Use of PEDs may mean Hall of Fame isn't the given once thought for Alex Rodriguez.

View full sizeNewsday Alex Rodriguez goes after home run No. 600 tonight -- which happens to be his 35th birthday -- at Progressive Field. Normally, 600 homers would make him shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. But his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs may cast a pall on that.

"PEDs can increase your strength, but if you don't know what pitches to swing at and which ones to lay off, you aren't going to hit home runs. Maybe he had some help with the PEDs, but he's still a talented baseball player. Give the man his due." - truetribefan

View full sizeAP Photo | Frank Franklin IIAlex Rodriguez comes to Cleveland this week seeking his 600th career home run.

In response to the story Steroids hangs over yet another baseball milestone: Paul Hoynes' Rant of the Week, cleveland.com reader truetribefan doesn't think A-Rod's admitted steroid use should tarnish No. 600. This reader writes,

"PEDs can increase your strength, but if you don't know what pitches to swing at and which ones to lay off, you aren't going to hit home runs. Maybe he had some help with the PEDs, but he's still a talented baseball player. Give the man his due."

"Let it go already. He gave you 7 years of greatness and put the Cavs on the map. After 7 years, he decided to go pursue a title elsewhere. He didn't demand to be traded. He left as a free agent. You do not own him. He does not owe you anything. Let it go." - The 3 Kings of Miami

View full sizeMatt Slocum | APLeBron James spent 7 years in Cleveland creating highlight moments like this one.

In response to the story Retire LeBron James' No. 23 with the Cleveland Cavaliers? No way: Bill Livingston, cleveland.com reader The 3 Kings of Miami thinks it's time for Cavaliers fans to get over it. This reader writes,

"Let it go already. He gave you 7 years of greatness and put the Cavs on the map. After 7 years, he decided to go pursue a title elsewhere. He didn't demand to be traded. He left as a free agent. You do not own him. He does not owe you anything. Let it go."

"Big Buckeyes fan here, but when I think Heisman, I don't think Pryor. Not yet at least. He'd really have to wow me with an unbelievable year this year. I still find myself holding my breath every time he drops back to throw. He's improved for sure, but I'm still not sold. When Troy Smith played, you just had this feeling a big play was coming every time he had the ball in his hands. I don't have that with Pryor yet." - Run2Daylight

View full sizeMarvin Fong | The Plain DealerFor Terrelle Pryor to win the Heisman in 2010, he'll have to show he can make plays consistently with his arm.

In response to the story A four-step plan to make Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor the Heisman front-runner, cleveland.com reader Run2Daylight just can't see Pryor winning the Heisman this season. This reader writes,

"Big Buckeyes fan here, but when I think Heisman, I don't think Pryor. Not yet at least. He'd really have to wow me with an unbelievable year this year. I still find myself holding my breath every time he drops back to throw. He's improved for sure, but I'm still not sold. When Troy Smith played, you just had this feeling a big play was coming every time he had the ball in his hands. I don't have that with Pryor yet."

Inc.com selects Maverick Carter as one of America's coolest young entrepreneurs (30 under age of 30). Carter is LeBron James' manager and buisness partner in their company of LRMR.  Jason Del Rey writes how Carter helped put together LeBron's deals with McDonalds and State Farm. And how Carter negotiated a contract extension for LeBron with Nike. But Carter, like...

PD file photographMaverick Carter, LeBron James' business manager.

Inc.com selects Maverick Carter as one of America's coolest young entrepreneurs (30 under age of 30).

Carter is LeBron James' manager and buisness partner in their company of LRMR.  Jason Del Rey writes how Carter helped put together LeBron's deals with McDonalds and State Farm. And how Carter negotiated a contract extension for LeBron with Nike.

But Carter, like James, also has this hanging over their heads, writes Del Rey:

James and Carter have been panned for arranging the one-hour special on ESPN in which James announced that he was spurning his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. Critics have also suggested that James's legacy and brand could suffer from overexposure as well as sharing the spotlight with Wade, who has already won a championship with Miami.

"The only thing that's taken into account is where he can win," Carter said of James's decision in May, before it was announced. "People love winners."

It's training camp week. Cleveland sports bloggers look at the next crop of Browns running backs, continue the debate on retiring LeBron James' jersey and explain the state of Ohio's loyalty to that college football team in Columbus.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz | The Plain DealerRemember former Browns running back Ben Gay? Sadly, so do we.

Browns

Cleveland Reboot: "Admit it – like most of Browns Nation, there was a moment where we all thought that we could be watching the next big thing in Cleveland. Remember the expansion hype regarding Madre Hill? Or the legend of Ben Gay? Or Chris Barclay's speed? William Green's run against Atlanta? James Jackson's supreme confidence? Lee Suggs' one-game career? And don't act like you weren't ready to anoint James Davis as the next great Browns' back last year after his 80-yard dash against Detroit." » Read more

Can Joe Thomas do this? '64 and Counting shares a video of Cleveland Gladiators' unstoppable offensive lineman Adam Tasich.

Cavaliers

WaitingForNextYear: "It's that point that Livingston makes about Game 5 that particularly makes the '08 talks between Bosh, Wade, and James so perplexing. Why did he quit in that moment - in that game? We'll never really know, I guess, but we also will never forget that he did quit. We'll also never forget the way in which he left, either, and unfortunately, it will never inspire a positive feeling in this town to look up and see his name and number hanging from the Quicken Loans Arena ceiling." » Read more

Stepien Rules: "Let me start off by saying that if [Chris Paul] went to Orlando to hook up with Dwight Howard, Orlando is your preseason favorite in the East - simple as that. I know they'd have to give up pieces to acquire Paul, but with Paul, Howard and the pieces remaining, they'd be scary good." » Read more

Ohio State

Land Loyalty: "Many outsiders don't understand the reasoning around the entire state of Ohio being Buckeyes fans. Depending on an Ohioans geographical location, they are limited to their own professional sports team. For Cleveland natives, the Buckeyes have always been a solid team to cheer for, no matter how their season ends. The Buckeyes can't trade our favorite player, can't lose a player to free agency and can't be ripped from the state of Ohio. There is something special about OSU fans coming together; the tradition of the Scarlet and Gray; the first kickoff of the season; the dotting of the 'I' in 'Script Ohio.' The players on the field and on the court have chosen The Ohio State University." » Read more

PD columnist says Cavs shouldn't try to win now; but instead should tear down and start building again.

PD file photoByron Scott will have his work cut out for him with the Cavaliers.

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports. Today's show is hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright. The show is up later than usual because of sound issues. (Sorry about that.)

Let's go to the highlights:

• Today's guest, Plain Dealer columnist Bud Shaw, talks about who the most hated team in Cleveland is, now that LeBron James has left for the "Miami Cheat," as Chuck calls them. Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

• They talk about whether Alex Rodriguez's 600th homer - when it comes - should be seen as legitimate, and whether he should go into the Hall of Fame someday.

• Also, Branson and Chuck ask him whether the media was tough enough on LeBron James during his years with the Cavaliers, and Bud says the Cavaliers shouldn't go chasing championships immediately, but should do a teardown and start building again.

Starting Blocks TV will return Tuesday morning.

Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald is writing a series on the Cleveland Browns leading into training camp. Schudel writes how coach Eric Mangini and offensive line coach George Warhop will use training camp to find a starting right guard and a starting right tackle. Mangini and Warhop will decide amongst a series of candidates ---- Floyd Womack and rookie Shawn Lauvao at guard...

Joshua Gunter/ The Plain DealerCoach Eric Mangini.

Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald is writing a series on the Cleveland Browns leading into training camp.

Schudel writes how coach Eric Mangini and offensive line coach George Warhop will use training camp to find a starting right guard and a starting right tackle. Mangini and Warhop will decide amongst a series of candidates ---- Floyd Womack and rookie Shawn Lauvao at guard and Tony Pashos and John St. Clair at tackle. Pashos could play guard and Womack could play tackle.

Somewhere between the start of training camp on Saturday and the start of the regular season on Sept. 12, Mangini and Warhop hope to hit on the best combination.

"We will continue to rotate those guys through and see how it plays out," Mangini said at the conclusion of minicamp last month. "Shawn got some reps both in OTAs and this camp with the ones, twos and threes, so he will be in that mix. He's done a good job. He's gotten a little bit better each time we've gone out there. He's a smart kid. He's stout. That's what he was in college, and that's what it looks like here early. George Warhop did a nice job with his planning of how we are going to build flexibility."

Mangini will also have to find a backup center in training camp. Last year, Hank Fraley filled that role. So did Rex Hadnot. Those two players are no longer here.

Billy Yates, now in his seventh NFL season and second with the Browns, could win the job as Mack's backup. Yates has played in 25 NFL games with 11 starts. He is primarily a guard but can play center.

Alex Rodriguez goes after homer No. 600 against the Tribe tonight.

View full sizeAP FileAlex Rodriguez turns 35 today, and likely is hoping to find a nice present at Progressive Field tonight: career homer No. 600.

Nothing in baseball is a given, except that there are six outs to an inning, the team that scores the most runs wins and any Indians pitcher who wins a Cy Young Award will a different uniform within two years.

That being said, Tribe fans can pretty much bet on another sure thing: New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez will hit his 600th home run some time during the four-game series that begins tonight at Progressive Field. He's been stuck on 599 since last Thursday, and tonight is his 35th birthday. It's not like Jake Westbrook is planning to serve up a tater ball; it's just likely.

What's also likely is that what coverage there is will be minimal beyond a few highlights on ESPN, a story or two in The Plain Dealer and the New York papers. Kind of hard to believe for a guy who only has six guys ahead of him in the all-time list.

But it's true. Some say it's playing in the shadow of Derek Jeter and against the ghosts of Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Some insist it's his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs when he was with the Texas Rangers. Some say it's because he's arrogant (Listen, this is Cleveland. Cleveland rallied around LeBron James. Cleveland cheered for LeBron James. Cleveland watched LeBron James break Cleveland's heart. You, A-Rod, are no LeBron James).

Award-winning New York-based writer Allen Barra is sick of it. Writing for salon.com, Barra says it's time for New York and the rest of the country to admit that Alex Rodriguez, who has won three Most Valuable Player awards since coming to the Yankees in 2004, is one of the best in baseball history.

New York can be a strange town sometimes. LeBron James is reviled by New York fans for not wanting to play here, while A-Rod is reviled by many because he wanted to.

It's time for Yankee fans to start thinking the A-Rod thing through. The Yankees currently have the best record in baseball, and even with two of their five starters injured and out of the rotation, they are still the betting favorites to win the American League pennant and crush whatever hapless National League team gets in their way in the World Series. If Rodriguez ends up winning at least two World Series – the same number, by the way, as Reggie got in New York – and climbs toward the all-time home run mark, Yankees fans will have to decide whether or not he's really a Yankee.

Think of it this way, folks: Do you really want Rodriguez to wear a Seattle Mariners or Texas Rangers cap when he's inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Yeah, but Bronx Bomber fans can take solace in one fact: LeBron James probably will wear a Yankees cap when he's inducted to basketball's hall of fame.

Location, location, location
Joe Smith, writing for the St. Petersburg Times, had this to say about the Rays' 4-2 win over the Tribe Sunday at Progressive Field:

Reid Brignac acknowledged it felt good to come through with the go-ahead homer in the second inning of Sunday's 4-2 win over the Indians.

But Brignac said the bigger thrill was making arguably the game's biggest defensive play in the seventh, when, with two outs and runners on second and third, he saved the lead by diving to his left to snag a hard-hit grounder and rob Carlos Santana of a potential two-run single.

The play was symbolic of the Rays' sparkling defense all day, and fitting in that the Rays wrapped up their first series victory in Cleveland since 2005 with rare good fortune at Progressive Field.

"Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time," Brignac said.

Rats. The kid finally gets an A in geography and it has to be in Cleveland.

In his Indians Insider column, Hoynesie also offers a little more hope: Seems the Tribe's top pick, Mississippi lefty Drew Pomeranz, is ready to sign on the dotted line and begin his pro career. Dunno who's happier, the Indians or the Yankees, where it seems all good Tribe pitchers wind up.

Chris Paul met with the New Orleans Hornets today, and it sounds like the meeting went well for the Hornets. Apparently, Paul didn't demand a trade (for now), and it seems that the Hornets convinced Paul that New Orleans is the place to be. The Hornets released this statement from Paul:  “The meeting went well.  It was great to...

Bill Kostroun / Associated PressChris Paul

Chris Paul met with the New Orleans Hornets today, and it sounds like the meeting went well for the Hornets. Apparently, Paul didn't demand a trade (for now), and it seems that the Hornets convinced Paul that New Orleans is the place to be.

The Hornets released this statement from Paul:

 “The meeting went well.  It was great to get an opportunity to sit down with Coach Williams, President Weber and our new General Manager Dell Demps. I expressed my desire to win and I like what they said about the direction that they want to take the team.  I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come.” 

Paul has two years left before he can opt out of his current contract with the Hornets, but there were reports that Paul wanted out of New Orleans because he wanted to play for a contending team (like his pal LeBron James). The Orlando Magic, according to ESPN.com, was his No. 1 choice.

"I don't agree that Hardesty was brought in to be the featured back. I believe he was brought in to give the Browns a change-of-pace backfield. Harrison's performance at the end of the season was not a fluke. With Harrison and Hardesty sharing the load, they will be much more effective over a long season." - vram19

View full sizeTracy Boulian | The Plain DealerDoes Jerome Harrison's performance at the end of last season make him the starter in 2010?

In response to the story Fast start a key to Cleveland Browns having successful season: Hey, Tony!, cleveland.com reader vram19 thinks the starting running back job belongs to Jerome Harrison. This reader writes,

"I don't agree that Hardesty was brought in to be the featured back. I believe he was brought in to give the Browns a change-of-pace backfield. Harrison's performance at the end of the season was not a fluke. With Harrison and Hardesty sharing the load, they will be much more effective over a long season."

Training camp has just begun and already the Browns are fighting for respect.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter,
The Plain DealerA grinning Jake Delhomme doesn't LOOK like he has the weight of the world -- or at least the fate of the Browns fan nation -- in his hands.

James Walker of espn.com is one of those detractors. He ranks the Browns at No. 28 in the 32-team league, writing:

Talent usually prevails in the NFL, and I just don't see a lot of it in Cleveland. I watched this team closely in minicamp, waiting to see some sort of breakthrough. Maybe Jake Delhomme, 35, would discover the fountain of youth and look like a dominant quarterback again. Perhaps a couple receivers would really step up, or a young secondary would be lockdown. I just didn't see any of it in offseason practices, which raises a lot of questions about Cleveland entering training camp.

Clearly Walker didn't visit Cleveland for any offseason practices before this year or he'd know. Nobody is predicting the Browns will go to and win the Super Bowl. Well, except for one crazy Madden NFL blogger, and that guy is from England, where he not only employs the word "splendor," he spells it "splendour," and uses phrases like "return the franchise to its rightful place in the pantheon of football -- at the top."

Dude, we told you not to eat the green crumpets.

Anyway, most prognosticators are picking the Browns to be competitive and maybe even finish with an 8-8 record. So cheerio, pip-pip and put that in your Meerschaum, Mr. Walker.

Today, Haggerty is catching passes in Berea, trying to hook up as an undrafted free agent with the Browns. In June, The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot talked about the job Haggerty was doing in the OTAs.

Nicholas Galizio had his own bit for bleacherreport.com:

Undrafted out of small Division II Southwest Oklahoma State, Browns wide receiver Johnathan Haggerty received praise and caught the attention of coaches with a solid performance last month during OTAs.

Although his strong play during practices was in shorts, the fact that he ran crisp routes, caught the ball extremely well, and a had a good rapport with Jake Delhomme is at the very least a cause for optimism.

Coming into a situation in Cleveland where there is a very open competition for a roster spot at wide receiver, Haggerty is looking to do the unthinkable--catch on in the NFL as an undrafted free agent from a very small school.

Hmm. An undrafted free agent receiver from a small school catching on with the Browns? How in the name of Josh Cribbs would anybody think that might happen?

The former star running back, after more than three years in prison, started summer classes on Monday.

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, who helped lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship before spending more than three years in prison for aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, is taking classes again Ohio State.

Clarett, 26, enrolled for the start of a summer session that began on Monday, with his major listed as Consumer and Family Financial Services. In a statement released through the university, Clarett said, "This is a surreal feeling to be back at Ohio State in such a supportive environment. I have looked forward to being back in school and I'm doing my best to fit in with other students. I don't want to be distraction or nuisance to the football team or to students on campus."

His return continues a complex relationship between the former player and the school. The former running back was ruled ineligible for the 2003 football season for receiving extra benefits, then later made allegations of financial and academic misconduct in the athletic department that led to an NCAA investigation.

He was drafted in the third round of 2005 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, and after he was cut by the team, he talked with OSU coach Jim Tressel several times while trying to get his life in order. But on Jan. 1, 2006, as the Buckeyes were in Arizona preparing for the Fiesta Bowl, Clarett was charged with aggravated robbery. Before he faced those charges, he was arrested on Aug. 9, 2006, after a police chase, for having a gun hidden in his SUV.

Terry Gilliam, Associated PressMaurice Clarett in April as he was released from prison into a halfway house.

After a guilty plea that September, he was sentenced to seven-and-half years in prison, but was moved from the Toledo Correctional Institution to a halfway house in Columbus in April.

And now he is back at Ohio State, though, obviously, not as a football player. Just a student.

"Maurice Clarett has been granted re-entry into The Ohio State University, following a review by the College of Education and Human Ecology, where he was originally enrolled," OSU spokesman Jim Lynch said. 

And the story continues.

Ramon Sessions, a close friend of Cavs guard Mo Williams, averaged 8.2 points and 3.1 assists in 82 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.

UPDATED: 9:15 p.m.

View full sizeMorry Gash / Associated PressThe Cavaliers are close to a trade that would bring Minnesota guard Ramon Sessions (7, while with Milwaukee) to Cleveland, adding another player with up-tempo skills to new head coach Byron Scott's offense.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- New Cavaliers coach Byron Scott intends to play with a style that demands multiple quick and creative guards next season.

With that as a mandate, the team has been on the lookout to add support in that role for Mo Williams. Monday they were able to land that type of player.

The Cavs reached a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to trade for guard Ramon Sessions. The Cavs will send Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair to Minnesota in exchange for Sessions, center Ryan Hollins and a 2013 second-round draft pick.

The team had been looking for a player like Sessions, even signing restricted free agent guard Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet two weeks ago, and had been actively shopping West. With his contract set to become fully guaranteed by Aug. 5, it was the team's hope to trade West by this week.

Sessions, who is a close friend of Williams from when they played together with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaged 8.2 points and 3.1 assists in 82 games for the Wolves last season. It was a setback after he'd had a breakout year in 2008-09 with the Bucks, averaging 12.4 points and 5.7 assists in his second season. That landed him a four-year, $16 million deal with the Wolves last summer.

However, with rookie Jonny Flynn getting most of the playing time, Sessions' minutes dropped to a career-low 21.1 last season. Earlier this month, the Wolves signed free-agent guard Luke Ridnour, which made Sessions available in the trade market.

At 6-3, Sessions can play both guard spots. He is not a good jump shooter, but is effective in running the floor and creating his own shot, much like Williams. Scott had been pushing the team to look for multi-talented guards who can play alongside Williams in an up-tempo offense. There is a chance Sessions and Williams will play a lot together in a two-guard front that Scott prefers.

Hollins is a 7-footer who has mostly been a reserve during his four-year career. He averaged a career-high 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds for the Wolves last season. Hollins has two years and about $4.7 million left on a contract he signed last summer. The third year of the contract, for 2012-13, is a player option.

West had an up-and-down 21/2 seasons with the Cavs. He was perhaps the team's toughest defender and highly valuable in the playoffs in 2007 and '08. He had a career year in the 2008-09 season, averaging 11.7 points and 3.5 assists. Last season was marred with personal problems that caused his playing time and effectiveness to fall off.

Last week, West pleaded guilty to two gun charges in Maryland and was sentenced to eight months of house arrest and community service stemming from an arrest last September. He began his home confinement sentence on Monday, his 27th birthday. West is expected to be suspended by the NBA.

West was available because his contract for $4.6 million is only guaranteed for $500,000 if waived by Aug. 5. If the Cavs complete a trade for West, his new team would likely waive him for the savings.

Telfair was part of the three-team trade that landed Antawn Jamison last February. He missed the first month he was with the team with groin injury and then got some playing time over the last two weeks of the season. He averaged 9.8 points and 3.0 assists in four games last April.

The Cavs may make another roster move this week. They have been in advancing talks with free-agent small forward Joey Graham. A defensive specialist who will likely be a backup, Graham averaged 4.2 points in 63 games with the Denver Nuggets last season.

The team is also believed to be interested in re-signing forward Jawad Williams, who has a $1.03 million one-year qualifying offer on the table.

Jake Westbrook took a two-hitter and a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning. In a heartbeat the lead was gone and the Yankees were on the way to a victory.

UPDATED: 11:24 p.m.

Thomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerShin-Soo Choo's quick and accurate throw from right field cut down New York's Curtis Granderson on an attempted double in the fifth inning Monday night at Progressive Field. Granderson got even, however, belting a two-run homer to give the Yankees the lead for good.

• Tampa Bay's Matt Garza no-hits Tigers | Indians Insider
• Sabathia left, but doesn't carry James' stigma: Livingston

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians did a nice job keeping Alex Rodriguez in the ballpark Monday night. Too bad the same cannot be said for Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher.

Granderson hit a two-run homer off Jake Westbrook in the eighth inning as the Yankees came from behind to beat the Indians, 3-2, at Progressive Field.

Rodriguez came into the game needing one homer to become the seventh man in history to hit 600. He went 0-for-4. The hardest ball he hit was caught/trapped by left fielder Trevor Crowe and turned into an inning-ending double play in the fourth.

"I could care less if he hits three home runs on Tuesday," said manager Manny Acta. "All we're trying to do is win the ballgame.

"We're not going to base our whole game plan on trying to stop him hitting 600 home runs. He's going to hit it sooner or later. Our approach is to try and get him and we're not making that approach public."

Before every series, Indians pitchers and hitters meet to discuss the opposition. Their approach against Rodriguez and the rest of the Yankees was the same -- challenge them. Don't put any extra runners on base.

Westbrook (6-7, 4.65) challenged them to the point where he took a 2-1 lead into the eighth on a two-hitter. The lead was built on Travis Hafner's homer in the first and Shin-Soo Choo's two-out double in the sixth off Javier Vazquez (9-7, 4.54).

Jorge Posada, hitting from the left side, started the eighth with a single. Granderson followed with a long arching homer into the right-field seats on a 1-0 pitch.

"That was the ballgame," said Westbrook.

There have been rumors that the Yankees might be interested in Westbrook, a free agent at the end of the season. The deadline for making trades without waivers is Saturday.

Asked if he was thinking about that Monday night, Westbrook said, "What I was thinking about was taking that feeling I had after I gave up those four runs in one inning in Minnesota in my last start and having it for the whole game tonight."

That feeling, said Westbrook, was one of irritation.

"I was able to do that," he said. "I took that irritated feeling onto the mound and harnessed it. I made a couple of mistakes and they made me pay for it. But all in all, I felt like I was able to throw the ball better than I have all year."

Acta said never thought about going to bullpen to start the eighth. Even if he had emergency closer Chris Perez for the eighth and a healthy Kerry Wood for the ninth, Acta said it was Westbrook's inning.

Of course, what the Yankees did to the Indians' bullpen earlier in the season may have played a part in that decision. The only detail you need to remember is that Tony Sipp has a 162.00 ERA against New York this year. He allowed six runs on five hits in one-third of an inning.

"I wouldn't even think about taking a guy who has a two-hitter going in the eighth," said Acta. "It's a very easy to second guess yourself right now, but I don't second guess myself.

"I'm not flipping coins in the dugout. We had a plan and the guy was pitching terrific. Unfortunately, the other guy got him."

Westbrook said Granderson hit a fastball.

"I haven't seen the pitch," said Westbrook. "I was trying to keep the ball down. I was looking for the double play. He's a good low-ball hitter and I may have played right into his plan."

Hafner's ninth homer gave him five straight hits going back to his 4-for-4 performance on Sunday. He went 0-for-3 the rest of the night.

Nick Swisher made it 1-1 with a homer off Westbrook in the fourth.

Rodriguez's first at-bat came in the second. Westbrook struck him out on a breaking ball. After lining out to left in the fourth, Rodriguez grounded out to short in the seventh and popped to first in the ninth.

"With the Yankees, you have to worry about the home run anyway," said Westbrook of Rodriguez. "He's just one more guy who can hit home runs. The two home runs I gave up killed us tonight.

"He's just another guy you have to worry about, who happens to have more home runs than anybody else on the team."

Tuesday is Rodriguez's 35th birthday. Talk about timing.

If Alex Rodriguez hits No. 600 in Cleveland, he'll do it with a specially marked baseball. Keeping track of those balls is the job of Jack Efta, who runs the umpires locker room at Progressive Field.

Dennis Manoloff / The Plain DealerSpecially marked baseballs awaited Alex Rodriguez's at-bats as the Yankees slugger bids for his 600th career homer this week at Progressive Field.

INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: What’s the Indians’ game plan against Alex Rodriguez, who entered Monday’s game one homer shy of 600?
Challenge him.
“What, am I going to walk A-Rod to get to Robinson Cano?” said closer Chris Perez. “That’s what we talked about in our meeting. Keep the extra guys off base. They’re going to get their hits and do some damage, but we have to keep the extra guys off base.”
Rodriguez has 10 homers in 56 career games at Progressive Field. He hasn’t homered in Cleveland since Aug. 11, 2007.

Changing roles: Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, who caught for the Indians from 1994-96, says his son, Tony Jr., a former starting shortstop for the Royals, is trying to make it as a pitcher with San Francisco.
“He’s in Triple-A [Fresno],” said Pena. “He’s a reliever. He can hit 95 mph, but he’s usually pitches at 92 to 93.”
Pena’s other son, Francisco, is a catcher for the Mets’ Class A St. Lucie club. He’s out with a broken foot.

Stat of the day: Indians relievers entered Monday having allowed only 22 percent (39-for-175) of their inherited runners to score. It was the best percentage in the AL and second to San Diego in the big leagues.
— Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You've heard of bean counters. Well, Jack Efta has become a counter of baseballs for the Yankees-Indians series at Progressive Field.

These aren't just ordinary balls. They will only be put in play when Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez bats. Rodriguez entered the series Monday night with 599 homers. His next one will make him one of only seven players in history to reach 600.

The ball he hits No. 600 with will be valuable. To authenticate it, each ball has been numbered and initialed with an R.

Efta normally runs the umpires locker room at Progressive Field, just as his father did at Municipal Stadium. But for this series he has additional duties.

MLB officials presented him with three dozen baseballs before Monday's game. He gave a certain number to plate umpire Mark Wegner before each of Rodriguez's at-bats. Wegner made sure each new ball that was pitched to Rodriguez was in numerical sequence, so Efta could keep track of the ball's number and where it went out of play.

Seatgeek.com, which forecasts the prices of sports tickets on the secondary market, did a study of Progressive Field and ranked the most probable sections of seats where Rodriguez might hit No. 600. No surprise, they were all in the left-field bleachers.

Here's the breakdown:

• 1. Section 182, left-field bleachers (15.9 percent chance);

• 2. Section 181, left-field bleachers (12.5 percent chance);

• 3. Section 183, left-field bleachers (10.2 percent chance);

• 4. Section 184, left-field bleachers (8.0 percent chance);

• 5. Section 180, left-field bleachers (7.7 percent chance).

What will the ball that turns into homer No. 600 be worth? Estimates suggest about $100,000, the same as Rodriguez's 500th homer.

WHIP is good: In choosing Josh Tomlin to face the Yankees on Tuesday night for his big league debut, the Indians went to the WHIP to make their decision.

WHIP is a stat that calculates the average number of runners a pitcher put on base per inning. It's reached by adding a pitcher's walks and hits and dividing them by the number of innings he's pitched.

Tomlin's WHIP is 1.08, meaning he's allowing just over one runner per inning. That's good.

When asked what prompted the choice, manager Manny Acta said, "WHIP stands for traffic. Traffic stands for disaster. He's done a good job controlling the number of runners he's put on base.

"Those are the stats we've stressed this year."

Tomlin, 8-4 with a 2.68 ERA at Class AAA Columbus, has walked 33 and allowed 83 hits in 107 1/3 innings.

In June, Tomlin was involved in a bar fight in Akron. He and two other Indians minor leaguers, Beau Mills and Jerad Head, were arrested. Acta said that had no bearing on the decision to promote Tomlin.

"I have a lot of reports on this kid's makeup," said Acta. "I have no worries whatsoever."

What happened? Following Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rays, Acta said Michael Brantley should have gone from first to third in the seventh inning on Asdrubal Cabrera's one-out single to right field.

Said Brantley before Monday's game, "I didn't get a real good read on the ball. We were down in the game and I didn't want to run into an out. When I got to second I shut it down."

Universal game: While MLB awaits Rodriguez's 600th homer, South Korean baseball fans are awaiting the first meeting between Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo and Yankees reliever Chan Ho Park.

Park is one victory shy of tying Hideo Nomo for the most big-league victories by an Asian pitcher with 123.

Spiked: Besides having a sore right knee, outfielder Austin Kearns was spiked in the leg on a play at second base Saturday night against the Rays.

"He needed some stitches," said Acta.

Kearns has played one game since July 20, when he left in the fourth inning against the Twins because of soreness in his knee.

Finally: Monday night's matchup between Jake Westbrook and Javier Vazquez was a rematch of their Aug. 31, 2004 meeting at Yankee Stadium. The Indians won the game, 22-0.

C.C. Sabathia, once the great hope for the Indians' future, pitches for the Yankees Tuesday night in Progressive Field. Mixed though his reception will be, his return will be a homecoming parade compared to when LeBron James comes back.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerCC Sabathia is sympathetic to LeBron James' decision to go to Miami, but Bill Livingston says there's a significant difference in how Sabathia and James left Cleveland.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- CC Sabathia sat in the visitors' clubhouse at Progressive Field Monday afternoon, his baseball cap hanging above him in his locker. He wears the black hat, or at least the navy blue one now, of the New York Yankees.

That other guy who passed through town -- the one who played for the Cavaliers and wore a Yankees cap when the Indians were playing New York in the playoffs here three years ago -- left too.

It will be harder for LeBron James to come back than it is for Sabathia.

"It definitely helped that I was traded [to Milwaukee in 2008 for the stretch run in the National League]," said Sabathia, who signed a $161 million contract as a free agent with the Yankees after pitching the Brewers into the playoffs.

Whatever the Brewers wanted in '08, he provided -- quality starts, microscopic ERA, 11 wins in 17 starts with four no-decisions, pitching on short rest -- coming up big when they absolutely had to have it. Then he won a World Series in New York and rode through the streets of Manhattan in a victory parade unlike any other in this country. This season, he is 13-3 and contending to win the Cy Young Award for the second time.

The fifth-game loss to Boston by Sabathia, the Cy Young winner in 2007, in that year's league championship series, in a game played in Cleveland, when the Indians had a 3-1 series lead, began a sudden, shocking collapse from which the franchise has yet to recover.

He is not on the hook for the worst Cleveland performance against a Boston team, however. James retired that trophy when he quit on the floor in the fifth game of the playoffs last spring.

So we have come to this: Simple professionalism, no matter how ineffectual it is in defeat, is something to be savored in Cleveland.

Sabathia's failure might have eaten away at him if he had not gotten another chance soon. "I thought about Game 5 from time to time, until I was in the playoffs the next time, for Milwaukee against the Phillies," he said.

The trade of Sabathia for prospects began the dismantling of the Indians. That team of the magical autumn of 2007 is gone, its players as ghostly a presence as fans were in the vacant upper deck of right field Monday.

"I only know three of the guys over there now -- Jake [Westbrook], [Travis] Hafner and [Shin-Soo] Choo. Grady [Sizemore] is not here because he's hurt," Sabathia said. "It's almost like just another game, pitching here now."

It will not be just another game when James returns.

The Indians players all were traded or left as free agents for more money. James left money on the table and concealed his intentions for so long that, when he did leave, it was like slamming a door on the Cavs' future.

"In that Yankees-Indians series, everybody thought we were going to stay here," said Sabathia. "LeBron wanted to win. He figured playing with D-Wade [Dwyane Wade] and [Chris] Bosh in Miami gave him the best chance. LeBron and Wade made up their minds a long time ago that they wanted to play together."

The culture today is all about instant gratification. James jumped straight from high school to the NBA. He set various age records as the fastest to attain various statistical milestones and the youngest to win various honors.

Baseball, by contrast, is a sport of fine tolerances in victory or defeat. Sabathia spent three years learning his craft in the minors before pitching in Cleveland. In baseball, you learn patience. Even the Yankees, with their huge payroll, had not won a World Series since 2000 until last year.

Fans complain baseball players always give in to avarice in the only major sport without a salary cap. James, by deciding it was too hard to try to win in a lead role here, however, gave in to a contemptible failure in initiative. He was scared to fail, pure and simple.

"He's the fastest, strongest player in the game, but people will put that out there to try to spoil his legacy," Sabathia said, meaning James' jump to a loaded Miami team.

James was already tarnished when he left. But in Miami, unfortunately, the victory could go to the spoiled.

The recruitment of offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, who is now at Miami, created four secondary violations for Ohio State.

APThe pursuit of Seantrel Henderson, an offensive lineman who eventually chose Southern California -- and then Miami -- over Ohio State has resulted in the Buckeyes admitting some recruiting violations.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The recruitment of offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson created a lot of paperwork for the Ohio State compliance office. The Buckeyes' chase of the highly-rated recruit led to the school reporting four secondary NCAA violations, most of which had nothing to do with the OSU coaching staff.

Henderson signed with USC before getting out of that commitment and landing at Miami.

"When you have a kid that high-profile, the chances of those types of things popping up are much greater," said Chris Rogers, Ohio State's assistant athletic director for compliance. "It's not like it's something that's limited to Ohio State. It happens all the time."

Here are the four Henderson violations reported by Ohio State, according to a public records request from The Plain Dealer:

• Former Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, now with New Orleans Saints, encouraged Henderson to attend Ohio State when asked a question during Super Bowl media day. A video of the request appeared on a Web site. Former players can't recruit for their old school.

• Current quarterback Terrelle Pryor sent a text message to Henderson telling him to attend Ohio State, as reported in a New York Times story. A Notre Dame player was reported to have done the same thing and Notre Dame filed a similar violation report. Current players can't recruit for a school that way.

• In an online video, Henderson is seen talking to former OSU receiver Cris Carter during his official visit to Columbus. Again, former players can't recruit. Another school turned in Ohio State for this incident after viewing the video.

• Henderson and several other recruits walked through the tunnel of fans that line the path from Ohio State's pep rally at St. John Arena to Ohio Stadium. The recruits didn't walk with the team, but around the same time, and that was determined to be a secondary violation.

Ohio State wasn't the only school caught in the Henderson glare. Minnesota self-reported a violation for some of the props used in its recruiting pitch during a Henderson visit.

Overall, the OSU athletic department reported 13 secondary violations between Jan. 1 and July 1 of this year, including three of the Henderson incidents. Rogers said a rule of thumb is for a department to average one secondary violation per sport per year. Ohio State has 36 sports.

Two other violations involved the football team:

• Quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano made impermissible contact with a recruit when he bumped into him and spoke for a few minutes on a trip to a Connecticut high school.

• Jim Tressel and Siciliano spoke at a fundraiser in Youngstown for a group that could be considered a high school booster club. Coaches from many other colleges spoke at the event, and Ohio State determined that was a secondary violation.

One violation occurred with the basketball team when an OSU player, while signing autographs, was asked during a basketball camp last year for his shoes by a camper. The player granted the request, which was discovered when the camper's mother offered thanks to the player in a camp survey.

By the rules, that camper was a future prospect, so giving him the shoes was a violation.

Ohio State doesn't face any further consequences for any of the secondary violations.

The local qualifying tournament for the 2010 U.S. Amateur golf tournament Monday had a distinctive Mid-American Conference flavor with a heavy dose of Kent State.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The local qualifying tournament for the 2010 U.S. Amateur golf tournament Monday had a distinctive Mid-American Conference flavor with a heavy dose of Kent State.

Members of the Kent State team won three of the four spots available, with the final spot going to a player from Miami (Ohio). All will play in the U.S. Amateur Aug. 23-29 at Chambers Bay, just outside Tacoma, Wash.

KSU junior Mackenzie Hughes was the medalist in the 36-hole event, held at Manakiki Golf Course and Kirtland Country Club, with a starting field of 82. Hughes, from Dundas, Ontario, practically assured himself a spot when he opened with an 8-under 64 in his morning round at Manakiki. He kept the momentum rolling with a 4-under 66 at Kirtland to finish at 12-under 130 to win by six shots.

"I kept the ball in play pretty much all day," said Hughes, who made four eagles -- two at each course -- on the day. "I was looking at birdies or stress-free pars all day."

KSU senior J.P. Paiement finished third at 139 and teammate John Hahn earned the final spot when he won a four-hole playoff against Medina's Pete Skirpstas after both players finished at 140. Hahn, from Hudson, rolled in a 20-foot putt for birdie on the fourth hole after getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker for par on the 164-yard third.

"I am so pumped up right now you wouldn't believe it," said Hahn, who lost in a playoff in last year's qualifier. "This is unreal. I've always wanted to play in the U.S. Am."

Obviously, KSU coach Herb Page was pleased.

"It was a great day for Kent State golf," he said. "Needless to say, I'm looking forward to next season. I'm proud of all of them."

Miami senior Mike Drobnick, from Hilliard, Ohio, was the runner-up after shooting 68 at both courses.

Most college football fans know the Miami Hurricanes will be playing Ohio State in Columbus this season. What they might not have known is that the Hurricanes will return to Ohio in 2015 to play Toledo at the Glass Bowl.

Jim Rassol / Sun SentinelThe familiar orange and green of the Miami Hurricanes will provide a tough test for Ohio State in September -- and will return to Ohio to play Toledo at the Glass Bowl in 2015.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Most college football fans know the Miami Hurricanes will be playing Ohio State in Columbus this season. What they might not have known is that the Hurricanes will return to Ohio in 2015 to play Toledo at the Glass Bowl.

The Hurricanes, who call their school the "U" in a nickname inspired by the U on the side of their helmets, play one of the biggest nonconference games of this year on Sept. 11 against the Buckeyes.

"Miami is arguably the highest profile opponent to ever play in the Glass Bowl," Toledo Athletic Director Mike O'Brien said in a release. The Rockets will play host to Miami in 2015, then return the game in 2016.

Listen up: Mid-American Conference football will be in the spotlight this week with the league holding its media preview Friday in Detroit.

The key speaker will be Bill Hancock, executive director for the Bowl Championship Series.

JumpTV Sports will stream Hancock's vision of the MAC as a member of the BCS as part of its All-MACcess package at mac-sports.com

While MAC teams clearly aren't contenders for a BCS title, perhaps Hancock is on hand to inspire the conference's teams and coaches to improve upon their 1-15 bowl record since 2006.

Road warriors: For the first time in five years, no MAC team will host a Big Ten team. But there will be chances for some road wins.

If Temple, with its Heisman Trophy candidate in tailback Bernard Pierce, and Kent State, with its stable of mini-backs led by 5-5 senior Eugene Jarvis, are as good as some predict, both teams should be a tough out at retooling Penn State.

Bowling Green plays at Michigan against a Wolverines' squad coming off two subpar seasons and even rebuilding Akron, playing at Indiana, has a puncher's chance.

One overwhelming MAC underdog will be Ohio when it plays at Ohio State, Sept. 18.

A futbol title: Last season, the Akron Zips soccer team advanced to the NCAA title game before losing to Virginia, 3-2 on penalty kicks.

This season, the Zips will be league favorites again. New sod and grandstands are being installed at Lee Jackson Field, and the Zips already report 90 percent of the new chair-back seats and 60 percent of the reserve seats in the new bleachers have been sold to season ticket holders.

New hire: MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher has hired a new director of basketball operations.

Ricky Stokes, 60-113 as a men's basketball coach at Virginia Tech and East Carolina, is now the associate commissioner for men's basketball in the MAC.