Derek Lowe uses big first inning to win his second straight start for the Indians. Lowe scattered 11 hits, but allowed just three runs in 6 2/3 innings.

CORRECTS TO CASEY KOTCHMAN NOT SHELLEY DUNCAN - Cleveland Indians' Casey Kotchman celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a two-run triple hit by Jason Kipnis during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Friday, April 13, 2012, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- A lot of times when reporters interview Derek Lowe, they don't ask the first question.

He does.

So it was Friday night after the Indians scored seven runs in the first inning to ruin Kansas City's home opener with an 8-3 victory.

"Where do you want to start? Seven-run first inning? Yeah, let's start there," said Lowe, 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA with his new team.

The Indians came into the series tied for last in the American League in runs scored. They hadn't scored seven runs in a game, much less an inning. But in front of a sellout crowd of more than 40,000 at Kauffman Stadium, all the baseball quirks that hurt them during a 1-4 start worked in their favor in the first inning.

"Anytime you pitch on the road in the other team's home opener, there is going to be a lot of excitement in the park," Lowe said. "To silence them so early, you couldn't ask for anything more as a starting pitcher."

The Indians pushed the mute button in a hurry.

Leadoff hitter Michael Brantley singled to start the game against Luke Hochevar. It ended an 0-for-15 slump and gave Brantley just his second hit of the season in 18 at-bats. Before the inning ended, he would collect his third hit of the year.

Asdrubal Cabrera doubled Brantley to third and Shin-Soo Choo made it 2-0 with a single through the right side. They were Choo's first runs batted in of the season.

Hochevar retired the next two batters, but Shelley Duncan wouldn't let the inning end. He sent a check-swing single into shallow right field to score Choo for a 3-0 lead. Choo put himself in scoring position with a steal of second base.

"It's a funny game," manager Manny Acta said. "We had two games at home where we couldn't drive in the winning run from third base with less than two out. Then we get a check-swing RBI single with two out that kept the inning going and allowed us to score seven."

Duncan enjoyed the moment.

"It's beautiful when it happens," he said. "A lot of check swings end up right in front of home plate and you're cussing yourself running down the line."

There was no cussing involved on Duncan's 90-foot sprint to first.

"I got to first and just thought, 'awesome,' " said Duncan. "I chuckled."

Casey Kotchman, who came into the game hitting .095 (2-for-21), followed Duncan with a single to right. Then Jason Kipnis, hitting .095 (2-for-21) when he stepped into the box, sent a wind-blown triple over center fielder Jarrod Dyson's head to make it 5-0. Hochevar was getting booed and the Indians were rolling for the first time this season.

"You could definitely see some sighs of relief," said Kipnis. "You could see some guys' shoulders get a little looser . . . guys who had been pressing.

"It was all gravy from there. Everyone already has a hit, everyone has already done something. You just try to have good at-bats the rest of the way."

Jack Hannahan singled to score Kipnis. Brantley's second hit of the inning, a double off the wall in right, scored Hannahan with the seventh run.

The offense, with the exception of Cabrera's leadoff homer in the ninth, shut it down after that. The rest of the game was in the hands of Lowe and relievers Tony Sipp, Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano.

Not to mention a defense that turned three double plays.

The most important double play came in the first. The Royals opened the inning with three straight ground-ball singles to make it 7-1. They had runners on first and second when Billy Butler hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

"We stopped their momentum right there," Lowe said.

Sipp, Smith and Pestano did not allow a run over the final 2-1/3 innings. Lowe scattered 11 hits and allowed three runs. He struck out two and didn't walk a batter on 92 pitches.

"If you only give up three runs, they call it scattering 11 hits," said Lowe with a smile. "If you pitch bad, they say you got shelled on 11 hits."

Hochevar (1-1, 7.84) knows exactly what Lowe is talking about. He gave up seven runs on nine hits and was knocked out of the game at the end of the fourth inning when Carlos Santana sent a liner off his left ankle.

"They came out turning and burning," Hochevar said. "I felt like they hit everything I threw in the first inning, which they did."

The Rams and Eagles are among at least four teams interested in trading up with the Browns at No. 4, league sources said. There's a decent chance the Browns will swing a deal.

APCould the Rams trade up to No. 4 to nab WR Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State?

CLEVELAND -- With less than two weeks before the NFL draft, multiple teams have called the Browns about their No. 4 pick, league sources told the Plain Dealer,  and there's a decent chance the Browns will trade down.

 At least three or four teams in the top 20 have expressed interest in trading up, and the Browns are expected to have some enticing options on draft day.

 Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who has the No. 6 pick, has already identified the Browns as a potential trade partner, and the Eagles at No. 15 are believed to be interested in trading up, sources said. At least two other teams are in the mix.

 And it's not just Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill that teams are after. There's been considerable interest in USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon.

 The Rams and Eagles are attractive trade partners because both have two picks in the second round. The Rams have the 33rd overall pick and the 39th pick from their recent trade with Washington. The Eagles have the No. 46 pick in the second round and the No. 51st pick from their trade with Arizona last year for quarterback Kevin Kolb.

 At the NFL Owners meetings last month, Fisher said he'd consider trading up with the Browns depending on what they wanted in return. He didn't specify which player he'd trade up for, but the Rams are believed to have interest in Blackmon. Fisher re-iterated Friday that he'll trade up, down or stay where he is. 

 The Eagles and Chiefs (No. 11) have both conducted private workouts with Tannehill, but the Chiefs "would probably not trade up'' a league source said. The Bills (No. 10) will also host Tannehill on Tuesday after he visits the Browns on Sunday and Monday.

 The Eagles, who've already executed trades with their former general manager Tom Heckert, might be willing trade up, but nothing would happen until draft day, because the Vikings are also believed to be interested in trading down from No. 3. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Vikings will pass on Kalil, and Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Pro Football Weekly that he'd be open to dealing.

 "There are times we have been in (the war room) and we've done deals on the clock," Spielman told the site. "It's an unknown, but you're prepared for both ways. We'll be ready and we'll have a good idea of what we think the value of that third pick is.''

The Dolphins at No. 8 and Seahawks at No. 12 also interested in Tannehill, but it's unknown if they'd be willing to move up.

Heckert said at the owners meetings that he had preliminary talks with several teams. He also said he'd be willing to trade down "a few spots'' but not all the way back to No. 27 like he did last year with Atlanta in the trade for receiver Julio Jones. (He then moved back up to No. 21 to select Phil Taylor).

 Question is, would No. 15 be too far back? Maybe not. The Browns have hosted a number of players over the past two weeks that are projected to go in the teens, including Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd, Baylor receiver Kendall Wright and South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore. If the Browns picked up two extra second-round picks, they'd have three in that round, including the No. 37 overall.
 They could use one of those picks to trade back up from No. 22 and grab another elite player.
   

Urban Meyer is delivering just what fans wanted at Ohio State -- SEC hustle in the Big Ten. (Attention to the letter of the law, if not exactly to its spirit.)

Gotta write and report the same way Urban Meyer runs Ohio State football. Panther quick, leather tough. Don't want a place saved for me in the line for the garden hose.

When Meyer was growing up in Ashtabula as a kid, he probably admired, as Gen. George S. Patton once said, "the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big-league ballplayers, the toughest boxers."

Huh? What's a marble? Never mind.

The point is, Ohioans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser.

The Buckeyes are advancing constantly with this guy as coach, and they're not interested in holding onto anything except The Team Up North where it hurts. They're going to hold onto him by the nose, and they're going to kick him in the butt. They're going to kick the hell out of him all the time, and they're going to go through him like crap through a goose.

Wait, wait. How did the "Patton" speech, the one George C. Scott made while standing in front of the big American flag in the movie, sneak in here? It's just football, isn't it?

Except it's never "just" football at Ohio State.

This is what Buckeye fans wanted, right? SEC hustle in the Big Ten? No gentlemen's agreements on recruiting. Relentless aggression. Big, big, bigger than the Big Ten championships. Scrupulous attention to the letter of the law, if not exactly to the spirit.

Luke Fickell said it first when he was keeping the film projector warm for Meyer, "Recruiting ends on Feb. 1." On National Signing Day. Until then, everybody's fair game.

Where was Wisconsin coach Brett Bielema then? Watching the brie run? Nobody had a problem with it when Fickell said it. Just when Meyer actually did it, spiriting Cleveland Heights' premier offensive tackle Kyle Dodson away from the Badgers at the eleventh hour.

"If you would bold[face] this and underline it -- this is not an NCAA violation," Meyer said.

Meyer recruits the way his teams played at Florida, Utah and Bowling Green -- fast and hard, like a hummingbird with its tail feathers on fire, until the last whistle of the last game, until the last five-star prospect has signed on the last dotted line. After being hired, he signed a national top-five recruiting class in two months at Ohio State. He probably wondered why it took so long.

With all the empha- . . . kill it, kill it. The word's too long. They're in a big hurry down in Columbus.

Make it: With all the stress on The Team Up North, with tapes of a century's worth of The Game playing all the time in the Ohio State locker room, my God, I actually pity those poor guys the Buckeyes are going up against.

"The Team Up North," just that term, is red meat to the fan base. That's Woody stuff. Like Jim Tressel before him, Meyer saw no reason to run from the legend of Woody Hayes, but instead he embraces it. There's not enough Horseshoe to contain Meyer. It'll be Woody's dominance without the crewcuts and the high tops. Call it 30 yards and a cloud of dust. More space than on the lone prairie. Muscle that you'll see in bench presses after his conditioning guru finishes turning these boys into fanatics.

There will be some potholes along the road to glory. Some critics in Florida say coaching "burnout" usually lasts longer than one season. It was 15 years before Dick Vermeil got back into NFL coaching, for example.

They also say Meyer would be talking the same way about Notre Dame and Ara Parseghian if that job had opened up first.

Well, some people will just carp and whine, won't they? There was a report that star Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin went all Latrell Sprewell on an assistant coach, and Meyer was busy doing the Gator Chomp or something and never did anything about it. Hey, I can imagine it happening. Think of how distracted he might be with the O-H! I-O! arm-signaling thing.

Some former Gators say Meyer had a caste system. Duh. Why do you think there are designated winners and losers after each Ohio State practice? Some players walk off chugging sports drinks and some have to slobber at a rubber hose.

It's social Darwinism. It's an artificially created world in which everything is competition, in which everything is, like nature, red in tooth and claw. If you don't like it, leave the biosphere.

Gene Smith, the athletic director, is fine with it. Smith issued a statement praising the way Meyer "fostered the strong compliance culture that we expect."

Smith, you might remember, was on top of the NCAA Committee on Infractions with the Tressel violations the way an unwatched, boiling pot is on top of a stove. But Tressel's players had been in trouble with the NCAA before, both at Youngstown State and Ohio State.

Meyer has never been in the soup with the NCAA. At any coaching stop. That's the underline he sought and the bottom line Ohio State takes as a bonus these days.

The Cavaliers took the Indiana Pacers to overtime on Wednesday in Cleveland, but it was nowhere near that close on Friday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the Pacers clinched a playoff spot with an easy xx-xx victory over the Cavaliers.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The Cavaliers took the Indiana Pacers to overtime on Wednesday in Cleveland, but it was nowhere near that close on Friday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the Pacers clinched a playoff spot with an easy 102-83 victory over the Cavaliers.

Danny Granger had 18 points, and Tyler Hansbrough scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lead Indiana, 37-22. The Pacers dominated inside, outscoring the Cavs in the paint, 46-22. The Cavs had no fastbreak points, while the Pacers had 14.

Omri Casspi had 14 points to lead the Cavs, 19-28, in the first of three games in three nights, and five games in the next six nights.

Indiana took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Cleveland, 34-13. The Pacers, who shot just 32 percent in the first half, hit 14 of 24 shots in the third (58.3 percent) while holding the Cavs to just 3 of 18 (16.7 percent.)

It was quite a turnaround for the Pacers, who shot just 21 percent in the first quarter and trailed, 19-16. The Cavs opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run and pulled out to a 32-18 lead before Indiana regrouped and closed to within 43-41 at halftime.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cavaliers have had so many guys hurt this season that the injury report now lists their mascot, Moondog. OK, not officially. But the mascot did have to be taken to the hospital with an eye injury Wednesday after Indiana Pacers power forward David West punched him in the snout during pregame warm-ups. Video of the incident,...

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerMoondog, seen above taking a playful boot from the Magic's Dwight Howard in 2010, is recovering from an eye injury he suffered when the Pacers' David West caught him too hard with a "playful" right hook.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cavaliers have had so many guys hurt this season that the injury report now lists their mascot, Moondog.

OK, not officially. But the mascot did have to be taken to the hospital with an eye injury Wednesday after Indiana Pacers power forward David West punched him in the snout during pregame warm-ups. Video of the incident, which the Cavs are calling an accident, is now available on YouTube at tinyurl.com/moondogpunched.

West, a former Xavier star, feels terrible, and he autographed a pair of shoes and a jersey before Friday night's rematch at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to send back to Moondog.

"I feel bad the dude got hurt," West said Friday. "I thought I was just hitting the costume. When they told me after the game that he had got hurt, I felt bad because I seriously didn't know our playing around would cause him to get hurt."

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said he didn't see what happened Wednesday, although he remembered the New Jersey Nets mascot once breaking his ankle during a stunt and having to go to the hospital.

"It wasn't an altercation, so to speak, like what I heard [this was]," Scott said of West, whom he coached in New Orleans. "I didn't see anything. I just heard about it the next day when they said [Moondog] was being released from the hospital, and I said, 'What the hell happened?' Him and David got into it. They thought he was playing when he was on the ground and found out he wasn't playing. . . . I guess being a mascot is a very dangerous job."

Asked if there was an update from the trainer for Moondog's availability for Sunday's game against Orlando, Scott said, "I think we probably have to go see a vet. . . . Maybe we'll get our Charge mascot to come and take his place."

The Cavs said Moondog will be back Sunday, and all parties are taking the incident in stride.

"We actually watched the tape of it before film tonight and had a good laugh," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said.

Then the coach joked that he didn't want to cross West.

"I informed him very strongly that if there's anything he needs from me, more minutes, more touches, whatever he wants, he has it," the coach said. "Just don't do me like he did Moondog."

Taking it easy: At the start of three games in three nights and five games in six days, Scott elected not to hold the team's usual morning shootaround Friday. Instead, they met at the team's downtown hotel.

"As much rest as we can get right now, the better," Scott said. "Not only that, but the fact that we just played them . . . I thought it was more beneficial to have a little breakfast meeting as we did, walk through stuff, keep the guys off their feet, let them get back to their rooms a little bit early and get some more rest."

Luke on call? Although Scott said last week the Cavs were not considering calling up forward Luke Harangody from their NBA Development League team in Canton despite all the injuries to their guards, the loss of center Semih Erden for any period of time with a sprained right ankle could change that.

Erden suffered the injury Wednesday night against Indiana. The Cavs also are still without center Anderson Varejao, who has been out since Feb. 10 with a fractured right wrist, although he has been hoping to return before the end of the season.

"We haven't made any decision on that," Scott said Friday night of Harangody, who has become the Charge's leading scorer as its heads into the playoffs in its inaugural season.

Here and there: Scott was happy to hear the news that New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson was going to buy the Hornets from the NBA and keep them in New Orleans.

"They were very passionate about basketball in New Orleans," said Scott, who coached there from 2003 to '09. "I hope that Mr. Benson, who I know is taking over, will keep [the Hornets] right there in New Orleans. I don't see why he wouldn't. I think it will be in great hands with Mr. Benson. I wish them both the best."

Scott, who started his coaching career as an assistant in Sacramento, also hoped the Kings would find a way to stay put, although there were indications after the NBA's Board of Governors meeting Friday that might not be the case.

"I hope [the Kings stay] in Sacramento," Scott said. "When I was there, those fans were unbelievable."

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott and his players are trying to make the best of things. They can live without the wins, as they get the effort they're looking for. For the most part, that was the case on Friday at Indiana.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott and his players are trying to make the best of things. With their injury-depleted roster, they know most nights they're going to be overmatched and undersized against their opponents down the stretch of this NBA season.

That was certainly the case on Friday night against the much bigger Pacers. Yet there was Anthony Parker, taking two charges in a 20-second span of the third quarter, in spite of his bruised sternum. Luke Walton ripped a couple of rebounds away from Pacers inside. Donald Sloan raced back on defense to wrap up a streaking Danny Granger, only to watch in disgust as the ball still made it through the basket.

Though they went through a rough patch recently when they absolutely refused to compete, especially on the defensive end, that's not the case now. Perhaps some of the bench players like Samardo Samuels and Manny Harris finally realize that the time they're getting now is an audition for next season.

OK, their offense went south after about 20 minutes. Alonzo Gee missed his first nine shots and finished 2 for 12. Antawn Jamison made 5 of 7 shots in the first half and went 0 for 5 in the second, when he played just 9:31.

But at least part of that can be attributed to the fact that the Pacers woke up and realized the Cavs weren't just going to hand them a playoff spot. So Indiana started playing defense like the third best team in the East, making Cleveland look like the third worst team in the East..

The Cavs can live without the wins, as they get the effort they're looking for. For the most part, that was the case on Friday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a great start against the Pacers on Friday night before Indiana rebounded to clinch a playoff spot with a 102-83 victory.

Indianapolis -- For 20 minutes, it was tough to tell which team was fighting for a playoff spot Friday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Cavaliers were clicking on offense, closing on defense and cruising to a 14-point lead against the Indiana Pacers.

But after building a 32-18 advantage midway through the second quarter, the Cavs were outscored by the Pacers, 23-11, the rest of that period and 34-13 in the third quarter as Indiana clinched a playoff spot with an easy 102-83 victory.

"The third quarter is really what got us out of the game," said Cavs forward Antawn Jamison, who scored his 12 points in the first half and played just 9:31 in the second. "We did a bad job of playing 48 minutes."

Omri Casspi led the Cavs with 14 points, Donald Sloan scored 12, and Samardo Samuels had 10 points and 10 rebounds as Cleveland fell to 19-38.

Danny Granger had 18 points, Tyler Hansbrough 16 and George Hill 15 for the Pacers (37-22), who have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference behind Chicago and Miami. Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs had taken the Pacers to overtime before losing Wednesday night in Cleveland, but Jamison didn't think Indiana did anything differently Friday night.

"Nope," he said. "We knew the game plan coming in. They just stepped it up in the third quarter, and we did a bad job of communicating on the defensive end."

The Pacers, who shot just 21 percent in the first quarter, hit 58 percent in the third quarter, while holding the Cavs to 16.7 percent (3-of-18, including 0-of-5 for Jamison.)

"The third quarter, we couldn't make a shot," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "We had about 10 open shots and made one of them. In turn, missing those shots, they got some quick run-outs for some easy buckets. We couldn't buy a bucket in the third quarter, and I thought offensively they got going a little bit and ended up having a big quarter. That's what cost us the game."

The Pacers totally dominated inside, outscoring the Cavs in the paint, 46-22, and on second-chance points, 25-18. They also had a 14-0 advantage in fast-break points, in part because of Cleveland's 19 turnovers that led to 22 Indiana points.

"Them getting second-chance points was a killer," Scott said. "And 19 turnovers for 22 points was a killer. We just can't afford to turn the ball over that many times."

Missing centers Anderson Varejao (fractured wrist) and Semih Erden (sprained right ankle) definitely hurts against a big team such as the Pacers.

"It's tough," Scott said. "It takes its toll as the game goes on. Guys start to wear down a little bit. They're a big, physical basketball team. We just had a game against them the other day, so we know how physical they are.

"But I'm very proud of the way our guys matched it and didn't back down, kept fighting. We just don't have enough right now. Those guys right now, they're playing for something a whole lot bigger."

COLUMBUS -- Ohio State fans are accustomed to 1,000-yard rushers. In Jim Tressel's 10 seasons, the Buckeyes had seven of them. In Urban Meyer's 10 years as a head coach at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida during the same time frame -- from 2001 to '10 -- he had none. So what would Meyer's Ohio State offense do now...

COLUMBUS -- Ohio State fans are accustomed to 1,000-yard rushers. In Jim Tressel's 10 seasons, the Buckeyes had seven of them. In Urban Meyer's 10 years as a head coach at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida during the same time frame -- from 2001 to '10 -- he had none.

So what would Meyer's Ohio State offense do now if, for instance, he had a big, skilled back such as Eddie George, from the John Cooper days, or Beanie Wells on his roster?

"Eddie George would have had 2,000 yards in this offense," said OSU running backs coach Stan Drayton, who previously coached the running backs under Meyer for four seasons at Florida. "If he won the Heisman Trophy back in those days, we would have put him in position to win the Heisman Trophy in this offense."

View full sizeKeith Srakocic, AP Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George would run for 2,000 yards in coach Urban Meyer's offense, says OSU running backs coach Stan Drayton.

Meyer has expressed a similar affinity for a workhorse back, though there wasn't a George or a Wells on the practice field Friday, as the Buckeyes had their 10th of 15 workouts this spring -- with a morning practice in front of faculty and students scheduled for Ohio Stadium this morning.

Jordan Hall, Carlos Hyde, Rod Smith and true freshman Bri'onte Dunn, who enrolled early for spring ball, will fight into the fall to see if one really is that kind of back, or if the Buckeyes are better mixing and matching to their different skills. What Meyer and Drayton want to make clear, however, is that if that guy is there, now or on the recruiting trail, they will use him.

Drayton said other teams recruit negatively against Meyer's spread, feeding what Drayton believes is a misperception about the role of the running back in this style of offense.

"I guarantee you, it's just a matter of us getting out there and showing what we are capable of doing in this offense," Drayton said. "This is a run-first offense. We run power just like a pro-style offense runs power. We just dress it up a little bit."

Drayton tries to educate recruits on the spread running backs succeeding in the NFL -- that running in space, with fewer defenders near the line of scrimmage, is a good thing. Part of the view of the Meyer offense stems from that fact that, at its heyday at Florida, the Gators' two best running threats weren't running backs -- they were quarterback Tim Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin. Tebow and Harvin were the Gators' top two rushers in 2007 and 2008.

"In the Urban Meyer system, playmakers touch the football. We'll make the system fit the playmakers," Drayton said.

The most yards a running back ever gained during Meyer's six seasons in Gainesville were Jeff Demps' 745 yards on 99 carries in 2009. During those same six seasons in Columbus, Antonio Pittman and Wells each ran for 1,000 yards twice and Dan Herron did it once.

However, the overall results weren't much different. Florida ran 37.8 times per game for 188.9 yards between 2005 and 2010, while Ohio State ran 41.4 times per game for 195.1 yards.

The leading candidate for 1,000 yards in 2012 is probably Hyde, with Hall expected to be used in a greater variety of ways. Hall has just 21 catches in his three-year career and probably should expect at least that many as a senior.

"In this offense, we've been split out a lot," Hall said Friday. "This offense uses all the running backs in the wide receiver position, so probably it'll be a little more [catching passes] than last year."

With the screens passes and zone-read runs, Hall said this offense is a "perfect fit" for him, while Hyde excited the staff with his best practice of the spring Wednesday despite running on an injured ankle.

"He played aggressive, there was no hesitation," Drayton said. "He was really tough to deal with. Carlos' progression is going to very significant to our run game."

Smith, who didn't travel to the Gator Bowl last year after missing the team flight, is still in the mix, and Drayton said Smith would never do anything to hurt the football team. But, like Dunn -- and all the backs, to some degree -- he's still finding his way in the offense.

"It takes a while. It's not an easy offense," Drayton said. "It's a complicated offense, and they're still playing the game thinking. That's why they're not playing 100 miles per hour right now."

Drayton said that will come. But will someone get to 1,000 yards?

"A thousand-yard rusher can be in this offense, no question in my mind," Drayton said. "We feel as though we have ballcarriers here, there's no question."

If wouldn't hurt if one of them started running like George.

MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT AAA Columbus Clippers Bats 4, Clippers 2 LHP Scott Barnes (0-1, 4.09 ERA) gave up four runs in five innings as Columbus lost to host Louisville (Ky.) in International League play Friday. 2B Cord Phelps (.297) and DH Chad Huffman (.375) each had a run-scoring double in the fifth inning for the Clippers. AA Akron Aeros Aeros...

MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT

AAA Columbus Clippers

Bats 4, Clippers 2 LHP Scott Barnes (0-1, 4.09 ERA) gave up four runs in five innings as Columbus lost to host Louisville (Ky.) in International League play Friday. 2B Cord Phelps (.297) and DH Chad Huffman (.375) each had a run-scoring double in the fifth inning for the Clippers.

AA Akron Aeros

Aeros 2, Thunder 1 RHP Steven Wright (1-1, 1.69) allowed one run in five innings, and RHP Toru Murata (0.00) and RHP Cody Allen (first save, 0.00) each pitched two scoreless innings as they combined for a four-hitter in host Akron's Eastern League win over Trenton (N.J.) at Canal Park. Wright gave up two hits, struck out five and walked three. CF Tim Fedroff (.500) had two doubles and scored a run for the Aeros.

Advanced A Carolina Mudcats

Dash 1, Mudcats 0 LHP Mike Rayl (0-2, 4.91) and LHP J.D. Reichenbach (0.00) held host Winston-Salem (N.C.) to three hits, but Carolina lost a Carolina League game. Rayl allowed one run, two hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out five. Reichenbach gave up one hit in one inning. RHP Andre Rienzo (0.82) hurled six scoreless innings for the Dash, and RHP Jon Bachanov (1-0, 2.08) got the win in relief with two scoreless innings. 1B Dan Black's seventh-inning single knocked in 2B Carlos Sanchez for Winston-Salem.

A Lake County Captains

Hot Rods 2, Captains 1 Host Lake County got a quality start from RHP Will Roberts (1-1, 2.13), but the Captains lost to Bowling Green (Ky.) in a Midwest League game at Classic Park in Eastlake. Roberts allowed two runs in the first inning but none after, striking out seven in 6 innings. He gave up five hits and one walk. C Alex Lavisky (.381) doubled in the sixth inning, and LF Todd Hankins (.176) tripled him in for Lake County's run. RHP Parker Markel (1-0, 3.60) allowed one run in six innings to earn the victory for Bowling Green.

More news and statistics on Indians minor-league teams at cleveland.com/tribe

Clubhouse confidential: When it comes to bullpen sessions, Derek Lowe has the ability to improvise. It served him well before Kansas City's home opener Friday at Kauffman Stadium. Lowe was about to go through his normal bullpen session in time for a scheduled 4:10 p.m. start, but the pen was so crowded with workers and military personnel who were...

Clubhouse confidential: When it comes to bullpen sessions, Derek Lowe has the ability to improvise. It served him well before Kansas City's home opener Friday at Kauffman Stadium.

Lowe was about to go through his normal bullpen session in time for a scheduled 4:10 p.m. start, but the pen was so crowded with workers and military personnel who were coming off the field after unfurling a huge American flag in the outfield that he couldn't throw.

"It's the weirdest bullpen session I've ever had," said Lowe. "I didn't throw my first pitch off the mound until 4:03 p.m. That was for a game that was supposed to start at 4:10 p.m. [actual first pitch was 4:14 p.m.].

"Thank God, I'm not one those guys who has to do everything at a certain time, because that would have really thrown you through a Hula Hoop."

Lowe said he threw his normal 36 pitches, but at an accelerated pace.

"It was rapido el fireo," Lowe said. "I don't know if that's a word, but that's what I did."

Lowe threw 6-2/3 innings in the Indians' 8-3 victory.

Stat of the day: In their past two games, the Indians have scored 14 runs on 21 hits.

With the eighth pick in the first round, the Miami Dolphins select....Who do you say? This is another pick -- by voting in a poll -- made by you in Cleveland.com's fans' mock draft.

Associated PressTexas A&M's Ryan Tannehill excelled as a wide receiver during his freshman and sophomore seasons, before moving to quarterback and becoming one of the top draft prospects at the position.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns and NFL fans, it's time for you to say who all of the teams should pick in the first round of the draft on April 26.

Through April 22, via polls, we're asking you every day to make first-round picks for each of two teams. The polls go up on cleveland.com at approximate 12-hour intervals, around 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. each day. We list 10 prospects for you to pick from in each poll. On April 23-24, you'll be asked to make the picks for each of three teams (at approximate eight-hour intervals) both days, completing the 32-pick first round.

Here's who the fans have selected so far:

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3: Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, Southern Cal

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneeers: Morris Claiborne, CB, Louisiana State

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

The eighth pick in the first round of the draft belongs to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins finished the 2011 season with a 6-10 record.

The Dolphins' primary needs include quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, guard and defensive end.

Continue to check The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com for Browns and NFL coverage.

Alabama's Trent Richardson is the best running back in the draft, but successful NFL teams are relying less and less on feature backs for success.

View full sizeMark Arnold, Birmingham NewsThere's no doubt among NFL scouts and draftniks that Trent Richardson is easily the class of the incoming group of running backs. But in a league that covets the passing game, is it a smart move to spend a high draft pick on Richardson?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns approach the NFL Draft on April 26 with many holes to fill -- most of them on a Swiss-cheese offense. They need a wide receiver. They need a right tackle. Their quarterback is a question mark.

Plus, a franchise built on the shoulders of some of the game's greatest running backs needs someone to carry the ball.

This is, after all, the Cleveland Browns, who have seen Hall of Famers Marion Motley, Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly and later Mike and Greg Pruitt, Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack power running games that mushed to touchdowns through the slop and slush of Northeast Ohio.

This year, with the fourth pick in the draft, the Browns are in a prime position to take the universally top-ranked college running back, powerful, 228-pound Trent Richardson from national champion Alabama. But ask former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano if Cleveland should take Richardson at No. 4, and he will tell you: No way.

Rutigliano coached the Browns from 1978-84, and his teams were known for their run-pass balance. But they still relied heavily on the legs of Mike Pruitt, who finished as the Browns' third all-time leading rusher. But with the exception of his first season, his teams ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in total rushing yards.

His point is that in today's NFL, teams don't ride franchise running backs to the Super Bowl like Chicago once did with Walter Payton, Washington did with John Riggins and Dallas did with Tony Dorsett and, later, Emmitt Smith.

"Richardson would be the last guy I'd pick [that high]," said Rutigliano. "I wouldn't pick O.J. Simpson.

"I just think the game has changed."

Indispensable back? Hardly

View full size

NFL draft analysts generally praise Richardson for his quickness, power, agility and blocking and pass-catching ability -- ingredients craved by any offense, but especially a West Coast brand designed on high-percentage short passes and a double-threat running back.

With most draft projections have two quarterbacks (Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III) and a left offensive tackle (Matt Kalil) going with the first three picks, the Browns are left with a difficult decision of whether to take Richardson in an NFL that relies less and less on franchise running backs for success.

Statistics and recent draft history reflect that declining reliance on the running game -- and a single franchise running back -- as a path to success:

• Thirteen of the league's top 20 rushers last season played for teams that failed to reach the playoffs. Last season's Super Bowl teams -- the New York Giants and New England -- had no running backs among the top 20.

• Last season, the Giants ranked last in rushing yards gained as a percentage of total offense, and the Patriots ranked fourth from the bottom.

• Only eight of the last 20 Super Bowl opponents had 1,000-yard rushers. Of that total, only two of the last 10 Super Bowl teams had 1,000-yard running backs.

• The NFL's four top-scoring teams last year -- Detroit, Green Bay, New England and New Orleans -- ranked among the lowest in yards gained on the ground as a percentage of their total offense.

• The Patriots, Giants, Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Saints -- who have accounted for eight of the last nine Super Bowl champions -- haven't had a league-leading rusher in the last 30 years.

For comparison, two of the best Super Bowl champions in the post AFL-NFL merger era -- the undefeated 1972 Dolphins with Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris and the one-loss 1985 Chicago Bears with Payton -- ranked near the top of the league for depending on the run, with about half of their yards coming on the ground.

Mike Ditka, coach of those '85 Bears, said this week that in today's wide-open offenses, the running back doesn't have the star power and prominence of the past.

"When I had Walter, we were committed to run the ball 30 to 40 times a game," Ditka said. "It's a whole different animal now."

Football or airball?

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As NFL offenses have evolved, the role of the fullback -- Jim Brown's position, for heaven's sake -- has been relegated to pure blocker. A series of rules changes since 1974 have made it harder for defensive backs to cover receivers while also providing more protection for quarterbacks.

Reliance on the running game has continued to slip. In 1970, rushing yards as share of total offense throughout the NFL was about 43 percent; by last season, that number was 34 percent.

"It was always develop the running game first and the passing game came along," said Mike Pruitt, a first-round choice (seventh overall) in the 1976 draft who finished as the Browns' third all-time leading rusher. "Now teams come out throwing."

Since 1970, the Browns also made their first-round choice a running back in 1980 (Charles White, 27th overall), 1989 (Eric Metcalf, 13th), 1992 (Tommy Vardell, ninth) and 2002 (William Green, 16th).

For 60 percent to 70 percent of the plays in today's NFL game, Rutigliano said, defenses are facing offenses with a single running back and three or four wide receivers, or five receivers and no running back at all.

"The passing game is such a big part of it, even more so than it's ever been in the history of the league," said former Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson, who was able to rebuild Dallas into a champion quickly by trading running back Herschel Walker to Minnesota for five players and six draft picks in 1989.

"On top of that," Johnson said, "the career of running backs is the shortest of any position on the team, so drafting one high can be risky."

Where have you gone Ricky Williams

View full sizeAP fileMore than a decade later, Mike Ditka can laugh about being "that goofy coach in New Orleans who gave up the whole draft for Ricky Williams."

The redefinition -- devaluation actually -- of the NFL running back has been reflected in the draft. Running backs were the NFL's draft-day darlings in the league's post-merger era from the mid-1970s through the mid-'80s. Everyone had to have one. Some were even desperate, you might say.

"You mean," Ditka said, "that goofy coach in New Orleans who gave up the whole draft for Ricky Williams?"

Ditka's self-ribbing describes his failed swipe at trying to recapture the Payton magic in the Big Easy in 1999. As coach of the Saints, he traded eight draft picks -- the team's entire draft that year, plus first- and third-rounders in 2000 -- to Washington for the chance to pick Williams No. 5 overall.

That blunder went down in the lore of the NFL Draft.

From 1977-86, five of the 10 overall No. 1 picks were running backs. But there has been just one -- Ki-Jana Carter by Cincinnati in 1995 -- in the last 25 drafts. In that same period, only six running backs have been taken at No. 4, where the Browns could add a seventh in Richardson. The most recent was Oakland's Darren McFadden.

From 1970-90, five drafts saw eight running backs nabbed in the first 32 picks; one year there were nine. Since then, the most running backs chosen among the first 32 players drafted in any one year was five.

Last year, there was just one: Alabama's Mark Ingram at No. 28.

Support for Richardson

Which brings it all back to the Browns and Richardson. If Browns president Mike Holmgren goes with him at No. 4, it wouldn't be the first time he has taken a running back from Alabama in the first round.

In 2000, Holmgren, then coach of the Seattle Seahawks, made Alabama's Shaun Alexander the No. 19 overall pick. Over the next eight seasons, Alexander ran for more than 9,400 yards, was named the league MVP in 2005 and led the Seahawks to a 2006 Super Bowl appearance -- all without an elite quarterback.

Asked this week if the Browns should take an Alabama back at No. 4, Alexander, now retired from football, said with a laugh, "I think it works for coach Holmgren."

Former Indianapolis Colts executive Bill Polian, who built Super Bowl teams with the Colts, Buffalo and Carolina, said he "absolutely would" go with Richardson at No. 4. Polian, who spent first-round picks on running backs Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai at Indianapolis, is sold on Richardson's vision, ability to break tackles and versatility. "But I especially like his toughness," he said, "and his desire to play the game."

Polian believes the fans and media are missing the point -- oversimplifying, actually.

"The key, at least in my perspective, is a misperception among the public and among writers," he said. "The quality, the conventional running backs, the difference-makers, are worth their weight in gold. They just don't have long careers. They just don't sustain it over long periods of time."

But successful teams, such as the Giants, Patriots and Packers, have figured out that the way to keep them healthy and hopefully longer is to rotate two running backs, not just ride one workhorse.

"They're still very good buys," Polian said, "even in the first round."

With Richardson likely there for the taking at No. 4, the Browns will have to decide whether the price is right.

Like most teams, the Browns believe you need what amounts to three starting cornerbacks because most teams use three wide receivers on about 60 percent of the plays.

View full sizeAP photoMorris Claiborne of Louisiana State remains the most likely top pick for the Browns, according to Terry Pluto.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's the middle of April, so we have no choice but to be talkin' ...

About the Browns' draft ...

1. If I had to guess right now what the Browns will do at No. 4, it's Mo Claiborne. The Browns have liked the LSU cornerback for a long time. His interview went extremely well. They believe having a strong group of cornerbacks is critical to success. They don't say it, but it's clear Sheldon Brown's future is as a safety, as his age has taken away from his speed.

2. Like most teams, the Browns believe you need what amounts to three starting cornerbacks because most teams use three wide receivers on about 60 percent of the plays. They feel good about the idea of Joe Haden, Dimitri Patterson, Buster Skrine and Claiborne (or another top cornerback taken in the first two rounds) to bolster the secondary. They are very high on Patterson.

3. Think back to the 2010 draft when the Browns surprised many experts by taking Haden at No. 7. They value cornerbacks who can become playmakers, and that's why Claiborne is high on their list.

4. If not Claiborne, it probably will be Trent Richardson. The Browns refuse to buy into the idea that it's unwise to take a running back in the top part of the draft. It has to be the right guy. He has to fill a major need. He has to be more than just the best running back in this draft, but also better than anyone projected next season. The Browns need a big-time back. When they decided not to bid on Peyton Hillis (who signed a $3 million, one-year contract), it signaled their intention to find a back in the draft who could start.

5. Maybe the Browns will draft a back low, and hope that they can put together a backfield out of Montario Hardesty, Brandon Jackson and Chris Ogbonnaya. That's just hard to believe.

6. Yes, something must be done at wide receiver. The 2009 draft (after Alex Mack) continues to haunt as they took receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie in the second round. Robiskie is gone. If the Browns believe Massaquoi (who has dealt with inconsistencies and concussions) can make a major impact, they are fooling themselves. The other second-rounder in 2009 was linebacker David Veikune, also out of the league.

7. Then there's right tackle. The assumption is Minnesota will take Matt Kalil at No 3 to fill a huge hole at left tackle. If that's the case, the Browns will have their choice of Richardson, Claiborne and receiver Justin Blackmon at No. 4.

8. I know, Ryan Tannehill. Maybe I'm reading the draft wrong ... easy to do. But I'd be shocked if the Browns take Tannehill at No. 4, especially with so many other talented players available who can fill so many obvious needs.

A draft expert's view ...

View full sizeMichael Thomas, Associated PressBrandon Weeden is ranked higher than Ryan Tannehill on Ourlad's draft preview package.

I like to talk draft with Dan Shonka of Ourlads.com because he was a former Division I college assistant coach, and then worked in the player personnel department for the Chiefs, Redskins and Eagles before taking over the scouting service in 2004.

I asked him at Ryan Tannehill, and he almost moaned: "I can't believe how he's moving up some draft boards."

Shonka then talked about being in the Eagles draft room in 1999 when they were set to pick Donovan McNabb, and an assistant coach suddenly began to push for Akili Smith -- who was that draft's later high-riser. The scouts prevailed, and McNabb was selected. Smith went to the Bengals, where he flopped.

He's not saying Tannehill will have a dramatic rise and fall like Smith. "I had him as a second-rounder and I still have him as a second rounder," he said.

"I'm tired of hearing that he had a great workout. I've been to a million workouts -- and never saw a bad one. They are all scripted. He needs work on his decision making, and especially his anticipation when it comes to making throws to the spot before the receiver gets there."

Shonka believes Tannehill could become a starter, but it will take time.

"In our draft book coming out, we have [Brandon] Weeden rated higher," he said. "He's a pure pocket passer. I like his accuracy and arm strength. He is excellent when it comes to those anticipation throws. I know he's older [28], but he's more mature, more ready for the NFL than Tannehill."

What should the Browns do at No. 4?

"No hesitation," he said. "Take Richardson. He'll help you control the ball, keep your defense off the field and can handle the pounding playing in the AFC North. He's 227 pounds and he's the best running back that I've seen since Adrian Peterson. I love the way he catches the toss on a sweep and goes around end."

A sleeper for the Browns?

"You'll like this one -- Frank Minnifield's son [Chase Minnifield of Virginia]," said Shonka. "A lot of people discount him because of his size [5-10, 182], but I think he can play cornerback."

About Johnny Damon ...

View full sizeAP fileJohnny Damon needs to perform well for the Indians as much as the Tribe needs his veteran bat.

1. My understanding is Damon will sign a $1.25 million minor-league deal with the Tribe. He will report to Arizona, where he will first play in extended spring training games -- and then, at Class AAA Columbus or perhaps Class AA Akron. While Damon thinks he can be ready in a week, the Indians believe May 1 is more realistic.

2. There is no formal "out" or "no-trade" clause in the deal. But there is a verbal agreement on both sides that if Grady Sizemore returns and all the outfielders are healthy and there is no place for Damon to play, the Indians will not prevent him from going to another team that needs him as a regular.

3. But if Damon is producing, the Indians will find spots for him to play, be it left field, DH or even some first base. Sizemore has been on the disabled list in each of the last four years. He's coming off back surgery. Can he be expected to stay healthy? Can Travis Hafner not end up on the disabled list? He has been there five times in the last four years. Will Michael Brantley hit? Will Casey Kotchman hit .306 as he did in 2011, or .217 as he did in 2010?

4. These are not the Indians of the 1990s. If Damon hits close to the .261 with 16 homers, 73 RBI and 19 stolen bases as he did in 2011, he'll be one of the team's more productive hitters. As for trading Damon, the Indians have said they will consult with him before dealing him elsewhere.

5. The plan is to make it work in Cleveland. Damon needs a place to show he can still play. The Indians are desperate for offense. Damon would like to show he can still do a decent job in left -- despite only playing 39 games in the field in the last two years. The Indians know he can't throw, but they don't care if he can hit.

6. The challenge will be if a 38-year-old Damon can get into game shape with no spring training, join a team in the middle of a regular season -- and stay healthy while playing more in the outfield than he has in two years. Can he avoid muscle pulls, ankle sprains, etc. Damon has been amazingly durable, never playing fewer than 141 games in a season.

7. The Indians did approach Damon early in spring training, but his price was much higher. He made $5.25 million last season. The Indians are hoping a platoon of Damon and Shelley Duncan can provide run production from left field.

8. The Indians hope Damon will make the same impact as Derek Lowe has made with the starting pitching. The veteran has been sharp, 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his first two starts. He also has been talking up control and working quickly (only one walk in 13 2/3 innings). He has thrown 120 strikes compared to 67 balls. He was spotted seven runs in the first inning at Kansas City and showed how to pitch with a big lead -- not walking guys or just throwing fat strikes down the middle of the plate.

9. Lowe is 168-146 for his career. A good April is important, as Lowe was 0-5 with an 8.75 ERA last September and 4-10 with a 6.20 ERA after the All-Star break for the Braves. He added 20 pounds over the winter -- Lowe has trouble keep weight on his 6-6 frame and thought he wore down last summer. He's never been on the disabled list, rarely misses a start and desperately wants to show he can still pitch.

10. The 38-year-old Damon is the same age as Lowe. The Indians need a left fielder. His credentials are even more impressive than what Lowe brings. But the key to a veteran being a leader on a new team is he still must be able to produce. He doesn't have to be an all-star, but he must be productive.

About the Cavaliers ...

View full sizeThomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerDonald Sloan is giving reason to believe he can be a reasonable backup for Kyrie Irving next season.

1. While most of the talk is about Lester Hudson, the Cavs have also been quietly impressed by point guard Donald Sloan. In six starts, he's averaging 7.5 points and 6.5 assists. He's shooting only 40 percent, but the team is not looking for a scorer as a backup to Kyrie Irving. They like how Sloan doesn't throw the ball away, how he is a gritty defender and likes to drive and set up teammates for layups.

2. After trading Ramon Sessions and watching Daniel Gibson miss considerable time in the last three seasons with injuries, they need someone to play the point besides Irving. Sloan is signed to a non-guaranteed contract for next season. The Cavs would love to see him prove he can do the job so they can look for other positions in the draft.

3. Hudson's second 10-day contract expires Thursday. The Cavs must sign him for the rest of the year, and will probably offer some sort of deal for 2012-13. He's really a 6-1 shooting guard who would be best at coming off the bench as an instant scorer. His 3-point shooting and ball-handling are spotty, but he can drive with authority and has some very nice mid-range shots. He is very aggressive and can find ways to score -- and the Cavs do need that.

4. Sessions is having a major impact on the Lakers, averaging 13.5 points, 7.1 assists and shooting 51 percent from the field. He has an excellent chance to be re-signed to a healthy multi-year contract.

5. Most fans remember that J.J. Hickson was traded for Omri Casspi. The Cavs also received a lottery-protected first-rounder in the deal from Sacramento. Hickson did little with the Kings, and was bought out/cut at mid-season. He signed with Portland, and is averaging 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds, shooting 56 percent. He is a free agent at the end of the season.

6. Casspi received a chance to establish himself, but couldn't hold the starting small forward spot. He's averaging 6.9 points, shooting 41 percent, 31 percent on 3-pointers and 3.9 rebounds in 20 minutes a game. Alonzo Gee is way ahead of him as the Cavs plan for small forward next season.

7. Luke Harangody has become the Larry Bird of the D-League, averaging 19.4 points and 12.6 rebounds for the Canton Charge. Just as there is a huge gap between Class AAA and Major League Baseball, it's the same between the D-League and the NBA.

The Browns starred in the draft-day movie "Trading Down" twice in the past three years. Enough already, Bud Shaw says in his Sunday Spin.

View full sizeDave Martin, Associated PressTrent Richardson scores touchdowns -- even if it's not in the preferred way of the NFL. So why not pick him? Bud Shaw just doesn't get the logic.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NFL draft, like the human body, is a complex organism. So let's make it simple.

The touchdown is connected to the great playmaker.

Football anatomy class is over.

Teams that need playmakers as desperately as the Browns do can justify certain Top 5 picks without too much fear of reprisal or failure. Alabama running back Trent Richardson would be one. Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon would be another. It doesn't matter whether Richardson figures to have a shorter life span than a left tackle. It doesn't matter whether Blackmon isn't Larry Fitzgerald or A.J. Green.

What the Browns can't justify is trading down and certainly not out of the Top 10. Not for the third time in four years.

The team with the most picks -- the Browns have 13 -- may win the draft. But great players win games, which unfortunately for the Browns continue to be played in months other than April. Look at the Browns' roster, and 9-23 over the past two years feels about right.

The NFL draft isn't a Mega Millions lottery. The odds heavily favor the little people cashing in, but they have to be willing to help themselves. Bypassing the draft's top talent too often is one way to keep ending up in the top of the draft.

In the category of what can't be justified for the Browns, I'd say a right tackle. That's what Matt Kalil would be on this team. And any defensive player whose job isn't to rush the passer, at least while the league still allows rushing the passer (Sorry, Morris Claiborne).

The Browns' No. 4 pick is rumored to be in great demand from a few teams outside the Top 10. Philadelphia is one. The Eagles pick 15th. They have two choices in the second round from dealing quarterback Kevin Kolb to Arizona. By the time No. 15 comes along, though, the Browns will have passed on Richardson, Blackmon and possibly the second and third best receivers in the draft.

I get they have a lot of holes. Well, they also already have a lot of picks. And their most glaring hole? It's the game changer.

Mathematical odds suggest there will come a year when the Browns are too successful to be rewarded with a top-10 pick, when they will have to find stars late in the first round, as other perennial contenders do, and key contributors later in the draft. We haven't seen any evidence in the last 20 years, but it's theoretically possible that it could someday happen.

So why make the talent search harder than it has to be this year?

The No. 4 pick is just sitting there looking inviting. And the draft is saying to the Browns, "Help yourself."

SPINOFFS

Dwyane Wade avoided a no-win situation. A day after saying, in theory, NBA players should be paid for playing for their country, the Miami Heat great said, "I do not want to be paid to go to the Olympics."

The Olympics are a time commitment after a long season, or even a 66-game truncated season. It's not as if billions aren't being collected in marketing and TV rights. The U.S. Olympic Committee does pay medal hopefuls to train and rewards medal winners financially. But bottom line: It's a volunteer position.

The time for NBA players to complain is when they start getting drafted. ...

Unlike Wade, LeBron James smartly avoided the pay-for-play conversation.

"I love representing my country, man," James said. "I've done it since 2004 and I'm looking forward to doing it in London. As far as [pay], I don't know, man. It doesn't matter. I'm happy to be a part of the team, to be selected again."

You can pass this off as what happens when James doesn't have time to consult with his vaunted PR team, but give him credit for getting it right. ...

The Lingerie Football League is suspended for the 2012 season. It plans to reopen next year and launch in Canada where it will presumably be called the Hoodie Footie League...

In the meantime, a group of Lingerie All-Stars are expected to go on tour in Asia, Australia and the back of Bobby Petrino's motorcycle...

Turns out Petrino passed over one of his former Atlanta Falcons' players when he hired his mistress for player development coordinator job at Arkansas, according to an Arkansas TV report. Ben Wilkerson, who played for the Falcons when Petrino jilted players by jumping ship with three games remaining in the season, interviewed in Arkansas as a finalist but didn't get the job...

Wilkerson obviously didn't have the advantage of sleeping with Petrino, only with having been used by him once before...

Orlando's big man Dwight Howard tells ESPN's Hannah Storm that he didn't ask management to fire head coach Stan Van Gundy "this season." So long as it wasn't this season, whew, that should settle all the awkwardness...

Urban Meyer had a "Circle of Trust" at Florida, according to a Sporting News story that tells of preferential treatment for star players. One of those players, receiver Percy Harvin, allegedly started a physical confrontation with an assistant coach that went undisciplined...

In addition to inadvertently suggesting that Meyer watched "Meet the Fockers" one too many times, the Sporting News story portrays him as a coach who pays lip service to professed high standards of "discipline" and "accountability."

I don't expect Meyer will admit to or apologize for anything in the story, but he should at least send a "thank you" note to Ozzie Guillen and Petrino for their timing...

To replace suspended head coach Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints put suspended linebackers coach Joe Vitt in charge. If anything says they understand the severity of their bounty program misdeeds, it's not that...

View full sizeAP fileHe's not a No. 1 pick in the NBA, but he's doing fine running the Bulls.

Saints' owner Tom Benson has bought the New Orleans Hornets from the NBA and wants to petition the league to change the name of the team to better represent the city. No word on what other team names are on the list besides Bounty Hunters...

Johnny Damon had 19 stolen bases in 2011 at age 37. Not only is that more than any Indians player but it's 19 more than Grady Sizemore...

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

Johnny Damon and The Geico Caveman -- Rob, Columbus

CC Sabathia and John Lucas III -- Kraig Sternquist

HE SAID IT

"We want to be the guard rail at the top of the cliff, rather than the ambulance at the bottom," Yankees GM Brian Cashman on the club's extensive media training program.

View full sizeAP fileHe's the biggest arm in the Big Apple.

But just in case it doesn't work, say "hi" to Guillen down there.

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Sunday Edition)

"Bud:

"If you ever are suspended and the PD hires an interim writer for Shaw's Spin, can I be the interim writer for the interim writer?" -- Chuck Levin

Only if you work for bananas.

"Bud:

"What do we know about RGI and RGII?" -- Tom Hoffner, Broadview Heights

Only that they were two of the 12 or so QBs the Browns looked in their half-hearted, nonchalant attempt to replace Colt McCoy.

"Hey Bud:

"With his transgressions over the past few weeks, will Bobby Petrino land another gig? If so, do you think it will be on 'Dancing with the Stars' or 'Celebrity Apprentice?'" -- Bob H., Medina

My guess would've been the spinoff "Husband Swap."

"Bud:

"Do you give your 25-year-old mistress the $20,000 before you take her for a ride on your motorcycle or after?" -- Jim W

My personal experience in recent years is you can't pay any woman enough to be seen on a Rascal.

"Bud:

"What if my wife has an 'exit clause' hidden in our marriage contract? Suppose an old flame shows up without the beer, the belly, and has showered recently? Should I be worried?" -- Terry, Middleburg Heights

I doubt it. You sound like a catch. But I'd have to see a picture of him holding a well-placed coffee cup to tell you for sure.

"Bud:

"When the U.S. Olympic Soccer team let in the last-second long distance goal to lose their qualifying spot, were they wearing the brown jerseys or the white jerseys?" -- Glenn Fernandes, Orange Village

First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.

"Hey Bud:

"Is Manny Acta using the West Coast?" -- Russ

Repeat winners get stalled in their pursuit for a second T-shirt.

"Bud:

"Will Coco Crisp show Johnny Damon the sweet spots to bounce relay throws to short?" -- Paul S

Some repeat winners should know that strong-armed tactics don't work.

On Twitter: @budshaw

Loss eliminates Monsters from playoffs in season finale.

With their first opportunity to control their own destiny coming in their last game of the regular season, the Monsters faltered.

As a result, their season is over.

The effort was there Saturday night against the Rochester Americans. So were the competitive fire, determination and grit. The goals, though, were not.

Rochester, behind a terrific performance from goalie David Leggio, defeated the Monsters, 2-1, in front of 12,410 at The Q.

The Monsters (37-29-3-7) knew entering the game that they would be playing in front of a large crowd because of the annual "Fan Appreciation Night." The crowd got even bigger -- and the noise level even higher -- with the reality that a victory would clinch a playoff spot.

Based on Lake Erie's victory Friday over Hamilton and several other results among contenders, the Rochester game had become a win-and-in. A loss in regulation, or overtime or shootout, would have meant the Monsters needed a lot of help.

The Americans could not clinch with a victory, but they desperately needed one.

The Monsters did not get the help. After the loss, contenders Milwaukee and Charlotte leaped over Lake Erie with victories.By the end of Saturday night's play, four teams -- Rochester, San Antonio, Milwaukee and Charlotte -- had joined four teams already in as the eight required to lock out the Monsters in the Western Conference.

"It's too bad, because I thought we could have done some damage in the playoffs," Monsters coach David Quinn said.

"I'm so proud of the way we competed," Quinn said. "We gave a great effort. But at the end of the day, it's all about capitalizing on your opportunities, and we didn't do it."

Quinn lamented two missed open nets on back doors, and a couple of shots that drew iron.

"It would be one thing if we didn't create chances," Quinn said. "We created chances. We did everything but score."

The Americans took a 2-1 lead at 4:14 of the third. Luke Adam went high glove side on goalie Cedrick Desjardins with a wrister from the slot.

Adam began the season with the Buffalo Sabres and scored six points in his first four games. He was assigned to Rochester on Feb. 11.

Leggio made several spectacular saves in the final minutes.

"Down the stretch, we spent a lot of time in their end," Quinn said. "They did everything to defend, if you know what I mean."

Quinn would have liked to have heard a whistle at some point.

"When you're able to hold and hook and grab and claw . . ." Quinn said. "But give them Credit. They defended hard."

Saturday's game featured two of the AHL's best teams since late February. In their previous 21 games, the Monsters were 11-4-1-5; the Americans, 11-5-4-1.

Early in the first period, Desjardins made two excellent saves. His counterpart, Leggio, came up big several minutes later.

Leggio also got help from his cage, which rejected a shot by Cameron Gaunce that Monsters faithful thought was good. Referee Chris Ciamaga immediately signaled no good.

At 7:52, Rochester center Paul Szczechura beat Desjardins from in tight for his 21st.

With six seconds left in the first, Americans defenseman Ryan Grimshaw was whistled for delay of game. It proved costly at the beginning of the second period, when the Monsters' power-play unit took advantage of fresh ice. Patrick Rissmiller's wrister upstairs beat Leggio at 0:10.

Later in the second, Monsters winger Greg Mauldin's shot hit the post.

Westlake's Buffington wins St. Edward tennis Invitational.

Matt Florjancic

Special to The Plain Dealer

Thomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerWestlake's Colton Buffington won three matches Saturday to capture the St. Edward Boys Tennis Invitational.

In his own words, Colton Buffington had a rough start to the day, but he fought his way through the first of three matches en route to the first-singles championship at the 2012 St. Edward Boys Tennis Invitational at Paramount Tennis Club in Westlake on Saturday.

The Westlake senior battled St. Ignatius' Nate Griffin and won the opening match in a second-set tiebreaker before defeating Rob DeMarco of North Canton Hoover, 6-1, 6-0, in the semifinals and Steven Boslet of Hudson, 6-2, 6-0, in the championship match.

"It ended up good," Buffington said of the tournament. "I started off a little rocky, a little nervous with first-match jitters. I settled down, talked with my trainer, talked to my coach, and they were all here for the final. I was really settled and relaxed and was playing really well at the end of the day."

Buffington won the first set against Griffin, 6-2, but struggled in the second. He won the tiebreaker to close out the 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) win.

"He's got good results, and I know he's a good player," Buffington said of Griffin. "We played in an exhibition match before the season, and it was close. I knew he was going to be a lot better indoors. He hits a flatter ball, but I was just nervous, I guess."

During the final, Buffington held a 2-1 lead on Boslet in the first set and lost just one more game the rest of the way.

"I think I played really well," Buffington said. "I was stepping up. In the second match, I started stepping up a lot more -- I started hitting my first serve a little bigger. It was just a matter of taking charge and playing my game, just stepping up and doing what I know how to do. It worked."

According to Buffington, the key to his success Saturday came when he was able to get his first serve into play.

"When I'm hitting it big and it's going in, it affects me a lot," said Buffington, a Louisville recruit. "A lot of my game revolves around my serve. I play first-strike tennis. If I can hit a corner at 120 miles an hour and step up and crack a ball, I'm feeling confident and I'm feeling good. Everything revolves around that."

In addition to Buffington's first-place finish, Westlake got a lift in the doubles tournaments. The first doubles team of Stephen Fleischer and Kevin Wang placed third by defeating Cincinnati St. Xavier. The second doubles team of Kent Dinchman and Cal Craven finished second to Toledo St. John's Jesuit.

"I always expect our team to do well," said Jeff Mannies, Westlake's fourth-year coach. "The doubles performed well. We tied for second in this tournament last year, and I'm real pleased with the way the guys performed."

Overall, the Demons were the highest-placing team from Northeast Ohio as they finished second behind St. John's. Mannies is hoping his players learned "that there is always somebody better than you, and you've got to work really hard, both physically and mentally, to rise above that to be a champion."

"To win this tournament is not the objective," Mannies said. "This is a tournament that we play to get really good statewide competition to raise our game to a better level so we can win our conference, win the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association in our district to go to the state finals, and for our preparation for sectionals, districts and the state tournament."

Elyria wins Elyria Classic softball tournament.

Elyria softball coach Ken Fenik didn't say much after his team's 1-0 season-opening loss at Mentor. He still doesn't like talking about it, and the game was played almost a month ago, but he was upset, and his players knew it.

After all, junior pitcher Caitlyn Minney surrendered just three hits, walked two and struck out 14, but stranding 10 runners on the bases didn't help her cause.

"It was a reality check and forced us to practice harder, and just buckle down and focus," said Pioneers senior center fielder Alanna Williams, a Wright State recruit.

Bad news for the opposition, good news for Elyria because it hasn't lost since.

Three victories Saturday pushed the Pioneers' win streak to 10 games and earned them the title at their annual softball classic. Elyria totaled 26 hits and committed two errors while outscoring Fairview, Columbia and Sylvania Southview, 22-0.

Minney again sparkled on the hill, throwing a one-hit, nine-strikeout, one-walk gem in a 9-0 win over Columbia before then coming back with a two-hit, 12-strikeout effort in a 5-0 title-game win over Southview.

The lanky right-hander had a perfect game going until she mishandled a soft grounder in the fourth inning with one out. Rachel Loch's sixth-inning leadoff single ruined Minney's no-hit bid.

"It's hard to give up [the perfect game], but you just have to deal with it," said Minney.

The Pioneers (10-1) plated three runs in the fourth inning on no hits, three walks, a Southview error and three wild pitches to bust open a close game as Williams and junior left-handed catcher Haley Looney collected two hits apiece.

Junior third baseman Melanie Woodard and junior shortstop Marie Masters teamed up for four hits, three runs scored and two RBI against Columbia, and senior Alyssa Barker -- a Coppin State recruit -- did the job with her arm and bat in a 9-0 verdict over Fairview.

Barker pitched a two-hitter and struck out five Warriors and collected a single, two doubles and scored two runs. Woodard added a pair of doubles, and senior second baseman Darien Ward -- a Cleveland State recruit -- chipped in with two hits.

Fenik still thinks his team isn't where it should be.

"We were either bunting the ball too hard at times or popping it up, and that's just not our style," he said. "Getting two runners forced out at second on sacrifice attempts like we did, that also shouldn't be happening."

The win over Southview (5-3) was a rematch of last year's Division I regional final, which the Pioneers won, 6-4.

"We've got a few new pieces to the puzzle, so it was real good to see some of our younger players grow up today," said Southview coach Jim Zoltowski. "[Minney's] the fastest pitcher we've seen so far, and we had a little bit of a hard time adjusting."

There's a better solution than the current one-and-done rule as far as the NBA Draft goes.

David J. Phillip, Associated PressKentucky's Anthony Davis is at the top of the ladder among college players as he is expected to become the fifth freshman in the past six NBA drafts to be selected first overall.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, opposed to the one-and-done rule, wants players to wait three years after their high school class graduates to become eligible for the NBA Draft.

He might have an easier time convincing Lamar Odom to drive a delivery vehicle for Naked Pizza -- the New Orleans business Cuban bankrolls -- than persuading the National Basketball Players Association to add two more years to one of pro sports' most controversial age-requirement rules.

This is not a shot at Cuban, a bright businessman and one of the game's best owners. He is certainly on point in criticizing the one-and-done canon, developed in 2005 as a way to keep NBA scouts out of high school gyms and save general managers from themselves.

NBA Commissioner David Stern, lobbying to add one more year to the current system, would love to have the NFL model that requires players to wait three years, but he knows the players union won't go there. And why should it?

Last season's All-NBA Team of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard attended a combined two years of college. Stern and his owners might want more seasoned players coming into the league, but their general managers aren't following the script. When this year's draft-lottery winner selects Anthony Davis of Kentucky, he will become the fifth freshman in six years to go No. 1 overall.

You think one year is doing that much good? I've talked to college academic advisers at major schools who think the rule is a joke. Players who know they are going pro after one season sometimes mentally check out in the second semester. Yes, it creates big money for athletic programs such as Kentucky, but it also produces headaches for academic departments trying to keep kids eligible and in good standing lest their teams be docked scholarships.

The issue has more to do with maturity than age, and that's what makes it so problematic. Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving, who continued his studies at Duke through the lockout, is more mentally mature than some players with six years of NBA experience.

There's no easy answer to satisfy all parties, even as many agree one-and-done is failed policy.

Major League Baseball offers players the option of eligibility at 18 or committing to three years of college. Perhaps the NBA and its players association could find common ground on a similar rule -- eligibility at 18 or requiring a wait of two years after graduating from high school. Forgetting the additional year, NCAA coaches might also compromise and relax their early-entry withdrawal deadline, which was April 10 this year, enabling underclassmen to attend team workouts and get an honest evaluation from general managers on their NBA readiness.

Under this proposal, the few high schoolers who deem themselves prepared can make the jump, while many of the others could attend college unburdened by the fact that they won't have to make a decision on going pro for two years.

The league and its players association, fresh from its labor war, kept one-and-done intact until they could form a committee to search for alternatives. For the good of the players and the game, here's hoping an intelligent solution can be reached.

With the powers in the Eastern Conference mostly veteran teams, the young Cavaliers appear to be in good shape to eventually become one of the East's rising powers.

Al Diaz, The Miami Herald via MCTWith their yough and upcoming draft picks, the Cavaliers are positioned to be ascending in a couple years when the current Eastern Conference powers, including the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, are declining.

If the Cavaliers' season has taught us two things, they are: Kyrie Irving gives the franchise potential for a promising future, but it's one that won't be realized for a few years.

Even with the addition of two first-round draft picks next season, the Cavs probably are no better than an opening-round appetizer for Chicago or Miami, assuming the Heat is still intact.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Cavaliers might come of age at a perfect time in the Eastern Conference, whose top teams are either at the apex, or their powers are beginning to wane.

Put another way, the Cavs should have fewer major obstacles than a similar team in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City, Memphis, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers are all teams on the rise.

The Thunder is set for the foreseeable future, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook under contract through at least 2016. The Grizzlies, who promise to be a tough out this spring, can also keep their core together. Chris Paul gives the Clippers an elite point guard in his prime, and the Timberwolves possess the coveted point guard-big man tandem in Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.

Those are four organizations with legitimate futures, and we've made no mention of the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks. Compare that picture to the one in the East.

The Boston Celtics' days near the top are dwindling. Yes, you've heard that before. They are, after all, the Hyman Roths of the NBA, dying of the same heart attack for years. But there simply isn't much life left in Doc Rivers' club. The New York Knicks, who have no stomach for slow rebuilds, socked all their money into Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler and bought a lovely sixth-place team for years to come.

Philadelphia. Atlanta and Indiana are good teams that will fall short of becoming great because they can't draft high enough to get there. The Orlando Magic could well be without its best two assets, Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy, by this time next season.

The Bulls are the one Eastern Conference team that appears to have a sustainable run in them. Derrick Rose is just 24, and the Bulls might be a piece removed from a title.

As for the Heat, it could be as close to disassembly as a championship parade. They remain the favorites this season, but the window on multiple titles could be closing rapidly, as Dwyane Wade's body breaks down and LeBron James talks publicly of opting out of his contract in two seasons.

The new collective bargaining agreement has given them little wiggle room to add legitimate parts.When Pat Riley and James are having to woo Ronny Turiaf, you know depth is a concern. With the playoffs approaching, the team suddenly can't win on the road against quality opposition. The grand experiment on South Beach could be the last of its kind for a while.

None of this guarantees the Cavs as much as a single playoff victory in the next five years if General Manager Chris Grant misses on a high draft pick, or Irving becomes injury prone, or the Cavs evolve no further than the Atlanta Hawks.

But Cavaliers fans remember the frustration of Mark Price and Brad Daugherty not being able to get past the Detroit Pistons and then Michael Jordan's Bulls. Fortunes can change rapidly in this league. As James was leading Cleveland to the 2007 NBA Finals, he didn't know the Celtics were about to construct the Big Three. Tweaks to the system, however, will make it increasingly difficult to win with three max contracts on the same roster.

It will be interesting to monitor the progress of other Eastern rebuilds such as Washington, New Jersey, Toronto, Detroit and Charlotte. The Pistons are quietly constructing potential with Rodney Stuckey, Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight.

The Cavaliers of Irving, Tristan Thompson and Alonzo Gee remain a long way from title contention. But the road there seems much less congested than the one west of Chicago.

Hey Tom: Tom Reed answers your Cavalier questions.

Hey, Tom!

Got a Cavs question? Send it in. Submit your question at cleveland.com/heytom.

Tony Dejak, Associated PressWhile it might be tough to applaud the idea of trading Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers would have to listen if a team made a good offer.

Q: Hey, Tom: Do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers would be well served to shop Anderson Varejao this off-season?

It would be a difficult loss, but it's hard to imagine him being as effective once this young core, built around Kyrie Irving and newcomers, is truly ready to contend.

I'd imagine he'd be a very valuable trade chip and net a decent return.

If, for example, Portland offered one of their two 2012 lottery picks for Varejao, wouldn't GM Chris Grant have to take a deal like that? -- Leslie Marchak, Sagamore Hills, Ohio

A: Hey Leslie: It would take at least a first- rounder and perhaps a player for the Cavs to move Varejao. But, yes, you have to listen offers for Andy. Irving is the only untouchable on this team.

Q: Hey, Tom: Since there seems to be more bigs that are going to be available in this year's draft, do you think the Cavs would have better off drafting Brandon Knight instead of Tristan Thompson last year and playing either Knight or Kyrie Irving at shooting guard? -- John Mayor, Marienville, Pa.

A: Hey, John: No. I believe the Cavs got it right. You want to build your team with the best point guard and big man available. Irving was the best point guard and he's only going to get better as the club surrounds him with talent. Thompson is a good defender with a bit of an upside offensively. The Cavs will add more offense on the wing and at shooting guard in the next year or so.

-- Tom