The Indians reliever says he believes the league is using minor-leaguers as guinea pigs in randomly testing for HGH.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerIndians reliever Chris Perez on HGH testing of major-leaguers, " . . . if you're a player, and they make a mistake with your test, your career can be ruined."

Clubhouse confidential: On Thursday, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig implemented random blood testing for human growth hormone in the minor leagues. Those on 40-man rosters cannot be approached. The Major League Baseball Players Association historically has opposed blood testing.

When asked about Selig's move, Indians manager Manny Acta and several of his players declined comment. But reliever Chris Perez, who never is afraid to speak his mind, said he was not in favor of it.

"If they have a test that is 100 percent accurate and reliable and that makes sure players are fully recovered before the game, then I'm all for further cleaning up the game," he said. "In this case, though, it looks like they're kind of using the minor-leaguers as guinea pigs. It's unfortunate those players don't have a union to represent them like we do.

"Drawing blood is a whole lot different than getting a urine sample. . . . What about players who are anemic? What are the guidelines? Our season is long, and it's hard enough to recover as it is."

Perez said union representatives told players in spring training that HGH testing, at least at the moment, is "unreliable." A major concern of the MLBPA, regardless, was the possibility that its players would have blood drawn on game days because HGH does not stay in the system very long.

"From the outside looking in, it's easy to say, 'Test everybody for everything.' " Perez said. "But if you're a player, and they make a mistake with your test, your career can be ruined."

New home: In the Tribe clubhouse, Shin-Soo Choo moved into a double locker next to the door leading to the showers. Catcher Mike Redmond was the previous occupant.

Players need to receive permission from clubhouse manager Tony Amato before switching lockers.

Stat of the day: The Indians entered Friday having been shut out eight times -- most in the American League.

NFL players are getting set to report to training camps and begin preparing for the season.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerQuarterback Jake Delhomme and the rest of the Browns veterans will report to camp next Friday in Berea.

Rookie and veteran reporting dates

(Dates subject to change)

American Football Conference

Baltimore Ravens -- McDaniel College, Westminster, Md. Rookies: Monday; veterans: Wednesday.

Buffalo Bills -- St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, N.Y. Both Thursday.

Cincinnati Bengals -- Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky. Both Wednesday.

Cleveland Browns -- Browns Training Facility, Berea. Rookies reported Friday; veterans: July 30.

Denver Broncos -- Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Centre, Englewood, Colo. Rookies: Monday; veterans: July 31.

Houston Texans -- Methodist Training Center, Houston. Both July 30.

Indianapolis Colts -- Anderson University, Anderson, Ind. Both Aug. 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars -- Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla. Both Thursday.

Kansas City Chiefs -- Missouri Western, St. Joseph, Mo. Both Thursday.

Miami Dolphins -- Dolphins Training Facility, Davie, Fla. Both July 30.

New England Patriots -- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. Rookies: Sunday; veterans: Wednesday.

New York Jets -- Cortland State, Cortland, N.Y. Rookies: Thursday; veterans: Aug. 1.

Oakland Raiders -- Napa Valley Marriott, Napa, Calif. Both Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Steelers -- Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa. Both July 30.

San Diego Chargers -- Chargers Park, San Diego. Rookies: Sunday; veterans: July 30.

Tennessee Titans -- Baptist Sports Park, Nashville, Tenn. Both July 31.

National Football Conference

Arizona Cardinals -- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Ariz. Both July 30.

Atlanta Falcons -- Falcons Training Facility, Flowery Branch, Ga. Both Thursday.

Carolina Panthers -- Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C. Both Wednesday.

Chicago Bears -- Olivet Nazarene, Bourbonnais, Ill. Both July 30.

Dallas Cowboys -- Alamodome, San Antonio. Both Friday. Dallas, Aug. 7-13. Oxnard River Ridge, Oxnard, Calif., Aug. 14-27.

Detroit Lions -- Lions Training Facility, Allen Park, Mich. Both July 30.

Green Bay Packers -- St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wis. Both July 30.

Minnesota Vikings -- Minnesota State-Mankato. Both July 30.

New Orleans Saints -- Saints Training Facility, Metairie, La. Both Thursday.

New York Giants -- University at Albany, N.Y. Both Aug. 1.

Philadelphia Eagles -- Lehigh, Bethlehem, Pa. Rookies: Monday; veterans: Thursday.

St. Louis Rams -- Russell Training Center, Earth City, Mo. Rookies: Wednesday; veterans: July 30.

San Francisco 49ers -- Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center, Santa Clara, Calif. Rookies: July 30; veterans: July 31.

Seattle Seahawks -- Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Renton, Wash. Rookies: Thursday; veterans: July 30.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- One Buccaneer Place, Tampa, Fla. Both July 30.

Washington Redskins -- Redskins Park, Ashburn, Va. Both Thursday.

-- Associated Press

Poor weather wreaks havoc on minor-league games in Northeast Ohio.

AAA Columbus Clippers

Clippers 6, Red Sox 3 SS Josh Rodriguez (.313) homered and drove in three runs, and designated hitter Jordan Brown (.304) had four hits and two RBI as host Columbus downed Pawtucket, R.I., on Friday in International League play. Clippers RHP Carlos Carrasco (6-3, 4.29 ERA) allowed three runs on five hits -- two homers -- and two walks in five innings. He struck out two. Columbus 1B Wes Hodges (.269) had two hits, while 3B Jared Goedert (.360) went 0-for-4. RHP Jensen Lewis (1.35) earned a hold for 2 scoreless innings, and RHP Vinnie Pestano (2.04) got his third save for 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

AA Akron Aeros

Phillies 7, Aeros 6 Akron DH Matt McBride (.280) hit a three-run homer in the first inning, but host Reading, Pa., prevailed in the Eastern League contest. LF Tim Fedroff (.271) also homered for Akron. Aeros LHP Scott Barnes (5.20) allowed six runs in six innings. Akron RHP Steven Wright (3.82) hurled two innings of scoreless relief. Aeros RHP Omar Aguilar (1-3, 3.83) gave up one run on two hits and two walks while not retiring a batter in the ninth.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Indians 0, Blue Rocks 0, susp. Host Kinston's Carolina League game against Wilmington, N.C., was suspended after two innings due to heavy rain. LF Lucas Montero (.272) doubled for the K-Tribe. The teams will resume the suspended game at 6 p.m. today. After the conclusion of the suspended game (scheduled for nine innings), they will play the third game of the series (scheduled for seven innings).

A Lake County Captains

Bees 3, Captains 1 (7) 1B Ben Carlson (.184) homered for host Lake County, but Burlington, Iowa, prevailed in a rain-shortened Midwest League game. Captains LHP Matt Packer (8-5, 1.62) allowed one earned run in 6 innings.

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Crosscutters 7, Scrappers 0 RHP Jordan Cooper (1-2, 4.54) gave up three earned runs in four innings for visiting Mahoning Valley in a New York-Penn League contest against Williamsport, Pa.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

Cruisers 4, Crushers 2; Game 2 ppd. Joel Collins homered for host Lake Erie, but Oakland County, Mich., won as Thursday's suspended game was completed Friday. The second independent Frontier League game was postponed due to severe thunderstorms and was rescheduled for 5:05 p.m. today.

UPDATED: Fausto Carmona and Tony Sipp combine to allow one hit as the Indians defeat the Rays, 3-1, in 6 1/2 innings. The game is called after a second rain delay.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerRight fielder Shin-Soo Choo wastes no time making a play during his first game back with the Indians after a stint on the DL, catching a fly ball hit by Tampa's Ben Zobrist before hitting the wall.

Updated at 2:43 a.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Devil Rays or Rays, bottom feeders or contenders.

Rain-shortened or nine innings.

It makes no difference. Tampa Bay's Major League Baseball team can't beat the Indians in Cleveland.

The Tribe made it 18 straight over Tampa Bay in Progressive Field on Friday night, riding Fausto Carmona and wet weather to a rain-shortened 3-1 victory.

Tampa Bay had batted in its half of the seventh before the game was delayed a second time because of rain. The game was called at 11:57 p.m. with the two delays totaling 2 hours, 44 minutes.

The Indians (41-55) are 7-1 since the All-Star break. They have won 10 of 12 at home.

Tampa Bay (57-38) slipped to 31-18 on the road.

Evidently, the Indians franchise took it hard when, on Sept. 28, 2005, the Rays prevailed, 1-0, in Cleveland. The Rays had won the first two of a three-game series, part of the Tribe's final-week fold that helped cost the Indians a wild-card berth.

The next day, the Indians and CC Sabathia defeated the Rays, 6-0 -- the first of the 18 in a row in Cleveland. The lineup: Grady Sizemore, Coco Crisp, Jhonny Peralta, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Ronnie Belliard, Jose Hernandez, Aaron Boone, Casey Blake.

"It's a different ballclub now than in 2005," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But it's still kind of remarkable that it's been 18 games."

Said Peralta, "I know we've been playing them well here, but I didn't realize we won 18 in a row."

Friday night, Carmona (five innings) and Tony Sipp (two) combined to allow one hit and one unearned run. Rays second baseman Reid Brignac had an infield single leading off the third. Tribe second baseman Jason Donald gloved the ball with a dive to his left and managed to make it a reasonably close play.

"Fausto was fantastic and Sipp was lights out," Acta said.

Moments later, Tribe catcher Carlos Santana caught Brignac attempting to steal with a terrific throw.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first.

Michael Brantley led off with a walk and moved to second on Asdrubal Cabrera's single. When Shin-Soo Choo flied to right, Brantley tagged.

Santana ripped one low toward first baseman Carlos Pena, who narrowly missed converting it into a lineout double play. The Rays settled for a 3-6 force of Cabrera, with Brantley scoring.

Tampa Bay tied it in the second.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / PDIndians ground crew rushes to cover the field just before a downpour arrives at the end of the fifth inning on Friday.

Pena hit a lead-off grounder into shallow right, where Donald was positioned as part of a shift. Donald fielded cleanly but threw wide to first baseman Matt LaPorta. Whether at second or shortstop in his rookie season, Donald periodically has gotten underneath the ball on seemingly routine throws, causing inaccuracy.

Pena stole second and scampered to third when Santana's throw skipped way. Donald almost cut down Pena at third; Peralta applied the tag and thought he had an out, but umpire Mike Muchlinski disagreed. Pena came home on a grounder to second.

The Indians regained the advantage in the third.

Brantley opened with a single. Cabrera doubled him to third. As Choo was robbed by Brignac's diving stop, Brantley scored.

With Santana at the plate, Rays manager Joe Maddon went unconventional, bringing in the infield while employing a shift. Three infielders set up to the right of second and on the dirt. Third baseman Evan Longoria stayed close to his bag.

Santana did not need to worry about foiling the strategy because right-hander Jeff Niemann walked him on five pitches.

Hafner struck out swinging for the second straight at-bat and heard boos as he walked back to the dugout. Peralta grounded out.

With two outs and Choo on third in the fifth, Maddon ordered Santana intentionally walked to get to Hafner. Depending on perspective, it was a ringing endorsement of Santana or slap in the face to Pronk, one of baseball's most feared hitters in the mid-2000s.

Niemann continued to work over Hafner with breaking stuff until missing with a 2-2 fastball. Niemann resumed using off-speed and Hafner popped to center.

Choo had reached on a two-out bunt single, sprinted to second on a wild pitch and to third on catcher John Jaso's error.

Neither Carmona nor Niemann pitched after the first rain delay. Sipp relieved for the Tribe; Dan Wheeler for the Rays.

Carmona walked one and struck out seven. He threw 72 pitches and lowered his ERA to 3.51. The weather prevented him from working at least six innings for the 18th time in 20 starts.

Trevor Crowe homered with two outs in the sixth for a 3-1 advantage. Donald followed with a triple, but Brantley grounded out.

Crowe had doubled in the second to give the Indians at least one extra-base hit in 45 consecutive games -- longest active streak in the majors. The St. Louis Cardinals' streak ended at 49 on Thursday. The Tribe's extra-base run is its longest since a 69-gamer in 2008.

A second delay occurred with the Indians batting in the seventh.

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

Dean Smith, the great college basketball coach, is suffering from memory loss. Those of us who admire him find it hard to grasp.

Gerry Broome / Associated PressNorth Carolina coach Dean Smith had a razor-sharp mind and loved to keep sportswriters off balance by bringing up stories they had written.

Dean Smith loved to tip an interviewer off balance with his encyclopedic recall of something the reporter had written long ago. He kept dossiers on sportswriters for just that purpose.

When Smith was publicizing a new book several years ago, I called the North Carolina men's basketball coach on the dot, at the precise moment we were to start talking. Smith hates tardiness. He thinks it means the late-comer values his own time more than that of everyone else.

Punctual though I was, I immediately lost control of the interview. He played me like a puppeteer with a marionette. "I've read your stuff," he said. "You've generally been complimentary about Carolina."

It was always "Carolina" with him. Never "me." I was quite pleased by what "coach Smith" said. I always think of him as "coach Smith." Almost everyone does.

"But I think you've been a little rough on Bob Knight," Smith said, pulling one of the puppet's strings.

Smith ran the rest of the interview as he saw fit, while I spluttered to find a suitable comeback. I had been put on the defensive by a master. I had been "Deaned."

It shows how, in a more gentlemanly way than the often-crude Knight, Smith tried to control the message and do what was right by people he respected. He expected you to be able to think on your feet. He tried to point you toward thinking correctly.

That is why so many of us are saddened by the news that the great coach, now 79, is suffering from memory loss. It is hard to think about no more playful sparring with him. It is hard to think that this fixture of college basketball might eventually live like a guest in a strange house.

Memory loss is really loss of self. Dean Smith is an original -- a great innovator, a fine, compassionate man, a man whose ideals sports cannot afford to lose a moment too soon.

The old line is that Smith was the only man who could hold Michael Jordan under 20 points. (Smith always was quick to point out that Jordan averaged less than 20 for Knight on the gold medal-winning 1984 Olympic team, too.) But that was because Smith always put the system first, above any player, no matter how good he was. Carolina always came first, ahead of everyone.

Smith also did exemplary things off the court, desegregating his conference with the ACC's first black player in Charlie Scott; desegregating a North Carolina lunch counter by eating there with a black theology student in 1964; turning all of his sneaker money over to the athletic department, for use in all the Tar Heels' sports.

Dan Loh / Associated PressDean Smith was loyal to and protective of his former players, including Larry Brown, right, here accepting the NBA's coach of the year award in 2001 for his work with the 76ers.

Fiercely protective of his players, Smith turned a 1985 phone call I made to him into 15 minutes of impassioned defense of former Tar Heel George Karl, who was at the time 2-19 as the Cavaliers' coach. The Cavs made the playoffs under Karl, now the Denver Nuggets' coach, and nearly beat the Celtics.

In their darkest hours, Smith stood by players he knew had a better side, even if they were not his own. In 2004, Smith showed up to critique Larry Brown's U.S. Olympic team at their training camp in Jacksonville, Fla.

He greeted me with his thoughts about Carlos Boozer, the former Cavaliers forward from Carolina's archrival, Duke. I had been excoriating Boozer for leaving Cleveland for more money as a free agent, after leading the Cavs to believe he would not. "I realize that newspapers always have the last word," Smith said. "But Boozer's a good guy."

I am still not sure I buy Smith's assessment of Boozer. But his surprise defense of a player from hated Duke so flustered me that I did not think of a snappy retort until minutes later. "Yeah, coach. And with Boozer, the word is 'more,' " I would have said.

By then, however, coach Smith had left the building. I had been "Deaned" again. I just didn't know it was the last time.

Choo has recovered from a sprained right thumb, while Laffey is taking time to rest an ailing shoulder.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerShin-Soo Choo is back with the Tribe after missing 14 games with a sprained right thumb.

Laffey has shoulder fatigue. His DL stint is retroactive to Tuesday.

Choo sprained his right thumb attempting to make a diving catch July 3 against Oakland. He was placed on the disabled list the next day. It was initially feared he might be sidelined 6-8 weeks because of a torn ligament.

"I really missed playing baseball," Choo said. "The times I watched from the dugout, or watched games on TV, were tough. I couldn't help with anything.

"The thumb is not like normal, but it feels good. I'm just hoping to get through the rest of the season without any problems."

Choo batted third Friday night as the Indians faced Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series. Entering the game, he was hitting .286 (86-for-301) with 48 runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 43 RBI in 78 games. He had 12 steals and ranked among American League leaders in walks (48), on-base percentage (.390) and outfield assists (six).

"He's another threat in our lineup, and he does more than just hit," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He's multi-talented."

Acta said no restrictions have been placed on Choo.

In three rehab games for Class AA Akron beginning Monday, Choo was 1-for-11 with a run.

"My first couple of at-bats, I thought about the thumb and tried to swing easy," he said. "After that, it was fine. I got comfortable."

Choo batting third means catcher Carlos Santana moves into the cleanup spot. Santana batted third in his previous 35 starts (31 catcher, four DH) since being promoted from Class AAA Columbus last month.

Both of Choo's thumbs were tested immediately. On the fourth pitch of Friday's game, Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist hit a long fly that Choo caught just before banging into the wall. Choo stayed briefly on the track and flexed his left hand, and returned to his position.

Laffey is 2-3 with a 4.62 ERA in 25 games, including five starts. In 50 2/3 innings, he has allowed 57 hits, walked 28 and struck out 27. Since moving to the rotation June 25, he is 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA.

View full sizeChuck Crow / PDAaron Laffey is going to take some time rest a fatigued left shoulder.

In Laffey's most recent start, Monday at Minnesota, he earned the victory. He gave up one unearned run on five hits in five innings. But he did it with rabbits and top hats, the velocity of his fastball having dipped into the mid-80s.

Acta said an MRI scan on Laffey's shoulder was "good."

The Indians need to fill Laffey's rotation spot beginning Tuesday against the Yankees. Acta did not want to speculate on candidates. Among those likely to be considered are Columbus righties Carlos Carrasco and Jeanmar Gomez and lefty David Huff.

Carrasco is dealing with a right-forearm issue.

"He's still under evaluation," Acta said. "After he throws on the side, we'll know more."

Gomez made a spot-start Sunday against Detroit and pitched superbly. He allowed two unearned runs in seven innings and earned the victory in his major-league debut.

Huff led the Indians with 11 victories last season. He broke camp with the club, struggled and was sent down June 21.

Crowe's nest: Trevor Crowe played left field and batted eighth Friday. Austin Kearns, listed as day to day because of right knee soreness, participated in batting practice and was available off the bench.

"Austin is doing much better," Acta said.

Minor-leaguer suspended: Pitcher Luis Morel was one of five minor-leaguers suspended for positive drug tests under baseball's minor-league program, the Associated Press reported.

Morel, with Cleveland's Arizona Rookie League team, was penalized 50 games. He tested for metabolites of Stanozolol, according to the AP.

Others suspended were Washington pitchers Juan Diaz and Jorge Hernandez; and Florida Marlins pitchers Yeims Mendoza and Andy Parra.

Finally: Mentor native Caleb Potter, Ohio's participant in the Pitch, Hit and Run national competition held at the All-Star Game, attended Friday's game. Potter finished first in the 13-14 age group.

"There's no big clear-cut favorite," said Heisman voter Chris Huston, who created the website HeismanPundit.com, which is dedicated to analyzing the Heisman race. "Based on all the things Pryor has going for him, I think it gives him the best chance going into the season. If all the top guys have good years, then he wins."

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times/MCTTerrelle Pryor's big showing in the Rose Bowl win over Oregon put him in the front pack of Heisman Trophy contenders going into 2010.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Troy Plan worked. For Ohio State fans aching for Heisman Trophy No. 8, the concern shouldn't be about how Jim Tressel deploys Terrelle Pryor in the offense this season. Given the momentum he gained from his MVP performance in the Rose Bowl, his school and his name recognition, all Pryor may need to do is what Troy Smith did four years ago -- win a lot, create a few highlights and smile for the cameras.

"There's no big clear-cut favorite," said Heisman voter Chris Huston, who created the website HeismanPundit.com, which is dedicated to analyzing the Heisman race. "Based on all the things Pryor has going for him, I think it gives him the best chance going into the season. If all the top guys have good years, then he wins."

The only problem is if the Troy Plan has changed. Four years ago, Smith ranked 38th in the nation in passing yards and seventh in passer rating and passing touchdowns, yet he won the Heisman by the second-largest margin in history. He was more than numbers. But that was before the Big Ten's perception plunge, which started with Ohio State's post-Heisman loss to Florida in the national title game.

"I would say one reason Pryor might not have as good a chance as some people think is there is a natural anti-Big Ten bias," said RJ Bell, an Ohio State grad and the founder of the betting website Pregame.com.

The Troy Plan, in these four steps, might be enough to overcome that.

Step 1: Create the preseason hype

Like Smith did (19-of-28 passing, 408 total yards, two touchdowns) with his MVP dissection of Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, Pryor (23-of-37 passing, 338 total yards, two touchdowns) is coming off a great bowl game. That's an edge for any Heisman campaign, though last year's Heisman winner, Alabama running back Mark Ingram, is coming off his own MVP performance in the BCS National Championship.

"He has name recognition, and that's always a big advantage," Bell said. "From the first game on, people who aren't even Ohio State fans are going to be saying, "How did Pryor do?"

One odd Heisman reality in Pryor's favor, when compared to Ingram, is that it's always better for a candidate to have his hype arrow pointing up. Pryor is still a package of potential, while Ingram will spend the whole season trying to live up to himself -- ask Tim Tebow how that worked out.

Phil Steele, publisher of respected preseason college football magazines and a Heisman voter, has seen what he calls that "bizarre" reasoning play out in voting for a lot of honors. He's predicting Pryor as the Heisman winner.

Step 2: Contend for the national title

While Bell has Pryor as his second choice in his Heisman odds, with Ingram at 4 to 1 and Pryor at 5 to 1, few other preseason contenders are from big-name title favorites. Quarterback Ryan Mallett's Arkansas team is picked to finish second in the SEC West, Houston quarterback Case Keenum has huge numbers is a small conference and Washington quarterback Jake Locker and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, two NFL Draft darlings, saw their teams go a combined 13-12 last season.

View full sizeJohn Bazemore / APAlabama running back Mark Ingram (22) should be a top contender to win the Heisman this season.

"None of them play for Ohio State," Huston said. "No one is going to care if Ryan Mallet or [Boise State quarterback] Kellen Moore have better numbers if they're not on as good a team."

Three straight sophomores have won the Heisman, so it's always possible for young dark horses to emerge on great teams. But winning is almost a must. Six of the past seven Heisman winners, including Smith leading 12-0 and No. 1 Ohio State to the title game, have played in the BCS National Championship.

"If you're a quarterback for an undefeated team, like I think Ohio State can be," Steele said, "you're going to be there in the Heisman race."

Step 3: Create highlights

When Smith escaped a sack, spun away and threw the ball 60 yards in the air for a touchdown against Penn State in the fourth week of the '06 season, his Heisman reel had its signature play, among several wow moments.

Smith only ran for 204 yards that season, though, and it's safe to assume Pryor will run more, breaking enough tackles with enough stiff-arms to create more highlights on the run. He'll need a couple memorable throws, too, but Pryor should never run short of highlights.

"When people sit down to watch ESPN late Saturday night, we're going to be saying 'Wow, did you see that?' every week," Steele said.

Almost as important, though, is avoiding the lowlights. Smith threw just six interceptions in 2006, and if Pryor has even one game like his two-pick loss against Purdue last year, he could short-circuit his bid. Ask Texas quarterback Colt McCoy -- who made one bad decision in the Big 12 title game last season, nearly allowing the clock to run out in the final seconds -- how one lowlight can ruin Heisman hopes.

Step 4: Turn on the charm

After hours of interviews at the Big Ten meetings in 2006, a worn-down Smith said he knew his public face affected his Heisman chances.

"I think how you handle yourself in interviews and all that helps you tremendously," Smith said then.

View full sizeAPPenn State running back Evan Royster is important to the Nittany Lions' rushing game, but he's a long shot for the Heisman.

Pryor won't be at the Big Ten meetings, just as junior Heisman candidate Beanie Wells didn't go in 2008. Tressel prefers to send seniors. But it will be interesting to see how Ohio State handles Pryor, whose most notable quotes to this point in his career related to his Michael Vick eye-black patches early last season.

"I don't know that much about Terrelle Pryor," Huston said. "I'd like to know more about him as a human being."

In 2006, Ohio State created a Heisman page for Smith on its website and set up regular conference calls for Smith to speak with national reporters. Wells did a few extra interviews before his role as the '08 Heisman favorite ended with an injury in the season opener.

While Pryor handled himself well at Rose Bowl interviews last season, he's not headed on a media tour like Locker, who went on an East Coast spin a month ago, including a 14-interview day at ESPN.

"We believe that as impressive as Jake is on the field, he's even more so in person," Washington spokesman Jeff Bechtold said. "He's a very personable, smart, down-to-earth guy, and meeting him in person also impresses you in terms of his physical stature. He's a big man."

Smith wasn't that big, but he was everything else. He was also a trailblazer, the first true Big Ten quarterback to win the Heisman. All Pryor has to do is follow his lead.

Not significance of Billy Martin going after Reggie Jackson, but...manager vs. player fight prompted pushing among players, coaches trying to intervene; a Mariner climbing over others to lunge at teammate; starting pitcher in the middle trying to make peace; player having jersey pulled off his back.

Elaine Thompson, Associated Press Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu just after what he felt was a lazy play by second baseman Chone Figgins, prompting Wakamatsu to bench Figgins and leading to a dugout altercation.

Seattle, Washington – Add fighting among themselves to the Mount Rainier-high list of problems the Seattle Mariners have right now.

Friday night's 2-1 loss to Boston brought a new, most unseemly low: a mid-game fight in the dugout between benched second baseman Chone Figgins and manager Dom Wakamatsu.

The brief but intense scrum included: a shouting match across the length of the bench; pushing between players and coaches who were trying to intervene; one Mariner climbing over others and lunging toward Figgins; the starting pitcher in the middle trying to make peace; and third baseman Jose Lopez having his jersey pulled off his back.

An irate Figgins spent the last few innings stewing inside the clubhouse. Veteran clubhouse leader Russell Branyan went back there to talk to Figgins. Branyan was glad to see Figgins hadn't left the stadium during the game, as Milton Bradley had done after Wakamatsu benched him during a game in May.

The second-year manager said Figgins will not be suspended for the insubordination. Figgins left the ballpark before reporters were allowed into the clubhouse. General manager Jack Zduriencik was in nearby Tacoma watching his Triple-A team Friday night and will take up the issue on Saturday.

The last-place Mariners sunk to a season-low 23 games under .500 with their 16th loss in 20 games. What should their fans be thinking about a last-place team that is now fighting among themselves in the dugout?

"With the way we've been playing, it'd be hard to convince any fan to come out and watch us play. Because it hasn't been pretty," Branyan said. "But on the other hand, we're working hard. Guys are trying too hard."

Figgins, who's been struggling mightily all season in the first year of a $36 million, free-agent contract, was standing near second base as Boston's Mike Cameron was pulling into second on a double into the left-field corner leading off the fifth. Figgins inexplicably let the throw from Michael Saunders, which sailed over cutoff man Jack Wilson, bounce a few feet to his left and then dribble past the bag without moving toward it. Cameron alertly went to third on another boneheaded play by the Mariners in a week full of them.

After the top of the fifth, Wakamatsu benched Figgins — something many fans thought he should have done with the .229 hitter months ago.

"I didn't think there was much effort in that backup, and I made the decision to take him out of the ballgame," Wakamatsu said.

Asked why he benched Figgins then and not numerous other Mariners for their many mental mistakes and lack of effort in recent weeks, Wakamatsu said Figgins' laziness "was cut-and-dry."

An argument then broke out in the Mariners' dugout between Figgins at the far end and Wakamatsu, who was closer to the plate-side of the bench. A ball girl passing in front of the dugout stopped and watched the scene with her mouth agape. While Figgins was shouting and Branyan was interceding, Lopez was between the two. Lopez was pushed back away from a teammate toward the far end of the dugout by several Mariners, primarily hitting coach Alonzo Powell.

Starting pitcher Jason Vargas, who had been quietly celebrating stranding Cameron at third, suddenly found himself among those trying to separate combatants.

Lopez got his game jersey pulled off his back in the rumble. He stayed in the game — with his jersey on.

"What people have to understand is, everybody in that dugout cares. And tempers fly a little bit," Wakamatsu said, without detailing what happened. "What happens in there stays in there."

Minutes later, Wakamatsu lifted Figgins for pinch-hitter Josh Wilson. He immediately doubled, something Figgins has done just once since June 2.

"I was trying to keep people from getting hurt," Vargas said. "It was a crazy game. ... Eventually that's going to happen with how frustrated we've been. But we've all got to get along these last couple months."

Josh Wilson hopes the fight somehow unites this divided team.

"When you play on a team underachieving like we do, there's a lot of tension," he said. "A lot of times, this can help, it's a release.

"Hopefully it leads to some better communication and we can move on."

Kaye was a basketball star at North Carolina State, where she met Bill, a football star. They married when Bill was a Browns linebacker. Bill later was a Browns assistant coach, before becoming the Steelers' longtime and successful head coach.

Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteBill Cowher and his wife, Kaye, during the Feb., 2006 parade in Pittsburgh celebrating the Steelers' Super Bowl win.

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, died Friday of skin cancer at age 54.

She was with her family in North Carolina when she passed away. The Cowhers live in Raleigh. Bill and Kaye met at North Carolina State, where Bill played football and Kaye played basketball. They had three daughters.

Bill Cowher coached the Steelers from 1992 to 2006, leading them to a 161-99-1 record, including 12-9 in the postseason and the 2005 season Super Bowl championship.

The Cowhers married in 1981, when Bill was a backup linebacker and special teams player for the Cleveland Browns. Bill was a Browns assistant coach to head coach Marty Schottenheimer from 1985-88; in charge of the special teams the first two seasons, and coaching the defensive backfield the next two years.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on the passing away of Kaye Cowher.

He writes of her athletic achievements:

The Cowhers met when they were classmates at North Carolina State University in 1976. Mr. Cowher was on the football team and Mrs. Cowher, the former Kaye Young, and her twin sister, Faye, played basketball.

Tall at 5-foot-11, Mrs. Cowher displayed an inside power game that made her one of the first young women in her home state to receive a college athletic scholarship.

Her teams at North Carolina State went 21-3 and 29-5, respectively, winning the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball title in 1978 with a 9-0 record and ranking No. 3 nationally.

Faye and Kaye later played for the Women's Professional Basketball League, where Mrs. Cowher was among the pioneers in the early days of Title IX. They played one season with the New York Stars and two with the New Jersey Gems, competing against notable stars Carol Blazejowski and Nancy Lieberman.

After the league folded in 1981, she married Mr. Cowher, who was then playing for the Cleveland Browns.

New Browns president Holmgren is trying to adjust to not being on the sidelines as one of football's most accomplished coaches. Interviewed by USA Today, Holmgren says, "I believe he is a fine coach" of Eric Mangini.

Amy Sancetta, Associated PressBrowns coach Eric Mangini (left) and president Mike Holmgren (right) talk during a Browns minicamp practice last month.

Cleveland, Ohio -- Mike Holmgren has quite a coaching resume, including:

Head coach for two Green Bay Packers teams that got to the Super Bowl, including the 1996 season champions.

Head coach for the only Seattle Seahawks team to reach the Super Bowl.

Quarterbacks coach for the 1988 season Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49'ers, and offensive coordinator for the champion Niners the next season.

And, quarterbacks coach for the 1984 NCAA national champion Brigham Young.

Now, Holmgren is in his first season as the Cleveland Browns team president. The Plain Dealer and -- on its website -- cleveland.com/browns continue to chronicle the Browns organization under Holmgren's leadership.

So used to being on the sidelines, Holmgren admits he's in a period of adjustment as the Cleveland Browns team president. He now watches Browns coach Eric Mangini direct the team in its practices and, soon, guide it on game days.

Jon Saraceno writes about Holmgren's executive role with the Browns for USAToday.com:

Game days will be vastly different for the Harley-riding grandfather, 62, who roamed — and sometimes foamed — along NFL sidelines from 1992 to 2008. He is one of five NFL coaches to revive a pair of moribund franchises when he led two teams to the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers, then the Seattle Seahawks.

"I know this about myself: I am going to have to find a way to funnel my energy," he says in an exclusive interview. "Even in our minicamps, my tendency was to (want to) run out there, grab (rookie quarterback) Colt McCoy and say, 'Now, look!' I have told Eric I am not going to say, 'Do this or do that.' It is not fair. I kept Eric when everyone thought I was going to let him go. I believe he is a fine coach — and he is going to get a chance to prove it."

Saraceno refers to Holmgren's longtime friend Gil Haskell, now a Browns adviser, and also addresses the possibility that Holmgren might again coach:

Haskell says the pair will watch Browns games from the press box, but don't look for Holmgren's jowly implosions to be captured on TV: "He will sit in a place where it is not easy for people to see his reactions," Haskell says. "He will pick a place that is not in front of the cameras."

Holmgren says the "rush" for him was calling plays as a head coach — "the chess game, being there, making quick decisions," a lure that leaves him vulnerable to another foray into coaching.

"I think there is that possibility," he says. "But really not until I think I have accomplished what I need to do here. So the odds become less and less the longer I am here, if it takes awhile to fix this.

"This opportunity came up, so I grabbed it before I had too much time to think about coaching opportunities. I made the right decision for me right now."

 

James' marketing firm is trying to land good buddy Paul as a client. Paul, unhappy that he's stuck for now with the New Orleans Hornets, is "taken aback" by reports that he's signed up with LRMR. Meanwhile, maybe the Cavs could still work a sign-and-trade to put O'Neal on an NBA roster - the Celtics?

Phil Long, Associated PressWill Chris Paul (right) work for LeBron James' (left) company, while not wanting to work for the Hornets, and wanting to work for another NBA team?

Cleveland, Ohio -- Things can really get difficult for an NBA player in the middle of a four-year, $68 million deal.

Star point guard Chris Paul, unhappily connected (for now) by contract to the New Orleans Hornets for another two miserable years, has watched friends Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh mastermind their union with the Miami Heat.

Now Paul's letting the whole world know that he would like to play somewhere else with some other friends who might be better players than his current teammates. ESPN.com updates Paul's situation.

As bad as things might seem to be for Paul, matters might be even worse for James, who rejected the Cavaliers to take his "talents to South Beach" on July 8. Ever the businessman, James and his LRMR marketing firm are trying to lure Paul as a client. James and Paul are famously tight, but Howard Beck writes for the New York Times:

Multiple news outlets, including The New York Times, have reported that Paul is working with LRMR, the company founded by James and his friend Maverick Carter. Paul was taken aback by the reports, according to a league official who spoke with him on Friday.

Although he is considering LRMR, Paul said he had not yet made a decision, according to the official, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their relationship.

Paul cut ties with his longtime agency, Octagon, earlier this month. He has hired one significant member of James’s circle: Leon Rose, an agent with C.A.A. Rose is close to William Wesley, a confidant to several N.B.A. players, including James.

That Paul would be sensitive to comparisons is understandable. James has been universally criticized for the way he handled his free agency and for choosing to announce his decision on a one-hour television special called “The Decision.”

Where to, Diesel?

Free agent center Shaquille O'Neal, in the twilight of a great career, has not yet caught on with a team after playing last season with the Cavaliers.

If a team and O'Neal, 38, reach agreement on a contract that wouldn't fit inside the NBA's salary cap rules, that team and the Cavaliers could work a sign-and-trade to accomodate all parties.

Tim Povtak writes about O'Neal's situation for NBA FanHouse:

Although O'Neal was unavailable for comment Friday, two sources close to him confirmed his continued interest in the Celtics, even though they currently have no room, or exceptions, under the salary cap to pay him beyond the NBA veteran's minimum of $1.35 million.

The Celtics could pay him more, but only if his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, helped with a sign-and-trade deal.

"He only wants to go to a team with a chance to win it all,'' one source said. "That's a short list. Even for the money, he's not going to a non-contender.''

The Celtics recently signed veteran Jermaine O'Neal, using their mid-level exception of $5.6 million to do it, but they still have a need for another veteran front-court player. And O'Neal sees himself as that guy.

The Celtics will be starting this season without veteran center Rasheed Wallace, who is expected to announce his retirement soon, and without starting center Kendrick Perkins, who is expected to miss at least the first two months recovering from knee surgery.

The Cavaliers should not retire LeBron James' number. It would be an insult to players who took pride in the uniform and honored the city.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerTyler Gast, 8, left, and brother Carter, 6, would seem to agree that the Cavaliers should not honor LeBron James by retiring his No. 23 jersey.

Before the Cavaliers retire LeBron James' number 23, they will win that championship owner Dan Gilbert promised would arrive before James' first one in Miami.

The number 23 will never hang in the rafters on Gilbert's watch. It is entirely appropriate that it never hangs there at all.

Certainly, there will be a national media claque that will fall in love with what is obviously a loaded Miami team, to which James skittered as a free agent.

ESPN's suck-up brigades will be out in force in that event, accusing Cleveland of eating its young by vowing not to retire James' number. They will say we let 28 minutes of that dreadful, self-serving "The Decision" show, courtesy of the Lapdog Network, erase seven years of excellence.

It seems harsh, admittedly. But that is the way of sports.

The shorthand for every player's name in the list below is a moment of failure:

Bill Buckner? Groundball through the wickets.

Chris Webber? Timeout.

Brian Sipe? Red Right 88.

Jose Mesa? Game 7.

Craig Ehlo? The Shot.

Earnest Byner? The Fumble.

Most of these men made physical mistakes. People are human. Mistakes happen in sports.

Webber's error was mental, but it was a heat-of-the-moment error, nothing premeditated.

The four Cleveland players on the list deserve special commentary.

Ehlo was beaten by the best basketball player ever, Michael Jordan. There is disappointment, but no shame there.

Sipe was the mainspring for an entire, giddy "Kardiac Kids" season. He provided many more thrills than his one gargantuan mistake.

The Browns were never in the conference championship game after the 1987 season without Byner.

Mesa was different. His was a failure of nerve in refusing to throw his best pitch, the fastball. You might remember that, dominant as Mesa often was, he never called himself "The Chosen One" and never dubbed himself the "King." He proved too frail a vessel into which to pour so many hopes.

He certainly did not quit, however.

James would have been excused his defection on the grounds of his body of work had he left in a less mean-spirited way. He was the most visible symbol of the Cavaliers and nearly of the entire NBA for seven years. It took a lot to turn such gold into lead, but he managed it.

James ran away from his struggles. We may never know all the reasons why he quit in Game 5 against the Celtics, but he was such a megalomaniac it could hardly have been a crisis of confidence, as with Mesa.

Gus Chan / The Plain DealerWhile some Cavs fans had fun destroying LeBron James' jerseys, the Akron native's departure cut deep into the heart of sports fans in Northeast Ohio.

It hardly sprang from a single instance of panic in a critical moment of the game, as with Webber. It was by all indications a deliberate pattern of passivity and lack of urgency throughout the second half as the season began to go gurgling down the drain.

Their mistakes ate away at the other players. James sloughed them off, making the monumentally stupid observation that he spoiled the fans and then adding that he felt bad for himself.

People make a big thing of first impressions, but often it is the last one that endures.

Will we remember the giddiness of Lottery Night and the 25 points James scored in Sacramento in his NBA debut? Or will we remember his self-diminution in the Boston series and his deliberate attempt to humiliate us in "The Decision"?

Will we remember Byner's fumble after Denver's Jeremiah Castille ripped the ball loose? Or will we remember that he led the only victory after the Browns' move to Baltimore was announced? Will we remember that he took a "victory lap" after the last home game of the original Browns, shaking hands with the fans he had disappointed years earlier, the same fans who had forgiven him?

I believe we will want to remember the final game by Byner, not the championship game.

I believe we will want to remember the six good players (Austin Carr, Bingo Smith, Nate Thurmond, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance) whose numbers hang in the rafters, not the indisputably great player who left in a manner designed to inflict the most emotional pain on the fans and do the most harm to the franchise.

James simply does not belong with men who took pride in the jersey and played to honor the city and its fans.

The new Browns management team is learning an old lesson: Even in a football-mad city such as Cleveland, nothing sells easier than a winning program.

The Browns are in the midst of a ticket sales campaign that is more aggressive than anything seen in the franchise's new era since the 1999 rebirth.

They have added layers of sales personnel to their staff.

They are offering partial-game packages, new group sales programs, and discount tie-ins with the Indians and Cedar Point.

They are offering unsold suites on a game-to-game basis.

And they are calling on their media partners to help hawk the 2010 home schedule.

And yet, at least four games on the 10-game home schedule, counting the two practice games, are particularly difficult sales.

"Our expectation this year is we'll get every game sold out," said Jim Ross, vice president, in a recent interview. "It's not easy. It takes a lot of work."

Technically, the Browns averted local television blackouts last season, but at least three games required last-minute help from sponsors or broadcast partners.

This year's problem games are the two exhibition games -- Aug. 21 against St. Louis and Sept. 2 against Chicago -- and regular-season games Nov. 28 against Carolina and Dec. 26 against Baltimore.

Exhibition games have been notoriously difficult sales for decades. Former owner Art Modell went the Barnum & Bailey route in the 1970s and '80s by trying to peddle doubleheaders involving a second game or a concert before or after a Browns game. As ticket prices went up, crowds continued to dwindle.

Commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't helped the cause by trashing the NFL preseason as a bad product in his two-year campaign to have the regular season expanded to 18 games. When the head of the league says preseason football is lousy, it's hard for any fan to argue with him.

The slow sales for the two Browns regular-season games can be attributed to the calendar. The Carolina game is on Thanksgiving weekend, and the Baltimore game is the day after Christmas.

Playing at home on those dates is a good thing football-wise because players and coaches can celebrate the holidays at home. But it's bad business-wise because those are historically difficult games to sell. Everybody likes to sit back and watch the NFL on television, but not a lot of fans are eager to buy tickets to sit in cold weather.

Otherwise, the 2010 home schedule is very favorable to the Browns. Playing division rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh should create more interest than the dreg games at the end last season against Oakland and Jacksonville.

Ross said he was surprised to learn that many fans still were under the wrong assumption that games are routinely sold out. Season ticket sales last year were around 55,000 -- down from a high of about 60,000. There is no waiting list for season tickets and no automatic sellouts anymore.

He said he has been encouraged by fan reaction to events that have "spiked" ticket sales -- such as the arrival of Mike Holmgren as president, the team's draft in April and also the team's select-a-seat promotion last month.

Single game tickets went on sale Saturday, after which Ross and his staff will have a better idea of how much work must be done to assure no blackouts this season.

Meanwhile, it bears noting the Ravens sold out their entire regular season hours after putting up single-game tickets on Friday. The Ravens, of course, are selling more than just another season. They have legitimate hopes for the Super Bowl, and nothing sells in the NFL better than that.

Brownie bits: Not all prognosticators are down on the Browns. Dave Razzano, a veteran NFL scout formerly with the 49ers writing for Playmaker Mobile, predicts they will be "a solid 8-8 team . . . they have the right people in place now. They've got the best front office they've had in a long time. They just need a couple years to add players and free agents. The Browns are talented in certain spots. I'd say they're as talented as they've been in, gosh, 11 years. This team has more talent than all of the last decade." . . . Browns tight end Evan Moore prepped for his arrival at training camp by working out in southern California with quarterbacks Mark Sanchez of the Jets and Trent Edwards of Buffalo. . . . Pro Football Weekly recently named an NFL all-star team made up of players never drafted. The Browns had two selections -- return specialist Josh Cribbs and new quarterback Jake Delhomme. Also appearing on the squad was former Browns cornerback Leigh Bodden.

The Rays scored three in the fifth inning and two in the sixth. They led the Indians, 5-3, through six.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians' 2010 regular season. The Tribe plays host to the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Progressive Field.

Pitching matchup: Indians RHP Mitch Talbot (8-8, 3.89 ERA) vs. Rays LHP David Price (12-5, 2.84).

In-game updates:

The Rays led the Indians, 5-3, through six innings.

Talbot struck out six consecutive batters from the first through the third to tie a franchise record.

Talbot joined Bob Feller (1938), Bartolo Colon (2000) and Chuck Finley (2002) as the only Indians to notch six straight strikeouts.

Talbot should have had the record all to himself. A 2-2 pitch to former Indian Kelly Shoppach appeared to be a strike, but umpire Mike Everitt called it a ball. Replays showed the ball crossed the plate comfortably within the strike zone.

Shoppach grounded to short.

The Rays managed one hit -- a single to left by Jason Bartlett -- through three.

The Tribe jumped in front, 3-0, through three. Shin-Soo Choo had an RBI double in the first. Shelley Duncan hit a two-run homer in the second.

Tampa Bay tied it on Ben Zobrist's three-run homer in the fifth. The shot to left initially was ruled a triple. The umpires watched the tape and reversed the call.

The Rays took the lead in the sixth, knocking out Talbot in the process. Carlos Pena homered and B.J. Upton hit an RBI double.

Pregame notes:

The Indians have won 18 in a row over Tampa Bay in Cleveland. The Rays have not beaten the Tribe on its turf since Sept. 28, 2005, when Seth McClung prevailed over Cliff Lee, 1-0. At that time, their club was known as the Devil Rays.

"I don't believe in curses, and I don't believe in luck,'' Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But this streak is kind of strange.''

The Rays, a contender in the rugged A.L. East, is 57-38. The Tribe, 7-1 since the All-Star break,  is 41-55.

The first six games of this season's series were played in St. Petersburg, Fla. The  Rays won five. Their first chance to bust the road streak came Friday night, but the offense had almost no answers for righty Fausto Carmona and reliever Tony Sipp. Carmona and Sipp combined on a one-hitter as the Tribe won, 3-1, in 6 1/2 innings. Two rain delays totaled 2 hours, 44 minutes.

Tampa Bay's losing streak against the Tribe in Cleveland is its longest ever in one ballpark.

Talbot was acquired from Tampa Bay last December as the player to be named in the Kelly Shoppach trade. Credit General Manager Mark Shapiro with a steal. Talbot has been one of the better rookie pitchers in the majors; Shoppach is hitting .200 in 27 games.

Lineups:

Rays -- 1. Ben Zobrist rf; 2. Carl Crawford lf; 3. Evan Longoria 3b; 4. Carlos Pena 1b; 5. Matt Joyce dh; 6. Sean Rodriguez 2b'; 7. B.J. Upton cf; 8. Kelly Shoppach c; 9. Jason Bartlett ss; and Price.

Indians -- 1. Trevor Crowe cf; 2. Asdrubal Cabrera ss; 3. Shin-Soo Choo rf; 4. Carlos Santana c; 5. Jhonny Peralta 3b; 6. Austin Kearns lf; 7. Matt LaPorta 1b; 8. Shelley Duncan dh; 9. Jason Donald 2b; and Talbot.

Umpires: P -- Mike Everitt; 1b -- Adrian Johnson; 2b -- Mike Muchlinski; 3b -- Andy Fletcher.

If we're lucky, criticism of ESPN's role in "The Decision" means we'll never see its likes again, Bud Shaw writes in his Sunday Spin

Who says the show must go on?

LeBron James may have set a dangerous precedent.

Not the creation of super teams in the NBA.

Terrifically bad sports programming.

Don Ohlmeyer, the former ABC and NBC executive hired as ESPN's ombudsman, this week criticized the network for turning over an hour of programming to James, letting him pick his interviewer and allowing his camp to sell the commercial time.

Ohlmeyer called it a "cautionary tale for ESPN." He chided the network for "editorial acquiescence" and lamented the hype that gave the program "the air of a reality show."

Good for him. His criticism got ESPN's attention.

Left to its own devices, ESPN might have considered any one of the following five sycophantic one-hour specials in the works:

•"The Indecision" -- Brett Favre handpicks John Madden, hoping for the kind of softball questions Jim Gray threw out to James ("What's your favorite cupcake?" Gray asked James. Well, Jim, after tonight I'd have to say you.)

In one memorable moment, Madden, determined in the first 15 minutes to get to the question most on his mind, asks, "Why isn't it spelled "F-a-r-v-e?"

The segment ends with Favre demanding three lifelines to answer Madden's question but is unable to decide which to use.

•"The Indigestion" -- Former hot-dog-eating champ Takeru Kobayashi lobbies for a special (hosted by Larry King) so he can announce that, through a religious conversion, he only will eat and regurgitate kosher hot dogs from now on. The final 30 minutes are unfortunately spent with host and interview subject comparing angioplasty war stories.

•"The Indecision II" -- Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, who will appear as a contestant on CBS' "Survivor: Nicaragua," lets the drama build over several minutes of nickname banter with Chris Berman, who keeps calling him "Jimmy Johnson and Johnson" in hopes of a getting even one canned laugh.

The show attempts to answer the question: When in Nicaragua, will Johnson try to make a go of it without hair gel or without a comb? (Spoiler alert: It's not the comb).

•"The Incoherency" -- ESPN's Stuart Scott embraces his growing reputation as the King of Clich s by asking viewers for 60 minutes of their lives they are guaranteed to want back. In the closing segment, Scott ranks sports personalities who are "cooler than the other side of the pillow."

The saving grace of the program: There is none. But thankfully Scott does not make his own list.

•"The Delusion" -- LeBron James is back but unable to pick his interviewer as ESPN this time draws a line in the South Beach sand. Seeing an opening, Cavs fans make a symbolic statement by collecting money to hire the musician playing second fiddle in the Miami Symphony to interview James.

The question on everyone's mind: Now that he's given up lead singer status to join Dwyane Wade's band, does he get it that he's basically become Scottie Pippen without the migraines?

The show would end Jerry Springer-style when members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Conn., storm the stage angry at being used by James at "The Decision."

And with ESPN getting what it richly deserves. Ripped again.

Family time

South Beach is a great place to raise a family if "The Birdcage" is your idea of a family.

Chris Paul apparently wants out of New Orleans for a better chance at winning a title. Now where did he ever get that idea?

In a Twitter pronouncement Thursday, LeBron James declared, "Best of luck to my brother [Chris Paul] . . . Do what's best for You and your family."

James seems intent on spreading his special brand of family values.

Paul isn't a free agent. He has two years remaining on his contract.

Best of luck?

If the people who've cheered him in New Orleans took the same approach, the city would be a ghost town still shuttered from Hurricane Katrina.

Spinoffs

Alex Rodriguez closing in on 600 home runs? Next to the manner in which LeBron James picked Miami, that's the feel-good story of the sports year.

Tiger Woods' estimated earnings of $90 million is 30 percent lower than his previous yearly earnings of $128 million. Woods, who also shared the top spot with Kobe Bryant on a recent poll of America's favorite athletes, is really paying a huge public price for his infidelities, isn't he?

Alabama football coach Nick Saban went after agents at the SEC media day, saying they are "no better than a pimp." Good for him. Somebody had to say it. Only colleges are allowed to make money on athletes.

Sorry, "student athletes."

How long before the new Cavs' mural downtown: "Witness -- Eyenga!"

He said it

"He's a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he's not smoking anymore. And I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case." -- Minnesota Timberwolves President David Kahn, on recently acquired Michael Beasley.

As soon as Beasley puts down that bag of Cheetos, I see a hug coming.

You said it

"Bud: Can anyone really doubt we are in for a decade of Yankees/Sabathia/Lee and Heat/LeBron championships?" -- Ron

Only a decade? Thank you. I always like to start off "You said it" on an optimistic note.

"Bud: I am missing Albert Belle. He doesn't seem like such a bad guy after all." -- Edward

Psychologists are calling that "The Post-Decision Effect." Remember, though, Albert called fans village idiots. LeBron only thinks you're one.

"Bud: True story going around Miami. L. James told his Realtor he wanted the most expensive house in S. Beach. He was told he can't afford the best house in S. Beach." -- Dave, Key West

That confirms my sources who told me that when James showed the real estate agent a picture of his Bath Township mansion she said, "What a beautiful mud room."

"Bud: I miss the 'Wedgespeak' segment of your column but certainly do not miss the lineup juggling Wedge promoted. Manny Acta's use of the set lineup has been refreshing. Do you think Eric watches the 2010 Tribe and realizes the error of his ways?" -- Doug

For some crazy reason, I think he simply sees a team of "grinders" trying to "stay within themselves."

"Voice of Reason: I have been really busy and didn't have a chance to see it, but when Z announced he was going to Miami, how was the show?" -- Dan O

I didn't see it either. But I'm told that in keeping with this particular stage of his career, Z sold his one-hour special to "Antiques Roadshow."

"Bud: Dan Gilbert said exactly what I feel. I love him. I wish he would buy the Indians and Browns, too! He cursed LeBron! Gilbert is a Clevelander. He wears his heart on his sleeve!" -- Herb

Sorry, but when Dan Gilbert wrote that "open" letter guaranteeing a title and cursing James, he wasn't playing with a full tarot deck.

"Bud: The Yankees were rumored to be interested in Jhonny Peralta's bat. Who do you think they will get to swing it for him?" -- Bob

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

"Hey, Bud: Did LeBron change his number to 6 because that's his favorite game to be eliminated from the playoffs?" -- Mark M.

Repeat winners get to hope that someday LeBron James will wear jersey No. 4.

The Indians starter was cruising against Tampa Bay before poor weather forced him to take a seat for the night.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerFausto Carmona allowed just one hit -- an infield single -- in Friday's rain-shortened start.

Tampa Bay's hit was an infield single in the third inning by Reid Brignac. Carmona, who threw 72 pitches, walked one and struck out seven.

"You wonder what [a full start] might have looked like because his stuff was so good," Tribe pitching coach Tim Belcher said, "but, hey, we won the game. I like to see starters get a little blow like that every now and then. It will serve him well physically down the stretch."

Carmona's most impressive stat line this year came June 12 against Washington, when he gave up one run in a three-hitter. He walked none and struck out seven as the Tribe won, 7-1.

Carmona (10-7, 3.51 ERA) was even filthier against the Rays. In addition to his typically effective two-seamer, Carmona used a back-door slider in key spots against lefties.

"I spent time in the video room clipping some of it for him, just to reinforce positive thoughts," Belcher said. "I like to have guys watch good things over and over again if they can, instead of focusing on the bad stuff. He certainly had a lot of good Friday."

The nastiest pitch of them all actually was an accident. Carmona caught Carl Crawford looking in the fourth with a two-seamer that, instead of diving, darted across from far inside to over the plate. Crawford could not believe how much the pitch moved.

"If he can make a pitch like that, you tip your cap to him," Crawford said.

Belcher said: "That was a sinker that squirted on Fausto. It's not a pitch you want to be throwing early in the count, but it's a good two-strike pitch. Throw as hard as you can and say, 'Here it is, hit it.' "

Pronk problems: Designated hitter Travis Hafner appeared lost in the batter's box Friday night -- and heard about it from the Tribe faithful.

Hafner struck out his first two trips and finished 0-for-3. He stranded five.

View full sizePD fileTravis Hafner, shown in a game in June, was not impressive at the plate on Friday night.

Tampa Bay righty Jeff Niemann used an assortment of off-speed pitches to daze and confuse Hafner. After the second strikeout, in particular, boos reverberated through the seats.

Indians manager Manny Acta was startled by what he witnessed from Pronk.

"I know his numbers have been better over the last few weeks, but right now, something's not right," Acta said. "When he's locked in, he doesn't chase pitches out of the zone, and I saw him chase three pitches in one at-bat Friday."

Hafner entered Saturday hitting .251 with eight homers and 32 RBI in 79 games. He was at .294 with three RBI in his past 10.

"Travis is healthy, so I'm expecting him to be a big contributor in the middle of our lineup," Acta said. "You can't change things in one at-bat, but my money's on him to turn it around. He's hit his whole life."

Hafner did not start Saturday against the Rays, but it was not because of what happened the previous night. The Rays' starter, lefty David Price, is one of the game's best. Price held left-handed batters to a .195 average and zero homers in his first 18 starts this season.

Hafner was hitting .226 with one homer against lefties.

Shelley Duncan started at DH and batted eighth. He was hitting .281 against lefties.

Acta's lineup featured one left-handed batter -- Shin-Soo Choo.

Kearns returns: Austin Kearns, who missed the previous three games because of right-knee soreness, started in left field and batted sixth.

Envelope, please: Acta said he will announce after today's game who will take lefty Aaron Laffey's spot in the rotation. Laffey was placed on the disabled list July 23 because of shoulder fatigue.

The first start for the substitute will come Tuesday against the Yankees and former Indians Cy Young winner CC Sabathia.

The leading candidate is Class AAA Columbus righty Carlos Carrasco, who has been dealing with forearm issues. Acta said Carrasco "seems to be OK" after his most recent side session. Take this to the bank: Whoever gets the call will not be tweeting about it.

View full sizePDIndians pitcher Anthony Reyes.

Columbus lefty David Huff likely hurt his chances for a spot start July 18 against Detroit when a tweet from his account stated he had gotten the call. The Indians went with Clippers righty Jeanmar Gomez, who gave up two unearned runs in seven innings of a victory.

Gomez almost certainly will not get the nod this time because he threw 97 pitches Friday night in a dominant performance against Pawtucket.

On the mend: Right-hander Anthony Reyes, who had reconstructive elbow surgery in June 2009, is scheduled to pitch for Class AA Akron on Tuesday as part of a rehab assignment. He will throw three innings or 50 pitches, whichever comes first.

Reyes participated in pregame drills at Progressive Field on Saturday.

Reyes could be a starter or reliever with the Indians later this season, but Acta said the organization views him as a starter. The plan is to stretch out Reyes in the off-season, as happened with Jake Westbrook entering this season. Westbrook underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in June 2008.

Finally: More than a few readers wondered if Asdrubal Cabrera's single in the seventh inning Friday night counts. Yes, it does.

Cabrera led off with a bunt through the rain moments before play was halted for a second time. The game never resumed.

The question arose because Tampa Bay did not record an out in the half-inning.

Rule 10.03 (e)(1) states that the official scorer shall include the record off all individual and team actions up until the moment the game ends.

Cabrera went 3-for-4.

House, 20, considered one of the Indians premier left-handed prospects, pitches six innings of one-hit baseball in a Kinston win. House pitched well early this season, though it wan't reflected in wins, then was so-so in a few outings.

Tony Lastoria, Indians Prospect InsiderT.J. House, here last season with the Lake County Captains.

FARM REPORT

AAA Columbus Clippers

Tonight: Pawtucket Red Sox at Clippers, 7:05

Notes: RHP Carlos Carrasco (9-4, 3.98) has not allowed a home run in his last four starts, spanning 21 1/3 innings, after giving up 15 homers in his first 15 starts, spanning 91 2/3 innings. He has given up 47 hits in his last 53 1/3 innings, after being tagged for 64 hits in his first 59 2/3 innings....Going into Saturday night's game, 2B Cord Phelps (.373) was on an 11-game hitting streak, going 17-for-41 (.415) with three doubles, one triple and two homers....OF Jordan Brown (.295) was 10th in the International League with 53 RBI despite missing 39 games, beginning the season on the disabled list following arthroscopic knee surgery, then being sidelined with a sore back. Brown had one RBI per every 4.6 at bats....3B Jared Goedert (.312) had hit in his last five games, going 7-for-19 (.368) with four doubles.

AA Akron Aeros

Tonight: Aeros at Reading Phillies, 6:35

Notes: RHP Paolo Espino (9-3, 3.71) is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last three starts, striking out 16 in 17 innings while allowing 13 hits and five walks....Going into Saturday night's game, OF Matt McBride (.280) was batting .352 (31-for-88) with 12 homers, eight doubles and 27 RBI in his last 23 games....OF Jerad Head (.299) was batting .483 (14-for-29) with five doubles, three homers, eight RBI and nine runs in his last nine games, and .342 (38-for-111) in his last 30 games....OF Tim Fedroff (.271) was batting .422 (27-for-64) in July, and was on a five-game hitting streak, going 8 for 21 (.381) with two doubles, one triple and one homer.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Indians 2, Blue Rocks 1 In the completion of a game that was suspended after two scoreless innings on Friday night because of heavy rains, Indians LHP T.J. House (3-8, 4.18) came on for the top of the third inning and allowed Wilmington one run on one hit in six innings, with five strikeouts and a walk, for the win. Kinston scored on DH Jeremie Tice's (.283) RBI double and RF Abner Abreu's (.250) RBI single. The second game, re-scheduled for seven innings, was to follow.

Notes: LF Lucas Montero (.273) doubled, singled and scored in the first game, making him 14-for-35 (.400) with seven runs and seven walks in his last 10 games going into the nightcap....RHP Cory Burns (2.28) pitched a hitless, scoreless ninth inning to close the first game and get his 17th save -- 29th this season including his time at Lake County....RHP Austin Adams is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA in five games (four starts) at Kinston, after going 2-4 with a 3.54 ERA at Lake County.

A Lake County Captains

Tonight: Peoria Chiefs at Captains, 7:00

Notes: LHP Matt Packer (8-5) leads the Midwest League with a 1.62 ERA. He's pitched in 23 games, the last 12 as a starter, and has struck out 85 and walked 13 in 88 2/3 innings, allowing just 72 hits and four homers. Packer is 6-4 with a 1.42 ERA as a starter....RHP Clayton Cook (5-6, 3.68) is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA in his last eight starts. He's fanned 36, walked 11 and yielded 35 hits -- including just two homers -- in 44 innings....Going into Saturday night's game, 1B Adam Abraham (.226) was on a seven-game hitting streak, going 12-for-29 (.414) with four doubles, two homers and seven RBI.

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Tonight: Scrappers at Williamsport Crosscutters, 7:05

Notes: Starting RHP Owen Dew (1-2, 2.94) and starting LHP Mike Rayl (0-3, 3.03) are a combined 1-5 despite a 2.98 ERA. Dew has allowed just three walks and two homers in 33 2/3 innings; Rayl just five walks and one homer in 32 2/3 innings....RH starter Alex Kaminsky (4-1, 2.04) is fifth in the New York-Penn League in ERA and tied for fourth in wins....Going into Saturday night's game, OF Carlos Moncrief (.203) was 10-for-33 (.303) with three homers and three doubles in his last nine games.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

Crushers 2, Cruisers 1 In the seven-inning first game of a twi-night doubleheader necessitated by a Friday night rainout, Cruisers RHP Josh Roberts (6-1, 1.96) pitched a complete game three-hitter, yielding only an unearned run. RF Arden McWilliams (.184) delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning for the 2-1 lead that Roberts held. McWilliams' double was the only Lake Erie hit off three Oakland County (Mich.) pitchers, who combined to walk eight.

Notes: Roberts has made 12 starts and in eight of them, has allowed one or no earned runs in at least five innings pitched; in at least seven innings in six of those games.

Pavano is pitching well for the Minnesota after being traded by the Indians to the Twins in August 2009.

View full sizeRob Carr / APStarting pitcher Carl Pavano is 17-10 with a 3.73 ERA since joining the Minnesota Twins in a trade with the Indians in August 2009.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nobody talks about the third ace who was traded.

He didn't win a Cy Young Award like CC Sabathia in 2007 or Cliff Lee in 2008, but he was still an ace. Maybe not in the mind of the Indians, who may yet be found pennywise and pound foolish in his regard.

Sabathia was sent to Milwaukee in July 2008 with much debate. The debate grew into rebellion when Lee was shipped to Philadelphia in July 2009. The trade of Carl Pavano a week later was hardly worth a harsh word following a two-year teardown of the Indians' roster as ordered by ownership.

Pavano was traded to the Twins on Aug. 7. It was a Friday and I was in the back of a cab headed into Chicago to cover a three-game series against the White Sox when the Indians announced the deal. It was for a player to be named, who turned out to be Class AAA right-hander Yohan Pino. At the time it seemed to be an exchange of afterthoughts.

There was no anger over the deal on Pavano's part. He was trying to restart his career after four profitable, but lost years with the Yankees. The Indians gave him a chance, on an inexpensive deal, and he responded by going 9-8 with a 5.37 ERA in 21 starts and 125 2/3 innings.

Not great numbers, but for a team like the Indians, who squeeze every penny, it was a bonanza. They paid Pavano a base salary of $1.5 million. When he exceeded their expectations, and started closing in on an additional $2.75 million in incentives, he was traded to the Twins. By that time ownership was bailing with buckets and pumps to avoid a loss that Indians CEO Paul Dolan said could have gone as high as $16 million. Pavano was only too happy to leave.

"The Indians gave me a chance," he said last week at Target Field. "What they did in that trade definitely made the season for me."

The Twins trailed Detroit by 5 1/2 games in the AL Central the day they acquired Pavano. He beat the Tigers the next day to cut the deficit to 4 1/2. By the end of the regular season, the Twins and Tigers were tied and needed a one-game playoff to decide the division title. The Twins won.

"What we did the last six weeks of the season was crazy," Pavano said. "I think we were down, at one time, six or seven games and came back to force a 163rd game."

Pavano went 5-4 in 12 starts for Minnesota. In the AL Division Series, he pitched Game 3 against the Yankees. He allowed two runs in seven innings, but the Twins were swept in the best-of-five series.

Overall, Pavano went 14-12 with a 5.10 ERA in 33 starts. He pitched 199 1/3 innings. In the previous three years with the Yankees, he pitched a combined 145 2/3 innings.

Pavano, 34, could have taken his act on the road. He was a free agent and just starting to feel like his old self. He filed for free agency, but when the Twins offered arbitration, he accepted and signed a one-year, $7 million deal.

"I enjoyed my time here," he said. "Getting the chance to defend our division title excited me."

Most importantly, Pavano knew he'd get a chance to keep pitching. This year he's 12-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts. In the Twins' mostly homegrown rotation, beset by injuries and inconsistency, Pavano has become the lead dog.

"We've got guys who can do great things here," he said. "Francisco Liriano has been good. Scott Baker is just getting back on track after some elbow problems.

"I've been in a lot of their positions. Sometimes you have it, you lose it and you've got to regain it. You have to reinvent yourself. It's just part of growing up in the game of baseball."

The Twins entered Saturday at 51-46 and in third place in the AL Central, three games behind first-place Chicago.

"Up until now, everything we've done this year is irrelevant," said Pavano. "The next two months are the most important of the season. The pack in the AL Central is tight. It's out there for the grabbing.

"I like where we're at."

Browns coaches feel pretty good about the running game.

1. Most football coaches are emotionally suited to work in the Worst Case Scenario section of the U.S. Department of Defense. So when Browns coaches talked about what part of their team makes them actually feel pretty good -- and they came up with an answer -- well, that's significant. And the answer is . . . the running game.

2. The coaches didn't know this until I looked it up for this story, but the Browns' No. 8 ranking in rushing last season was impressive not only because they had the lowest-ranked passing game in the NFL, but get this . . . the last time the Browns ranked as high as No. 8 in rushing was in 1985!!!

3. For the 20 teams between 1986 and 2008 (remember, the Browns lost three seasons in the move to Baltimore), the previous high was No. 10 in 2007. Even from 1986 to 1989, when the Browns were contending for the AFC title, they ranked 21st, 24th, 21st, 21st.

4. Except for the No. 8 in 2009 and the No. 10 in 2007, the next highest was No. 14 in 1994.

5. The 1985 team had two 1,000-yard rushers in Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner during Bernie Kosar's rookie season. But the Browns didn't have another 1,000-yard rusher until . . . Reuben Droughns in 2005. In between, their best seasons from a back were 890 yards (Leroy Hoard, 1994) and 887 (William Green, 2002). The only times the Browns have been in the playoffs since the 1980s were 1994 and 2002, when they at least had one viable rusher.

6. A 1,000-yard rusher is not a ticket to the playoffs. Droughns did it in 2005 (Browns still ranked 25th in rushing). Jamal Lewis did it with 1,304 yards in 2007 (Browns ranked 10th) and Lewis had 1,002 in 2008 (Browns ranked 26th).

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerRB Jerome Harrison is an important piece to what the Browns expect to be a strong running game this season.

7. Jerome Harrison was the Browns' leading rusher in 2009 with 862 yards. So how did they rank so high, especially when Lewis (500 yards) was the starter for the first half of the season? They dominated in the final eight games -- rushing for 1,290 yards in those games compared with 797 in the first eight.

8. The difference was Harrison taking over as the starter, and Joshua Cribbs (381 yards, 6.8 average) being used more in the wildcat as a running back. The Browns had a varied attack. Rookie Chris Jennings ran for 220 yards.

9. The coaches said it was more than the backs, it was the line growing together and the emergence of rookie Alex Mack at center. As confidence grew and run blocking improved, so did the line. As the coaches studied the tapes, they saw the line being "very intelligent." Joe Thomas is a strong run-blocker, along with his well-known pass protection at left tackle. Left guard Eric Steinbach added some weight, which helped his blocking. A key was Thomas, Mack and Steinbach played all 16 games.

10. Porkchop Womack received solid grades for his run-blocking, both at right guard and at right tackle, where he started the final two games when John St. Clair was hurt. In fact, he seemed to play better than St. Clair at that spot. Rex Hadnot (now with Arizona) also was a reliable run-blocker last season.

11. Another big part of the running game was fullback Lawrence Vickers, who received high grades for his blocking in the second half of the season. He had to lose a little weight early in the year, and that helped his quickness. Coach Eric Mangini knows few media types or fans pay much attention to it, but the Browns' receivers -- Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, Mike Furrey and Cribbs -- took blocking seriously. Tight end Robert Royal was a migraine as a receiver, but he is a strong blocker.

12. The coaches know having a strong running game doesn't automatically make a team a winner. But they believe playing in Cleveland with the lousy weather, you must run the ball. In the final four games (all victories), the Browns controlled the running game as the temperature dropped and the wind whipped. This season, they have six games after Thanksgiving -- three at home, one at Buffalo . . . the other two are at Cincinnati and Miami.

13. The Browns think the running game will be better this season because they have added impressive rookie running back Montario Hardesty to share time with Harrison. They know Cribbs is effective in the wildcat, and they added backup quarterback Seneca Wallace who can also run out of that formation.

14. The passing game ranked dead last in 2009. They believe it has to be somewhat better with veteran Jake Delhomme at quarterback and Wallace as his backup. They believe there also should be some improvement from no-longer rookie receivers Robiskie and Massaquoi. Ben Watson is a tight end who can catch a pass. None of this will bring back memories of Brian Sipe or Kosar, but there is some experience and order at the quarterback position.

15. Finally, there is third- rounder Shawn Lauvao, who impressed during the minicamps at guard. He may not start right away, but he adds depth to the line. The Browns believe eventually he can start at guard, and he also backs up at center.

ABOUT THE INDIANS . . .

1. The Tribe's recent improved play has me thinking about 2011. How does this team in the field look? C: Carlos Santana; 1B: Matt LaPorta; 2B: Jason Donald SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B: Jayson Nix or Jared Goedert, LF: Michael Brantley or another young player; CF: Grady Sizemore. RF: Shin-Soo Choo. DH: Travis Hafner.

2. Let's start with Brantley. The Indians need this guy to start hitting. His average (.168 through Friday) is about the same now as when he was first with the team and demoted. He continues to struggle with inside pitches. It's worth remembering that he's only 23, but there's no reason to promise him a job for next year unless he starts to hit.

3. There also must be questions about Sizemore's surgically repaired knee. Just as Brantley must prove he can hit, Sizemore must show he can stay healthy, something he hasn't done since 2008.

4. Good news is that Santana truly is Mr. Line Drive. LaPorta has settled in and should be a 25-30 homer guy who hits for a decent average. Cabrera is a .300 hitter since the 2008 All-Star break. A thumb injury may have cost Choo a spot on this season's All-Star team. Between Donald and Nix, the Tribe should have a second baseman.

5. More good news when it comes to second base: Entering Saturday, Cord Phelps was hitting .325 (.851 OPS) between Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus. The switch hitter was a 2008 third-round pick. He's 23. Another 23-year-old second baseman is Jason Kipnis, hitting .312 (.898 OPS) with 12 HRs in 346 at-bats between Class A and Class AA. One of these guys could end up taking the job from Donald. Yes, there is depth at the position, and it's a relief not to bring Luis Valbuena into the discussion.

6. It's possible the Indians will need outfield help next year. Trevor Crowe is viewed as a fourth outfielder -- a big step, since there had been doubts about his worth in the big leagues before getting this chance to play. It's seems we've been hearing about Nick Weglarz forever, but he's only 22. He has four homers in his past 10 games at Columbus. Between Class AA and Class AAA this season, he's hitting .284 (.889 OPS) with 13 HRs in 303 at-bats. He could be a factor.

7. I've been a cheerleader for Jordan Brown to get a chance. He's batting only .244 in his past 10 games at Columbus. On the season, he's at .295 (.787 OPS) with only five home runs. At age 26, time is running out. He won the International League batting title in 2009. He was the 2007 Class AA Eastern League MVP. He's a career .306 hitter in the minors. I'd still like to see him get a shot at some point. He did have knee surgery in spring training, and that could be part of his problem this season.

8. Lonnie Chisenhall is hitting .269 (.758 OPS) with nine homers at Akron. He's not ready to open at third base for the Tribe in 2011, but could be the long-term answer. In the meantime, they can figure it out between Nix or Goedert. Yes, Andy Marte remains on the roster, but after batting .213 (.622 OPS) with 18 home runs in 748 at-bats, he's not considered an option as a starter at third base.

9. The Indians have been very happy with Shelley Duncan as a backup outfielder, first baseman and DH. He has a chance to be part of the 2011 roster. He could platoon with Hafner at DH.

10. As for the pitching, I'll look at that next Sunday.

ABOUT A LEBRON-FREE CAVS STORY . . .

This e-mail came from Walt Rostedt of North Ridgeville:

"Recently, my family had a few hours to kill between the wedding and reception, so we decided to go to the Starbucks at the corner of Cleveland-Massillon Road in Montrose. As we sat drinking coffee waiting for my parents to arrive, I noticed a rather tall, and familiar looking man sipping coffee at an outside table.

"It was Larry Nance relaxing, sitting outside the store having a coffee. I pointed him out to my brothers. They looked, nodded, and we all remembered the golden days of Nance, [Brad] Daugherty, Hot Rod [Williams], [Mark] Price, [Craig] Ehlo, etc.

"As we talked, I kept checking out the front window for my parents. My mom has had a knee replacement, has a pacemaker, so while she's doing great for her age, I just wanted to catch the door when she came in.

"Then I saw Larry jump up, and stretch over to open the door. I couldn't see who he was opening it for, until my dad came through the door. Larry stood there and waited for my mom, and held the door for her as well.

"I went out to Mr. Nance, took his hand, and simply thanked him for getting up to open the door for my parents. I wanted to shake the hand of a 'real' Cleveland Cavalier.

"Larry Nance's simple act of kindness reminded me that winning championship rings is not the most important measure of a man or woman. And, while there may be bigger, more exciting cities in this nation and world, Greater Cleveland, Akron, Canton, etc., are big enough to have everything, yet small enough to keep us normal."

Tampa Bay rallied from three down after four innings to beat the Indians, 6-3. The Rays snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Indians in Cleveland.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerThe Indians watch their dominance of the Tampa Bay Rays finally come to an end on Saturday with a 6-3 loss at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Through four innings Saturday night, it was the biggest lock in sports.

The Indians, behind strikeout machine Mitch Talbot, were going to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in Cleveland yet again.

Then the thinkable happened. The Rays realized they are a contender, and that there is no logical reason to continue being dominated by the Tribe on the road.

 Or maybe Rays personnel simply got tired of the Indians' "Christmas in July'' promotion.

 Whatever the case, Tampa Bay righted itself in a hurry, rallying from three down to defeat the Tribe, 6-3, at Progressive Field. It snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Indians in Cleveland dating to Sept. 29, 2005.

 The skid was the longest active by one team in an opposing venue. Tampa Bay was outscored, 110-48, in those 18 games.

 The Rays (58-38) pulled within three of the Yankees in the AL East. They are a major-league-best 32-18 on the road.

 The Tribe (41-56) slipped to 7-2 since the All-Star break. It is 2-6 against Tampa Bay this season.

View full sizePDShelley Duncan, right, gives the Indians a 3-0 lead in the second inning with his two-run homer, driving in Matt LaPorta, left.

 Friday night, the Indians won the rain-shortened opener of the three-game series, 3-1. They held the Rays to one hit -- an infield single -- in 6 1/2 innings.

 Despite facing a terrific starter Saturday in lefty David Price, the Tribe sustained the momentum in the early innings.

 The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first. Trevor Crowe led off with a walk and scored on Shin-Soo Choo's one-out double to left.

 Shelley Duncan's two-run homer to left in the second made it 3-0. Price got into trouble by relying too much on his money pitch, the fastball.

 Meanwhile, Talbot was virtually untouchable. He struck out six consecutive batters from the first through the third innings, tying a franchise record.

 Talbot joined Bob Feller (October 2, 1938), Bartolo Colon (July 26, 2000) and Chuck Finley (May 28, 2002) as the Indians to notch six straight strikeouts.

 Talbot should have had the record all to himself. A 2-2 pitch to former Indian Kelly Shoppach appeared to be a strike, but umpire Mike Everitt called it a ball. Replays showed the ball crossed the plate comfortably within the strike zone.

 Shoppach grounded to short.

 The Rays managed one hit -- a single to left by Jason Bartlett -- through four.

 It must have been particularly painful for the Rays to have Talbot shutting them down. The Indians acquired Talbot from Tampa Bay as the player to be named in the Kelly Shoppach trade last December. Talbot has been one of the best rookie starters in the American League.

 Tampa Bay's uprising began innocently enough. With two outs and none on in the fifth, Shoppach singled. Bartlett singled, Shoppach stopping at second.

 Then Ben Zobrist brough the thunder. He ripped Talbot's pitch deep to left-center for what initially went for a triple. The umpires watched the tape, saw that the ball hit above the yellow line and awarded Zobrist a homer.

 The Rays took a 5-3 lead in the sixth, knocking out Talbot in the process. Carlos Pena homered and B.J. Upton hit an RBI double.

 Talbot (8-9) gave up five runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

 Tampa Bay tacked on one in the seventh.

 Price gave up three hits in seven innings. He improved to 13-5.

 The Indians were held to four hits.