned by friend Jay-Z, they were never in his top two. The way it looks now, the Cavs may not have been in the top two for much of the process. James did talk with Bosh about the chance of playing in Cleveland, but Bosh resisted and James was intrigued by teaming up with his friends even more than he was attracted to staying home.

The Bulls' chances for James were diminished for two central reasons. One was that Wade wasn't willing to go to his own hometown. The other was the Bulls made it clear that James' friends would not be given the privileges they were given in Cleveland, or the high-paying jobs.

Chicago didn't give Jordan special treatment when he was leading them to six titles, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf wasn't about to give it to James. In addition, Rose -- who often talked to the media about his respect for James -- did not openly welcome his arrival and instead campaigned for other free agents, especially Joe Johnson. Soon, the Bulls were out.

With the weather, his friends and South Florida's glamour pulling him to Miami and Cleveland offering just his hometown and hope for that much-coveted title, James was gone.

Despite his comments that he went back-and-forth on the decision, it appears the Heat were always the leaders in his mind. That's what he chose, after four years of buildup, breaking Cavs fans' hearts.

Cliff Lee, former Indians Cy Young winner, has been a man on the move since the team shipped him to the Phillies last July. He's been traded two more times since then. So what team made the best deal for the left-hander?

Elaine Thompson / Associated PressNow playing for his fourth organization in less than a full season, Cliff Lee has prompted a small industry of moving vans for minor leaguers involved in his transactions.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Be they roses or thorns, Cliff Lee is the gift that keeps on giving.

Cleveland sent him to Philadelphia and the World Series last year. The Phillies traded him to a reworked Seattle team favored to win the AL West in December. On Friday, last-place Seattle sent him to AL-West leading Texas. The left-hander gets around.

So who made out the best in trading the 2008 Cy Young winner? First the particulars:

On July 29, the Indians sent Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco to the Phillies for right-hander Carlos Carrasco, catcher Lou Marson, infielder Jason Donald and right-hander Jason Knapp.

On Dec. 16, the Phillies sent Lee to Seattle for right-hander J.C. Ramirez, left-hander Phillippe Aumont and outfielder Tyson Gillies. The same day they officially signed Roy Halladay and couldn't afford to keep both pitchers.

On Friday, after almost shipping Lee to the Yankees, Seattle traded him, injured right-hander Mark Lowe and a reported $2.25 million to Texas for first baseman Justin Smoak, right-hander Blake Beavan, right-hander Josh Lueke and second baseman Matt Lawson.

Out of all the players that have been traded for Lee, Smoak, according to at least two talent evaluators, is the best. Smoak didn't look like much last week when the Indians played the Rangers, but they drafted him with the 11th overall pick in 2008.

Matt Slocum / Associated PressJoey Votto benefited by an unusual marketing plan to get out the Internet vote to complete the All-Star Game rosters.

HOT CORNER
Red state: The Reds and Red Sox joined forces last week to get Joey Votto and Kevin Youkilis voted onto the 34th and final spots on Tuesday’s All-Star game rosters via an Internet vote by fans. They urged their fans to cross league lines and vote for both first basemen.
Votto was the runaway National League winner, but Youkilis was edged by Nick Swisher of the Yankees in the American League in the closest vote ever in Internet balloting.
The Rangers and Washington tried a similar strategy to get third basemen Michael Young and Ryan Zimmerman selected, but they fell short. The same with the White Sox and Rockies for Paul Konerko and Carlos Gonzalez.

Who gets the call? Tampa Bay’s David Price has a chance to start the All-Star Game for the American League. AL manager Joe Girardi called Price an “extremely strong candidate” to start the game. Price leads the league with 12 victories.
Other candidates are the Yankees’ Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte, Texas’ Cliff Lee and Boston’s Jon Lester. Fausto Carmona made the AL rotation to represent the Indians, but he has no chance to start. Starters CC Sabathia of the Yankees and Oakland's Trevor Cahill made the team as well, but they’re pitching Sunday and are ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game under new rules.
NL manager Charlie Manuel is going to have an interesting call in picking his starter. Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez enters the break with a 15-1 record, including a no-hitter. Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay threw a perfect game and Florida’s Josh Johnson, who has nine wins and leads the NL with a 1.71 ERA.

Head games: The Indians aren’t the only team being cautious with head injuries. Twins first baseman Justin Morneau missed Thursday’s game after suffering a “mild concussion” after getting kneed in the head by Toronto’s John McDonald while sliding into second base.
“It knocked him a little loopy,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters.

THE RANT
At least Armando Galarraga got a new red Corvette out of the hosing he took from Jim Joyce. Maybe he can drive it to Toledo, where he’ll spend the better part of July after the Tigers demoted him following his start against Baltimore on Tuesday.
If Joyce had made Indians shortstop Jason Donald the 27th and final out of Galarraga’s near-perfect game June 2, as he should have, would the Tigers have sent him back to Class AAA last week? It would be hard to demote a perfect-game pitcher a little more than a month after he made history.
Make history and you carve your own space. Get robbed of it and you’re just another arm on the conveyor belt between Toledo and Detroit.
The Tigers went 5-1 in Galarraga’s six starts since that fateful day in June. He didn’t pitch well, and with Detroit wrestling with the Twins and White Sox for first place in the AL Central, it was decided to promote Robbie Weinhardt for the bullpen and let lefty Andy Oliver from Vermilion take Galarraga’s start Sunday against a Twins lineup dominated by left-handed hitters.
Galarraga is scheduled to make one start in Toledo before rejoining the Tigers to start July 20. Here’s hoping the schedule holds true because things can change quickly for a team in contention. Galarraga is a good man, who handled a bad situation well. But you have to wonder if the farther away he gets from it, the more he realizes how much was taken from him.

STAT-O-MATIC
Second thoughts? Last weekend, Arizona interim manager Kirk Gibson watched his defense make a club-record six errors in one game and his hitters strike out 16 times in another.

Fast forward: John Danks pitched the White Sox to a two-hit, 1-0 victory over the Angels on Thursday in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Finish the job: Halladay’s pitch count in his seven complete games before the All-Star break: 93, 119, 115, 132, 118, 113, 111.
-- Paul Hoynes

He's a switch-hitter with power from both sides and sound defensively. Seattle said they wouldn't have made the deal without Smoak, who will be their regular first baseman. He's hitting .209 (49-for-235) with 10 doubles, eight homers and 34 RBI.

The Rangers, originally, wouldn't include Smoak in the Lee trade. They had a change of heart Friday. They have not been in the postseason since 1999.

Beavan, Lueke and Lawson will report to Class AA for the Mariners. Beavan was the Rangers' No.1 pick in 2007, but he's gone from throwing 97 mph in high school to between 88 and 89 mph in the pros. Lueke and Lawson are fringe prospects.

Give the Mariners the top spot in the Lee trades, but remember they rest at the peak of a slippery slope by the nature of deadline deals for rental players. Lee is a free agent at the end of the season and has Yankees written all over him.

The problem with the trade the Indians made for Lee is that it didn't include a player like Smoak. Perhaps Knapp, 19, will be that player, but he needed right-shoulder surgery soon after the trade and isn't scheduled to pitch in games until August. A healthy Knapp and Carrasco's arm strength may have been enough to offset Smoak's offensive talent, but that can't be determined at this date.

Scouts say Carrasco needs toughness to go along with his stuff. His big-league debut with the Tribe last September was loud -- the noise being generated by the home runs he gave up -- and not encouraging. He's currently 7-3 with a 4.38 ERA at Class AAA Columbus and will get a long look from the Indians after the All-Star break.

Donald and Marson are probably better than any of the extra pieces the Mariners or Phillies received in their deals for Lee. Marson, currently in Columbus, opened the year as the starting catcher. He wasn't ready offensively, but he did a nice job behind the plate after a rough start. If he's not traded over the winter, he'll be Carlos Santana's back up next year.

Donald opened the season at Columbus, but has been playing mostly shortstop for the Indians since Asdrubal Cabrera broke his left forearm on May 17. There's a chance that Carrasco, Donald and Marson could start the 2011 season with the Indians.

The Phillies may have gotten the least in return for Lee. Ramirez, Aumont and Gilles have spent most of the year at Class AA Reading without great results. Francisco is still in the big leagues as an extra outfielder.

Yet in acquiring Lee, the Phillies received a pitcher who helped them reach the World Series. Their only possible regret is that they weren't able to keep him.

Bold Captain hasn't won a race in almost two years, but jockey Luis Gonzalez had the 31-1 shot rolling in the Thistledown stretch on Saturday to beat heavily-favored Catlaunch in the $50,000 George Lewis Memorial.

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- Bold Captain hasn't won a race in almost two years, but jockey Luis Gonzalez had the 31-1 shot rolling in the Thistledown stretch on Saturday to beat heavily-favored Catlaunch in the $50,000 George Lewis Memorial.

The veteran Catlaunch, an even-money pick of the rail birds, looked on top of his game for most of the 1 1/8-mile race. When rider Ivan Gonzalez turned Catlaunch for home, Bold Captain had made up a lot of ground and was coming after him. The 9-year-old couldn't hold off Bold Captain's big move along the rail, and Bold Captain posted a 1 1/2-length win in 1:53.

It was Bold Captain's first victory since Oct. 4, 2008.

"I'm proud of the way Catlaunch ran," said Vasquez. "He was pressured early and then again in the stretch and he fought back. He was beaten, but he was game."

Bold Captain paid $65.80, 21.80, 10.60. Catlaunch was second, $3, 2.20, a head in front of Allsarott, $4.20.

Bold Captain's last trip to the winner's circle was in the $75,000 Best of Ohio Juvenile at Thistledown. Owned by the Pyrite Stables, he is trained by Angel Feliciano.

"Where's he been?" said Feliciano. "I guess he's been on vacation, just like me. He can run, but he would act stupid. I just told Louis to ride him the way he wanted today."

It was a great game plan. Bold Captain was last at the quarter-mile, moving up to seventh at the 3/4-mile pole. He was still a couple of lengths behind Catlaunch going into the final turn as he made his late move.

The bay gelding is a son of Bold Truth and had just two wins in 21 starts with five seconds, including a place finish in the 2009 Cleveland Gold Cup.

Germany took third place at the World Cup for the second tournament in a row Saturday with an exciting 3-2 victory over Uruguay.

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, right, waves to the crowd as he leaves the pitch after the World Cup third-place soccer match between Germany and Uruguay at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Saturday, July 10, 2010. Germany won 3-2. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

A need of increased turnovers by the Browns defense this season may sound obvious, but it's even more important because offensively they are not a big-play team.

View full sizeTracy Boulian / The Plain DealerWhether it's from veteran Eric Wright (above) or one of the Browns' newer members of the secondary, the team's defense is in need of finding a serious ballhawk in order to challenge the rest of the AFC North, says Terry Pluto.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Take heart, fans. With the Browns' season approaching and the Indians playing a bit better, there's still reason to smile as Terry's talkin' ...

About the Browns...

1. While Eric Mangini and his coaches spend time relaxing for a few weeks before training camp opens at the end of the month, they are thinking about turnovers. The offense wants to stay away from them, the defense needs to force fumbles and interceptions. This may sound obvious, but it's even more important for the Browns because they are not a big-play team. Last season, the Browns ranked 29th in turnover margin at minus-12, meaning they allowed 12 more turnovers than they forced.

2. If you break it down, they lost 13 fumbles (sixth in the NFL), but recovered only nine (25th). They threw 18 interceptions (11th), but only picked off 10 (29th). Four of those 10 interceptions belonged to former safety Brodney Pool, who has suffered multiple concussions and has since signed with the Jets.

3. While fans complained about the Browns' lack of pass rush, their 40 sacks ranked eighth. It seemed like a smaller number because those sacks and the general rush didn't translate into fumbles or interceptions. The defense did not score a single TD last season -- opponents' defenses had four.

4. The coaches were thrilled that Jake Delhomme had only one practice this spring where he threw more than one interception -- especially since the veteran quarterback had 18 INTs a year ago compared to only eight TDs with Carolina. They are stressing to all the quarterbacks "not to try for home runs and triples, you can win a lot of games with singles and doubles." They mean not to try to for difficult passes into a pack of defenders.

5. But the coaches also have said, "It's great for the offense that they're not throwing picks [interceptions], but we've got to find a way to get more on defense."

6. New cornerback Sheldon Brown had five interceptions in Philadelphia last season, a career high. He had only five combined over the previous three seasons. Eric Wright's four picks were a career high. Rookie Joe Haden had four last season at Florida. Rookie safeties T.J. Ward (1) and Larry Asante (2) are not known for pass coverage. So the Browns need a guy who has a knack of picking off passes, unless Brown can repeat his 2009 performance.

7. Between Jerome Harrison, Montario Hardesty and Peyton Hillis, the Browns are convinced they can have an major running game. That's especially true with fullback Lawrence Vickers opening holes, as he did at the end of last season for Harrison. The Browns ranked eighth in the league in rushing, and they really didn't establish the running game until the final month of 2009.

8. The running game was even more impressive, given that the Browns ranked dead last (32nd) in passing. You know defenses stacked the line against them, because the Browns also were No. 32 in passes for at least 20 yards. As the coaches watched Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, they are convinced that things have to be better this season. Then again, when youre' No. 32, you can't get worse.

9. Don't get too excited about the Browns signing free agent receiver Bobby Engram. President Mike Holmgren had Engram in Seattle from 2001-08. In 2007, he caught 94 passes. In 2008, it was 47. But only five last season in Kansas City. At the age of 37, Engram has a chance to show the Browns he can help. If not, they can cut him without it costing much. He'll compete with Chansi Stuckey (impressive in minicamps) for a spot as a slot receiver.

10. The Browns say since restricted free agent Matt Roth signed his contract, his attitude has been "good." There has been no more talk about wanting to be traded. The outside linebacker could emerge as the team's top pass rusher, because the Browns know how to put him in position to make big plays.

About the Tribe...

Tony Gutierrez / Associated PressJayson Nix? Why, there's no surprise about the offensive contribution of the Indians' second baseman, right? Right?

1. How about that Jayson Nix? We all knew this was coming, his six homers in 51 at-bats with the Tribe since being claimed on waivers. Nix is 27, and the Indians say they have "kind of liked him for a while." There was not a lot to like before this. Last season, he batted .224 with 12 HR in 255 at-bats for the White Sox. He was 8-of-49 (.163) when the White Sox put him on waivers.

2. Once upon a time, the right-handed-hitting Nix was a prospect, a former No. 1 pick. While he showed a little power, some speed and decent infield defense, he never hit consistently enough to stick in the majors. In 411 big league at-bats, he's a .209 hitter (.686 OPS) with 19 HR. Of course, six have come in the last few weeks with the Tribe. Second base is wide open. Can he claim it permanently? Well, he can for right now as he'll play a lot for the rest of this season.

3. Just as we all knew Nix would turn into Carlos Baerga, everyone was sure Jason Donald would be the best player in the Cliff Lee deal with the Phillies. Actually, he was barely mentioned when the trade was made. But Donald entered the weekend hitting .280 (.769 OPS) in 143 at-bats playing both second and short. His defense at short has been a bit shaky, which is a surprise as he's considered a solid defender. He will see action (along with Nix) at second base when Asdrubal Cabrera returns from his broken arm to play short in a few weeks.

4. Speaking of the Lee deal, it seems Texas has nailed the best prospects in all the trades for Lee. In the last 12 months, Lee has moved from Cleveland to Philadelphia to Seattle to Texas -- as all these teams realize they can't afford to sign him as a free agent after 2010. The Rangers snared four players, the best being Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero, both ranked in the top 13 of all big-league prospects by Baseball America.

5. Also in the Lee deal was Carlos Carrasco, who is 7-3 with a 4.38 ERA at Columbus. In his Class AAA career, he's 20-15 with a 4.18 ERA. Lots of numbers look good, such as 8.5 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings. But the 23-year-old righty gives up a lot of homers, 33 in 280 Class AAA innings. For a good look at this, read Jon Steiner's excellent breakdown.

6. The Indians could be promoting Carrasco soon. Manager Manny Acta likes his 93 mph fastball and his control. Carrasco was crushed last September (0-4, 8.89 ERA with 6 HR in 22.1 innings) with the Tribe. He obviously wasn't ready. The Indians think he's close to being worthy of another look.

7. Given where Fausto Carmona was the last two seasons (hopelessly lost at 11-19 with a 5.90 ERA), he is deserving of an All-Star selection -- at least in terms of someone who must be picked from the Tribe. His raw stats are 8-7 with a 3.64 ERA. While quality starts (three runs or fewer in at least six innings) aren't the ultimate measure of effectiveness, it means a lot to the young Tribe that 14 of 18 starts have been "quality" for Carmona. That's No. 2 in the American League, behind Seattle's Felix Hernandez.

8. In the last two seasons, Carmona was torched by lefty hitters (.320). This season, he's at .250 vs. lefties, .245 vs. righties. Carmona is only 26. The Indians have him under contract through 2014, so it makes sense to keep him.

9. Matt LaPorta keeps hitting since returning from Columbus. He's 15-of-39 with four HR, 10 RBI and a 1.090 OPS. Best of all, he's driving in runs with singles, not just swinging for fences. He looks like a very disciplined hitter who should settle the first-base issue.

10. The Indians have been getting some trade interest in Austin Kearns and Jake Westbrook. A few more good outings by Kerry Wood may convince someone to deal for him. They'd love to move Wood and give the closer's job to Chris Perez.

Three seconds with the Cavaliers

1. Despite what Dan Gilbert said in his letter, promising a title here before Miami wins one -- the Cavs need to simply work on building the best team. Don't worry about what Miami is doing. Also, don't take any shortcuts with overpaid veterans, as they did the last few years trying to win now. They need to shop not only for draft picks, but for young players stuck on the end of a bench who can help if given the chance. It's time to be creative, but not desperate.

2. The Cavs want fans to know the reason they executed a sign-and-trade with Miami for LeBron James was not so the MVP could receive a maximum contract worth about $30 million more over six years than if the Cavs had simply allowed James to leave. Heat president Pat Riley called willing to trade draft choices, and the Cavs jumped at a chance to add a pair of first rounders, and two more second rounders, plus a trade exception over the next five years. They believe the picks not only can help add young players, but also be valuable in trade talks.

3. I think about how the James mess perhaps cost former GM Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown their jobs. Maybe Gilbert would have fired them anyway, if he knew James was leaving. Who knows? The good news is they came out of this with an experienced coach in Byron Scott. Chris Grant was trained by Ferry to take over as GM at some point. But it seems two good men lost their jobs in what turned out to be a very ugly situation.

A horse-rescue named Buck was destined for slaughter in Mexico just two years ago. Buck has become the face of a hose-rescue operation outside St. Louis.

ASSOCIATED PRESSMargot Sutter, a groom, tends to Buck, a rescued horse who was headed for slaughter two years ago. Buck is now a racehourse.

By Jim Suhr Associated Press

Millstadt, Ill. -- As the other thoroughbreds broke from the gate, dark bay Buck awkwardly started his first race with a jittery hop and wobble that left him running last among the 11 horses.

That the gelding's thundering strides down the homestretch rallied him to a fourth-place finish may not have been the most remarkable thing that day last September at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago.

The miracle is that Buck lived to race at all.

Just two years earlier, he was a yearling packed among dozens of other horses in a trailer destined for slaughter in Mexico. Horse-loving Margo Sutter bought him, sparing him and two of the other animals.

Gimpy from a swollen ankle and punctured shoulder, Buck didn't have much value and few imagined he would stage such a remarkable comeback. But this is a testament to the power of second chances.

Buck isn't living out his days in a pasture, a perhaps typical destination for a rescued horse.

Once timid but now oozing with confidence, the dark brown thoroughbred with black points is a racehorse -- an average one but one whose best showing in five races came in May, when he finished third at Arlington Park while running as Letdetrumpetblare. And he has become the face of Sutter's horse-rescue operation near Millstadt, outside St. Louis, with his more than $3,000 in winnings funneled back into Sutter's cash-strapped efforts to find loving homes for some 50 horses.

Dozens of horse-rescue ranches dot America's landscape, each intent on sparing animals a trip to a rendering plant. Efforts to save horses have gotten increasing notice in recent years, often from animal-rights activists pressing for a U.S. ban on exportation of horses for slaughter. The plight of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who broke down during the Preakness and spent the next eight months battling for his life, brought the issue nationwide attention.

To Sutter, Buck's story offers the hope of a modern-day Seabiscuit, the undersized thoroughbred that buoyed the spirits of a Depression-era nation.

"From his journey from where he started to where he went with this professional career, I couldn't be more proud if I owned Secretariat," Sutter said.

Fathered by a one-time racehorse, Buck's prospects looked perilous in 2007 when Sutter caught wind that nine horses, including the injured Buck, had been bought for $200 piece at an area paddock sale by a supplier under contract to a Mexican slaughterhouse.

"Because of the foot being injured, him limping and the swelling, nobody wanted to take a chance on him," Sutter said.

She called the hauler, wanting to buy seven of the horses. The man told her she could have only three for $1,000 apiece -- an $800 markup on each animal. Sutter laid down the cash for a mare she named Little Red Ferrari and two baby horses she fiercely protected -- Buck and a 2-year-old she dubbed Sassifrass Gal.

The deal propelled Sutter into starting Mid America Horse Rescue. When she sleeps, she "can still think of the faces of the four horses that I couldn't get."

Rescuing Buck "was a life-altering moment for me," she said. "I saved Buck, and Buck saved me."

Sutter found the colt instantly endearing.

"He had these big, soft, soulful brown eyes," she said. And a big head and big feet that seemed unmatched with his long, lanky body, fanning Sutter's belief that Buck was destined to be a behemoth.

"I just fell in love with him," Sutter said.

Over time, Buck grew into that big noggin. And he kept growing. To Sutter, a racehorse was born.

"The older and bigger he got, the bigger his personality got," Sutter said. "He's terribly affectionate, very confident and loves being the center of attention."

After being sent off in August 2008 for about five months of conditioning in Oklahoma, Buck returned to Sutter and eventually was sent to be trained for racing near Chicago.

Buck's coming out party came in the seventh race at Arlington Park last Sept. 24, when the rookie wobbled out of the stall like a drunken man's stumble. Buck ran dead last until the final turn, when Sutter thought the horse had an epiphany.

"You could see from where we were that it clicked in his eyes. It was like, 'I am a racehorse. This is what I'm supposed to be doing,'" Sutter said. His homestretch rally for fourth -- and a $1,740 check -- left Sutter jumping in tearful pride.

"It was amazing," Sutter said. "He loved it. If he would have been hanging his head like, 'Ugh, I was forced to do this,' that would have been a different story. But Buck was fully engaged. His neck was arched, his eyes were bright.

"He had this big goofy look on his face like he was so pleased with himself. He just pranced in like, 'How'd I do, how'd I do?'"

His races since have run the gamut -- a fifth-place showing, followed by a last-place finish in December. In May, Buck grabbed third and earned $1,155.

"If the third-place finish is the best Buck will ever do, Buck has won the Breeder's Cup in my eyes," Sutter said.

Yet exactly a month later at Arlington Park, in a race following one won by another rescued horse, Buck finished next to last after jumping as the gates opened to start the eight-horse run.

It just wasn't Buck's day, his jockey shrugged.

"It was like he wasn't ever in it," James Graham said. "He didn't shift gears. That's not like him."

No biggie to Sutter.

"It doesn't matter in my eyes if we win, lose or draw. It's about the horses, their mission, their calling," she said. "He is never going to be a major winner on a race track and we know that. He enjoys his sport, gives it his all, and he comes back happy."

To read more:

Mid America Horse Rescue: midamericahorserescue.org

USA Basketball, led by Sylvia Fowles, beat the WNBA All-Stars, 99-72, Saturday in Uncasville, Connecticut.

By Jayda Evans

The Seattle Times

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - After a timeout with 4:21 remaining in the opening quarter of Saturday's exhibition against WNBA stars, USA Basketball coach Geno Auriemma had a little chit-chat with center Sylvia Fowles.

And the message wasn't "good job."

In the biggest sign that the matchup between Olympic hopefuls and WNBA stars served a bigger purpose than your typical All-Star Game, Auriemma harped on Fowles to start playing like the dominate post she is. She responded and Team USA breezed to a 99-72 win before a sold-out crowd (9,518) at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Fowles was named MVP, finishing with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting and eight rebounds.

"Like he said, I have to be very dominating. If I'm not dominating, what's the point of having me in the game?" said Fowles, who plays for the Chicago Sky. "I took that as a complement and I wanted to prove him wrong. Honestly, I wasn't looking for an MVP, I just wanted to go out there and play."

Sitting for majority of the first half, Fowles broke out in the third quarter, scoring USA's opening seven points. The Americans led 68-37 after she hit her final basket with 3:38 remaining in the quarter.

"Sylvia is key; I don't think there's anybody in the world who can stop her when she has her mind set," said Storm forward Swin Cash, who finished with 13 points and three assists. "As long as I'm around, I'm going to continue to push her because when you have somebody like that on your team that you know you need in order to win, it can't always be the coach. It has to be Sue (Bird), it has to be Diana (Taurasi), it has to be me -- not only getting on her, but motivating her and telling her she is that good."

While Fowles is a lock to make the national team, many on both rosters were vying for positions. The WNBA agreed to help USA Basketball prepare for the World Championships starting in September by hosting the unique matchup, similar to the 2004 exhibition before the Athens Games.

Yet, there were some major disparities. The WNBA, coached by the Storm's Brian Agler, had about 45 minutes together. Team USA, which will play a scrimmage against Australia on Sunday, had two sessions.

The time together showed as USA finishing with 32 assists on its 42 made field goals. The WNBA had 11 assists.

"We got off to a great start in the training camp and it lead right into the game," said Bird, who finished with five assists. "The assists are a product of a lot of really good players being selfless."

But not everyone was happy with the format. Five of the 11 players on Team USA are from the WNBA's Western Conference, so Agler noted things would have been different if the league played a traditional showcase.

"It was extremely lopsided," said Indiana forward Katie Douglas, who led the WNBA with 15 points and three steals. "There were serious looks on faces, focus and intensity. East-West games are a lot more entertaining and fun for the fans. But I think they put on a good show, it's just the scenario and the circumstances."

NOTES :

•Douglas won the Three-Point Competition while Connecticut guard Renee Montgomery won the Skill Challenge

•The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame named its class of 2011. Former WNBA president Val Ackerman, Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, and players Ruthie Bolton, Vicky Bullet, Pearl Moore and Lometa Odom will be inducted.

Matt Garza and Tampa Bay's bullpen turned the Indians' bats into Swiss cheese at Tropicana Field.

Mike Carlson / Associated PressMatt Garza worked six scoreless innings Saturday night as Tampa Bay breezed to a 4-0 victory over the Indians at St. Petersburg, Fla.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Matt Garza was knocked off the mound early Monday night by the Boston Red Sox. On Wednesday, he pitched the final two-thirds of an inning to complete a sweep of the Red Sox with his first big-league save.

So it was understandable Saturday night when he left after six scoreless innings and 88 pitches in Tampa Bay's 4-0 victory over the Indians at Tropicana Field. The man needed a breather.

At least that's why manager Joe Maddon had him on a pitch count. To the Indians, Garza looked anything but tired. He allowed one hit and retired the last 13 batters he faced. Garza and relievers Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit and Lance Cormier combined on a three-hitter.

Garza (10-5, 4.05) only had two strikeouts, but he threw 73 percent (64-for-88) of his pitches for strikes. Jhonny Peralta's bloop single in the second was the only hit he allowed.

Aaron Laffey (1-3, 5.12) matched Garza zero for zero through the first three innings. In the fourth, he was burned by a two-out hit to set the pattern for the game.

Gabe Kapler, with runners on second and third, smacked a 0-1 pitch through the middle  to give the Rays a 2-0 lead. Laffey retired the first two batters of the inning, but Ben Zobrist singled and Sean Rodriguez hit a ground rule double to left.

Kapler came into the game hitting .227 with runners in scoring position.

The Rays used another two-out hit, this time by Willy Aybar, to stretch the lead to 3-0 in the fifth. Evan Longoria, who hit into double plays in his first two at-bats, scored after just missing a homer with a double off the short wall in left field.

In the eighth, the Rays added their fourth and final two-out run on a perfectly placed excuse me double by Jason Bartlett that landed just inside the right field foul line among Matt LaPorta, Jason Donald and Austin Kearns. Zobrist, who walked and stole second against Tony Sipp, scored.

The run ended Sipp's scoreless appearance streak at nine. It was the longest by an Indians reliever this year.

The Indians, in being shut out for the fifth time, put only four runners in scoring position.

Travis Hafner was replaced by pinch-hitter Andy Marte in the fourth. Hafner left with a tight upper back.

Laffey allowed three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked three in throwing 102 pitches.  He threw 55 percent (56-for-102) of his pitches for strikes.

Defensive back Travis Williams returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown to give the Shock a 62-56 overtime victory at The Q.

Joshua Gunter / The Plain DealerSpokane defensive back Travis Williams picks off a John Dutton pass on the Shock's 7 in overtime and begins his return for a winning touchdown Saturday night against the Gladiators at The Q.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Gladiators, losing players left and right, managed to make life difficult for the Spokane Shock on Saturday night. But all it got them was a moral victory.

Defensive back Travis Williams returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown to give the Shock a 62-56 overtime victory at The Q.

The Shock has won nine straight and owns the Arena Football League's best record at 11-2. It has not lost since May 1 at home, when Cleveland prevailed, 72-68.

The Gladiators (6-8) are all but eliminated from playoff contention. Among the things that need to happen for them to have a chance: Finish the season 2-0 and have the Milwaukee Iron go 0-3, including a loss by 29-plus points to Cleveland in the finale. Even that doesn't preclude Iowa from securing the fourth and final spot in the National Conference.

Two of the Gladiators' starting receivers, Ben Nelson and Chris Johnson, exited because of injuries midway through the game. Nelson was in the midst of a sensational season.

"Both injuries could be pretty bad," Gladiators coach Steve Thonn said. "We'll have to wait and see what the tests show."

The Gladiators lost the toss in overtime but the Shock deferred. Both teams are guaranteed one possession in OT.

Quarterback John Dutton's pass deflected off substitute receiver Victor Williams and into the hands of Travis Williams at the Spokane 7. Williams scooted in and around traffic en route to the end zone.

"I'm not going to make any excuses or point any fingers," Dutton said. "They came up with the defensive play when they needed it most."

The Gladiators were in a heap of trouble midway through the fourth quarter. Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley found Huey Whittaker from 16 yards on a fourth-and-3 for a 56-42 lead.

After Cleveland answered, Spokane had possession and a seven-point lead with one minute remaining. The Gladiators' defense, riddled all night, rose up and stopped the Shock on fourth down.

Dutton connected with Brent Holmes with 25.8 seconds left to pull the Gladiators within one. The extra point tied it.

In the final seconds of regulation, the Shock squandered an opportunity for no worse than a field-goal attempt. Whittaker caught a pass along the right sideline but failed to get out of bounds before time expired. A flag on the play was picked up.

"We had a lot of players get hurt, but the guys who filled in showed a lot of heart," Thonn said. "We're obviously disappointed with the result, but I'm proud of the effort."

The Shock led the Gladiators, 35-28, at intermission. Spokane and Cleveland entered the night as the AFL's top two teams in first-half scoring (Shock 32.6, Gladiators 32.3).

On the first possession of the game, Dutton connected with Nelson from 22 yards for a 7-0 lead. The Shock scored the next 21 points. After his team's first touchdown, Whittaker celebrated by imitating the LeBron James chalk toss. Several other Shock did the same throughout the game.

"I just figured I'd pay tribute to a great player," Whittaker said. "Unfortunately, you guys aren't going to see that in this arena."

Trailing, 28-14, the Gladiators pulled off one of their most electrifying plays of the season. From the Spokane 19, Dutton dumped a pass over the middle to 6-8, 325-pound tight end Adam Tadisch. The first Shock player hit Tadisch and barely made a dent. As the hits kept coming, Tadisch kept rumbling.

By the time he reached the 5, Tadisch had several players draped on him. The big man refused to go down, carrying them across the goal line.

"It looked like a circus out there," Dutton said. "Adam made a heckuva play. That will be on his highlight reel."

With less than one minute left, the Gladiators scored for the 35-28 margin. With three seconds remaining, Spokane decided against a short field-goal attempt and went for the touchdown. Rowley's pass was broken up in the left corner of the end zone as time expired.

Finding a title sponsor willing to offset what industry sources say can be a $6 million project annually is the main obstacle to reviving Cleveland's tradition of open-wheel racing.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerThis is the third consecutive summer without open-wheel racing on Cleveland's waterfront. While local officials continue to seek a way to return the Indy Racing League to Northeast Ohio, the window of opportunity may be closing.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Change is coming to the Indy Racing League. However, will Cleveland be a part of it?

By 2012, the IRL will unveil a new chassis and engine package that figures to be cutting edge. With new internal management and an aggressive new title sponsor in Izod, the IRL is out to jump-start its image and its open-wheel product.

But does Cleveland fit into the IRL's future?

All parties -- the city of Cleveland, the IRL and Mi-Jack Promotions -- agree, it's about money. Specifically, finding a title sponsor willing to offset what industry sources say can be a $6 million project annually to set up, tear down, pay fees and administrative costs, and more for the race at Burke Lakefront Airport.

"It is mainly a financial issue," said Ken Silliman, chief of staff for Mayor Frank Jackson.

Since the IRL-Champ Car merger in 2008, the Grand Prix of Cleveland has not been part of the IRL's schedule. The first hurdle was too many combined races between the two leagues that led to Cleveland's event getting left out. Now, with low-attended oval events getting canceled in favor of new road and temporary circuits, a window of opportunity is available. But it is going to cost.

"It's apparent, given the higher price tag after the merged leagues, that we need to do much more fundraising than the last time [2007]," Silliman said. "The question is going to be whether Cleveland's corporate community can raise sufficient funds to make this a possibility."

While the IRL was originally an oval racing series, it is no secret the league has turned toward replacing them with more marketable races on temporary circuits (Baltimore), or permanent road courses such as Mid-Ohio, 90 miles south of Cleveland, where series engine supplier Honda is the title sponsor. According to IRL officials, Mid-Ohio's contract is up after 2011.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerWith many of the drivers who took part in Cleveland races fading from the open-wheel scene, the chances of returning the week-long events also seems to dwindle.

There has been no official announcement about the IRL's 2011 schedule, but Mi-Jack, which has put on the Cleveland race since 2006 and is contracted with the city through 2012, has said Cleveland will not be on that 2011 plan.

"After careful consideration, Mi-Jack Promotions has determined that it is not possible to hold the Grand Prix of Cleveland in 2011," the company said in a recent release. "For the past two years, Mi-Jack Promotions has worked closely with officials from the Indy Racing League and the City of Cleveland with the goal of returning open-wheel racing to Burke Lakefront Airport.

"Progress was made and every practical scenario was considered. However, due to the economic realities of staging an event of this magnitude, it was determined that it was not possible for the Grand Prix to be viable in 2011. Moving forward, discussions are already under way with the Indy Racing League regarding 2012 and beyond.

"Despite the setback for 2011, Mi-Jack Promotions and the City of Cleveland remain committed to one day returning the Grand Prix of Cleveland to the shores of Lake Erie."

So is 2012 the last chance for open-wheel racing in Cleveland?

"We do not try to push too hard into markets," said IRL President Terry Angstadt during the Indianapolis 500 weekend. "If the community is not ready, or a promoter is not ready, we are probably not going to be successful. So there is no incentive for us to push into any market. And we love the place. We would love to have the conditions develop to allow us to come back there."

Meanwhile, other cities are stepping up. Birmingham, Ala., made it on the schedule this year. Baltimore is on the program for next year. With the IRL comfortable with a 17- or 18-race schedule, there are few openings. This is compounded by available race dates. Because of suspect weather in the spring and a lure to football as early as August, the last week of June through July is about the only realistic window of Cleveland opportunity.

In its heyday, the 26-year event on or around the Fourth of July weekend was worth $30 million to $50 million to the city economy, according to the Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau. The race also gave Cleveland a signature tourist event for the summer.

"Mayor Jackson would like to see the race return to Cleveland," Silliman said. "But we are going to need to see enough interest from Cleveland corporations to give us a shot at this. That's going to determine what our chances are."

Joshua Gunter / The Plain DealerUnless sponsorships start showing their interest in returning the races to Cleveland, professional racing may be permanently up in smoke.

Meanwhile, the city and Mi-Jack are open to title sponsorship money from outside the area as well. "We'll take sponsorship money from wherever it comes from," Silliman said.

All the while, lost time equals lost opportunities. Birmingham already has a spring date, Baltimore is on for August. The next city on board probably gets a summer date. So, 2012 could be now or never for Cleveland.

"I think, realistically, 2011 is out, 2012 is probably our last shot," said Don DiGeronimo, of Grand Prix Charities, which has been a part of the race since 1981.

"The city, the mayor, is totally committed. There are no issues there," said DiGeronimo, who is also president of Independence Communications. "But we probably got one more chance to get it back. The thing has been gone for so many years it's going to be hard to get momentum again. Once it comes back, it has to be back for a few years. It can't be a one-year deal."

"The city is on board, the IRL and the promoter," he said. "It's really just about finding the right business partner to make it successful in 2012. That's the goal. The challenge right now is securing the money."

Burke is not only at a place where fans can see it all, but on a track that is historically one of the fastest temporary circuits they can run on with plenty of room for passing.

"Attractive markets like that, where you can showcase your sport, where sponsors like to go, where there are business opportunities. ... We'd love to take advantage of that," Angstadt said of Cleveland. "So it's absolutely a market that our suppliers, sponsors, the league would love to be in."

Mi-Jack Promotions CEO Mike Lanigan said returning the race to Cleveland has been taxing, while at the same time he's holding out hope it can be done.

"Absolutely I'm getting frustrated," Lanigan said during Indy week. "But these are different times. We've done everything we can, and we're coming up empty on a lot of fronts."

While neither Lanigan nor officials with the IRL would officially put a dollar figure on making the race happen, privately the industry estimate is around $6 million.

Landing a title sponsor for the Cleveland race to help offset those expenses -- a $750,000 to $1.2 million outlay -- has been a struggle for years. Budweiser, Medic Drug, Marconi and US Bank have been Cleveland's title sponsor at various times over the 26 years of the race. But after Budweiser, which sponsored the race for the first 12 years, none of the others had much staying power.

"It is no small number," Lanigan said of the money required to make the race happen. Like title sponsors, Lanigan follows Champ Car, IMG, Penske Management and C.K. Newcomb and Associates in a long like of Promoters.

"But that doesn't mean we've given up," Lanigan said. "We are still pushing in a big way to figure out how we can do something sooner than later."

As time passes, more variables come into play. The number of IRL drivers who have raced in Cleveland during their careers dwindles. After Danica Patrick, Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves, it's tough to name another IRL regular who has raced here.

The last winner at Cleveland, Paul Tracy in 2007, is 41 years old and now just a part-time driver. Indeed, only two drivers who started that 2007 race in Cleveland -- Justin Wilson and Will Power -- are full-time IRL drivers now.

Lanigan said he didn't know if 2012 is the last opportunity for Cleveland.

"I have rarely given up on anything I've been involved with," Lanigan said. "We don't easily quit. Cleveland still offers the best of everything. But there are still a lot of pieces that have to be put together.

"There is no doubt the Indy Racing League wants to go to Cleveland. But it has got to be the right economics for everybody."

And it probably needs to happen by 2012.

On Sunday, The Plain Dealer published a four-page special section that looks at the life of LeBron James from being an Akron native to a Cleveland Cavalier.

Getty Images

LeBron James was the most hyped high school basketball player to enter the NBA Draft in 2003. Heading into his junior year, James became one of the first prepsters to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

He led his school to three state titles. James, who averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals his senior year, won Mr. Basketball three years in a row and was All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third time.

But his career in high school was not without controversy. Going into his junior year, then-Cavaliers coach John Lucas conducted open scrimmages on the practice courts at then-Gund Arena. James, along with several college players, Cavaliers players and free agents, participated in a scrimmage, which violated league rules prohibiting contact between NBA teams and players not yet eligible for the NBA Draft.

The NBA fined the Cavaliers $150,000 and suspended Lucas for two games.

Also while at St. V, James was suspended for two games by the Ohio High School Athletic Association when he accepted two throwback jerseys from a store in Shaker Heights.

2003-2008 LeBron gets a rousing start

LeBron James found some inspiration in the second half of only his second NBA All-Star Game in Feburary 2006.

“Charles Barkley kick-started us because I heard at halftime he said the game was over,” James said of the TNT analyst. “I’d like to thank Charles for kick-starting us.”

The East trailed by 21 points in the second half, but James fueled a comeback with jumpers and slashing moves to the basket that helped the East squeak out to a 122-120 win in the 55th All-Star Game in Houston.

James, at 21 years, 55 days, was exactly a year younger than Oscar Robertson was when he won the same award as a rookie in 1961.

James finished with 29 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Two years later, James won his second All-Star MVP behind 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, as he led the East to a 134-128 victory.

LeBron had the play of the night when he dribbled past Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire and up and over several outstretched arms, including Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki’s, for an incredible dunk that brought a roar from the crowd.

“LeBron is a freight train when he goes to the basket,” said then-West coach Byron Scott of New Orleans, now the coach of the Cavaliers. “He’s so big and so strong, and so quick and powerful. It’s hard to stop him when he gets momentum like that.”

2008-2010 The King wins back-to-back MVPs

LeBron James became the 10th player to win back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards this past season. But James and Steve Nash are the only back-to-back winners never to have won an NBA title.

“To be in that class with guys who won it back-to-back or won it period, and to be in those books is great,” said James following his second award.

James won his first MVP following the 2008-09 season. James led the Cavaliers to their most regular-season wins (66) and most wins at home (39) in franchise history.

James was so good (28.4 points per game, 7.2 assists, 7.6 rebounds) that he became the fourth player in NBA history to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) in one season.

James led the league in scoring (29.7 points) and finished with a career-high 8.6 rebounds per game to become the obvious choice for the 2009-10 MVP award.

He led the Cavs to the best record in the league for the second straight year, but they fell short in the postseason again.

Jay Leno joked on his Friday show that Clevelanders' responses to LeBron's departure run the gamut "from angry to very angry." But actually, reactions across Northeast Ohio are much more nuanced than that, especially in the King's hometown of Akron.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerThe gigantic "Witness" mural that overlooked downtown for years might be coming down, but many people in Greater Cleveland still respect his image.

WITH ROBERT L. SMITH

The day after LeBron James stunned Northeast Ohio by leaving the Cavaliers, a Nike "Witness" poster remained firmly taped to the wall in downtown Cleveland's Styles and Profiles barber shop.

"What would we take it down for?" asked barber Russell Vaughn, 58. "His decision was his to make. Yes, it was hard on us, but he did what he had to do."

Vaughn's comments stirred a swift retort from Ray Paulk, 47, a Cleveland truck driver who felt the way the star departed left behind a bad taste.

"You had one job to do -- that was bring a ring home, and you didn't do it," said Paulk. "Then you skipped out."

The debate inside this small shop, featured years ago in one of Nike's first Witness commercials, reflected the range and intensity of emotions churning in Northeast Ohio since the region's hero declared he was changing teams.

The conversation is more thoughtful and nuanced in Greater Cleveland than what the nation saw Thursday night, when news cameras captured fans burning LeBron jerseys. Heartbreak is the universal sentiment, but beyond talk radio and sports bars, forgiving voices blend with the accusatory ones.

Within the black community especially, people are less likely to condemn James' decision and to try to understand it. Local reaction at times has illustrated a generational divide, with older fans more likely to see betrayal and younger fans more likely to defend a young person's right to chase his dreams. And especially down Interstate 77 in James' hometown of Akron, he's still the King to many.

"It was a heartbreak that he left. But I probably would have done the same thing," said Romero Fountaine, 14, while spending time at the Broadway Boys & Girls Club in Cleveland. "I can still look up to him."

Elizabeth England, 40, a black Cleveland Heights mother of three, feels James is someone her sons can emulate.

"I see a man who takes care of his children, who respects and loves his mother. I'm proud that he came from humble beginnings and did some positive things with his ability."

James engenders a different kind of pride in the black community, where people remark upon more than athletic skills.

Mansfield Frazier, a writer and community activist in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood, noted that James has stayed true to the mother of his children, is a good father and gives back to the community, sponsoring an annual bike-a-thon and contributing to Boys & Girls Clubs.

"That does get him a pass in the black community. I think blacks are less inclined to beat up on him," Frazier said.

Many black fans began to recoil at what they saw as unjust criticism and personal attacks on James. Team owner Dan Gilbert's characterization of James as a narcissist and a traitor struck a nerve.

Lisa DeJong/The Plain DealerBarber Russell Vaughn, 58, of Lakewood, says he is happy for LeBron James and his decision to leave Cleveland as he works on customer Ray Paulk, 47, of Cleveland at the Styles and Profiles Barber Shop at 1431 Chester Avenue in downtown Cleveland on Friday, July 9, 2010. Vaughn says he will leave his "Witness" sign up, in background.

"I think it's because there's a feeling in the black community that there's a double standard, that more is expected of black athletes," Frazier said. "Blacks are expected to leave money on the table and be loyal."

Keith Jones, a 39-year-old black flight attendant and Akron resident, believes James made a professional decision and is being unfairly maligned.

"I feel this had nothing to do with his loyalty," Jones said. "He will always be an Akron native. He just moved on to a different part of his life."

Still, while many fans are willing to accept that James moved on, they are united in dismay for how he chose to do it. They saw the ESPN "Decision" show as needless humiliation for Cleveland.

For that, Frazier blasts James' handlers, the people who surround him. "They're basically kids," he said. "Inconsiderate children."

Perturbed by how James "chose to discard Cleveland in front of a national television audience," former local television newsman Ben Holbert spent Friday contacting an interracial group of 50 friends and professional contacts. Holbert, who is black, wants them to join him in coming up with a marketing strategy to counter the insult and offer another view of Cleveland.

"I'm not throwing in the towel. We got too much to offer," said Holbert, 51, now the U.S. Census Bureau's local spokesman.

A young generation may not be joining his crusade.

Even though Deante Smith, 19, had to comfort sad-faced kids Friday as a counselor at the Broadway Boys & Girls Club, he still believes "LeBron doesn't owe nobody nothing."

Smith knows older Clevelanders feel that James let down their championship-starved city by leaving, and that not long ago, players like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan stayed loyal to the towns and fans that made them superstars.

He's one of several under-30 Clevelanders who don't see a betrayal. They've seen their own peers leapfrog to bigger cities, and sports heroes of their generation flit from one market to the next.

"You can't force nobody to stay nowhere they don't want to be," insisted Smith. "I don't like the way [James] handled it though. Don't have a one-hour program telling Cleveland you're not coming. That was messed up."

Yet in a week of high emotions, age wasn't a precise predictor of responses. Neither was race or gender. Said George Julien, 45, a white Cleveland Heights resident, "What he's been through, at his age, he's just got to do what's right for him."

Julien compared James leaving to Jim Brown announcing that he was retiring from the Browns at age 30, with plenty of records under his belt and much more to accomplish.

Another point of view, largely dormant these past five weeks in the uncertainty over James' future, ends with a big question mark. Why are we investing so much spirit in this issue?

Stanley Miller, executive director of the Cleveland NAACP, complains there has been far too much LeBronmania, while real issues lack attention.

"It was fun to have it as a diversion, but it ended up becoming a distraction," Miller said Friday. "We've got 25- and 26-year-olds, really bright minds, leaving this city every day. I don't see the same effort to keep them."

James, he said, is overrated.

"He made some contributions to this community, he contributed some money, but when you talk about our real needs, he didn't make a dent. We have to put this behind us and put our enthusiasm behind a real issue. Just pick one."

Felicia Adams, 32, of Euclid, also sees misplaced priorities. "Cleveland public schools are a failure, we have kids who go to bed without food, parents who abuse them, people who don't have jobs and are soon to be homeless -- and yet we're out on the street protesting, making signs, about an entertainer? That's what he is," she said.

People are noticeably less critical, and maybe reach harder toward understanding, 35 miles south of Cleveland, in the neighborhoods where James grew up.

Willie Owens, a barber for 50 years in Akron's mostly-black Buchtel neighborhood, not that long ago used to see a young LeBron dribble past his shop window. He's saddened to know the James era is over, but the white-haired man takes a paternal view.

"I had a daughter born and raised here," he said. "I wish she stayed. But she had to go on and live her own life."

That sentiment was seconded many times in Owens' shop, where customers were quick to defend James' right to move on and expressed gratitude for his time among them.

"He put us on the map," said Duane Temple, a 53-year-old construction worker. "The rubber companies left. That young man, he doesn't owe us anything. I'm very proud of him. No matter where he goes, I'm in his corner."

Handsome townhouses have replaced the gritty apartments that James knew in Akron's Elizabeth Park projects. But the children know it was his brief tenure that gives their address a cool factor.

On Friday, the teens tapping into the Internet at the Cascade Village community center expressed support and admiration for James and only a casual allegiance to his former team.

"I am a LeBron fan, not a Cleveland fan. I'll just become another Miami Heat fan," said Jasmine Hartwell, 16, her eyes narrowing. "And it was evil to burn his jersey."

But her friend, Charmyn King, 17, wondered aloud at what James was leaving.

"He had a lot of support here -- real support," she said. "It won't be like that in Miami. I mean, they probably want him there, but they don't love him like we do."

Imagine you were from Cleveland, asleep for 3 days, woke up in South Florida and picked up the Miami Herald on Sunday. You would've thought you had woken up in the Bizarro World.

Scott Shaw / The Plain DealerEt tu Z?

Here are 3 stories from the Sunday Herald that Clevelanders might find hard to stomach.

1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas considering joining Heat

"Cavaliers free agent center Zydrunas Ilgauskas told The Miami Herald on Saturday that he is ``looking into the option'' of rejoining James, his close friend, in Miami. Ilgauskas said he has been in contact with the Heat, making him one of a handful of veteran centers Miami has pursued in recent days."

Yes, Ilgauskas is free to do what he wants, gave the Cavaliers 13 inspiring seasons, didn't string us along for years, went along with that trade to Washington and is so deserving of a championship, but still, Miami?

2. LeBron James loved, hated and misunderstood

While James' reputation has taken a hit nationally, Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard sees it differently.

He chose to take less money. He chose to sacrifice being the singular star of his team in order to share the stage -- and in a city that belonged to another star, no less. He chose to admit to all that he needed to lean on a friend for help. He chose to go from the easy and forever love of little Cleveland to unholy criticism that would wildfire-spread from the burning jerseys in his hometown to a smoldering that would engulf our entire sports nation. He chose to go from hero to villain. Chose it. Think about that. He chose to go from love to hate. And he chose to subjugate his enormous ego in the name of team. In other words, he put winning above all else -- above money, adoration, even home.

Le Batard was turned off by "The Decision" TV special, but writes that's not the point.

The way James chose to make his announcement was cheesy and ridiculous and a monument to the kind of childish me-me-me fans despise from arrogant athletes. It was also benign and fun and funny, but it doesn't feel that way to fans when an athlete dares to toy and tease with those damn emotions. So it becomes one of the worst ideas an athlete has ever had in theory and in execution -- a disaster so epic that it buried James' unprecedented message about winning and sacrifice.

3. Cavaliers owner redefines sour grapes

Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote writes about Dan Gilbert's open letter to fans and Cleveland's reaction to 'The Decision,'

Dear Dan [Gilbert] and Cavs fans: LeBron had every right to leave, and he chose a better team and a better city than what you could offer. Deal with it. The shame in this isn't that LeBron chose to leave or even in the way he did. The Cavaliers owner and Cleveland fans are the ones who are shamed by their almost comically childish response.

Oh no he didn't.

It's much too early for the Miami Heat's Big 3 to start counting titles

A voice of reason, at least from this perspective, can be found 90 miles to the north at The Palm Beach Post. Greg Stoda writes about that over-the-top party the Heat threw for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

It was James who figured the games themselves will be "easy" in comparison to Heat practice sessions.

They sounded disdainful of opponents almost to the point of insolence.

They acted with a superciliousness bordering on scornful.

They were full enough of themselves that James felt comfortable counting up to seven championships as a possibility before he, Wade and Bosh are done heaping carnage upon the NBA.

Nailed it.

With the ballclub no longer able to hide behind the long-running LeBron James drama, how exposed are the Indians going to be to public criticism?

UPDATED: 7:31 p.m.

Mike Carlson / Associated PressTampa Bay's Carl Crawford is able to escape this first-inning rundown and score when Indians third baseman Andy Marte made an errant throw to catcher Chris Gimenez Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The All-Star break is here. If you're an Indians fan, be grateful for small favors.

The first 88 games did not go well. Fifty four of them, including Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Rays, ended in defeat. That puts them on pace to lose 99 games for the season.

Jason Bartlett's drive to the right-center gap off Kerry Wood in the bottom of the 10th scored Carl Crawford as the Rays finished at the break 54-34 and well-positioned to push for the postseason.

Now for the real concern in the executive offices at Progressive Field. With their ballclub no longer able to hide behind the long-running LeBron James drama, how exposed are they going to be to public criticism?

If the Indians were ignored in the first half -- they went into the break last in the league in attendance at 632,992 -- how will they respond to disdain?

They've traded or released most of their veterans. The ones left behind, Wood, Jake Westbrook, Austin Kearns and Jhonny Peralta, are available. What we're going to see in the next 74 games is the youngest 25-man roster in the big leagues turned loose against the American League. Going young always looks good on paper, but seldom in the box score.

"We're just going to continue to preach and teach," said manager Manny Acta during the series against the Rays. "We do that regardless of who is on our roster."

Praying is another suggestion.

The Indians took a 3-0 lead in the first inning Sunday against Jeff Niemann. Austin Kearns drove in two runs with a single into center field. Jayson Nix walked and Carlos Santana doubled to set the table.

Matt LaPorta doubled home the other run.

By the fifth inning, the Rays were leading, 5-3. Crawford hit a two-run homer off Justin Masterson in the fifth to make it 4-3. B.J. Upton added a sacrifice fly.

"He’s kind of locked in right now," Masterson said of Crawford. "That was the same happy spot he got Jake’s pitches (for a pair of home runs on Thursday night). "That’s where I didn’t want to be."

The Indians came back to make it 5-5 in the sixth. LaPorta walked against Dan Wheeler and scored on singles by Andy Marte and Trevor Crowe. A bunt single by Chris Gimenez, making his 2010 debut for the Tribe, loaded the bases. Marte scored the tying run on Anderson Hernandez's double-play grounder.

"We felt we let the game get away from us in the sixth inning," Acta said. "I felt we should have taken the lead there. Bases loaded, no outs, we couldn’t score more than one run, and that basically cost us the game because I felt that, if we had taken the lead there our bullpen was going to able to hold them off."

The game stayed tied into extra innings in a contest of bullpens. Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Chris Perez and Hector Ambriz combined for four scoreless innings in relief of Masterson. After Wheeler gave up two runs in the sixth, Randy Choate, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Rafael Soriano and Andy Sonnenstine (2-0, 4.17) pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the Rays.

The zeroes almost ended in the ninth when Ambriz walked Carlos Pena and Matt Joyce and gave up a single to John Jaso to load the bases. But Upton flied out to shallow center field, Reid Brignac struck out and Sean Rodriguez hit into a force play at third.

The Rays took a bite out of the Indians' 3-0 lead in the first as Crawford ran his way out of a rundown between third and home to score thanks to some shoddy defense. With Crawford on third and Evan Longoria on first with one out, Pena sent a hard shot back to the mound. Masterson spun around and caught the grounder with a sweeping backhand grab. Crawford, halfway between third and home, stopped.

Masterson ran him back to third and flipped to Marte. Crawford reversed field and kicked it into overdrive toward home as Marte gave chase. Marte threw to catcher Gimenez, but bounced his throw. Crawford scored and Marte was charged with an error.

"He did the right thing by staying in the rundown, permitting the other runners to move up," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "And they just muffed the throw coming back to the plate and he was able to avoid the tag once again."

The Rays, who scored all four of their runs with two out in a 4-0 victory Saturday, made it 3-2 in the fourth with another two-out run. After Upton doubled with two down, Brignac sent an 0-2 pitch through the middle to deliver Upton.

Masterson allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked three in 100 pitches, including 59 strikes.

"He’s been really good as of late against lefties but he struggled again today against them," Acta said. "Basically a few balls just leaked out over the plate."

Niemann allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one on 70 pitches.