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In a no pun headline, Cleveland Cavaliers get first look at Jeremy Lin: Days of Wine-n-Gold

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The Knicks are 9-3 since moving Lin into the starting lineup

Jeremy LinView full sizeCavaliers fans get their first look at Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK – The last time the Cavaliers and Knicks met on Jan. 25, Kyrie Irving had yet to hit a game-winning shot and Jeremy Lin never got off the bench in Cleveland’s 91-81 win at The Q.

The reputations of both point guards have been dramatically enhanced since that night.

Irving and Lin face each other Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in a big game for the Cavaliers, who are trying to remain within reach of the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots. The Cavaliers (13-19) enter off a disappointing 86-83 loss to the Celtics in which Irving scored 24 points, but couldn’t make the big plays in the waning minutes.

As for Lin and Knicks (17-18), they have become the biggest story in the league. It wasn’t long ago the point guard appeared destined for the D-League and the spiraling Knicks were saying prayers for Baron Davis’ herniated disk. But the Knicks have won nine of the last 12 since inserting Lin into the starting lineup. He is averaging 22.6 points, 6.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 5.7 turnovers per game.

Lin and Irving were matched briefly in the Rising Stars Challenge, but the Knicks guard played sparingly because of playing a night earlier in Miami. Irving has performed well in the basketball meccas of Boston and Los Angeles and now the Jersey kid by way of Australia makes his first of many appearances in the Garden. It should make for an entertaining evening.

--- Neither team held a morning shootaround on Wednesday.

--- Love the Jeremy Lin story. Tired of the pun headlines. While one the topic, however, what ever happened to Vinsanity?

--- The Cavaliers play their first road game since Feb. 7. The schedule maker did the Cavs no favors with the outrageous nine-game homestand. I’m a big believer a team can overstay a long home stand and that was the case here. The Cavs finished up 4-5 and often found themselves down early in games. Granted, they were without Irving in the first three games (1-2) and Anderson Varejao for the final seven (3-4), but players can get too comfortable when they are home for several weeks at a time.

It also makes for bad business. You’re asking a lot from fans in a short time frame – the Cavs had two pairs of back-to-backs at home. Part of it was probably unavoidable because of the lockout and arena availability league-wide. But I’m guessing the Cavs would never want another such home block.

--- The 10-day contract of Manny Harris’ expires on Thursday. He has played a grand total of six seconds in three games. Tough to make an impression with that kind of playing time.    

--- Beyond all the Lin headlines, the Knicks are trying to get Amare Stoudemire going. The power forward is  contributing just 17.5 points – more than four points below his career average -- on 45 percent shooting. Last season, Stoudemire averaged 25.3 points while shooting 50 percent from the field.

Projected starting lineups: Cavs – Kyrie Irving, Anthony Parker, Omri Casspi, Antawn Jamison, Semih Erden. Knicks -- Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields, Amare Carmelo Anthony, Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler.       



Jason Donald hits the outfield on the dead run: Cleveland Indians spring training briefing

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Infielder Jason Donald's biggest discovery about playing the outfield? There's a lot of running involved, but he's up for the challenge.

Jason Donald, Jason KubelJason Donald makes the turn at second base and throws to first to complete a double plays against the Twins.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jason Donald has pretty much been an infielder all his life. After last season, the Indians sent him to Arizona Instructional League to see how he looked in the outfield.

Sure they could use another body in the outfield, but that wasn't the main reason for his all-expenses paid trip to the desert. It had more to do with Donald hitting .318 (42-for-132) with one homer and eight RBI in just 39 games last year. One more factor -- he's a right-handed hitter.

Donald's biggest discovery playing the outfield?

"There's a lot more running involved," he said with a laugh. "I said, "Man, you get tired out here shagging fly balls.'

"Taking ground balls and fly balls are completely different things. Taking ground balls is short, fast and quick. In the outfield, gosh darn,  I'm running gap to gap. I've got to take four or five pitches off to catch my breath."

Donald, however, is a realist. He knows that adding outfield skills to his ability to play shortstop, second and third base will give him a better chance to make the Indians.

"It's a really great challenge," he said. "I feel comfortable out there. I felt comfortable out there when I went to Instructional League. Playing in a Major League game in the outfield obviously there is a lot more pressure involved, but I'm going to keep it as simply as I can."

When Casey Blake played for the Indians, his primary position was third base, but he played some outfield as well. His biggest concern in the outfield was staying in the game because he was a long way from the action and his mind tended to drift.

"You feel far away from the game, but the ball will get to you in a hurry," said Donald. "The ball will always find you."

The Indians have 13 outfielders in camp not counting the two-way guys such as Donald, Russ Canzler and Matt LaPorta. Donald will concentrate on playing the infield through the early part of camp and then could get some outfield work in late March.

In the wake of Albert: People were still talking about Albert Belle's visit to the Indians training complex Tuesday.

"He signed autographs for everybody," said one clubbie. "When he played here, that never happened. I even saw him walk over to the fence and sign autographs for fans when he was leaving the parking.

"He says he's coming back too."

Some leftover Belle:

-On his connection to the Indians: "This was a team that took a chance on me back in 1987 in the draft. I was excited to get to the big leagues pretty quickly and change things around. John Hart (former Tribe GM) made some incredible moves bringing in Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga and Kenny Lofton. We took our lumps when we were young, but we turned it around and started dishing out lumps."

-Why was he such a good hitter: "It was hard work. You look at some of our instructors. . .guys like Jose Morales. We pushed each other. We all helped each other and had good work habits. We all wanted to see each other succeed. They were great teams."

-On the 1995 Indians: "Our 1995 team as pretty incredible. I think the Yankees had a pretty good team when the year they won 114 games in 1998, but I think our lineup was way better. It all started when you have a guy like Kenny lofton at the top of the lineup. As soon as he got on base and caused havoc, we were just licking our chops to drive in runs and have big innings.

"That team gets overlooked. We probably would have gotten way more credit if we'd won the World Series that year. But we were the Cinderella team. All of America embraced us. I think everybody in Cleveland had some kind of Indians jersey or hat on. It was a nice run. . .I just wish we could have all stayed together a little longer to bring one home.

Special memory: "My first game in the big leagues (July 15, 1989). We were at Municipal Stadium and I got a chance to face Nolan Ryan. I got a base hit (in his first at-bat) and drove in a run and helped get a big inning going. We beat Nolan Ryan. It was pretty incredible.

"Then at the Jake when we had all those incredible come-from-behind games. Then our first Worlds Series game at the Jake when the city was in an uproar. Some incredible moments."

The winner: Third base coach Steve Smith's team won the first of two intrasquad games, 1-0, Wednesday. The game lasted four innings.

Jose Lopez, trying to win a job as a utility infielder, singled home Carlos Santana in the first inning for the game winner. Santana opened the inning with a double. He pulled up thinking the ball was foul, but continued to second when it was called fair.

Lefty Chris Seddon took the loss. Josh Tomlin, who worked a 1, 2, 3 first inning was the winner. Tomlin ended the inning by throwing a third-strike curveball past Lonnie Chisenhall.

Robinson Tejeda, Nick Hagadone and Chen Lee followed Tomlin with a scoreless inning each. Frank Herrmann, Jeremy Accord and Tyler Sturdevant followed Seddon with a scoreless inning each.

Gametime: Here's the lineups for today's intrasquad game:

Mike Sarbaugh's Visitors: CF Ezequiel Carrera, SS Jason Donald, 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, DH Shelley Duncan, 1B Russ Canzler, LF Fred Lewis, C Lou Marson, RF Chad Huffman, 2B Andy LaRoche, P LHP Chris Seddon.

Steve Smith's Homers: C Carlos Santana, DH Travis Hafner, 2B Jason Kipnis, 3B Jose Lopez, 1B Matt LaPorta, RF Ryan Spilborghs, LF Trevor Crowe, CF Felix Pie, SS Juan Diaz, P Josh Tomlin.

Thursday's pitchers: Here are the pitchers who will throw in Thursday's five-inning intrasquad game: Hector Ambriz,  Scott Barnes, Jeanmar Gomez, Chris Ray, Corey Kluber, Derek Lowe, Zach McAllister, Dan Wheeler, Kevin Slowey and Danny Salazar. The game will be played at Goodyear Ballpark.

Ohio State Buckeyes a Final Four threat, even after recent struggles, says Doug Lesmerises (SBTV)

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Plain Dealer OSU reporter says that with the right matchups in their part of the bracket, Buckeyes could do some damage. Watch video


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


The Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team is in suburban Chicago for a game tonight against Northwestern. Given the Buckeyes' recent struggles, how far do you think they can go in the NCAA Tournament? That's the question in today's Starting Blocks poll.


The guest on today's SBTV is Plain Dealer Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesmerises, who says he thinks the matchups in the Buckeyes' bracket will make all the difference.


Doug also talks about whether OSU big man Jared Sullinger can re-emerge as a dominant player; what Indiana's upset of Michigan State means to the Big Ten; and what he thinks of the new college football rules for 2012 that will move kickoffs out to the 35-yard line and touchbacks out to the 25.


SBTV will return Thursday.







Tribe closer Chris Perez talks about his injury, Albert Belle and Chardon High shootings

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In this episode of "30 Minutes of Pure Rage" with Tribe closer Chris Perez, he talks about his injury and updates us on his status. Also, he debunks the rumors of him being out of shape for spring training and he says he will be back for Opening Day.

chris perez.JPGView full sizeTribe closer Chris Perez talked about his injury and when he will be back during his weekly chat on cleveland.com with Glenn Moore.

Listen to the fifth edition of “30 Minutes of Pure Rage” with Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez, heard only on cleveland.com.

Chris and Glenn Moore talked about his injury and updates us on his status. He also debunks any rumors that he came to spring training out of shape and he says he will be back in time for Opening Day.

Other topics discussed:

• Meeting Albert Belle yesterday the the Indians spring training facility.

• What his daily routine now that he can't throw for a week.

• Describes his reaction to the Chardon High School shootings and his experience talking with the Columbine survivors while he was in high school.

• Just how big the Grady Sizemore injury is for the Tribe.

You can download the mp3 or listen with the player to the right. The chat is live every Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.

Be sure to also follow Chris Perez on Twitter.

Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis parts ways with agent Kennard McGuire, his third agent in a year

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On the eve of free agency, Browns running back Peyton Hillis parted ways with his agent Kennard McGuire, his third agent in a year.

CLEVELAND -- On the eve of free agency, Browns running back Peyton Hillis has parted ways with his agent, Kennard McGuire, a league source confirmed for the Plain Dealer.

It's the third agent Hillis has dumped in a year. The first two were Jimmy Sexton and Kelli Masters.

The news was first reported by Josina Anderson of ESPN. Hillis' new agent is not yet known. 

The Browns would like to re-sign Hillis before he becomes an unrestricted free agent Mar. 13.  They are not expected to franchise him, which would pay him $7.7 million for 2012. Deadline for franchising players is Monday.

Hillis and McGuire had a tumultuous season together in 2011. McGuire said he was the one who advised Hillis not to play against the Dolphins on Sept. 25 because he was too sick with strep throat and the flu.

Some of Hillis' teammates took exception to him sitting out and ultimately had an intervention-style meeting with him to help him get his priorities straight.

Hillis climbed back into the Browns' good graces with a strong end to the season, both on and off the field, including a 112-yard game in Baltimore Dec. 24.

peyton hillis.JPGPeyton Hillis has fired yet another agent on the eve of free agency.

Cavaliers at Knicks: Game preview and Twitter updates

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The Cavaliers travel to New York to face Jeremy Lin and the Knicks. Get a preview and follow in-game updates from @pdcavsinsider on Twitter.

The Cavaliers travel to the Big Apple to face off against Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. Get Twitter updates from Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer @PDCavsInsider in the box below. Check out the in-game box score here. Read on for a game preview. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Jeremy LinView full sizeThe Cavaliers travel to New York tonight to take on Jeremy Lin and the Knicks. The Cavs will look to get their first win after the All-Star break.
(AP) -- Jeremy Lin's rise to stardom continues to captivate. Lin thinks the rest of the resurgent New York Knicks deserve some attention.

Lin and the Knicks emerge from the All-Star break Wednesday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lin has quickly become perhaps the biggest story of the NBA season, emerging from obscurity to spark the Knicks as their new point guard. He's averaged 22.6 points and 8.7 assists during a 9-3 run that has New York (17-18) looking more like the playoff team it expected to be at the start of the season.

The Knicks are tied with Boston for seventh in the East, and trail Atlantic Division leader Philadelphia by four games.

Lin, a reserve for Golden State last season who was cut twice in December before landing in New York, thinks there's much more to the Knicks' turnaround.

"I mean, we're unbelievably talented and you look on the headlines, you look on ESPN, you see 'Lin this' and 'Lin that,'" he said. "But we may be the deepest team in the NBA, so I think we should start talking about that as well."

Even with that depth, New York could use more production from its stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Anthony is averaging 15.0 points and shooting 38.3 percent in three games after missing seven with a groin injury, while Stoudemire's 17.5 points per game represent a 7.8 drop from last season.

While Anthony scored 19 points for the Eastern Conference in Sunday's All-Star game, Stoudemire was resting and believes he's primed for a strong second half.

"It's going to be great. Every second half of the year, I have a tendency to turn it up because you know how important it is," Stoudemire said. "After the All-Star break, getting that momentum going to the postseason is always very, very key. You're playing at your best going into the postseason, so it's going to be an incredible second half of the year for me."

New York will try to bounce back after losing its final game before the break, 102-88 at conference-leading Miami on Thursday as Lin managed eight points and three assists while turning the ball over eight times.

"He'll have a learning curve and there will be nights where he won't look good, but I think he's a very good player and we're going to ride him and he'll just keep getting better," coach Mike D'Antoni said.

The Knicks have dropped 12 of their last 13 meetings with the Cavaliers (13-19), including a 91-81 defeat at Cleveland on Jan. 25, a game in which Lin didn't get off the bench. Stoudemire had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Anthony finished with 15 points.

The Cavaliers finished 4-5 on their season-high nine-game homestand, which concluded Tuesday with an 86-83 loss to the Celtics. They avoided a scare when Kyrie Irving returned from a bruised elbow that sidelined him late in the second quarter.

"I just hit my elbow on the floor," said Irving, who scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half. "Once I got back (to the locker room) I felt much better. There was nothing funny about it (hitting his funny bone). It was my first almost-injury in the NBA."

Irving, the first overall selection from last summer's NBA draft, scored just seven while making 1 of 7 from the field against the Knicks last month.

Hines Ward: Should the Cleveland Browns try to sign the accomplished but aging wide receiver? Poll

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Pittsburgh Steelers will release the 35-year-old who has made countless clutch plays for them in 14 seasons.

hines-ward.jpgPittsburgh's Hines Ward catches a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger during the Steelers' 34-7 season-opening win over the Browns in Cleveland on Sept. 9, 2007.



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will release wide receiver Hines Ward, as reported by the Associated Press.



Ward has caught 1,000 passes for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns during his 14 NFL seasons, all with Pittsburgh. He has helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls, and made one big play after another, as Cleveland Browns fans can attest.



Ward, though, is 35. Check how his role, and production, diminished over the last two seasons:



2009: Ward caught 95 passes for 1,167 yards (12.3 average) and six touchdowns.



2010: Ward caught 59 passes for 755 yards (12.8 average) and five touchdowns.



2011: Ward caught 46 passes for 381 yards (8.3 average) and two touchdowns.



The Browns, of course, have one of the least accomplished receiver groups in the NFL. Should they try to sign Ward?




Michael Jordan's personal residence in suburban Chicago goes on sale for $29 million

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There are nine bedrooms, 15 baths, five fireplaces, a three-bedroom guesthouse, pool area, outdoor tennis court, three climate-controlled multi-car garages and an indoor basketball complex with a full-size regulation court.

michael-jordan-home.jpgA Jan. 8, 2002 photo of Michael Jordan's home, an estate along Lake Michigan which was put on sale on Wednesday for $29 million.

HIGHLAND PARK, Illinois -- Michael Jordan's longtime personal residence in suburban Chicago is for sale for $29 million.

The sprawling estate is in Highland Park, along Lake Michigan, and has more than 56,000 square feet of living space.

That includes nine bedrooms, 15 baths and five fireplaces.

There's also a three-bedroom guesthouse, pool area, outdoor tennis court and three climate-controlled multi-car garages.

An indoor basketball complex features a full-size regulation court with specially cushioned hardwood flooring and competition-quality high intensity lighting. It has a sound system set up to provide perfect acoustics within the court space.

The property was put on the market Wednesday by Katherine Chez-Malkin of Baird & Warner Real Estate.

Jordan, 49, played 13 of his 15 NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The five-time league MVP led Chicago to six championships.

Jordan is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, who have the NBA's worst record (4-28) going into their Wednesday night road game against the Detroit Pistons.

 


Ohio State's approach is March maddening: Bill Livingston

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Growth charts always matter in sports, but most of all in March. March began today. Ohio State wasn't measuring up in the days before Wednesday's must-win game at Northwestern. The Buckeyes almost melted down in the final minutes, but survived, 75-73, on Jared Sullinger's layup. Ohio State is becoming the November All-Stars of the 2011-12 season. Crushed Florida then....


Growth charts always matter in sports, but most of all in March. March began today. Ohio State wasn't measuring up in the days before Wednesday's must-win game at Northwestern.

The Buckeyes almost melted down in the final minutes, but survived, 75-73, on Jared Sullinger's layup.

Ohio State is becoming the November All-Stars of the 2011-12 season. Crushed Florida then. Routed Duke then. The catch is, nothing really matters in college basketball in November. Only in March.

After Northwestern, the regular season will be down to the final game against Tom Izzo's Michigan State team before the screaming students in the "Izzone" in East Lansing on Sunday. Then the Big Ten Tournament.

Once upon a time, that was enough time, maybe, for a coach to find what's wrong and fix it. That's what happened with UConn last year when no one saw it coming.

UConn coach Jim Calhoun played the disrespect card by telling his team that having to play their way into the Big East Conference Tournament's glamour games was an insult to the program. The Huskies ran through five wins in five days at Madison Square Garden, then ran all the way up the ladders to cut down the nets with "One Shining Moment" playing on the Jumbotron at the Final Four. Calhoun enjoyed his third championship moment.

Thad Matta has seemingly tried the reverse with Ohio State, throwing his November All-Stars out of the practice gym the day before a home loss to Wisconsin.

Insulting his own team might have been both the last resort and the most fitting tactic. ESPN analyst Dan Dakich basically said Ohio State thinks it should win because, well, it was picked to win. The Buckeyes lack focus and drive, shown when they squander big leads.

But college basketball isn't college football. No one gets to be an elite team because the polls say so. Teams win respect on the court.

Matta is a recruiter, and a great one. He has lost, along with injured Greg Oden and the finally thriving Mike Conley Jr., a whole D-League All-Star team to the one-and-done NBA eligibility rule. Everybody always says how much that hurts the NBA because of the unpreparedness of the young players (B.J. Mullens, Kosta Koufos, Daequan Cook). But it also hurts the college coach and his program.

A coach who recruits according to the one-and-done principle has to beat the clock as well as the opposition. Matta hasn't had a deep bench since he took over the Ohio State program in 2004-05. He seems psychologically incapable of developing his substitutes during the cakewalk portion of the schedule, so he doesn't trust them in the crucial games in March.

He fixates instead on the core of his team. One-and-done.

OK, it's probably two-and-done with Sullinger. In the forward/center's two games before Wednesday's huge effort (22 points, including the game-winning basket, 18 rebounds) at Northwestern, he came off as an effort player who simply did not give a very good one. With a larger sample size than afforded last year, NBA scouts must realize Sullinger is not big enough to play inside in the NBA.

Admittedly bothered by injuries and health problems, Sullinger has cost himself a huge chunk of money by returning to Ohio State. Nobody likes to hear it because college is part of the American dream, but staying in school hurt him. This probably comes as news to Sullinger, who has spent parts of games mentally attuning himself to the demands of NBA diva-hood by complaining about calls and playing to the crowd.

Part of the problem is the personnel around Sullinger. The Buckeyes, with guards Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Aaron Craft in the starting lineup, play three-on-five at the offensive end of the floor. Someone besides Craft has to get the ball to Sullinger, and the other two starters, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas, are responsible for the most ill-advised, itchy-trigger-fingered 3-pointers late in games of the season -- Buford at Indiana and Thomas against Wisconsin.

Ohio State has only one senior, Buford, and he is not a leader. Thomas seems to have selfishness issues. The malaise isn't as much in Matta's playbook and tactics as in the hearts and minds of his players.

North Carolina won it all in 2005 with a roster of rent-a-players. Kentucky is a freshman basketball factory. For Ohio State, Matta has to figure it out, and he has to do it on the fly. Because it's March under the one-and-done rule, and that's what time is doing.

Cleveland's I-X Center will host Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki in Bellator 66 on April 20

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Northeast Ohio's own Jessica Eye also is slated to be on the 11-fight card, taking on Aisling Daly.

jessica-eye-kuntz.JPGView full sizeJessica Eye, who trains at Independence's StrongStyle Martial Arts & Fitness, will try to avenge the lone loss in her professional MMA career when she takes on Aisling Daly in Bellator 66 at Cleveland's I-X Center in April. Eddie Alvarez meets Shinya Aoki in a heralded rematch to headline the first professional MMA event in Cleveland.

Cleveland finally will play host to professional mixed martial arts, when former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez steps into the circle cage against Shinya Aoki at the Indoor Exposition Center this spring.

Alvarez, the former Bellator lightweight champion, meets former DREAM lightweight champion Aoki in a rematch that will be the main event of Bellator 66 on Friday, April 20.

The rest of the card dubbed "Alvarez vs. Aoki II" has not been announced. But a spokesman for Bellator said Cleveland fight fans can reasonably expect to see some local favorites -- such as Frank Lozano and Jessica Eye, who fight out of Marcus Marinelli's StrongStyle Martial Arts & Fitness in Independence -- in the cage.

Greg Kalikas, president and CEO of the Northeast Ohio-based North American Allied Fight Series, confirmed that Eye would be facing Aisling Daly in a rematch of their June 2011 fight at Nautica in Cleveland's Flats. Daly beat Eye in that battle, the only loss in the Rootstown-born fighter's seven-fight professional career.

Two other fighters who train at the Independence gym, middleweight Brian Rogers and welterweight Chris Lozano, are involved in Bellator's tournament-style path to a title fight, and could end up on the 11-fight card, Kalikas said.

Kalikas was central in getting Bellator to Cleveland, said Bellator President and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

"In June of 2011, we were at the NAAFS show at Nautica, and it was raucous, loud and packed," said Rebney. "We were talking to the promoter – Greg – and it was packed for a non-televised show, and told him we'd like to come back here if we could make it happen."

Kalikas suggested the Bellator production manager visit the I-X Center; Rebney said that when he did, he came back with raves.

Aoki, who has a 36-5-1 MMA record, decisioned Alvarez with a first-round heel-hook submission.

"Ed asked me to secure this rematch for him years ago," Rebney. "I said I would, and now it's official. Anytime you can put two of the world's top 10 lightweights in the cage together at the pinnacle of their careers, you've got a very special fight on your hands."

The fights will begin at 7 p.m. Two hours of the card will be broadcast on MTV2. Another two hours will be available on spike.com, Rebney said.

Tickets are $30 to $425, and are available online at bellator.com, ixcenter.com or by phone at 1-877-772-5425.


Akron Zips slip again, are tripped up by Buffalo Bulls in men's college basketball

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Akron -- It was definitely a game for the big boys on Senior Night for the Akron Zips. Only it was Buffalo's big boys who dominated the paint and ultimately gave the Zips their second straight Mid-American Conference defeat, and the Bulls' second defeat of Akron this season, 74-70, in men's college basketball Wednesday night at Rhodes Arena. The...

Akron -- It was definitely a game for the big boys on Senior Night for the Akron Zips.

Only it was Buffalo's big boys who dominated the paint and ultimately gave the Zips their second straight Mid-American Conference defeat, and the Bulls' second defeat of Akron this season, 74-70, in men's college basketball Wednesday night at Rhodes Arena.

The triumph delayed the coronation as MAC champions a second straight game for the Zips (20-10, 12-3), who play rival Kent State on Friday. The Bulls (18-9, 11-4), who face Bowling Green in their regular-season finale, still could tie Akron for the title and grab the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament by virtue of their season sweep.

The Zips have lost three of their past four games, just when it looked like they were rolling.

"These last three games, there has been a lot of pressure on us," said surprisingly upbeat Akron coach Keith Dambrot. "Just because we got the lead doesn't mean we're going to win [the title]. We lost tonight, but we played good enough to win on most nights. We're playing the three best teams in the league [Buffalo, Ohio, Kent State]. I'm not letting anybody rain on my parade. That's one of the best games [the Bulls] ever played against us in our building."

The problem for Akron in its past two setbacks has been the in-effectiveness of 7-0 junior Zeke Marshall to make his presence felt.

"Zeke's tired," Dambrot said. "He's mentally fatigued. You just don't have it sometimes. He tried."

Buffalo's three-headed inside presence of 6-10 senior Mitchell Watt (22 points), 6-7 sophomore Javon McCrea (13 points) and 6-8 senior Titus Robinson (eight points), plus a solid nine points and eight boards from 6-5 senior Dave Barnett were just too much for Marshall and the Zips to handle.

And the Bulls had no special schemes.

"I think I called two plays, and neither worked," Buffalo coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "I said just stay in rhythm, get a good shot and don't worry about the rest of it. I sat down and watched, which is hard for me to do sometimes. Defend, rebound, play, and I try to back up a little bit. Tonight, it worked."

Marshall finished with 10 points, four rebounds, five turnovers, no blocks and a pair of fouls against the Bulls. He did not start the second half, even as the Zips began the final 20 minutes with a 38-34 lead. Buffalo opened the session with an 11-2 run to take a 45-40 lead.

When Marshall's replacement, Demetrius Treadwell (11 points), picked up his fourth foul at the 11:46 mark, and the game tied, 47-47, the Bulls went right inside again, getting a three-point play from Robinson. An Alex Abreu 3-pointer tied it, but the Bulls countered with seven straight points for a 57-50 lead.

Minutes later, three free throws from Abreu (18 points) gave Akron its last lead, 62-61. But Watt delivered a hook inside, then another layup following a Marshall turnover. He then asked out of the game, but Witherspoon had none of it.

"Watt was phenomenal," Witherspoon said. "I told him the bus was waiting in four minutes -- take a nap on the bus."

What looked like a dominating season for Akron now boils down to a typical MAC finish as the Zips desperately need a win at Kent, which also has been struggling down the stretch.

"We have got to clear our head and go get this championship," Treadwell said.

Cleveland Cavaliers blow 12-point halftime lead, get blown out by Knicks in New York

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New York -- The Cavaliers played arguably their best 24 minutes of the season and followed it with unquestionably their worst 24 minutes. Somewhere between a crackling first-half effort and a 120-103 setback to the New York Knicks, the rebuilding Cavaliers lost their way in a renovated Madison Square Garden. From leading by 17 points with 1:55 remaining in...

Gallery previewNew York -- The Cavaliers played arguably their best 24 minutes of the season and followed it with unquestionably their worst 24 minutes.

Somewhere between a crackling first-half effort and a 120-103 setback to the New York Knicks, the rebuilding Cavaliers lost their way in a renovated Madison Square Garden.

From leading by 17 points with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter to losing by 17 points, coach Byron Scott's team completed its most stunning and speedy collapse. It also left the Cavaliers 0-2 after the All-Star break against Boston and New York, clubs they are chasing for the final Eastern Conference playoff berths.

"We gave up 71 points in the second half," Scott said. "You have to give them all the credit in the world. They were much more aggressive. They came out aggressive and we melted."

After scoring a season-high 61 points in the first half, the Cavaliers' offense unraveled in an endless series of mistakes and missed shots. They committed 15 turnovers after intermission and shot 39 percent.

The Knicks, booed lustily in the final minutes of the first half, raised their intensity and physical play while receiving little blow back from the visitors. New York finished with 68 points in the paint as the Knicks blew through the lane, rarely meeting any help defense from the Cavaliers.

The 120 points were one shy of a season-high for a Cavaliers opponent. Atlanta scored 121 on Jan. 21. 

"It was hard to watch, and it was hard to be a part of," said Cavs rookie Kyrie Irving, who finished with 22 points, seven assists and four turnovers.

"We could not sustain the same energy we had in the first half."

Playing their first road game since Feb. 7, the Cavaliers (13-20) were a focused and efficient bunch throughout the first half.

Antawn Jamison scored 15 of his team-leading 23 points before halftime. Irving dished out five assists and left Jeremy Lin going the wrong way on the George Washington Bridge with a length-of-the-court drive to the basket. Meanwhile, Daniel Gibson led a 29-point effort from the Cavaliers bench with three 3-point baskets.

All signs were positive as the Cavs adjourned to the new visitors' locker room. 

They have fallen behind by large margins this season, but rarely have squandered leads so substantial. They have been pretty good frontrunners. But not Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd at the Garden.

The Knicks cut a 12-point halftime deficit to 65-63 in the first 4 minutes, 40 seconds of the third quarter. The run was fueled by five Cavaliers turnovers.

New York took its first lead of the game with 1:39 left in the third quarter at 77-76.

What might have irked Scott the most is how his club did not respond to the Knicks' elevated level of aggressiveness.

"Any time a team just takes liberties the way they were guarding and banging and grabbing, you have to do your best to get them off you," Scott said. "You really can't succumb to it and we did. I thought we played the whole second half on our heels."

The Cavs received a total of 12 second-half points from their shooting guards and small forwards.

Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 22 points, and Lin added 19 points and 13 assists. But it was reserve swingman Steve Novak who did the major second-half damage with 15 of his 17 points.

Tyson Chandler was a physical force with 13 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. 

The Knicks’ 71 second-half points were nine more than the Cavs have surrendered in any half this season.


Cleveland Indians' Manny Acta in favor of another wild card: Indians Insider

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- If reports are accurate that Major League Baseball is close to announcing it will expand its playoff field to 10 teams for this season by adding a second wild-card team in each league, manager Manny Acta will welcome it. "It's a better chance for the Tribe," Acta said. "I just hope that everything gets aligned the...


GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- If reports are accurate that Major League Baseball is close to announcing it will expand its playoff field to 10 teams for this season by adding a second wild-card team in each league, manager Manny Acta will welcome it.

"It's a better chance for the Tribe," Acta said. "I just hope that everything gets aligned the best way possible, whether it's a one-game playoff or two out of three. I think they're leaning toward the one-game playoff. That will make for a very exciting day in the game and also push teams down the stretch to try and win the division.

tribephoto.JPGView full sizeIndians second baseman Jason Kipnis throws over Fred Lewis to complete a double play during the Tribe's intrasquad game Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz.


"You could win 90 games, be the wild card and be home after one game."

According to ESPN, the fourth and fifth seeds in each league -- in other words, the wild card teams -- will meet in a playoff. The three division winners would get a first-round bye.

As for the severity of a one-game playoff, Acta said, "If you are a wild card, you shouldn't be complaining or be picky about how many games you're going to play."

Red flag: Acta said the team will have an update on Grady Sizemore's back injury. The Indians announced Feb. 24 that Sizemore was unlikely to start the season opener after he strained his back three weeks ago fielding ground balls.

Sizemore has been undergoing more tests during the past few days. Acta said Tuesday that he was "very concerned" about Sizemore.

The Indians re-signed Sizemore to a one-year, $5 million contract in December after they failed to exercise his $9 million club option for 2012 on Oct. 31.

Game on: Third-base coach Steve Smith's team won a four-inning intrasquad game, 1-0, Wednesday. Mike Sarbaugh, manager at Class AAA Columbus, took the loss.

What happened?

Jose Lopez singled home Carlos Santana in the first inning for the game's only run. Lopez hit 25 homers for Seattle in 2009 but has struggled since. He has a shot to be a utility infielder.

Santana opened the game with a double but pulled up because he thought the ball was foul. When it was called fair, he still made it to second.

"I was worried because I thought he hurt himself because he stopped running," Acta said.

•Acta said the player of the game was rookie right-hander Tyler Sturdevant, who pitched a scoreless fourth for Sarbaugh. Acta has liked Sturdevant's poise this spring.

•Lopez, Jason Kipnis and Santana had hits for Smith. Shelley Duncan, Ezequiel Carrera, Jason Donald and Fred Lewis had hits for Sarbaugh.

Frank Herrmann, trying to keep his bullpen job, walked two in the second but used his splitter to retire Juan Diaz and Santana to end the inning. He likes to use his splitter against lefties, and switch-hitters Diaz and Santana were hitting left-handed.

"It was OK," Herrmann said. "I got to face some lefties and use my splitter."

•Lefty Nick Hagadone loaded the bases in the third but struck out Lonnie Chisenhall and retired Duncan on a pop-up. He's had trouble throwing strikes in the past.

On the mound: Here are the pitchers who will throw in today's five-inning intrasquad game: Hector Ambriz, Scott Barnes, Jeanmar Gomez, Chris Ray, Corey Kluber, Derek Lowe, Zach McAllister, Dan Wheeler, Kevin Slowey and Danny Salazar. The game will be played at Goodyear Ballpark.

Lesson learned: Shin-Soo Choo says he's enjoying the game more this year after injuries ruined his season last year.

"Last year, he learned he can't put his whole country on his back," Acta said. "Yes, he represents South Korea, but that being said, it's hard enough to play this game without being about what everyone is saying about you across the world."

Cleveland Indians' Lonnie Chisenhall won't 'panic' this season

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Lonnie Chisenhall's master plan went out the window last year. Along the way, he called 9-1-1, the Boy Scouts and Ace Ventura, pet detective, but no one could recover it. It had nothing to do with getting hit in the face by a pitch from Toronto's Carlos Villanueva right before the All-Star break July 7. He...


GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Lonnie Chisenhall's master plan went out the window last year. Along the way, he called 9-1-1, the Boy Scouts and Ace Ventura, pet detective, but no one could recover it.

It had nothing to do with getting hit in the face by a pitch from Toronto's Carlos Villanueva right before the All-Star break July 7. He missed three games, but when the Indians came out of the break, Chisenhall was back in the lineup with an eye as red as a Valentine's Day card.

chisenhall.JPGView full sizeIndians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall field a ground ball during practice Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz.


"I dug right back into the box," Chisenhall said. "Getting hit wasn't even on my mind."

What tied Chisenhall into knots was trying to hit a 92 mph pitch, not dodging one. In 31/2 years in the minors, Chisenhall always showed patience and control of the strike zone when it came to drawing a walk. He started last year at Class AAA Columbus and drew 28 walks, compared with 47 strikeouts in 255 at-bats, before being promoted June 27.

When he joined the Indians, that control went on vacation. Chisenhall had 49 strikeouts and eight walks in 212 at-bats. His on-base percentage was .284.

"I hit the panic button," Chisenhall said. "I was worried about hitting for a high average. I was trying to get hits and dug myself too big of a hole."

Walks don't keep a hitter in the big leagues. Chisenhall was hitting .235 at the end of July and .238 through August.

"Normally, I have a respectable walk-to-strikeout ratio," he said. "All through the minors, it's been really consistent. It seemed once I got up there, I got myself in a hole. I was trying to get those hits. Your average doesn't go up with walks. That was kind of how I felt."

Things began to change in late August. Chisenhall hit .290 (29-for-100), with six doubles, four homers and 15 RBI from Aug. 22 through the end of the season. A September calf injury to Jack Hannahan, who shared third base with Chisenhall, gave him regular playing time, and he took advantage of it.

Manager Manny Acta didn't let Chisenhall, a left-handed hitter, face many lefties immediately after his promotion, but with Hannahan hurt, he had no choice. Chisenhall finished the season hitting .260 against lefties and .253 against righties.

"It's about repetition and getting exposed to lefties," Acta said. "The last month or so of the season, we faced a lot lefties."

This spring, Chisenhall and Hannahan are competing for the third-base job once again. Chisenhall is a No.1 pick (2008), with the potential to do big things offensively. Hannahan, signed as a minor-league free agent last year, lives off his defense and a bat that comes and goes.

"The competition is fun," Chisenhall said. "Jack and I work well together. We played together last year, kind of platooning. . . . We're both going to try and make it hard on the manager and front office to make that decision."

Acta said the decision on a starter won't be made until late March. Sometimes, this kind of competition can be difficult on the players involved. This one doesn't appear to be that way.

Chisenhall says Hannahan has been an open book as far as helping him defensively.

"Jack is so fundamentally sound that it's hard for anybody on the infield not to watch how he works," Chisenhall said. "He lets me pick his brain. 'Why does he do this? How can I improve on that?'

"I know some guys refuse to help a guy coming in who's trying to take his job. Jack has been a great guy about it and a good friend. To have him help me play third base is really helpful for myself and the team."

Acta believes Chisenhall, a converted shortstop, is already a good third baseman. He has quick hands and good feet.

"It's just hard to grade him when the measuring stick is Jack Hannahan," Acta said. "Jack Hannahan is flat-out one of the best in the game. People only notice how good a defensive player is when they hit and have a big name. That's the name of the game: You hit, you play. Then you show your defense."

Cleveland Cavaliers' Samardo Samuels lost at the end of the bench: Cavaliers Insider

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NEW YORK -- Over All- Star Weekend, Samardo Samuels flew to the Bahamas to pick up a new passport and work visa, documents he lost during the lockout. The Cavaliers center is now eligible to accompany the team to Toronto for an April 6 game. Now, if only he could find regular access from the bench to the court....


NEW YORK -- Over All- Star Weekend, Samardo Samuels flew to the Bahamas to pick up a new passport and work visa, documents he lost during the lockout.

The Cavaliers center is now eligible to accompany the team to Toronto for an April 6 game. Now, if only he could find regular access from the bench to the court.

Coach Byron Scott said the second-year pro is not supplying the requisite energy or effort to merit playing time. On Monday, he met with Samuels and made it clear the reserve center is running out of chances.

samardo.JPGView full sizeCavs big man Samardo Samuels has seen little playing time this season.


"What I told him the other day is opportunity is not going to keep coming," Scott said. "Pretty soon that well is going to dry up."

It has been a lost season of sorts for the Jamaican. He arrived at training camp out of shape, in Scott's opinion, couldn't attend the first game in Toronto because he lacked the proper paperwork, and quickly fell out of the rotation.

Entering Wednesday's game in New York, Samuels had played just 65 minutes over seven games in February. Even with the wrist injury that has sidelined Anderson Varejao, he had dropped below Ryan Hollins on the depth chart.

"The whole year has been tough," Samuels admitted. "It's hard to give energy when you are not playing or don't know when you are playing. Mentally, it's a hard thing to do.

"It's hard to determine where I'm at and what I need to do to get on the court. I don't know what I did to get off [the court]."

Scott, however, gave Samuels another chance against the Knicks on Wednesday.

With Semih Erden in early foul trouble, Samuels got the call and played five productive minutes early on with a basket and two rebounds.

Little time: The Cavaliers will make a decision today whether to sign Manny Harris to another 10-day contact. Entering Wednesday's game, they had just six seconds of playing time to critique.

Scott said he's familiar enough with Harris' work from last season to make an informed decision. The coach and General Manager Chris Grant were expected to confer late Tuesday or Wednesday. Because of the All-Star break, the shooting guard dressed for just four games in 10 days.

Harris had an outstanding stretch for the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League, averaging 21.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 17 games.

Baron of N.Y.: Not long ago, Baron Davis had the most publicized herniated disk in the NBA. New York writers supplied daily updates on Davis' lower back in January and whether the point guard would return in time to salvage the Knicks' spiraling season.

Then along came Jeremy Lin. Davis appeared in just his fourth game Wednesday night. The former Cavaliers point guard entered the game averaging 1.3 points and 3.3 assists. He's shooting 8 percent from the field as he tries to play his way back into shape and form.

'My fault': Despite scoring 24 points, Kyrie Irving took the blame for the 86-83 loss to Boston on Tuesday, Scott said. Irving committed a key turnover and missed a last-minute layup, but given his body of work, his teammates were not pointing fingers.

"The first thing he said in the huddle when I said, 'Bring it in,' was, 'It's my fault,' to his teammates," Scott said. "Everybody looked at him like he was crazy because without him we don't get to that point. You don't expect a 19-year-old to take the onus for things like that, but he showed his maturity."


Tribe's relationship with Albert Belle in a spring thaw: Bud Shaw's Sports Spin

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Proof that temperatures really are warming up . . . Sooner than later, Albert Belle will get elected to the Indians' Hall of Fame. It would help if he: A) Still isn't ripping them for the Cliff Lee trade or the CC Sabathia trade. "Imagine that, the Cleveland Indians trade away another great player because they didn't want to...


Proof that temperatures really are warming up . . .

Sooner than later, Albert Belle will get elected to the Indians' Hall of Fame.

It would help if he:

A) Still isn't ripping them for the Cliff Lee trade or the CC Sabathia trade.

"Imagine that, the Cleveland Indians trade away another great player because they didn't want to pay him," Belle told The PD's Paul Hoynes in 2008. "The saga continues."

B) Isn't getting even more specific about ownership.

"When is Larry Dolan going to sell the club? I could buy a piece of it. There are a lot of people on teams making bad decisions."

albertbelle2.JPGView full sizeIs Albert Belle the next Indians Alumni Ambassador? From left, Mike Hargrove, Kenny Lofton, Belle, Steve Smith and Carlos Baerga.


C) Still isn't mistaking free agency with trades.

"They got rid of three of us: Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and me."

D) Reconnects with the Indians fans the way he did in signing autographs in Goodyear, Ariz., on Tuesday.

For those and for other reasons, Belle's appearance at spring training was a good first step toward rekindling the relationship between the organization and one of its greatest hitters.

Gaylord Perry headlines the most recent Indians Hall of Fame class. Belle can't be far behind.

He's a cinch to someday soon join Charlie Nagy, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Kenny Lofton from the era that lit up Cleveland like Las Vegas long before LeBron James made the promise.

James, by the way, was the reason for one of Belle's phone calls to Hoynes in recent years. Belle, almost always the peacemaker -- OK, almost never the peacemaker -- made the hopeful case that James and the fans should take the "high road" during James' return with the Heat in 2010.

That didn't exactly show a deft finger on the pulse of the city.

"What about the Cavs doing a video tribute of LeBron before the game?" he said at the time. "Wouldn't that be a surprise? Then the fans could boo once the game started."

Reading those words immediately got me thinking.

What it got me thinking was:

"Who are you, sir? And what have you done with Albert?"

Belle joked in the same conversation that maybe if Cleveland wasn't ready to give James a video tribute, it might be ready to give him one.

As it turns out, that could happen, especially if Belle returns to Cleveland this summer as an Alumni Ambassador (now there's one word I didn't think I'd mention in the same sentence with him, and I don't mean "alumni.")

The timing's right. Even if embracing another star from the 1990s makes people remember what they're missing in 2012, that era was too great, too much fun not to celebrate at every turn.

The 1995 season was long enough ago. Comparisons are as unfair as they are inevitable.

Cleveland was a much different town economically. Baseball was a much different sport, payroll-wise.

The pictures of Belle from Tuesday's visit -- graying hair, graying beard, smiling -- make it seem even longer.

Time for bygones to be bygones, provided the Indians don't make any unpopular moves that bring out the GM in him before they meet again.

SPINOFFS

LeBron James got understandable grief for passing off again instead of taking the challenge from the West's Kobe Bryant, who dared James to shoot the ball in the closing moments of Sunday's All-Star Game.

I'd love to see James participate in the Slam Dunk competition someday, just to see him pass off on his final attempt.

Randy Lerner's Aston Villa soccer team, which is a lowly 15th in the Premier League, reportedly had a record loss of $85 million last season -- $19 million of it in compensation for coaching changes.

Nothing that visit by Aston Villa team officials to Berea won't fix.

Ratings for the rescheduled-because-of-monsoon-rains Daytona 500 were Fox's highest for a Monday night since Game 5 of the 2010 World Series, prompting some people to call for more weeknight racing.

So long as weeknight racing comes with the guarantee of scorched earth from a jet fuel truck fireball as Monday's race did, the ratings will spike.

The plague of locusts in their tiny Raid sponsor patches was also a nice touch.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova will compete on "Dancing With the Stars" in a group that includes Jaleel White (Urkel).

Mentioning Martina and Urkel in the same sentence scratches one more item off my Bucket List.

I'm not campaigning for Albert Belle to make the Indians' Hall of Fame. But I'd lead the charge to someday see Belle and Hannah Storm do "Dancing With the Stars."

Asdrubal Cabrera, who becomes a free agent after the 2013 season, says he wants to be an Indian for a long time but says "there's nothing I can do." I guess he means, you know, other than take a little less and sign a long-term contract at some point.

Carlos Santana had an "S" shaved into his head by his barber. Quelling a rumor: With "S" already taken, Grady Sizemore is NOT considering the Cleveland Clinic logo.

Mike Tyson will do a stand-up solo act April 13 to 18 in Las Vegas. It's titled "Undisputed Truth."

The tickets are expected to come with a Surgeon General's warning not to feed the pigeons, especially stray pieces of ear.

My guess is that nobody in the first few rows will risk getting up to use the bathroom during Tyson's standup act.

The mother of Olympian Elena Hight was arrested on suspicion of operating a marijuana ring after police stopped her car and found approximately $77,000 inside.

If you guessed Hight's sport was snowboarding, you are the shallow type who deals in stereotypes. And you are absolutely correct.

HE SAID IT

"I have skills he doesn't have. Obviously, my strength is far better, I'm faster, I would say I'm smarter . . . I just think I have a technique that's unmatched." -- Michigan center David Molk, after the NFL Scouting Combine, comparing himself to Wisconsin center Peter Konz.

And raising the question, "David Molk does realize he's just a center, doesn't he?"

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded

Midweek Edition)

"Bud: If Kobe, Michael, Magic, Larry and Jason Bourne were born with the assassin gene, what did LeBron get instead? The Greenpeace Dinghy Skipper gene?" -- Jim, Shaker Heights

Given his need to be a first mate, the Gilligan gene.

"Bud: Based on the recent Separated At Birth pictures of Tim Kamczyc and Will Ferrell, will you be changing the name of the feature to Random Photo Pairings?" -- Chas K, Cleveland Heights

I was just discussing that with my twin, Denzel.

"Bud: If this message languishes in your inbox for 44 hours, then I take no responsibility for its content." -- Wayne Kuznar

Nice try, Ryan Braun. But until proven otherwise, I suspect all "You said it" emailers of using performance dehancers.

"Hey, Bud: Now that the awesome trend of visible tattoos in sports has reached Major League Baseball, what would your neck and/or forearm tattoo display?" -- Mark, Rocky River

Like Sanjaya Malakar should for his future Grammys, I'm keeping both open to list my Pulitzers.

"Bud: What am I more likely to see one day in my Sunday Plain Dealer? 1. The Cavs in first place; 2. Some great coupons; 3. I will be a 'You said it' winner and receive that beautiful T-Shirt." -- Lance, Middleburg Heights

In order, enjoy the coupons.

"Dr. Bud: Is the rumor true that the Indians are restricting the sale of 'Mrs. Sizemore' T-shirts to those women who are registered nurses or health care workers?" -- Richard Nowicki

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

"Bud: Now that Liverpool Football Club won the Carling Cup, do you think these were the titles LeBron was promising?" -- David Cavallo

Repeat winners get bicycle kicked.

"Dear, Bud: The Browns finished last with Peyton Hillis. Do you think they'll be able to finish last without Peyton Hillis? (With apologies to Gabe Paul, referring to Buddy Bell's holdout)" -- Jim O, Chardon

Repeat winners get to see history repeated.

Ohio State's Lenzelle Smith knows he must find a way to 'change the game' and other thoughts after the Buckeyes beat Northwestern

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William Buford was the one Buckeye starter not in the offensive flow against the Wildcats.

Shurna-SullingerOhio State's Jared Sullinger defends Northwestern's John Shurna on Wednesday night.


Final thoughts from Ohio State's 75-73 win at Northwestern:

* Lenzelle Smith Jr. doesn't need to score for Ohio State to win, but he does have to contribute to the offense. He at least has to move the ball or crash the boards or involve himself in the flow of the game more than he did when he had no points and no assists in Sunday's loss to Wisconsin.

Smith has now had three different kinds of big games for the Buckeyes.

On Jan. 15, he had his scoring game, putting up a career-high 28 points on 10-of-12 shooting in a win over Indiana.

On Jan. 29, he had his rebounding game, grabbing a career-high 12 boards, including eight on the offensive end, which helped lead to 17 points in a win over Michigan.

Wednesday, he had his passing game, with a career-high seven assists, along with 12 points, in the 75-73 win over Northwestern.

Every time he's had a game like that, everyone, me included, has talked or written about Smith as an X-factor, the guy who can make the difference for this offense. And then he disappears again.

He followed the 28-point game with two points and zero points the next two games.

He followed the 12-rebound game with four rebounds and five rebounds and when the Buckeyes later lost the rematch at Michigan, he had one rebound in 28 minutes of action.

How will he follow this up? Smith doesn't have to be great. He doesn't have to set career-highs. But he must be a factor. He can't be a zero offensively. And by now, he should have the knowledge that he can contribute in a variety of ways if he's confident and into the game.

"For a long time, I've been kind of trying to find my role," Smith said. "It's not that when I don't score that many points we have a bad game. It's not that. It's what can I do to change the game? I think my passing was the highlight for me today."

* The one guy who didn't get into the flow offensively Wednesday was senior William Buford. The Buckeyes had four starters in double figures, but Buford was close to a ROSN (my made-up stat of shooting 25 percent or worse with 10 or more shots) by going 3 of 10 from the floor. One of them was a missed 19-foot jumper with about a minute to play, and Northwestern then came down and the cut the OSU lead to three points.

* The Buckeyes talked a lot about sticking together and not falling apart, but they did have two turnovers in the final minute that allowed the Wildcats to tie the game. First, Lenzelle Smith was called for a walk in the backcourt, even though it looked like the Buckeyes disagreed with the call, and then Deshaun Thomas was stripped after getting a rebound with about 20 seconds left, which then allowed Northwestern to set up the game-tying 3-pointer.

* Jared Sullinger said, "You've always got to take good things away, and you're also going to take the negative things. That's where the coaches come in and feed us the negative stuff."

He smiled as he said that and understands it's part of learning, but there was a lot to not like in the final minutes by Ohio State. In the end, it probably is more important for the Buckeyes to take away the good feeling of pulling out a tight win, something that this team did need.

We know this team does have the talent, it's the mental side of things that has held them back at times, so if they feel good about the win, that does mean something, and may mean a lot.

* That's three straight double-digit scoring games for Aaron Craft, who had 11 points against Illinois, 13 against Wisconsin and 14 against Northwestern. He had five games of 10 points or more in his first 14 Big Ten games this season, so his increased scoring - just taking more of the open jumpers he gets - in a plus for this offense.

Craft is shooting 54.8 percent from the field in Big Ten play.

* Northwestern has this two-point loss to No. 10 Ohio State, and the Wildcats lost twice in overtime to No. 13 Michigan. At 17-12 and 7-10 in Big Ten play, the Wildcats remain on the bubble to earn the first NCAA bid in school history but they probably need one more solid win, something more than just beating Iowa in the season finale or beating a team like Illinois or Minnesota in an opening-round Big Ten Tournament game.

The Wildcats did beat Michigan State in the regular season, but they may need a second win in the Big Ten Tournament - against either Michigan State, Ohio State or Michigan.

The Buckeyes praised Northwestern after the win, and both Sullinger and Thad Matta said they hope the Wildcats make the tournament.

"I think they are playing in an incredible conference and I think they're very talented," Matta said. "I know this, I would hate on selection Sunday to draw them."

* Take it as a very, very, very, very good sign that with the game on the line, the Buckeyes threw it to Sullinger inside and not to a jump shooter. Ohio State could not have asked for a better shot in the final seven seconds. But point guard Aaron Craft, who made the pass, didn't find it to be a big deal.

"Seven seconds is a lot of time," he said.



Cleveland Cavaliers suffer through demoralizing 48 hours: Days of Wine-n-Gold

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Cavaliers must braced themselves for games with Chicago, Denver and Oklahoma City in the coming days

Cleveland Cavaliers lose to New York Knicks, 120-103View full sizeNew York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) collides with Cavaliers forward Alonzo Gee on Wednesday night.
NEW YORK – The Cavaliers lost a pair of back-to-back games by a combined 66 points in the middle of January to Chicago and Atlanta.

The last two nights weren’t nearly as bad, but the outcomes were in many ways more painful. The Cavaliers returned from the All-Star break with a chance to show their fans and management they were legitimate playoff contenders. Beat Boston and New York -- teams occupying the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots – and it’s race on.

Instead, the Celtics outlasted them 86-83 on Tuesday and the Knicks demoralized them, 120-103 on Wednesday in Madison Square Garden. In one game they couldn’t make a big play in the final minutes; in the other they couldn’t hold a 17-point lead late in the first half.

The Cavaliers have the Bulls waiting at The Q and a trip to Denver and Oklahoma City looming next week.

“We had opportunities last night and we had opportunities tonight,” coach Bryon Scott said in a congested hallway outside the visitors locker room. “Like I said before the game, all these teams we are playing you have to play 48 solid minutes of basketball. Tonight, we played 24. It’s just too bad it wasn’t a 24-minute basketball game.”

The Celtics are a veteran team, one that if left assembled can find its way to postseason on muscle memory. Before their horrendous start, the Knicks were a club picked to contend in the playoffs. The unexpected infusion of Jeremy Lin has made that premise plausible again.

The season’s second half is when experienced teams get serious. The rebuilding Cavaliers (13-20) weren’t supposed to be in this position and unless they get things turned around quickly they won’t be in it for much longer.

Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving finished with 22 points and seven assists, but when the Knicks turned up the temperature in the third quarter and the Garden was at full throat the Cavs’ overall lack of talent showed.

They saw a 12-point halftime lead dwindle to two in less than five mintues. They turned over the ball. They couldn’t hit shots. They grew passive on the defensive end.

"I was making passes to my teammates, we just weren't finishing,” Ivring said of a club that shot 39 percent from the floor after halftime and committed 15 giveaways. “That happens every once in a while. I try to do it as much as possible, but when we're not making shots I take it upon myself to initiate as much offense as I can, try to make plays and we just weren't finishing."

The loss of Anderson Varejao (broken wrist) also is starting to take its toll. The Cavaliers, losers of three straight, miss his energy and ability of provide the club additional possessions. Once the Knicks started surging the Cavs could not regain momentum. Steve Novak rained 3-pointers. Lin penetrated and dished. Tyson Chandler grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots.

This was a bad loss, an uncharacteristic one for a team that had been fairly reliable with leads. Entering this week, they were 9-3 in games in which they led or were tied at halftime. They were 11-1 in games in which they led or were tied after three quarters. The Cavs blew one of each against Boston and New York.

They have two days to regroup before the Bulls return to The Q for the first time since the 114-75 shellacking of Cleveland sans Derrick Rose on Jan. 20. There is a segment of the fan base delighted by these losses because it improves the Cavs odds, according to their logic, of drafting a difference maker to put alongside Irving.

Some Cavs players might remind such fans the Knicks found their difference maker sitting at the end of the bench. On Wednesday night, however,  they were in no mood to debate.

 


Cleveland Cavaliers Christian Eyenga suffers a toe laceration, according to team release

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Eyenga "slipped" prior to Tuesday's home game and did not make the trip

Cleveland Cavaliers lose to Hornets, 96-81View full sizeCavaliers guard Christian Eyenga did not travel to New York because of a toe laceration suffered prior to the game on Tuesday, according to the club
NEW YORK -- Christian Eyenga was listed as inactive for Wednesday's contest against the Knicks, but the game notes made no mention of an injury.

In the wee hours of Thursday morning the club issued a release, stating the guard suffered a right pinky toe laceration prior to Tuesday's game that required three stitches to close. Eyenga apparently "slipped" prior to Tuesday's home game against Boston, according to the release. 

The club provided no further details. The team does not practice Thursday having played on back-to-back nights.

Eyenga was apparently tweeting from his account during the Knicks game, but he did not make the trip to New York, according to the release

The Congo native has appeared in just six games this season, averaging 1.5 points and 2.0 rebounds. He also played a stint in the Development League this season.

  


Ohio State Buckeyes hold on to beat Northwestern, earn shot at third straight Big Ten title

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Sullinger's bank shot from the side of the lane with three seconds to play gave the No. 10 Buckeyes a 75-73 win against the desperate Wildcats, but only after Ohio State had blown a 12-point lead with less than six minutes to play

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ohiostate.JPGView full sizeThe Buckeyes' Jared Sullinger, left, and Shannon Scott whoop it up after Ohio State beat Northwestern, 75-73, on Wednesday night in Evanston, Ill.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Jared Sullinger wore his determined celebration face as his teammates grabbed him and bumped him through the beginning of the postgame handshake line Wednesday night.

The Ohio State sophomore had saved the game for his team and rediscovered his own game in the process. If the Buckeyes did get their All-American back on track at Northwestern, they sure did it the hard way.

Sullinger's bank shot from the side of the lane with three seconds to play gave the No. 10 Buckeyes a 75-73 win against the desperate Wildcats, but only after Ohio State had blown a 12-point lead with less than six minutes to play; after Northwestern's Alex Marcotullio had tied the game with a 3-pointer with 7.7 seconds left; and after Northwestern senior and Wildcats all-time leading scorer John Shurna threw a heave from just inside half-court off the front rim at the buzzer.

Some may call the Buckeyes (24-6, 12-5 Big Ten) lucky to stave off a complete collapse and keep alive their chance to share the Big Ten title with a win at Michigan State on Sunday. The Buckeyes were calling themselves grinders and preparing to use the win as a building block for a team that has struggled to play together all season.

"This shows us we can win if we just stick together," said sophomore Lenzelle Smith Jr., who set a career high with seven assists while also scoring 12 points. "Sometimes, we watch other teams play and they're struggling on the offensive end, but we wonder how do they keep getting these wins? Now we're experiencing it for ourselves, knowing that if we keep each other's backs in times of adversity and we come out and play hard and cover up mistakes with our energy, we can do it.

"I'm glad it was close down the stretch. It shows when we get in the tournament that if we keep playing and hustle and don't give up on each other, hopefully, we can get a win."

The win came on the back of Sullinger, who had been determined to stop letting a fear of fouling limit his aggressiveness. After an eight-point effort in Sunday's loss to Wisconsin, Sullinger looked more energetic from the start, something he attributed to his focus on rebounding. He finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds, his first double double in five games.

And the Buckeyes smartly looked for him at the end and perfectly executed their plan to isolate Sullinger and point guard Aaron Craft on one side of the floor. After Ohio State inbounded with 7.3 seconds left, Craft rushed up the court and hit Sullinger with a long pass. With a smaller defender behind him, Sullinger had no problem turning and making the shot.

"We got what we wanted," Craft said. "We were fortunate to get it to him, and Jared did the hard part. He made the catch and made the big finish."

"Craft had no ifs, ands or buts about it," Sullinger said. "He said, "I'm coming to you, Jared.' " He threw it to me, and I made the shot. I was fortunate that Craft led me to the right spot, and I finished the shot."

For much of the game, the Buckeyes got everything they wanted on offense.

Smith, who had no points and no assists in 30 minutes in the Wisconsin loss, was immediately into the offense, firing several sharp passes and driving to the basket. Craft took the shooting opportunities presented to him and tied a career high with four 3-pointers, finishing with 14 points. Forward Deshaun Thomas continued to be the Buckeyes' junk man, corralling offensive rebounds and loose balls around the basket while scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

In fact, whatever the Buckeyes didn't do right on offense, they cleaned up on the boards. The Buckeyes finished with a 44-18 rebounding edge, including a 20-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, with Sullinger grabbing 11 offensive boards.

"I think it was one of our best rebounding games ever," Thomas said. "We just dominated and never gave up."

And it almost wasn't enough, as Northwestern (17-12, 7-10 Big Ten) was looking for one more big win to aid the chase for its first NCAA bid in school history.

"Northwestern was playing for its life," Sullinger said, saying that losing leads on the road is something that happens. "I hope Northwestern makes it to the tournament. We knew they came into this game and this was their play-in game, and we were trying to get back on track, so we were both playing desperate."

Now Ohio State will go to East Lansing, Mich., on Sunday with a shot at a third straight Big Ten title, the fifth in Thad Matta's eight years. Michigan State has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but the Buckeyes can at least get a piece of first place. After three tough losses in the past three weeks -- and a win in the last seconds Wednesday night -- it's hard for the Buckeyes to ask for much more than that.

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