The Vikings have a chance to get a firm hold on first in the Horizon League ... but they've been in this position before and failed to get it done.

View full sizeKaren Schiely, Akron Beacon JournalKent State's Mike Porrini: "We expect to win home games. For us to win the MAC, we have to win on the road."

This is a golden opportunity for the Cleveland State men's basketball team to separate itself from the Horizon League pack. Yes, the next three games are on the road, beginning at 7 p.m. tonight at Youngstown State. But get past stubborn YSU, and the Vikings play the league's two worst teams, Illinois-Chicago and Loyola, while their main competition has some serious battles.

The Vikings (17-4, 7-2) have been in this position before -- and failed to get the job done. Last season, CSU needed a home-court win against Milwaukee to lock up sole possession of first place. The Vikings lost, the season ended in a three-way tie and CSU was the odd team out for the coveted top two byes in the league tournament.

Earlier this season, the Vikings could have put some distance between themselves and most of the league with a road win against Valparaiso, but they failed to get that done. Now Valpo (14-8, 7-3) has once again opened the door for Cleveland State.

The Crusaders' loss Thursday at Green Bay has them one game back of the Vikings in the loss column.

A win for the Vikings at YSU (11-8, 6-3) would put CSU at least a game up on the field. And with three-loss Valpo and three-loss Milwaukee (14-8, 7-3) playing each other today, the contenders list will be narrowed even more -- as long as the Vikings win.

The big one: The Kent State (13-6, 3-3) men play a huge road game at Toledo (10-10, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) tonight that could define the Golden Flashes' season. The defending MAC East Division champs have yet to pick up a road win in conference play. Rebuilding Toledo is coming off its first MAC road win of the season (Miami). A KSU win would keep the Flashes on the fringe of the East Division race and in the mix for one of the top-four seeds in the conference tournament.

A loss, with a road game following at Central Michigan, could be devastating to both causes.

"We expect to win home games," said senior guard Mike Porrini after Kent's most recent win against Northern Illinois. "For us to win the MAC, we have to win on the road. We've got Toledo and Central Michigan [on the road] and can't take them lightly. We have to take them seriously."

On cruise control: That would be Akron (14-7, 6-1 MAC), as it appears there will be no real challenge for the MAC East Division leaders who have clearly hit their stride in conference play. The Zips are on the second leg of a six-game segment through the mild West Division, with Central Michigan (7-12, 2-4) next up. The Chippewas were predicted to be one of the better MAC teams each of the past two seasons, with 6-foot-5 guard Trey Zeigler, but they haven't been able to string many victories together.

Akron, on the other hand, has been rolling since its roster settled in following three suspensions in December. The Zips don't appear to have a serious challenge ahead of them until the final three games of the conference season -- at Ohio, Buffalo at home and at Kent State. By then, a league championship banner could already be flying at Rhodes Arena.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: ealexand@plaind.com, 216-999-4253

Manager Manny Acta isn't worried about the Indians lineup have too many left-handed hitters in it.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerIndians second baseman Jason Kipnis is one of many left-handed hitters in the Tribe's projected lineup. The Indians might send at least six lefties to the plate when a right-hander is pitching.

Manager Manny Acta accepts it. It's not like he didn't go through it a lot last year.

"That's why we didn't sign Prince Fielder," Acta said with a laugh Thursday night at the start of the Indians' mall tour. "You guys said we have too many left-handed hitters."

Fielder, who is indeed a left-hander, signed a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Tigers. The Tigers just so happened to win the AL Central last year by 15 games over the second-place Indians.

"We're fine with our left-handed hitters," Acta said. "Who was the team that won the division last year? They don't have one left-hander in their rotation. We all know that on the majority of teams, the majority of starting pitchers are right-handed.

"You can't build a team thinking about someone else's bullpen. Your job is to score as many runs as possible against the starters."

The rotation that kick-started the Tigers' stretch run to the division title -- Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny -- was all right-handed. Lefty Phil Coke did make 14 starts during the season.

Left-handed hitters expected to make the Tribe's starting lineup this season are second baseman Jason Kipnis, left fielder Michael Brantley, center fielder Grady Sizemore, right fielder Shin-Soo Choo and DH Travis Hafner. Lonnie Chisenhall and Jack Hannahan, two more lefties, will compete for the third base job.

Here's what they hit last season against righties: Kipnis .276 (27-for-98) with six homers and 14 RBI; Brantley .289 (90-for-311), seven, 35; Sizemore .239 (47-for-97), eight, 25; Choo .254 (52-for-205), seven, 29; Hafner .302 (67-for-222), nine, 38; Chisenhall .253 (41-for-162), two, 11; and Hannahan .226 (48-for-212), six, 14. As a team the Indians hit .247 against righties and .258 against lefties.

"Ideally, you want to have a balance," Acta said. "But at the end of the day you need guys who can hit no matter how they swing the bat.

"Our issue is developing young hitters. Right now we have Kipnis and Chisenhall. Down the road, we're not trying to make them platoon players. Whoever is pitching, they're going to have to face down the road."

Acta said the Indians are working hard to improve the offense. Their most public pursuits of bats have been Carlos Beltran and Carlos Pena. The Indians offered Beltran, a switch-hitting outfielder, a two-year, $24 million deal, but he signed with St. Louis. They offered Pena, a left-handed hitting first baseman, a reported one-year, $8 million deal, but he signed with Tampa Bay for $7.25 million.

Hall of Famers: Gaylord Perry was elected to the Indians Hall of Fame. Perry went 70-57 for the Indians in three-plus season (1972-75). He won the AL Cy Young Award in 1972 with 24 victories, a 1.92 ERA and 234 strikeouts.

Perry, a 314-game winner, is a member of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Trainer Jimmy Warfield and broadcaster/outfielder Jack Graney will be inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame for non-uniformed personnel. Warfield spent 37 years with the Indians' organization from 1965 until his death during the 2002 season.

Graney was an Indians outfielder from 1908 through 1922. He was the first former player to become a broadcaster, doing Indians games from 1933 through 1953.

Perry, Warfield and Graney will be inducted Aug. 11 before the Indians' game against Boston at Progressive Field.

Finally: The Indians hired Court Berry-Tripp as coordinator of baseball information. Berry-Tripp was the former manager of media relations for the Texas Rangers.

BRUNSWICK, Ohio — Redemption. The Brunswick boys basketball team had to wait a week for their chance at it after a 100-70 loss at Mentor on Jan. 20. A 24-9 scoring run during the final 13 minutes of play Friday led the Blue Devils (12-2) to a 65-50 home victory over North Royalton (7-5).

Brunswick coach Joe Mackey.

BRUNSWICK, Ohio — Redemption.

The Brunswick boys basketball team had to wait a week for their chance at it after a 100-70 loss at Mentor on Jan. 20. A 24-9 scoring run during the final 13 minutes of play Friday led the Blue Devils (12-2) to a 65-50 home victory over North Royalton (7-5).

"It's been a miserable week," Brunswick coach Joe Mackey said. "I can't tell you how many people have asked me how good Mentor is, and everybody wanted to talk about Mentor all week long. I really just wanted to focus on North Royalton, and I'm happy for our kids. The plan is to move on now, play another game and, more importantly, win."

The Blue Devils, ranked No. 13 in The Plain Dealer, got the bulk of their scoring from two sophomores, guards Ryan Badowski and Zach Parker, and junior forward Taylor Armagost. Parker led all scorers with 18 points, while Badowski scored 16 and Armagost 14.

"We wanted to come back and prove that that was a fluke," Parker said of the Mentor loss. "It was nice to get a win and get a better feeling."

"It was a lot of motivation," Badowski added. "We really needed a bounce-back game, and we're going to use it. We needed to get our confidence back. Mentor forced turnovers, so our main concern was not turning over the ball and hitting our open shots. It's a huge win, and we'll get a lot of our confidence back."

With the score tied at 41 early in the third quarter, Badowski made a 3-pointer to put the Blue Devils in front for good.

Following Parker's layup in transition, Badowski buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 53 seconds left in the quarter. Parker closed out the period with a triple in the final seconds.

After Parker's lone 3-pointer of the second half, the Bears would get no closer than 12 points.

"It was right there, a five- or six-point game with a minute and a half to go, and all of a sudden, we had some turnovers, they got some run-outs and it was up to 10 pretty quick," North Royalton coach Tim Matus said. "After that, it was tough for us."

The Bears went to work against Brunswick's zone defense early in the game and their long-range shooting gave them a one-point lead after the first quarter. North Royalton's first three field goals and four of its first five baskets came from beyond the 3-point arc.

Brunswick stayed close in the first quarter with its transition game. The Blue Devils turned stops into points and outscored the Bears, 19-14, in the second quarter.

Matt Florjancic is a freelance writer in Broadview Heights.

Michigan's Trey Burke and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger grew up in Columbus spending most of their time as teammates. Things will be different on Sunday.

View full sizeTerry Gilliam, Associated PressOhio State's Jared Sullinger, above, attributes some of his ball-handling skills to one-on-one games against Michigan's Trey Burke when both were kids growing up in Columbus.

Together, they were virtually unstoppable.

"When you have a quality point guard and a big man that understands the game, it really didn't make too much difference what surrounded them," said Satch Sullinger, who coached both his son and Burke at Northland. "It was going to be a special team."

In fourth and fifth grades, Benji Burke, who coached both his son and Sullinger in AAU, remembers the great footwork of the biggest player on the court who scored nearly at will, as well as the guard who'd steal the ball away from the other team before it reached half court.

"The rec league hated them because it was an unfair duo playing together," Benji Burke said.

But against each other, they were a mess.

View full sizeAPMichigan's Trey Burke was Ohio's Mr. Basketball last season.

In full five-on-five settings, it happened only in random pickup games -- and then only a handful of times. Never have Burke and Sullinger actually put on opposing uniforms and taken the court. But there were the times shoveling snow off courts in the winter to go one-on-one in the cold, or the indoor Nerf basketball games when Benji Burke said they made it sound "like the house was coming down."

"Jared would foul Trey, and they'd run into the wall," he said. And they'd fight. One might be sent to the basement to cool off, the other upstairs. But if they competed against each other, they knew how it would end.

"Whoever won, the other one was mad," said Jared Sullinger. "Regardless, there was going to be a fight at the end of it."

That's how brothers are. And that's how the Burkes and the Sullingers describe Ohio State's All-American sophomore post presence and the Michigan freshman point guard who has taken the Big Ten by storm. Not almost like brothers -- just brothers.

And that's why Sunday, when No. 20 Michigan (16-5, 6-2 Big Ten) visits No. 4 Ohio State (18-3, 6-2 Big Ten) with the conference lead on the line, will be so strange. Benji Burke and Jared Sullinger had lunch this week, and Sullinger wondered if Trey would speak to him on the court. Satch Sullinger sent a text message to Trey Burke on Friday about the emotions of returning to his hometown and told him, "Don't come here to try to prove a point. Just come here as the Michigan point guard, and that will be good enough."

Then Trey messaged Jared to ask if they will talk or not.

"I said, 'Yeah,' " Sullinger said with a laugh. "And I didn't get a text back."

There's so much that's already been said. They helped each other get where they are -- both the friends and the families. Jared Sullinger still calls Burke's parents "Mom" and "Pops."

"They're family, regardless of the color of the jersey or the rivalry of the school," Sullinger said. "Growing up, that was basically my second family."

Sullinger attributes his ball skills to those one-on- one games, when the overweight 5-7 middle-schooler had to be able to dribble around the 5-foot friend who was one year younger. Burke said he learned how to feed the post and move without the ball by playing with the best big man in the city.

And now they're putting those skills, those memories and that friendship to use in opposing colors. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe it's wondering what it would have been like to continue the partnership.

"I would have loved for them to play together, at Michigan or at Ohio State," Benji Burke said. "But that's a perfect world. And sometimes, I think that, honestly, Trey went where he was supposed to go."

While OSU coach Thad Matta was onto recruiting Sullinger early thanks to coaching his older brother, J.J., he never recruited Burke much, choosing Aaron Craft, also in that All-Ohio AAU program, as his point guard in last year's class and Georgia's Shannon Scott, an early oral commitment, in this year's. Burke, meanwhile, gave and rescinded a hasty oral commitment to Penn State before settling on the Wolverines, noticing that the Buckeyes weren't that interested despite recruiting both Sullinger and current sophomore J.D. Weatherspoon from Northland.

"He wasn't interested in me as much I wanted them to be," Burke said, "but once I got here to Michigan, I saw this was the best decision for me."

At Michigan, Burke was able to seize the starting point-guard job after Darius Morris left for the NBA. At Ohio State, he would be coming off the bench behind Craft, as Scott is.

"Trey Burke is exactly where he needs to be because he wouldn't have had the ball in his hands if he came to Ohio State," Satch Sullinger said. "All of a sudden at Michigan, everyone gets to see what Trey can do."

Among those seeing it is his basketball brother, who can't bring himself to root for Michigan but does root for Burke. Sullinger, who said he almost teared up with pride when he went back to Northland to see Burke sign his national letter of intent with Michigan, said he always knew Burke would be this good.

"They said he was too slow, they said he was too short, he couldn't shoot, he couldn't pass, and now everybody that looked past him, it's like, 'Wow, we should have recruited that guy,' " Sullinger said. "I'm happy that Trey got to go away and spread his wings and become his own person. Obviously, Trey is showing everybody that he can play, and I'm just happy that he's at Michigan and handling his business like a man."

Just keep an eye on the loser Sunday. You know how brothers can be.

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

Here's today's sports listings for TV and radio for the Cleveland area.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerCoach David Quinn (standing) and the Lake Erie Monsters host the Hamilton Bulldogs tonight at 7:30 in a game televised by Fox Sports Ohio and broadcast on WKNR/850 AM.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today on the air

(Click on to links for more team or event information)

AUTO RACING

2:30 p.m. SPEED -- Rolex Sports Car Series, 24 Hours at Daytona

EXTREME SPORTS

2 p.m. ESPN2 -- Winter X Games, at Aspen, Colo.

4 p.m. ABC -- Winter X Games, at Aspen, Colo.

9 p.m. ESPN -- Winter X Games, at Aspen, Colo.

2 a.m. ESPN2 -- Winter X Games, at Aspen, Colo. (delayed tape)

FIGURE SKATING

4 p.m. NBC -- U.S. Championships, part I

9 p.m. NBC -- U.S. Championships, part II

GOLF

1 p.m. Golf Channel -- PGA Tour, Farmers Insurance Open

3 p.m. CBS -- PGA Tour, Farmers Insurance Open

4 a.m. Golf Channel -- European PGA Tour, Abu Dhabi Championship (final round) 

MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

11 a.m. ESPNU -- Ball State at Ohio

Noon ESPN -- St. John's at Duke (Preview)

Noon ESPN2 -- Marquette at Villanova (Preview)

1 p.m. ESPNU -- West Virginia at Syracuse (Preview)

1 p.m. CBS -- Texas at Baylor (Preview)

2 p.m. ESPN -- Kansas at Iowa St. (Preview)

3 p.m. ESPNU -- Tennessee Tech at Morehead State 

3 p.m. Fox Sports Ohio -- Tulsa at SMU

4 p.m. ESPN -- Georgetown at Pittsburgh (Preview)

4 p.m. ESPN2 -- Purdue at Northwestern

4 p.m. NBC Sports Network -- San Diego St. at Colorado St. (Preview)

5 p.m. ESPNU -- Northern Iowa at Missouri State 

5 p.m. CBS Sports Network -- Colgate at Holy Cross

6 p.m. SportsTime Ohio -- Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan

6 p.m. ESPN2 -- Auburn at Tennessee

7 p.m. ESPNU -- Butler at Green Bay

7 p.m. ESPN -- Washington at Arizona

8 p.m. Big Ten Network -- Illinois at Minnesota

8 p.m. ESPN2 -- Virginia at NC State (Preview)

9 p.m. ESPNU -- St. Mary's at BYU (Preview) 

11 p.m. ESPNU -- Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

8 p.m. FOX -- Middleweights, Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping; middleweights, Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman; light heavyweights, Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis

NBA

9 p.m. NBATV -- Sacramento at Utah

HOCKEY

7 p.m. NBC Sports Network -- NHL All-Star Super Skills Competition

7:30 p.m. Fox Sports Ohio; WKNR/850 AM -- HAMILTON at MONSTERS 

(Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Monsters coverage)

7:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network -- NCAA, Maine at Boston University

TENNIS

12:30 a.m. Tennis Channel -- Australian Open, mixed doubles final

3 a.m. (Sunday) ESPN2 -- Australian Open, men's final

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Noon SportsTime Ohio -- Ball State at Miami (Ohio)

12:30 p.m. Fox Sports Ohio -- Kansas State at Oklahoma State

3 p.m. Big Ten Network -- Purdue at Iowa

3 p.m. CBS Sports Network -- Colorado State at San Diego State

5 p.m. FSN -- Rice at Houston

7 p.m. FSN -- Oregon at Oregon St.

The era of instant communication has brought with it two overriding verities: We have the ability to let loose our thoughts practically the instant we have them. And we have the corresponding responsibility to keep our inner editor on standby alert during every waking minute. As such, after an ill-considered Tweet went unintentionally viral, Tony Grossi was removed from the Cleveland Browns beat last week.

David I. Andersen, The Plain DealerTony Grossi, who had covered the Cleveland Browns at The Plain Dealer  for roughly two decades, was removed from the beat on Tuesday by Editor Debra Adams Simmons, Managing Editor Thom Fladung and Sports Editor Roy Hewitt after an ill-considered Tweet went unintentionally viral.

The era of instant communication has brought with it two overriding verities: We have the ability to let loose our thoughts practically the instant we have them. And we have the corresponding responsibility to keep our inner editor on standby alert during every waking minute.

Unfortunately, and to our peril, the second occasionally fails to keep up with the first. That is true of anyone who has access to an email account or a cellphone, and it is especially true for those of us who make our living as communicators. Once it's out there, it's OUT there -- and no amount of attempted deletions, apologies, excuses or modern technology can take it back.

That sad fact led to a painful decision Plain Dealer editors had to make last week.

Tony Grossi, who had covered the Cleveland Browns at this newspaper for roughly two decades, was removed from the beat on Tuesday by Editor Debra Adams Simmons, Managing Editor Thom Fladung and Sports Editor Roy Hewitt after an ill-considered Tweet went unintentionally viral.

Grossi had typed a message, which he termed "a smart-(aleck) remark to a colleague," that called Browns owner Randy Lerner "a pathetic figure, the most irrelevant billionaire in the world."

But instead of sending a text message only to its intended recipient, he hit the wrong button and sent it out to his 15,000-plus Twitter followers.

Grossi said he discovered to his horror what had happened within about 60 seconds, and immediately retracted the Tweet, but the damage had been done. When he realized the following morning that the Tweet had been copied and re-Tweeted around the football world, he called Fladung to give him the bad news.

An apology -- to Lerner, the Browns and Grossi's Twitter followers -- was quick in coming. Editors also posted an apology on cleveland.com and Publisher Terrance C.Z. Egger sent Lerner and the Browns a letter of apology.

But Fladung was still left with a problem: His Browns reporter had revealed to the world his utter disdain for the owner of the team he was covering. How would the paper's readers be able to have faith in the objectivity in his reports following that?

"In another area, it would be an obvious call," said Fladung. "What if the reporter covering City Hall called the mayor pathetic and irrelevant? What if a reporter in the Columbus bureau said that about the governor? They would be removed from the beat immediately. It's the same with this situation."

Editor Adams Simmons said the discussion was dismal, but the three editors reluctantly decided that Grossi could not continue on the beat.

"If in your most private moments you feel like the leader of the institution you cover is pathetic, that raises questions about how fair you can be," she said. "And once those opinions become public, it becomes a bigger problem. There's the potential for readers to question the objectivity of everything you write."

An important point to make is that there is a difference between columnists and reporters at a newspaper.

"If it had been a columnist who wrote that, we might cringe, but that role is different," said Adams Simmons. "They're paid to offer up opinions, however prickly. But we're not asking them to go out and cover a team in a fair and balanced and objective way, like we are with a reporter."

It's also important that you know what didn't happen, because there are a lot of questions and conclusions being thrown around by people who don't know what they're talking about:

• Tony Grossi was not fired, nor was the move disciplinary. He will be reassigned to a different role in the sports department, not as punishment but because editors decided that he could no longer credibly remain on that beat.

• The Browns had nothing to do with the decision. None of the editors involved talked with anyone connected with the team before making the call. In fact, the Browns' first communication with the paper's leadership was not until Wednesday, after the decision had been made, when Egger met with Browns President Mike Holmgren and Lerner.

• The Browns did not threaten to remove Grossi's media credential, nor did such a consideration play any role in the decision, as a radio talk-show host alleged last week.

• This was not an issue of First Amendment rights or of censorship. Anyone who works at the paper has the right to say, write or Tweet anything they wish. But they do not have a corresponding right to say it in the newspaper or on the website or on their newspaper Twitter account. If they do, the editors who are in charge of maintaining the credibility of the newspaper have the right to change their assignment.

Understandably, Grossi does not agree with the decision. He said he didn't mean it as a malicious Tweet, that he doesn't typically interact with Lerner, "and my opinion of him doesn't color my coverage of the team."

"We're given these marching orders to Tweet your beat, to gather and attract a following, to be provocative, because it's good for our brand to interact with the readers," he said. "But we're all learning the perils of this new invention."

Reporters know or should know the mechanics of Tweeting, and that the journalistic standards are the same as they are with any other form of reporting. But he's right that newspaper folks are asked to perform on a lot more platforms than in the past, and to do it quickly, without a lot of reflective time.

Grossi is a passionate guy with strong, honest opinions, who cares deeply about the team and its fans, and he brings that quality to his reporting -- mostly for good but not always. In 1990, his acrimonious relationship with then-owner Art Modell led to a journalistic breach that resulted in his removal from the Browns beat and reassignment to general NFL coverage, where he stayed until the Browns came back under different ownership in 1999. Modell had no personal impact on that decision, either -- I know, because I was metro editor and then sports editor during that time.

He's been on the beat since the Browns returned, and he has done a terrific job. Nobody disputes that. I'll go further and say that I've never read a football writer who does a better job at game-day coverage -- telling us what happened and why -- than Tony Grossi. So this is a big loss, for us at the paper as much as anyone.

Knowing all that, the editors in charge made a painful but principled decision based on what they believed best for the newspaper. The good news is that we'll still have Grossi's passion and ability. But it will be in a different area of the sports section.

Diadiun is The Plain Dealer's reader representative.

To reach Ted Diadiun: tdiadiun@plaind.com, 216-999-4408

Previous columns online: cleveland.com/columns

Sources indicate the Cavaliers are interested in trading for New Orleans center Chris Kaman

APChris Kaman is averaging 9.2 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Hornets.

Although Cavs general manager Chris Grant declined to comment, NBA sources indicate the Cavs are interested in New Orleans center Chris Kaman, who is on the trading block. At this point, their level of interest is unclear, although the Cavs have long been admirers of the 7-footer obtained by the Hornets from the Clippers in the trade for Chris Paul earlier this season.

A call to Kaman's agent, Rob Pelinka, was not returned on Saturday and Cavs coach Byron Scott refused to weigh in.

"I have no thoughts on that whatsoever," Scott said as the Cavs prepared to leave for Boston, where they will face the Celtics today. "CG, that's his job to handle all that."

Kaman, who will turn 30 on April 28, makes $14 million this season and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, another attractive factor along with his career averages of 12 points and 8 rebounds. The league-owned Hornets discussed extending his contract, but they have decided to go with younger players. Kaman was not with the team for its home game against Orlando on Friday and likely will remain away until a deal is done.

Given that the league must approve any deal, that could be awhile if the Paul trade is any indication.

The Cavs have been looking for a true center since the departures of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal after the 2009-10 season. They are starting Anderson Varejao, a natural power forward. The backup center spot has been a revolving door, as coach Byron Scott has tried Ryan Hollins, Samardo Samuels, Semih Erden and even rookie Tristan Thompson there without much success.

Still, there would seem to be a number of roadblocks to the Cavs being able to make a deal for Kaman, who was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., and attended Central Michigan. Chief among them would be what the Hornets would want in return. The Cavs are in their own youth movement/rebuilding process, so they're not going to part with a No. 1 draft choice. Rookie Kyrie Irving is off the table.

Another roadblock would be the competition for Kaman's services. With his expiring contract, he would seem to be a better fit for a contending team like San Antonio or Houston. Other teams reportedly interested include Detroit, Indiana, Utah and Golden State. In order to be traded to a non-contending team, like the Cavs, Kaman almost certainly would have to agree to sign an extension with that team.

Celtic pride: The Cavs are not writing off the Celtics.

"I would never write them off right now," Scott said. "Until that big three retires, as long as you've got Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- I don't know if Ray Allen will play -- as long as you've got those three guys and Doc Rivers on the sideline, I would never write them off."

Said Antawn Jamison of the Celtics: "This is a team that competes. They know how to win. I think when they hear people saying that they're too old or they're getting to the point where they can't compete, that just energizes them."

He's looking forward to playing against Garnett.

"I think the matchup between us is going to be the matchup that really gives our team the advantage," said Jamison. "I just have to compete for 48 minutes."

The Cavs are 5-2 when Jamison scores 20 or more points.

Free throws aren't free: After every practice, each Cavalier has an assigned number of free throws he has to make based on how well (or poorly) he's shooting from the line. On Friday, the Cavs made just 14 of 24 free throws (58.3 percent) and are shooting 68.6 percent for the season (308-of-449). Saturday, there were a lot of foul shots taken.

"You've got more guys today who have to make 100 before they leave the gym than normal," Scott said. "It has to get better."

The last word: From Jamison, when asked if he had ever heard the Cavs were winning too much and hurting their chances for a top pick in the draft lottery: "If we compete for 48 minutes for the next 40 or however many games we've got left, this is a playoff-caliber team. That's my mind-set. That's my teammates' mind-set. I think it might be a shocker to the outside world, knowing the things that happened last year and not expecting us to have a chance to make it to the playoffs."

The younger starting quarterback has won nine of the last 10 Super Bowls. No quarterback 33 or older has won in that time, Bill Livingston writes. New England''s Tom Brady will be 34 in Super Bowl XLVI. Eli Manning of the New York Giants is 31.

Charles Krupa, Associated PressWhen Tom Brady, left, and Eli Manning, right, meet in the Super Bowl, recent trends in the big game give the edge to Peyton's younger brother.

The popular conception of a quarterback who wins the Super Bowl is of a man who has been there and done that. He has been tried by time and tested by experience. He has seen it all and lived to audible out of what might be coming.

To a large extent, the image is untrue.

The 21st century Super Bowl goes to the young and nimble, at least compared to their counterparts, the grizzled and gray.

Many factors decide who wins and who loses. The starting quarterback's age might not be of paramount importance. But it does matter. One remembers that Napoleon said God is on the side with the most cannons. Quite often, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, emblematic of NFL supremacy, winds up at the side of the team that has the most weapons.

Yet in the past 10 Super Bowls, from the Patriots after the 2001 season to Green Bay's after the 2010 season, the team with the younger quarterback has won nine times.

The only exception was Peyton Manning's victory with the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI over Rex Grossman's Chicago Bears. Manning, nearly 30 at the time, was going to outgeneral Grossman, 25, in rain (in which the game was played), in cold, in snow, under domes and in God's own starlight.

Peyton Manning, however, did not repeat. Drew Brees, who had just turned 31 when Peyton was only a few weeks from turning 34, led underdog New Orleans past the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints sewed it up by returning an interception for a touchdown off Manning, the poor old thing.

Neither Brees nor Peyton Manning was much of a scrambler. Manning's immobility was, however, more pronounced than that of Brees.

Nor will scrambling be much of an issue in the rematch between the New York Giants of Eli Manning (31 now) and the New England Patriots of Tom Brady (34) in next weekend's Super Bowl XLVI. But remember the Giants' huge upset in Super Bowl XLII, which ruined New England's perfect season? Eli's Great Escape from a near-certain sack led to David Tyree's helmet catch, the greatest play in Super Bowl history, and sustained the winning drive. Tom Brady would have been on the ground.

The surprising fact is that only once in this century has a quarterback 32 or older won a Super Bowl. Tampa Bay's Brad Johnson, 34, a game manager who tried not to mess things up, was the wizened winner of Super Bowl XXXVII. His Oakland counterpart, Rich Gannon, 37, threw five interceptions, three of them pick-sixes.

Another oldie who was not so golden was Kurt Warner. A winner in the last Super Bowl of the previous century when he was 28, Warner lost Super Bowl XLIII to Ben Roethlisberger's Pittsburgh Steelers. Warner was 37, Big Ben was a month shy of 27.

Those who object that Santonio Holmes, the former Ohio State and former Steelers wide receiver, helped to win the game with a brilliant touchdown catch in the last minute are, of course, correct. No quarterback ever won a game all by himself.

Still, it seems that in this season's Super Bowl, the actuarial tables are running against Brady. The Giants won the previous meeting in the 2011 season on a last-gasp Eli Manning touchdown drive, much as they won Super Bowl XLII.

Moreover, the game that got the Giants to that epic previous Super Bowl game against the Patriots was just more proof of the age theory. In the 2007 NFC Championship Game, the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers of Brett Favre, the lion in deepest winter at the age of 38, in overtime at Lambeau Field at night in sub-zero weather.

The conventional wisdom, all the way until Favre's interception on the first possession of overtime set up the winning field goal, was that Favre's experience would get the better of Manning. Eli was 0-2 in the playoffs going into that year. But he had won two straight playoff games with precise execution. You would take the younger and more agile man in a game at Ice Station Zebra, wouldn't you?

A Super Bowl champion has to win at least three games. It stands to reason that the cumulative toll of so many tough games in a row, of taking so many hits in them, has more of an effect on quarterbacks in their mid-to-late 30s than otherwise. (New England's romp over Denver in its playoff opener does not count as a tough game, however, which has to be taken into consideration).

Napoleon was right about many war maxims, which are transferable to football because it is a game of territorial acquisition. But he was wrong when he said he wanted lucky generals, not good ones.

In the Super Bowl, younger ones are preferred.

As signing day approaches, Doug Lesmerises takes a look at the OSU roster and where the incoming recruits will fit.

Johnathan Quilter, Columbus DispatchThe recent commitments garnered by Ohio State coach Urban Meyer will help to shore up some weak spots on the OSU roster, but quarterback and cornerback will be thin positions in 2012.

Columbus -- He has been recruiting so much, Urban Meyer said two weeks ago that when it comes to the current Ohio State roster, he still has a lost of questions to answer.

"I really don't know our players," Meyer said. "I'm still trying to learn these guys."

While he's putting together the Class of 2012, which currently stands at 23 pledges, with between two and five additions possible before National Signing Day on Wednesday, let's examine the 59-player roster that the Buckeye boss is working with, and how the new guys might fit in.

Quarterback

(Starters lost: Joe Bauserman, who did, after all, start three games)

Projected starter: Braxton Miller

In the mix: Kenny Guiton

Recruiting class (1): Cardale Jones

Breakdown: Meyer loves Miller, and Miller should love Meyer. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Miller could tie one arm behind his back and still be the starter. Guiton is the clear No. 2, with Jones, the former Glenville quarterback, joining the roster after a season of prep school at Fork Union Military Academy.

Jones is a good fit in a backup role and should develop in the offense. Ideally, the Buckeyes would have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, and they are certain to add one or two in the 2013 class.

Offensive line

(Starters lost: LT Mike Adams, C Mike Brewster, RT J.B. Shugarts)

Projected starters: LT Andrew Norwell, LG Corey Linsley, C Brian Bobek, RG Jack Mewhort, RT Reid Fragel

In the mix: Marcus Hall, Antonio Underwood, Tommy Brown, Chris Carter

Recruiting class (4): Taylor Decker, Joey O'Connor, Jacoby Boren, Pat Elflein

Breakdown: Depth is desperately needed here, which is why the additions of Decker and O'Connor last week were so crucial. Both could work into the two-deep this season and could project as multi-year starters. Potentially adding Cleveland Heights" Kyle Dodson to the class would help a lot as well, with 14 scholarship players about where you want to be on the line.

As for the starters, Fragel is making the transition from tight end as a senior and probably will battle Mewhort and Hall for the right tackle job. Mewhort is a lock to start somewhere, Bobek is a sure bet to succeed Brewster, and Hall is the clear sixth man, at the very least, though he could easily win a starting spot.

Tight end

(Starters lost: Reid Fragel moved to tackle)

Projected starter: Jake Stoneburner

In the mix: Jeff Heuerman, Nick Vannett

Recruiting class (1): Blake Thomas

Breakdown: The position is deep enough that Fragel, a sometimes starter as more of a pure blocker than Stoneburner, can slide to the offensive line without much problem. Stoneburner could break out in Meyer's offense, while Heuerman as a sophomore and Vannett as a redshirt freshman are both versatile athletes.

All that means Thomas, from St. Ignatius, could be a candidate to redshirt.

Receiver

(Starters lost: DeVier Posey)

Projected starters: Corey "Philly" Brown, Devin Smith

In the mix: Verlon Reed, Chris Fields, Evan Spencer, T.Y. Williams

Recruiting class (4): Mike Thomas, Ricquan Southward, Frank Epitropoulos, Roger Lewis

Breakdown: This group was a problem all last season, beset by injuries, but health alone won't fix it. One of the two sophomores -- Smith or Spencer -- could easily grab a starting spot after showing flashes last season. Brown has to stay on the field and improve his hands, while Reed, who started five games, is coming back from ACL surgery.

It's reasonable to expect improvement with experience, but there are no guarantees. So keep an eye on Thomas, who played at Fork Union Military Academy last season, is 6-foot-4 and 203 pounds, and already is at Ohio State, having started classes in January. Lewis, meanwhile, may not be part of the class after re-opening his recruiting.

Running back

(Starters lost: Dan Herron)

Projected starters: Carlos Hyde or Jordan Hall

In the mix: Rod Smith, Jaamal Berry

Recruiting class (2): Bri'onte Dunn, Warren Ball

Breakdown: The race for playing time is wide open with Herron gone and the offense changing. Hall seems like a fit for Meyer's version of the spread, maybe as more of a hybrid running back/receiver than a pure tailback. Meyer also has professed his interest in big backs, so Hyde and Smith remain in the picture. After some legal trouble, Berry remains on the roster at this point.

And among the options, neither Dunn nor Ball, both 6-foot-2 and more than 200 pounds, can be counted out. Depth is nice, but someone must become a go-to back the way Herron was.

Fullback

(Starters lost: None)

Projected starter: Zach Boren

In the mix: Adam Homan

Recruiting class (0): None

Breakdown: Meyer loves Boren, who is one of the best pure football players on the roster. That means he will get on the field, both as a fullback and more of an H-back. But down the line, with Boren and Homan both seniors, this position should disappear from the roster, with tight ends filling that H-back role. That helped lead to the transfer of third fullback David Durham.

Special teams

(Starters lost: None)

Projected stater: Ben Buchanan as the punter, Drew Basil as the placekicker

Recruiting class (0): None

Breakdown: With a senior punter and junior kicker with plenty of experience, the Buckeyes are more than solid here. Frank Epitropolous, in the recruiting class as a receiver, was a good high school punter and could get a look there. And there are always walkon options. But realistically, Ohio State must remember these positions when it comes to the 2013 recruiting class.

Defensive line

(Starters lost: None)

Projected starters: John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, Nathan Williams, Michael Bennett

In the mix: Garrett Goebel, Adam Bellamy, Steve Miller, Joel Hale, J.T. Moore, Darryl Baldwin, Kenny Hayes, Chase Farris

Recruiting class (4): Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington, Se'von Pittman, Tommy Schutt

Breakdown: There are so many options here, the rest of the position groups should be jealous. After coaching linebackers last season, Mike Vrabel slides to this position group, taking over for Jim Heacock, and he has a ton to work with.

Simon and Hankins are coming off strong years. Williams is back from knee surgery, and if he's close to 100 percent, he can bring pressure at the Leo rush-end position that the Buckeyes missed so much last season. Bennett, who played a decent amount as a freshman, could be a star in the making.

Goebel, meanwhile, started every game last season and may well do it again if the Buckeyes want to maintain a true noseguard. Bellamy started 10 games and will continue to play a lot. But the group around them has improved.

Among last year's defensive line class, four were ranked among the top 250 recruits in the country by Rivals.com: Bennett (41), Hayes (68), Farris (142) and Miller (167). Now four from this class are as well. In fact, the top four recruits in the Buckeyes" overall 2012 class are defensive linemen: Spence (9), Washington (25), Schutt (64) and Pittman (95).

You could wipe away all the projected starters and still be ready for the Big Ten. Instead, the young depth means the Buckeyes should be set here for several years, and both Spence and Washington could help right away, especially if Williams" health is an issue.

Linebackers

(Starters lost: Andrew Sweat)

Projected starters: Ryan Shazier, Curtis Grant, Etienne Sabino

In the mix: Storm Klein, Jordan Whiting, Connor Crowell

Recruiting class (4): Josh Perry, David Perkins, Camren Williams, Luke Roberts

Breakdown: The Buckeyes are nowhere near as deep as the defensive line, though help is on the way. After sharing the middle linebacker job last season, neither Sabino nor Klein may play as much as seniors if Grant, as a sophomore, makes the leap reasonably expected of him. One of the nation's top 10 recruits last season, Grant was relegated to special teams because he was slow to pick up the defense. With a year of experience, Grant needs to join Shazier as sophomore starters if the Buckeyes are to be at their best.

Additionally, several freshmen need to be in the two-deep, so adding Perkins and Williams as January pledges was necessary. Perry is a tough, smart Columbus-area product, and Jamal Marcus of North Carolina could still join the class, making this group even better. But for next season, with Shazier expected to be a sure thing as the team's likely leading tackler, Grant is the key.

Cornerbacks

(Starters lost: None)

Projected starters: Travis Howard, Bradley Roby

In the mix: Doran Grant

Recruiting class (2): Tyvis Powell, Najee Murray

Breakdown: Recent departures have hit this position hard with Dominic Clarke, the No. 3 corner last season who started two games, and DerJuan Gambrell both released from their scholarships. So while Roby had a very good freshman season, Howard is a veteran as a fifth-year senior, and Grant looks ready to contribute after playing special teams as a true freshman ... there's not much else there at the moment. Safety Corey Brown has played some cornerback before.

Powell and Murray are the oral commitments, though Armani Reeves, a four-star recruit from Massachusetts and teammate of OSU pledge Camren Williams, would be a big get. He's taking the weekend to choose between Michigan and Ohio State.

More help is on the way, though. The Buckeyes" first oral commitment for 2013, Cameron Burrows, is one of the best cornerback prospects in the country. In 2012, the Buckeyes can't afford injuries here.

Safeties

(Starters lost: Tyler Moeller)

Projected starters: C.J. Barnett, Christian Bryant, Orhian Johnson

In the mix: Zach Domicone, Corey Brown, Jamie Wood, Chad Hagan, Ron Tanner, Adam Griffin

Recruiting class (1): De'Van Bogard

Breakdown: The Buckeyes lost Moeller, who played their star position, but Bryant has experience there and is probably best suited for that spot. In those nickel defense situations, Johnson should come in at safety, but in the base defense, expect Barnett and Bryant, both juniors, to start at safety, as they did last season. The depth includes several special teams contributors and, in general, the options may keep away some other safety prospects in this class who have been considering the Buckeyes.

By Michael Casey Associated press Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- Tiger Woods shot a 6-under 66 Saturday to grab a share of the lead at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the latest sign that the 14-time major winner is returning to form after ending a two-year victory drought. There wasn't a lot of fist pumping from Woods, who...

By Michael Casey Associated press

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- Tiger Woods shot a 6-under 66 Saturday to grab a share of the lead at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the latest sign that the 14-time major winner is returning to form after ending a two-year victory drought.

There wasn't a lot of fist pumping from Woods, who traded drama for consistency in racking up six birdies in a bogey-free round.

KAMRAN JEBREILI/ASSOCIATED PRESSTiger Woods appears unhappy on the sixth hole at Abu Dhabi, but by the end of the day, he was tied for the lead.

It was a memorable performance by the American, mostly for his ability to hit the fairways, tame the par 5s and sink clutch putts -- including a six-footer for birdie on the final hole.

"It just seemed like I didn't do a lot of things right but I didn't do a lot of things wrong today, it was just very consistent," Woods said. "You know, made a couple putts here and there ... I stayed away from trouble and tried to keep the ball towards the fat side of some of these pins and I think I did a pretty good job."

Woods moved to 11 under for the tournament and is tied with newcomer Robert Rock, who birdied his final two holes to earn the 117th-ranked Englishman a first-ever pairing with Woods for Sunday's finale.

Rory McIlroy (68), Peter Hanson (64), Francesco Molinari (66) and Peter Lawrie (68) were two shots back, with George Coetzee (65), James Kingston (67), overnight leader Thorbjorn Olesen (71) and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (69) all a shot further back.

Woods is attempting to follow his season-ending victory at the Chevron World Challenge with another win here. He was two shots off the pace after the second round but started climbing the leaderboard Saturday with an opening birdie, followed by another on No. 7.

He stepped up his game on the back nine and grabbed a share of the lead after he narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 10th and settled for birdie. He briefly took the outright lead with a birdie on 14.

The crowd of several hundred cheered every birdie, with some yelling "Tiger's back."

Woods refused to talk about his victory chances, acknowledging too many players remain within striking distance.

"There's a ton of guys with a chance to win," Woods said. "You know, we have not separated ourselves from the field. The field is very bunched. I need to go out there and put together a solid round of golf, and I can't go out there and shoot even par and expect to win. I've got to go out there and go get it."

Rock, who got his first European Tour win last year in Italy in a playoff with Sergio Garcia, admitted he was star-struck at the prospect of teeing off alongside Woods, calling him "the best guy I've ever seen play golf."

The 34-year-old journeyman is relishing the chance to go head-to-head with one of golf's all-time greats.

"There's quite a lot of people out there (today) obviously following Tiger in the group in front of us. Hopefully we've got the same amount of people watching tomorrow, and we'll see how I cope with it," Rock said. "I just want to experience it. How many chances I'll get to do that, it's not clear."

Rock was one of several players who challenged Woods for the lead after overnight leader Olesen fell back.

Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, showed some of the form he displayed at the Dubai World Championship in December, where he finished second. He made birdie on 10 and 11 to tie Woods for the lead, fell back with bogeys on 14 and 17 and then recovered to birdie the 18th.

Molinari and Hanson also bounced back from opening round 74s to move into contention. Molinari had five birdies on his back nine, while the 47th-ranked Swede had eight birdies in his round -- including three on the last five holes -- in a bogey-free round to finish with the lowest score of the day.

"It was one of those days where you have the best job in the world," Hanson said. "Struck it nice, made four easy birdies on the par 5s and then a few more, and it felt pretty easy somehow."

U.S. Open champion McIlroy also is still in the mix, a day after he had two double bogeys, including on the 9th when he was penalized for brushing away sand in front of his ball. He only had one bogey to go with five birdies Saturday, but the 22-year-old Northern Irishman was forced to scramble several times to save par, including on the 18th when an errant drive went into nearby rocks and almost into a pond.

"I definitely felt today was a lot better than yesterday," McIlroy said. "I felt like I hit the ball a lot better. I feel that I made a couple of loose swings off the tee and obviously one on the last, and a couple others, but it's getting there. So hopefully I can just keep that going tomorrow and maybe get off to a fast start and put pressure on the guys in front of me."

Top-ranked Luke Donald (73) is 11 shots behind Woods, with No. 2-ranked Lee Westwood (68) seven off the lead.

By Genaro C. Armas Associated Press STATE COLLEGE, PA. - For decades, Joe Paterno was the public face of Penn State. For almost as long, his near-constant companion, wife Sue, seemingly wielded as much influence. As tributes flowed this week for the late Hall of Fame coach, the extent of Sue Paterno's sway on her husband, the football program and...

By Genaro C. Armas Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, PA. - For decades, Joe Paterno was the public face of Penn State. For almost as long, his near-constant companion, wife Sue, seemingly wielded as much influence.

As tributes flowed this week for the late Hall of Fame coach, the extent of Sue Paterno's sway on her husband, the football program and the university became obvious, for those watching in or outside of Happy Valley.

NABIL K. MARK/CENTRE DAILY TIMESSue Paterno waves to a crowd at a memorial for her late husband, Joe, on Thursday.

She served as a host to potential recruits at the family home, a tutor to players, a counselor to concerned parents who entrusted their football-playing sons to her husband, and a prodigious fundraiser for the university and charitable organizations.

While a bronze statue outside Beaver Stadium memorializes the legacy of the winningest coach in major college football, it was Sue Paterno who was her husband's rock.

"For my dad, he never doubted my mother," their son Jay said at Thursday's memorial service for his father. "My mother had it all and continues to have it all. He could do his job and we could share him with Penn State because he knew my mother was in complete command on the home front."

Through the recent months of scandal that engulfed the university and a week's worth of private and public memorials for Penn State's longtime coach, other lasting images of Sue Paterno have emerged:

--She showed her spunk by coming to her husband's defense with a quick callback to a trustee after Joe Paterno was unceremoniously fired via a phone call. "After 61 years he deserved better," Sue Paterno said according to The Washington Post. Then, she hung up.

--A short time after being dismissed, she stood arm in arm with her husband as they stepped outside their modest State College home and greeted hundreds of well-wishers.

--And at the end of an emotional week in State College, Sue Paterno appeared composed, only occasionally fighting back tears, with her arms around some of her grandchildren as about 12,000 people gathered for public memorial. She rose from her seat and joined in a standing ovation as speakers defended his legacy against criticism that he failed to do more when told about an alleged child sexual assault involving one of his former assistants.

The Paternos were about as close to royalty as you can get in Happy Valley -- a modest first family of college football.

"They went everywhere together," former quarterback Daryll Clark said this week. "They were one and one."

Joe Paterno died Sunday at age 85, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

"Joe Paterno indeed had an indomitable will with one exception: when his will ran counter to that of his wife and my mother," Jay Paterno said in a light moment from the memorial service for the man who became lovingly known around town as "JoePa."

Save for a few moments, 71-year-old Sue Paterno looked composed for a widow who just lost her husband under already emotional circumstances. Their family announced Paterno had been diagnosed with cancer just 10 days after he was ousted on Nov. 9 as Penn State coach following 46 seasons.

Sue and Joe Paterno were side by side on the family's front walk the night of the dismissal as he tried to console fans upset that he had been fired in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired assistant Jerry Sandusky.

She joined the rest of the crowd at the memorial service giving Phil Knight a standing ovation after the Nike founder and CEO gave the most impassioned defense yet of her husband's legacy in the wake of the firing.

Appearing to nearly tear up at times, she otherwise looked poised during the emotional service that included several video tributes to Paterno, who amassed 409 victories.

Despite their recognition, they led lives similar to others who worked at Penn State. They raised five children in a ranch home next to a local park. There's no fence lining the front yard and no gates guarding the driveway.

The family's phone number is listed in the phone book. It was a way, Sue Paterno has said, for families of players to reach them in an emergency.

Besides tutoring players and helping to counsel players' parents, Sue Paterno was a prodigious fundraiser for the university library that bears the family's name -- it was, after all, where Joe and Sue met, when he was an assistant coach and she a freshman at the school.

He had a degree in English literature from Brown. She was an English student.

Outside of football, they rarely spent a moment apart.

"Besides Joe coaching and being at the football building, those two were inseparable," Clark said. He said the Paternos treated him as if he were one of their own children.

Sue Paterno baked spreads of cookies and desserts when the family hosted recruiting visits. Current and former players still rave about them.

At the memorial service, former receiver Kenny Jackson recounted a conversation Sue Paterno had with his family while he was being recruited. She reinforced the themes Joe Paterno promoted in his "grand experiment" of placing as much emphasis on academics as athletics.

"Sue only promised two things: the first, Kenny will go to class; second, he will get a quality education," Jackson said. "That's all she said. She never talked about anything else but my education. So I thank you Sue. ... You always made sure that was the first priority."

And she's responsible for perhaps one of the most lasting game-day memories of Joe Paterno.

Back in the late '60s, Sue Paterno suggested he raise the cuffs on his pants so mud wouldn't get on his wool slacks while coaching. It wasn't as much a concern when JoePa switched to his trademark khakis -- but Sue Paterno said her husband kept rolling them up anyway as a superstition.

"People don't realize how much she's done for this place," Joe Paterno said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2009. "I've said many times that they won't have any problems replacing me, but if they can find a coach's wife like Sue, they'll hit the jackpot."

The Paternos became renowned in the community for their generosity. They championed Special Olympics and THON, the Penn State student-organized dance marathon charity that raises millions of dollars annually for childhood cancer research and treatment.

They've contributed more than $4 million to the university during his tenure, including $3.5 million in 1998 to endow faculty positions and scholarships, and support two building projects.

Minus endorsements outside his university contract, Paterno made just more than $1 million a year, a relative bargain for a coach with two national championships.

Three years ago, the Paternos pledged $1 million to help build a new wing at Mount Nittany Medical Center, the State College hospital where Joe Paterno died Sunday.

There were no flowers or balloons in the room, Scott Paterno said -- not Joe's style. He suspected his mother had them redirected to other patients in the hospital.

Joe Paterno died less than three months after the emergence of the stunning scandal that led to his dismissal. University trustees ousted him Nov. 9, four days after charges were first filed against Sandusky. He is out on bail and awaiting trial after denying the allegations.

Paterno was a witness before a state grand jury investigating Sandusky, and authorities have said he was not a target of the probe. Paterno had testified he had relayed a 2002 abuse allegation passed on by a graduate assistant to campus superiors, fulfilling his legal obligation.

School trustees in recent weeks have cited, in part, Paterno's failure to fulfill a moral duty to tell police outside the university as a reason for his dismissal.

A tenure of more than six decades with the football program, including 15 years as an assistant before being promoted to head coach, had come to an end in early November. The cancer diagnosis came several days later.

Sue Paterno was constantly at her husband's side, Scott Paterno said.

One of Scott Paterno's lasting memories from the last few months, as his father fought illness, was the picture of his parents sitting at a table at home, surrounded by their children and 17 grandchildren on Dec. 21 as they celebrated his 85th birthday.

"She's got his hand on him and they're sitting there looking around and they've got their smiles on their faces," Scott Paterno said. "Just two of the most happy and contented people looking around the house, looking at their children and their grandchildren and it was like 'You know, this is what our life is, this is what we built.'"

Got an Indians question? Send it in. Submit your question at cleveland.com/heyhoynsie, and Plain Dealer Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes will choose at least one to answer each Sunday here in the Sports section. All Paul's answers are archived online. Hey, Hoynsie: If the Indians didn't sign Carlos Pena, I thought the reason would be the length of contract...

Got an Indians question? Send it in. Submit your question at cleveland.com/heyhoynsie, and Plain Dealer Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes will choose at least one to answer each Sunday here in the Sports section. All Paul's answers are archived online.

Hey, Hoynsie: If the Indians didn't sign Carlos Pena, I thought the reason would be the length of contract or that he was getting a $10 million, one-year deal as he did last year. He signed with the Rays for one year and $7.25 million. I feel like the Tribe could have made a deal. -- Jeremy Cronig, Shake Heights

View full sizeChris Urso, AP/Tampa TribuneThe Indians offered Carlos Pena, right, more money than the Rays . . . yet there he is holding up a Rays jersey.

Hey, Jeremy: So did the Indians. I was under the impression that they hadn't made an offer to Pena, but I was wrong. They made a "competitive" one-year offer to the left-handed hitting first baseman for a reported $8 million. Pena, however, is a former Ray and wanted to go back there. If the Indians had gone to $12 million, maybe they would have gotten Pena, but they would have been overpaying.

Hey, Hoynsie: If the Indians do not void Fausto Carmona/Roberto Hernandez Heredia's contract, what happens to Kevin Slowey when Carmona/Heredia shows up for work? -- Steven Alex, Gainesville, Fla.

Hey, Steven: No manager or general manager I've covered has ever complained about having too much pitching. With pitchers, especially starting pitchers, things like this tend to work themselves out.

But the speed at which the Indians acquired Slowey following Hernandez's arrest tells me that this isn't a problem they'll have to deal with in the near future.

Hey, Hoynsie: Any chance the real Fausto Carmona is the one who went 19-8 in 2007 and Roberto Hernandez Heredia is the guy we've seen since then? If I were GM Chris Antonetti I might look into that. Maybe the 19-8 Fausto is holed up somewhere waiting to be rescued. -- Calvin Rocke, Durham, N.C.

Hey, Calvin: A search party is being formed as I write this.

Hey, Hoynsie: Whose responsibility was it to see that the Indians' foreign player backgrounds were verified after being duped by the not-so-young shortstop a couple of years ago? -- Annie Walker, Cleveland

Hey, Annie: Talked to John Mirabelli, director of scouting for the Indians, and he said MLB investigates foreign-born players to make sure they are who they say they are. Then the Indians do their own investigation of players. Still, sometimes people are able to beat the system. The Indians aren't the first team to get burned and they won't be the last.

Hey, Hoynsie: I noticed that NBA guard Gilbert Arenas is unsigned and is amenable to nothing more than a one-year contract? Might he get one of those special spring training invites? -- Tom Diehl, Cleveland

Hey, Tom: It depends if he hits right-handed and leaves his six shooters at home.

Hey, Hoynsie: Did the new collective bargaining agreement limit the number of foreigners a team can have on its 40-man roster? -- Gus Fernandez, Cleveland

Hey, Gus: No.

Hey, Hoynsie: OK . . . you shot down my suggestion that the fans boycott Progressive Field this year. How would you suggest getting the message to the Dolans that the fans are very unhappy? -- Jim Clark, Johnston

Hey, Jim: I didn't shoot your theory down, I just said I've never seen it work. There is a core of fans in Cleveland who simply like Major League Baseball, be it good or bad, and enjoy coming to the ballpark.

If you want to voice your displeasure with ownership, you can write or call. Or you can stop coming to the ballpark. It's up to you.

Hey, Hoynsie: Unless I'm wrong, the Indians don't have a single guaranteed contract on their roster beyond the 2012 season. When are we going to start talking about the real story, which is the Dolans prepping the team to be sold? -- Adam Chandler, Olmsted Township

Hey, Adam: I pointed that out several weeks ago. Either GM Chris Antonetti has a tremendous amount of flexibility to make a big move in the next couple of years or the decks are being cleared for a possible sale. Or it may mean nothing at all.

Hey, Hoynsie: Can you please explain why the MLB draft seems much like a crapshoot and teams in the NFL and NBA can build through the draft. Also, what really makes the Detroit market different than the Cleveland market? -- Eliot Clasen, Cape Coral, Fla.

Hey, Eliot: Lots of big- league teams build through the draft. Check out the Rays starting rotation.

The fact that MLB teams can, and often do, draft high school seniors makes their drafts a bigger a gamble. It's going to take most 17 and 18 year olds three to five years to make it to the big leagues. A lot can happen in terms of injuries and lack of performance in that time.

As for the difference between the Cleveland and Detroit markets, two words -- Mike Ilitch.

Hey, Hoynsie: With Dan Gilbert continuing to buy sports franchises in Cleveland, any chance of him purchasing the Indians? As the casino opens I would think he would want to have a good Indians team with big crowds just a stones throw away. -- Jack Mauk, Mentor

Hey, Jack: If Gilbert got mad when LeBron James left through free agency, imagine how he'd feel owning the Indians?

Hey, Hoynsie: That's too bad about Fausto Carmona actually being Roberto Hernandez Heredia. How in the world are the Indians ever going to replace a $7 million-a-year 31-year-old pitcher with an ERA of 5.25? And seeing how the Dolans are very honest, steadfast, community folks, do we mail our Carmona jerseys to Larry & Paul's house for a cheerful refund? In that regard, could you please send me Paul & Larry's home address? Thanks, Hoynsie (I hope that's your real name) and see you in spring training. -- Paul Esterbrooke Jr.

Hey, Paul: For some reason I don't think Fausto Carmona jerseys were flying off the rack even when everyone knew him as Fausto Carmona.

Hey, Hoynsie: Come clean. Are you really Paul Hoynes? -- Joe Cepec, Dublin

Hey, Joe: There are days when I really don't know. In the interest of full disclosure I will say that my full name is James Paul Hoynes. I just want to stay on the good side of the Dominican National Police.

Hey, Hoynsie: Last week a man claiming to be Kevin Kouzmanoff's friend said he didn't sign with the Indians because they wouldn't offer him incentives. If he's right, why would the Indians not offer incentives? If he doesn't make them, it doesn't cost any money. If he does, I would assume they would be worth paying for. -- Tom Goodsite, Kirksville, Mo.

Hey, Tom: From what I've been able to gather -- and remember this is coming from the guy who told you the Indians weren't interested in the Kouz -- the Indians talked to Kouzmanoff, but he signed with the Royals because he felt they offered him a better chance of playing time.

Hard for me to believe if a team was really interested in a player, who was going to have to scrap for playing time, why they'd lose him over incentives. Incentives, as you state, look good in a contract, but mean nothing if they're not earned on the field.

The Vikings dominate the first half and then cruise to the 67-47 victory over the Penguins.

View full sizePD file photoCleveland State Vikings guard Trevon Harmon.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball team is atop the Horizon League standings by a half-game over Valparaiso courtesy of a 67-47 blowout victory Saturday night at Youngstown State.

"That's been our goal since the beginning of the season," said CSU senior guard Trevon Harmon, who scored 10 points in the easy victory.

Cleveland State only scored 26 points in the second half of the 20-point win, showing how dominant the Vikings were in the opening 20 minutes.

With Valpo (15-8, 8-3) winning on the road at Milwaukee, this game was a major test for both CSU and YSU. A loss would have given the upstart Penguins a load of emotion and the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage.

So this matchup looked to be a tight one. Yet it was virgin big-game territory for the Penguins, and well before the end of the first half the more-seasoned Vikings (18-4, 8-2) were in complete control.

"That had something to do with it," CSU head coach Gary Waters said of the Penguins' high emotion before a big hometown crowd (6,313). "I knew that could hurt them, and our kids were used to this."

A 9-7 Penguins' lead early became a 23-12 advantage for the Vikings behind a pair of 3-pointers from Harmon and a pair of inside hoops from Anton Grady that forced Youngstown State (11-9, 6-4) to take a timeout. The Penguins got a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. But the Vikings came right back with a 16-0 run to the 38-second mark good for a 39-17 lead.

"This was our day," Waters said. "The first half was the knockout punch. We were ready for this one."

After YSU finally scored, the Vikings worked the shot-clock down before Grady scored in the lane for a 41-19 halftime lead. Grady was on his way to the second double-double of his career (14 points, 11 rebounds). Game, set and match, even with 20 more minutes to play.

"A disappointing effort on our part," YSU head coach Jerry Slocum said. "We didn't play well in any aspect or any facet of the game."

The Vikings had their way in the first half, shooting 58.6 percent (17-of-29), including 6 of 8 on 3-pointers while taking care of the boards, 16-11. The Penguins, who shot 58 percent in their victory over CSU on Dec. 31, could only muster a 7-of-25 effort in the opening half (28 percent) and made just 2 of 14 3-pointers.

By the end of the game the numbers were not much better for the Penguins, who shot 30.9 percent and made just 4 of 24 3-pointers. Cleveland State out-rebounded YSU, 42-21. Vikings center Aaron Pogue had eight points with eight rebounds.

Coleman, coming off a nightmarish performance, stops 29 shots in the 3-1 victory.

View full sizeLake Erie Monsters

Monsters goalie Gerald Coleman, coming off a nightmarish performance, played superbly in a 3-1 victory against Hamilton on Saturday night at The Q.

A crowd of 14,230 brought plenty of energy. Among those in attendance were four Indians. Infielder Jack Hannahan and right-hander Josh Tomlin dropped ceremonial pucks.

The Monsters (20-22-2-1) enter the All-Star break having won two of three. They don't play again until Friday at San Antonio.

The Monsters continue to hammer away at Hamilton, having won eight of the past 10 meetings dating to late January 2011. They lead the season series, 5-1.

"That was a playoff-type hockey game," Lake Erie coach David Quinn said. "We played a good team. They have a lot of good players, and they're well-coached.

"I'm proud of our club. It was a feel-good win. You not only want to win, you want to play well. We accomplished both."

Nobody played a larger role than the 6-foot-5 Coleman, who stopped 28 shots. More than a few saves were five-star quality.

What a difference two nights made.

Last Thursday against Toronto at The Q, Coleman started his fourth game as a Monster since signing a player-tryout contract. It ended in a hurry. Coleman allowed four goals on seven shots before being pulled late in the first period.

After Toronto's 6-2 victory, Quinn essentially granted Coleman a mulligan, saying everybody has a bad day at work. When Quinn provided an immediate shot at redemption, Coleman showed why he has been so successful during the past two seasons with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL.

"Gerald was good, as I thought he would be," Quinn said. "I told him in the morning: 'You're playing tonight.' "'''"

That Coleman stuffed the Bulldogs (19-19-1-4) shouldn't be a surprise. Last Tuesday, in the game before the flameout, he made 37 saves in a 4-1 victory against the Bulldogs at The Q.

"Coach Quinn had all the confidence in me," Coleman said. "I knew I could bounce back."

The Monsters took a 1-0 lead at 17:06 of the first period. Mike Carman, cutting across the crease, used a knee to redirect a shot by Joel Chouinard.

Former Monster Brian Willsie tied it early in the second, but Patrick Rissmiller answered less than two minutes later. Rissmiller redirected a shot by David Liffiton.

Luke Walker provided insurance with an empty-netter at 19:43 of the third.

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

Kent State and Akron's women's teams also lose.

Shareta Brown had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Titans (10-11, 6-3 Horizon League).

CSU dropped to 8-12, 3-6.

Northern Illinois 66, Kent State 55 Itziar Llobet scored 20 for the Golden Flashes (5-13, 4-4 Mid-American Conference), but they still lost to the host Huskies (9-11, 3-5), snapping KSU's three-game winning streak. Courtney Shelton had 23 points for Northern Illinois.

Eastern Michigan 91, Akron 46 The Zips (9-13, 3-5 MAC) fell behind by 32 by halftime, 51-19, and shot 25 percent from the field for the game in losing to the Eagles (14-7, 6-2). Tavelyn James scored 31 and Natachia Watkins 26 for Eastern Michigan. Candace Martino and Carly Young each scored eight for Akron. No Zips player made more than two shots.

A roundup of Division II and Division III men's and women's basketball games.

View full size

Kyle Hubbard (St. Edward) led JCU (14-4, 9-3 Ohio Athletic Conference) with 15 points, going 4-for-4 from the field and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line. Mark Hester had 14 points, Corey Shontz had 11, and Conor Sweeney (St. Ignatius) added 10.

The Blue Streaks shot 56 percent from the field in the first half in building a 42-21 halftime lead. The second half was much of the same -- JCU shot 54 percent from the field.

Branden Rushton led the Polar Bears (9-10, 5-7) with 13 points.

Wilmington 77, Baldwin-Wallace 70 (OT) Kyle Payne (Brunswick) led all scorers with 21 points, but the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 6-6 OAC) fell to the Quakers (10-8, 8-4) in Berea.

B-W's Ben Umbel had a double double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The teams went into overtime tied at 65.

Wooster 88, Hiram 73 Justin Hallowell scored 23 points, and Matt Fegan (Strongsville) scored 20 to lift the Fighting Scots (16-3, 7-3 North Coast Athletic Conference) over the host Terriers (11-8, 4-6).

Jamaal Watkins (Brush) led Hiram with 20 points.

Wayne State 92, Lake Erie 57 Tom Parker (St. Ignatius) came off the bench to lead the Storm (7-11, 2-9 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) with 11 points, but the Warriors (12-7, 9-4) buried Lake Erie in a Division II game in Detroit.

Findlay 79, Ashland 49 Brad Piehl scored 15 points to lead the Oilers (15-4, 9-3 GLIAC) to a rout of the visiting Eagles (11-8, 6-6).

Ashland's Evan Yates led all players with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Women

Baldwin-Wallace 77, Wilmington 56 Jessica Carpenter scored 17 points, and Natalia Simovic (Normandy) contributed nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Yellow Jackets (12-7, 7-5 OAC) demolished the visiting Quakers (10-9, 5-7).

Ohio Northern 63, John Carroll 46 The Blue Streaks (6-12, 3-9 OAC) shot a horrific 29 percent from the field in a loss to the Polar Bears (16-3, 10-2) in Ada, Ohio.

JCU's Melissa Spahar (Lake Catholic) had team highs in points (20) and rebounds (five).

Hiram 54, Denison 50 Tiffany Shields (Bedford) scored a game-high 20 points and had a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Terriers (6-12, 3-7 NCAC) past the visiting Big Red (12-7, 5-5).

Oberlin 73, Wittenberg 56 Kelly Warlich scored 23 points, and Christina Marquette had 16 as the Yeowomen (5-14, 2-8 NCAC) mangled the visiting Tigers (8-9, 4-5).

Wayne State 67, Lake Erie 64 Stephanie Rogers (Mentor) scored 20 points, and Alyssa Wagers (Stow) scored 12, but the Storm (13-7, 7-4 GLIAC) fell to the Warriors (11-9, 6-7) in Detroit.

Wagers' 12 points raised her career total to 1,002. She is the eighth player in the program's history to reach 1,000 and the third this season (Rogers, Chagrin Falls grad Jen Caiola).

Notre Dame College 72, Ursuline 63 Martha Nagbe (Lakewood) had team highs in points (17) and rebounds (seven) to lead the Falcons (9-10) over the Arrows (6-12) in Pepper Pike.

Ursuline's Laura Campbell led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting.

The men's team takes on archrival Michigan in Columbus, while the women's team travels to Minnesota.

View full sizeAPMichigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr.

Men

No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 20 Michigan

Tipoff: 1 p.m. at Value City Arena, Columbus.

TV/radio: WOIO Channel 19; WKNR AM/850.

Notable: The Buckeyes (18-3, 6-2) are fighting the Wolverines (16-5, 6-2) for first place in the Big Ten, with both teams part of a three-way tie for first with Michigan State, and all they need to do is protect their home court to claim it. Ohio State's 37-game home win streak is the second-longest in the nation, while Michigan is just 2-4 on the road this season, with losses at Virginia, Indiana, Iowa and Arkansas. The point guard matchup between Michigan's Trey Burke and Ohio State's Aaron Craft, former AAU teammates, is a great one, but watch two other defensive assignments. The Buckeyes' team defense needs to make life difficult on the dynamic Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan's leading scorer at 15 points per game. Michigan doesn't have an obvious option to deal with Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger and likely will collapse on him with multiple defenders, giving the Buckeyes open jump shots.

Next for OSU: Feb. 4 at Wisconsin, 2 p.m.

Doug Lesmerises' prediction: Ohio State 71, Michigan 67.

-- Doug Lesmerises

Women

No 9 Ohio State at Minnesota

Tipoff: 1 p.m. at Williams Arena, Minneapolis.

TV: Big Ten Network.

Notable: Grab the remote, with the OSU men and women on television at the same time. Coming off an 18-point win at Indiana, the Buckeyes (20-1, 7-1) have won five straight and are a half-game behind Purdue (8-1) in the Big Ten race. The Buckeyes' only regular-season game with the Boilermakers, by the way, is Feb. 12 in Columbus. In the meantime, Ohio State visits the Golden Gophers (11-11, 3-5), who have lost four of their past five.

Next for OSU: Feb. 6 vs. Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m.

-- Doug Lesmerises

Anton Grady and Aaron Pogue work the Penguins over inside to the combined tune of 22 points and 19 rebounds.

View full sizeDustin Livesay, The VindicatorJeremy Montgomery (5) of Cleveland State dishes the ball backward while being defended by Damian Eargle (21) of Youngstown State during the second half Saturday at Youngstown.

The Penguins controlled the Vikings inside during the 73-67 YSU win in December. Saturday night, Anton Grady and Aaron Pogue worked the Penguins over inside to the combined tune of 22 points and 19 rebounds.

"That's where we knew we had to go at them," CSU coach Gary Waters said. "Attack them inside."

That anchored the Vikings' relatively easy 67-47 road triumph over YSU on Saturday night, which included a 41-19 halftime lead that had the two towers on the court together much of the final 10 minutes.

"This victory is something we really needed," Grady said. "We wanted to make a big statement tonight. The statement is, us beating Milwaukee [last week] was no fluke. This is the way we're playing. This is Cleveland State basketball."

The end game: The final month of the regular season sets up well for Cleveland State (18-4, 8-2), Valparaiso (15-8, 8-3) and Youngstown State (11-9, 6-4), but not so well for Milwaukee (14-9, 7-4) in the stretch run for the Horizon League crown. Cleveland State has the most games to play, eight, but four are at home. The toughest of the four road games is at Milwaukee, although a game at Green Bay can't be overlooked. At home, the Vikings' toughest matchup looks to be with Valparaiso, but Detroit and Butler have upset potential.

Valparaiso has seven games left, with five at home. The two toughest on the road will be the swing through Cleveland State and Youngstown State. The home slate has no contender, but games with Detroit and Butler are dangerous. YSU has seven games, with four at home. The toughest road game is at Green Bay. Home games with Butler, Valpo and Detroit should fill the Beeghly Center. Milwaukee clearly has the toughest road, with five of its last six games on the road. The only home game will be against Cleveland State. But road games at Detroit and Green Bay can't be overlooked.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: ealexander@plaind.com, 216-999-4253

Heated competition and demand for sports cable programming is driving up broadcasting rights fees. And some Major League Baseball clubs find themselves flush in a sport with no limit on how much they can spend for players. So where does all this leave the Indians?

View full sizeAlex Gallardo, Associated PressThe Los Angeles Angels' TV cable deal puts them in the market to sign superstars such as Albert Pujols ... a market that's way out of the Indians' price range.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — When free-agent first baseman Albert Pujols put himself up for auction, the Los Angeles Angels threw $254 million over 10 years at him.

That jaw-dropping paycheck was made possible, in part, because Fox Sports West is paying them $3 billion over 20 years for the rights to broadcast their games.

Last year, the Texas Rangers extended their rights agreement with Fox Sports Southwest, reportedly for $1.6 billion over 20 years and an ownership stake in the network.

That deal was at least part of the economics behind the Rangers committing $111 million for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish.

Heated competition and demand for sports cable programming are driving up broadcasting rights fees. And some ball clubs find themselves flush in a sport with no limit on how much they can spend for players.

So where does all this leave the Indians?

To this point, the Tribe's cable deal has served more as a stabilizer than a windfall.

Tribe games are broadcast by SportsTime Ohio, which the Dolan family created in late 2005 rather than extend a contract with what is now Fox Sports Ohio. STO was launched with an eye toward boosting team finances.

''We think this is the way to generate more revenue, and we will put it back in the payroll in order to support the team," Indians Chairman and Chief Executive Paul Dolan said at the time.

Besides Indians games, STO programming includes coverage of the Browns, Ohio State, high school sports, the Mid-American Conference, golf and the outdoors.

In a recent interview, Dolan said the network has allowed the Indians to double their broadcasting rights fees since his family bought the club in 2000.

"It's provided a buffer for the team," he said.

Sellouts funded the Tribe of the '90s

In the '90s, a sold-out ballpark supported an annual payroll of $40 million to $50 million, he said. This season, he expects a payroll in the mid-$70 millions, with roughly half the attendance the team drew at its peak.

"And we can do that, sustainable in large part," Dolan said, "with what we're able to do with STO and television rights."

The Dolans, lawyers by trade, know cable. New York billionaire Charles Dolan, the brother of Indians owner Larry Dolan, is considered an industry pioneer for founding, among other ventures, Cablevision, HBO and the regional sports giant, the Madison Square Garden Network.

The Indians and STO have a common owner, but are private, independent enterprises. STO has paid the Indians about $30 million a year for broadcast rights since it was founded, although cable revenue does not go to the team.

Because local broadcasting income is used in calculating shared league revenue, Major League Baseball scrutinizes all club television and radio deals to make sure the network is paying fair market value, even if one entity owns both, like the Dolans.

Cable deals are based on a television market's size and local economy. The Cleveland-Akron market ranks 18th -- and 23rd among the 30 Major League Baseball teams -- according to the Nielsen Co., larger than only St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco-Oakland each have two teams and Toronto is not included.)

Detroit, which stunned the baseball world this past week by snapping up free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder with a nine-year deal worth $214 million, is the 11th-largest TV market.

The Tigers, according to published reports, are part of a 10-year, $1 billion broadcast rights deal sealed in 2008 with Fox Sports Detroit that includes the NBA Detroit Pistons and NHL Red Wings, although Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski said the TV deal didn't have a lot to do with signing Fielder.

Even longtime baseball columnist Peter Gammons suggested Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was being charitable by stretching the budget.

For the Indians to even approach a payday like the Angels and Rangers, someone would have to offer to buy all or part of STO and pay a huge premium for rights fees.

That's highly unlikely for a market this size, and wouldn't induce the Indians -- or other clubs in smaller cities -- to bid for expensive free agents like Pujols and Fielder anyway.

Just ask the team Fielder is leaving.

Milwaukee's TV deal couldn't pay for Fielder

"I think the answer is in our actions," Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin said. "We're just not able to. We love Prince. Prince is a helluva player . . . I'm not saying you can't do it. It makes it difficult."

View full sizeAPPrince Fielder left Milwaukee for the big bucks in Detroit.

Fox Sports Wisconsin pays the Brewers about $12 million per year for broadcasting rights.

"The TV contracts are the biggest difference," Melvin said. "All I know is ours doesn't come close to [the Angels, Rangers and other big-market teams]. We can't change our market. We're not going to be able to go and bring five million people to Milwaukee for a better TV market."

But there are rumblings about STO being in play. Since last summer, various media reports based on unidentified sources have said potential buyers or partners, including Time Warner Cable and Fox, have been talking to STO.

Dolan declined to comment on speculation about a sale or the timing.

"I've certainly seen all those reports. I've seen them for years," he said. "I can't speak to any specific discussions we've had over the years."

Both Fox and Time Warner, which already has a relationship with STO as a carrier of its programming and an advertising partner, have been aggressively ramping up their presence in so-called regional sports networks nationally.

A Time Warner spokesman in Akron responded by email that the company was "unable to comment" on possible interest in STO.

Henry Ford, Fox Sports Ohio's general manager, who is headed to San Diego to run a new regional sports network there, declined to comment, a spokeswoman responded in an email.

For what it's worth, there is no long-term rights agreement to delay a sale. The Indians-STO deal runs year to year.

According to estimates by SNL Kagan, which tracks the media and communications business, STO had about 3 million subscribers in 2011, with $85 million in operating revenue and $21 million in cash flow. STO generates most of its revenue from monthly fees that cable and satellite providers, like Time Warner and DirecTV, pay the network per subscriber.

Industry analyst Lee Berke, principal of LHB Sports Entertainment & Media Inc. in New York, said a regional sports network's value is typically 12 to 15 times cash flow.

Based on that formula, STO could be worth $250 million to $315 million -- even higher if based on SNL Kagan's 2012 cash-flow projections of $24 million. If STO was sold, it is unknown how much, if any, of the profit would go toward the Indians.

Compared to regional sports networks in larger media markets, those are average numbers. The Yankees' YES Network, for instance, produces annual revenues that exceed $450 million and has been valued at $1.5 billion to $2 billion. Closer to home, Fox Sports Detroit, with an estimated 3.5 million subscribers, $119 million in revenue and $30 million in cash flow, could be worth $360 million to $450 million, according to SNL Kagan.

The timing for teams to capitalize on broadcasting rights deals has never been better.

The cable industry is consolidating. Technology is allowing fans to follow their favorite teams on computers and handheld devices. Media markets may vary by size and economic stability, but the competition for customers is driving business across the board.

"The glue that's holding it all together," said New York media consultant Chris Bevilacqua, "is live sports."

And especially baseball, because the 162-game regular-season schedule provides so much programming.

To prevent the exodus of subscribers to the Internet, cable companies are paying a premium for broadcast rights. Time Warner, Fox, Comcast and DirecTV all own regional sports networks and are chasing more deals, increasingly in partnership with sports franchises.

In Houston, the Astros and NBA's Rockets left a Fox network to own close to 80 percent of a new Comcast-run sports network. And the Padres have reportedly struck a deal with the new Fox Sports San Diego that will double the club's annual rights fees to about $20 million, plus ad revenue.

Within the past two years, the industry has seen "almost a tipping point, some quantum leaps in terms of values being paid for all these various live sports rights," Bevilacqua said. "[Regional sports networks] are getting rights deals two times what they were getting just a few years ago."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: blubinger@plaind.com, 216-999-5531

The new revenue-sharing plan will produce a roughly $200 million pot by the 2013-14 season. But it infuses low-revenue franchises with money they can use to entice their best players to stay or assist in a rebuilding project.

View full sizeMark J. Terrill, Associated PressThe Los Angeles Lakers draw big bucks from fans like actor Jack Nicholson, left, and "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels. It means the team will be chipping in quite a bit to the league's revenue-sharing plan.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — For the first time in nearly a decade, the Cavaliers are expected to draw money from the NBA revenue-sharing pool rather than deposit into it.

The sum probably won't cover Kyrie Irving's rookie salary -- he is expected to make $5.1 million this season -- and the idea of being on the dole doesn't appeal to a franchise that under owner Dan Gilbert has never viewed itself as a typical small-market team.

But if there were ever a time to start opening checks from Commissioner David Stern, it's now.

The new revenue-sharing plan, adopted last month with the collective bargaining agreement, will produce a roughly $200 million pot by the 2013-14 season. That's a staggering increase from the previous total of $60 million, and marks the greatest redistribution of wealth in league history.

Will it prevent the next Chris Paul from leaving New Orleans for Los Angeles? Maybe not. But it infuses low-revenue franchises with money they can use to entice their best players to stay or assist in a rebuilding project.

When the progressive plan is fully implemented in two seasons, seven of the lowest-revenue franchises will receive at least $16 million, while half the 30 teams will earn some compensation through a complicated redistribution formula, a league source said.

Under the previous deal, luxury-tax revenue funded revenue sharing. The new agreement funnels money from lucrative local media deals like the one the Los Angeles Lakers signed with Time Warner Cable -- reportedly $200 million per year over 26 years.

The Sports Business Journal reported many of the plan's details earlier in the week.

"The new revenue-sharing model clearly helps create a better competitive balance across the league," wrote Len Komoroski, president of the Cavaliers and The Q in an email to The Plain Dealer. "We think the new model is not only good for the Cavaliers, but good for the entire league."

"Ultimately, we still have to do the many things we need to do on and off the court to build the team and our business the right way and put the team in the best position for sustainable success."

During the final few seasons of the LeBron James era, the Cavaliers were winning playoff games and writing checks to the league's revenue-sharing plan. They had robust attendance, excellent sponsorship and one of the league's top-10 local cable deals -- 10 years at $25 million per from Fox Sports Ohio, which began in 2006.

But James' departure in summer 2010 signaled a new reality for the club. According to Forbes, the franchise's value is $326 million, a 33 percent decline from James' final season in Cleveland. While the Cavaliers turned their biggest profit last season ($33 million in operating income), the figure is anomalous. It was achieved by slashing $30 million in payroll, not having to pay $16 million in luxury tax, and retaining a majority of the season-ticket base because renewals were due before James announced his decision to play for the Miami Heat.

The club declined comment on the Forbes report. The Cavaliers, who finished third in attendance last season, ranked 18th, averaging 15,803 fans through their first seven home games.

As the team attempts to remake the roster and replenish the season-ticket base, the Cavaliers will draw from the remodeled revenue-sharing pool. They hope it's only for a few seasons and that Irving can help them return to the days of being a top-10 revenue-producing team.

Gilbert was not part of the 13-member planning committee, chaired by Boston owner Wyc Grousbeck, that spent two years working to overhaul the system. He voted in favor of it, however.

The core of the plan, according to the Sports Business Journal, requires all teams to contribute roughly 50 percent of their total annual revenue, save for certain expenses such as arena operating costs.

Each team then gets an allocation equal to the league's average team payroll for that season from the pool. If a club's contribution is less than the league's average team payroll, then it is a revenue recipient. Conversely, teams that contribute an amount exceeding the average team salary are payers.

Benchmarks exist to spur growth. They require small markets to generate at least 70 percent of the leaguewide average in total team revenue to receive full revenue-sharing benefits.

The Lakers, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls will be among the largest donors, with none giving more than 50 percent of their total profits. The Lakers reportedly will contribute around $50 million annually. No large-market teams are eligible to draw from the pool.

Whatever money the Cavaliers receive likely will go back into the club. While Gilbert remains a polarizing figure, his commitment to the franchise seems resolute. In a season the Cavaliers lost a league-record 26 straight games, they traded for Baron Davis. A month ago, they turned around and paid Davis $24 million to walk away because management thought it in the best interest of the team.

It will take several years before the effectiveness of the revenue-sharing plan can be accurately assessed. Some wonder if enough is being collected from big-revenue teams signing these massive cable TV deals.

Bur few can argue the plan, which runs concurrent with the 10-year CBA, isn't a significant upgrade. And if the money is spent wisely by small markets, it should make for a more competitive league.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: treed@plaind.com, 216-999-4370