Grievance contends Goodell is "prohibited from punishing NFL players for any aspect of the 'pay-for-performance/bounty' conduct occurring before August 4, 2011."

John Bazemore, Associated PressNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

The NFL Players Association is taking legal action against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for suspending Browns linebacker Scott Fujita and three of his former Saints teammates in the bounty scandal, according to proplayerinsiders.com.

Goodell suspended Fujita for three games, Jonathan Vilma for a full season, Green Bay defensive end Anthony Hargrove for eight games and the Saints" Will Smith for four games. All of the suspensions are without pay.

The grievance was filed with the NFL's vice president of labor arbitration and litigation, Buckley Briggs, the report said.

Vilma, Smith and Fujita have already denied they participated in a pay-for-injury program in New Orleans. The NFLPA said it will vigorously fight the suspensions, and all four players are expected to appeal.

The NFLPA's grievance filing states that Goodell is "prohibited from punishing NFL players for any aspect of the 'pay-for-performance/bounty' conduct occurring before August 4, 2011."

Ryan Miller brings a "nasty" attitude to the field.

APRyan Miller

On the field, the Cleveland Browns' nice guy reputation may have taken a hit when they drafted offensive lineman Ryan Miller.

The  6-foot-7, 321-pound Miller is a load to handle physically, writes Ohio.com reporter Stephanie Storm. But he’s also spent his football days since high school building a reputation of being — in his own words — “aggressive,” “nasty” and “vicious.”

“I might not be the most physically sound, but I’ll give you my all and bleed, bite, crawl and scratch to get the job done,” Miller said in a conference call not long after learning the Browns had used their fifth-round pick (160th overall) to select him in last week’s draft.

“It’s just kind of a country-boy mentality of nothing in life is easy and you get what you work for. It’s always just kind of been do or die for me most days of my life.”

Miller’s nasty-boy attitude was built as a prepster at Colorado’s Columbine High School, where Miller said the team ran the ball every play. Wrestling in high school also added to the tough-guy persona.

Storm also writes how Miller’s NFL stock began to rise as a sophomore in 2009 when he more than held his own in a toe-to-toe matchup with then Nebraska and current Detroit Lions standout defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

More Cleveland Browns

There's a mixed reaction among fans when it comes to Brandon Weeden (ESPN).

Getting to know your new Cleveland Browns (WFNY.com).

Browns progression may not show in then their record (CBSLocal.com).

With draft complete, here's a look at the Browns' schedule (ESPN/WKNR).

Billy Winn looks forward to joining the Browns (CantonRep.com).

NFLPA files grievance (Cleveland.com).

Jim Browns talks to ESPN about football and life (ESPN).

Despite a glaring need for a wide receiver, Mary Kay Cabot says the Browns will find other ways to score. Watch video

Cleveland, Ohio - Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV. Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright proved they don't have any dancing skills, but Yarborough and Wright were in step with today's Hey, Mary Kay! questions from readers.

Today's guest, Plain Dealer Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, explained how quarterback Brandon Weeden, not Mitchell Schwartz, is the key to the overall value of the Cleveland Browns' draft. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper says Schwartz is the key.

Will Trent Richardson rush for more or less than the 1, 341 yards that Adrian Peterson rushed for during his rookie season? That's the question in today's Starting Blocks poll. Mary Kay said Richardson will surpass that number.

SBTV returns on Monday.

The Indians swap Ryan Spilborghs to the Texas Rangers.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerRyan Spilborghs, hitting .250 with the Columbus Clippers, was traded to the Texas Rangers today and assigned to Class AAA.

CLEVELAND -- The Indians today traded outfielder Ryan Spilborghs to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations.

Spilborghs, 32, has been assigned to the Rangers Class AAA team.

Spilborghs spent 11 years in the Colorado Rockies organization, including parts of seven seasons in the big leagues. He was released following last season and the Indians signed him to a minor league free agent contract in January with a non-roster invitation to spring training.

He was assigned to Class AAA Columbus and was hitting .250 for the Clippers at the time of the trade.

To replace Spilborghs, outfielder Ben Copeland was promoted to Columbus from Class AA Akron. The Clippers also added righthander Cole Cook from Class A Lake County.

The Indians and Rangers open a three-game series tonight at Progressive Field.

"Three firsts and a second, that's what it cost Washington to draft their QB. We had two first round picks." - brwnsfan

View full sizeAP Photo/Nick WassOne cleveland.com reader is happy that the Browns didn't have to trade away picks to get their franchise quarterback, unlike the Washington Redskins for Robert Griffin III.

"Three firsts and a second, that's what it cost Washington to draft their QB. We had two first round picks.

If we get our QB with a #22 pick, we are ahead of the game. If not, we draft high again, add a couple more picks to it and move up, just like Washington did.

We are a better football team than we were."

"Picking up a future first round draft pick and out of THIS first round draft is like trading a first rounder for a second rounder. Do NOT trade a first found round draft pick. In FACT, do NOT trade those two picks high in the 2nd round for a 1st rounder next season as those picks will most likely be better than anything in next year's draft." - KingGeorge53

View full sizeAP fileOne cleveland.com reader hopes the Cavs don't trade out of this draft, but package picks to move up.

"Picking up a future first round draft pick and out of THIS first round draft is like trading a first rounder for a second rounder. Do NOT trade a first found round draft pick. In FACT, do NOT trade those two picks high in the 2nd round for a 1st rounder next season as those picks will most likely be better than anything in next year's draft.

You can trade a combo of those 2nd rounders to move UP in THIS draft, but not out of this draft.

Some drafts are better than others. Some drafts are a three point buzzer beater shot and that's this draft."

Colt McCoy has been a starting QB for years, overcoming those with doubts. Whatever slight chance he has to repeat the trick lies elsewhere.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerIf given half the snaps in the NFL's August sham games, Colt McCoy might win a competition with Brandon Weeden for the starting QB job. But that's not the point anymore, says Bill Livingston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "Colt McCoy, backup quarterback" is a prophecy often made, and often something that he has proven false.

McCoy started in high school, while playing for his father. He started at Texas after a red-shirt season because Vince Young left early for the NFL.

McCoy wasn't Young, not even close. But Young wasn't so hot in the NFL after winning Rookie of the Year honors. The "sophomore jinx" occurred because other teams adjusted to his style and also because he wasn't the best athlete on the field by a lot anymore. Scheme recognition and decision-making became much more important than at Texas, where coach Mack Brown memorably told Young, "Just play."

McCoy was the un-Young, much as McCoy's designated successor in Cleveland, 28-year-old Brandon Weeden, is the un-young. Psychologically, the gritty underdog role in which McCoy, a third-round draft pick, was cast fit perfectly in a city suspicious of overdogs, particularly since that messy basketball divorce at The Q.

Intangibles such as leadership ability, huddle presence and serving as chief counselor at Camp Colt can be bigger at quarterback than any other position. But tangible assets -- arm strength and accuracy, height to see over pass rushers, bulk to withstand hits -- became serious problems for McCoy. They are why he was not drafted earlier, and why he is now expendable.

Asked about McCoy willingly accepting a backup role because of Weeden, team president Mike Holmgren said, "I would think that could be a difficult situation except if it is ever going to work, it will work ... because Colt McCoy is a special young man."

The real world is an emotional one, however. It would be human nature for McCoy to go all Seneca Wallace on the issue. Wallace, often spotted as far from McCoy as it was humanly possible to stand on the sideline, felt he was better than McCoy, but never got the chance to disprove the backup label. It would be an ironic twist were McCoy to harbor the same feelings about Weeden.

For his part, McCoy didn't like it last season when the ongoing Peyton Hillis controversies and the diva running back's attempts to defuse them encroached on McCoy's own interview time. It was a small thing, but possibly significant.

In turn, the Browns didn't like it when McCoy's father ripped the team for its handling of Colt the night he suffered a concussion against Pittsburgh. It has probably not escaped the front office's notice that, two years before that, the elder McCoy was with his son in the locker room during the BCS Championship Game after Colt was injured and unable to continue. A Little League father is a complication. McCoy is nowhere near good enough for family distractions to be issues.

"Right now, we have four quarterbacks on the roster and they are going to compete for the position," Holmgren said. "I think we have high expectations for [Weeden], but is he being handed anything? No. We're not going to give anybody [the starting job], and we told him that."

It will not be a free and open competition in training camp, though. Fans should realize by now that exhibition season is a reliable indicator of very little. If given half the snaps in the August sham games, McCoy might win the competition. He has been in the Browns' offense a year longer than Weeden. McCoy looked far better last year against passive defenses in the games that didn't count than against aggressive ones in those that did.

He is also a big fan favorite. The unjust aspects of McCoy's demotion, in terms of the low caliber of talent that surrounded him, and the lockout's effect on his tutelage, followed by his having little real chance to win the starter's job now, will only increase the sense of martyrdom.

Also, Weeden will turn 29 in October. He needs all the reps he can get. As for the backup job, Wallace was just that in Seattle for Holmgren, and he is a longtime favorite of the team president.

This is not the first time someone has told Colt McCoy he's not good enough. But my bet is he's not going to be around in August to try to disprove it here.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

"Duncan is going through a rough stretch, but he carried us earlier in the season. Choo, on the other hand, has shown only OBP and no power. I don't know whether he is just having a hard time after so much time away from the game or if he has really lost his magic. At least he hit a few homers last season around the injuries. We need some power from his bat, period." - wahoorc

View full sizeAP Photo/Charles Rex ArbogastOne cleveland.com reader says Shin-Soo Choo better get hot in order for Tribe to compete.

"Duncan is going through a rough stretch, but he carried us earlier in the season. Choo, on the other hand, has shown only OBP and no power. I don't know whether he is just having a hard time after so much time away from the game or if he has really lost his magic. At least he hit a few homers last season around the injuries. We need some power from his bat, period."

The Kentucky Derby is a race for talented 3-year-old thoroughbred horses, but Northeast Ohioans know it's also about the pageantry and people of Louisville.

View full sizeAP fileThe allure of Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May brings thoroughbred fans and those who simply enjoy a party atmosphere to Louisville, Ky. "Everyone seems really thankful you came to their town to enjoy their event," says Shaker Heights resident Mark Corrado, who has been going to the race for over 20 years.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Kentucky Derby the celebration of a glorious test of 3-year-old thoroughbreds and is the biggest party in horse racing, but Northeast Ohioans who have become regulars at Churchill Downs know it's also about the pageantry and people of Louisville.

"The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is Louisville's chance to show off," said Mark Corrado of Shaker Heights, president of Leading Lady, a Beachwood company that specializes in intimate women's apparel. "As you walk the streets, people smile and wish you 'Happy Derby!'

"Everyone seems really thankful you came to their town to enjoy their event."

Mark Corrado's father, Al Corrado, and his best friend, Landon Knight, were Cleveland-area horse owners who began their Kentucky Derby string in the 1960s. Knight was best known for his Ohio stakes star Tougaloo, a very tough mare and four-time Ohio champion. Al Corrado died in 2010, just after that year's Derby.

Mark Corrado, now 57, had a few too many mint juleps at his first Kentucky Derby in 1973. He was a freshman at the University of Kentucky, and preferred the rowdy crowd in the infield while cheering Secretariat to victory. He hasn't missed a Kentucky Derby since. This year, a horse owned by Corrado and his mother, Inez -- La Reine Lionne (The Lion Queen) -- is racing in a Derby Day stakes race.

View full sizePD fileMark Corrado has rubbed Derby elbows with more than a few celebrities over the years.

Corrado can name each Derby winner and the year the horse won. His favorite was Sunday Silence in 1989.

"I made what for me was a very large bet," said Corrado. "When Sunday Silence came down the stretch with Pat Valenzuela riding, I was screaming like a mad man from the moment they hit the top of the stretch."

You never know who you'll meet at the Kentucky Derby.

"One year, [model] Cheryl Tiegs sat in the box behind us," said Corrado. "For a trackside snack, my father always bought sandwiches and cookies each year from the same Louisville lady. We offered Cheryl Tiegs a cookie, and she nibbled it for an hour. We knew right away how she stayed so thin."

Corrado said his father once saw comedian and native Clevelander Bob Hope at the Derby, and yelled to him, "Packy East," which was Hope's moniker as an amateur boxer.

"My dad said Hope turned to him, and said, 'You must be from Cleveland.' My dad told that tale for years."

It's party time

Youngstown's Bruce Zoldan lures a crowd of celebrities to Churchill Downs and they party like, well, rock stars.

"I have a lot of my friends come in Thursday afternoon for a party I throw that night at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse here," said Zoldan. "Some of the regulars who were back this week were Boyz II Men, Taylor Dayne, Joey Fatone of N'Sync and Salt-n-Pepa. They get up at the party to sing a little, and have a great time."

They had plenty to celebrate last year. Zoldan is a member of the Team Valor International syndicate that owns Animal Kingdom, last year's long-shot 21-1 winner.

View full sizePhoto courtesy Bruce ZoldanYoungstown's Bruce Zoldan is hoping Went The Day Well will provide a second consecutive Derby champion on Saturday.

Zoldan and Team Valor are looking for back-to-back wins with their horse Went The Day Well in Saturday's Derby field of 20 thoroughbreds. A back-to-back by an owner hasn't happened since Penny Chenery scored with Riva Ridge and Triple Crown winner Secretariat in 1972-73.

"Animal Kingdom was the epitome of every owner or horse trainer's dream, the sports experience of a lifetime," said Zoldan.

Zoldan claims to not be superstitious, but he has stayed in the same hotel room in Louisville for more than 20 years. The shirt he wore to the winner's circle last year had been packed.

"It's not part of my race day outfit, though," he said. "I bought a new outfit in Cleveland the other day to wear on Derby Day."

Zoldan has a post-Derby party, win or lose, and last year's chef was restaurateur and television personality Guy Fieri. It seems Zoldan, who owns Phantom Fireworks in Youngstown, has a lot of Hollywood friends who like a fireworks show.

Zoldan doesn't leave a future Kentucky Derby to chance. He always buys his Kentucky Derby tickets for the next year before heading home.

"Louisville is one of my favorite cities," said Zoldan. "During Derby week, you can walk into a sports bar, upscale restaurant or little coffee shop and you'll find lots of red roses and happy people. They're laughing and having fun, telling stories and watching the celebrities.

"What makes the town special for people from northern Ohio is the weather. After a long Ohio winter, it's great to go where the temperatures are in the 90s and the sun always seems to shine. And on Derby day, it's wonderful to see all of the ladies in their hats and beautiful dresses and the men in suits and ties.

"For me, it's a week I never want to end."

Here is what the four-team playoffs would have looked like dating back to the 2002 Ohio State-Miami matchup if this coming format had been adopted then.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- College football will have a four-team playoff starting with the 2014 season, when the current TV deals run out. That much was determined by the meetings last weekend between conference commissioners. What remains now are details.

But this news hammers home everything that college football has been denied during the BCS era. Going by final BCS standings, here is what the four-team playoffs would have looked like dating back to the 2002 Ohio State-Miami matchup if this coming format had been adopted then.

2011

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Stanford

No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State

What really happened: Two defensive-minded SEC teams rematched in a title game that drew complaints in the buildup and during Alabama's win.

What would have happened: Those two defenses would have been tested by great offenses led by future first-round draft picks at quarterback in Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden. Three tightly-packed one-loss teams would have had a shot in the mix with undefeated LSU.

2010

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Stanford

No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 TCU

What really happened: Auburn beat Oregon in an undefeated showdown that left undefeated TCU out in the cold. The Horned Frogs finished with a perfect record after a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin.

What would have happened: All three undefeated teams would have been given a shot while the battle for the fourth spot between Stanford and Wisconsin would have created great debate.

2009

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 TCU

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Cincinnati

What really happened: Two classic, undefeated programs met for the title while two other undefeated programs with less tradition were told too bad, as was undefeated Boise State.

What would have happened: Four of the five undefeated teams would have been given a shot instead of two of the five. That's a lot closer to fair, and it would have created two semis with underdog themes.

2008

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Alabama

No. 2 Florida vs. No. 3 Texas

What really happened: Seven teams finished with one loss, while two others were undefeated, with the Sooners and Gators getting the lucky one-loss title game lottery balls.

What would have happened: From those nine teams there still would have been debate and no perfect answer -- just two semis featuring four powerhouses that could have set up a rivalry title game two different ways. Adding Texas and Alabama to a playoff for a title can't be bad.

2007

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Virginia Tech

What really happened: Ohio State and LSU both stumbled into the title game when other teams suffered more devastating late-season losses, and the Tigers became the first two-loss national champion.

What would have happened: The Buckeyes would have made it as a one-loss team, while three of the other one- or two-loss teams would have gotten a shot. Undefeated Hawaii still wouldn't have made it, to the delight of the small conference doubters.

2006

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 LSU

No. 2 Florida vs. No. 3 Michigan

What really happened: Undefeated Ohio State beat undefeated Michigan in the last game of the regular season, starting rallying cries for an All-Big Ten rematch in the championship. Instead, Florida jumped the Wolverines and mauled the Buckeyes.

What would have happened: Florida and Michigan would have settled the debate over No. 2 on the field, while the Big Ten-SEC semis would have ramped up that conference rivalry even more. If Ohio State and Michigan had rematched for the title, the semifinal wins by both would have legitimized the idea, because they had to earn it.

2005

No. 1 USC vs. No. 4 Ohio State

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Penn State

What really happened: The Trojans and Longhorns were the only undefeated teams and set up a classic championship with which everyone agreed, and the game, topped by Texas quarterback Vince Young's last-minute touchdown run, lived up the hype. Yea, BCS.

What would have happened: Dang, two traditional powers would have delayed the chance of that showdown. (Sarcasm alert.) Nobody would have watched Joe Paterno's guys trying to stop Young, right? And A.J. Hawk, Donte Whitner and the OSU defense vs. Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and the USC offense probably would have been viewed as a waste of time. Stupid playoff.

2004

No. 1 USC vs. No. 4 Texas

No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Auburn

What really happened: Five teams were undefeated -- USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah and Boise State -- and though the Tigers probably had the best resume, they were left out of the title game while USC beat Oklahoma, 55-19, to win it.

What would have happened: Justice for the most aggrieved team of the BCS era -- Auburn would have had a shot at the title, while Utah and Boise State still would have been left on the sideline. But, obviously, this solution would have been a huge improvement.

2003

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. 4 Michigan

No. 2 USC vs. No. 3 LSU

What really happened: The Sooners were upset in the Big 12 title game yet remained at No. 1, then lost to LSU in the national championship. USC, meanwhile, won the AP share of the national title after taking down Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Split title.

What should have happened: Something other than a split title. Michigan would have made the playoff as the clear No. 4 team, and the champion could have been decided on the field. Split champions will certainly end in the new format.

2002

No. 1 Miami vs. No. 4 USC

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Georgia

What really happened: No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State finished as the only undefeated regular-season teams before the Buckeyes won their first national title since 1968 with a win in the Fiesta Bowl. The overtime had controversy, but determining the matchup did not.

What should have happened: Georgia, the one-loss SEC champ, two-loss USC or maybe one-loss Iowa -- which finished No. 5 in the BCS standings but might have been chosen over USC by a selection committee -- would have had a shot. The real title game couldn't have been topped, though.

The 20-horse field for Saturday's race is so stacked that unbeaten Gemologist is no better than third choice on the morning line.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Hot pace. Muggy day. One of the deepest, most-talented fields in years.

A delicious stew with all the ingredients for an unpredictable Kentucky Derby.

The 20-horse field for Saturday's race is so stacked that unbeaten Gemologist is no better than third choice on the morning line. In other years, the colt would be the talk of the Derby. In this one, early favorites Bodemeister and Union Rags have grabbed the spotlight.

Still, some very talented colts could go off at big odds -- I'll Have Another at 12-1 or, at 15-1, Take Charge Indy, whose jockey Calvin Borel has brought home long-shot winners twice in five years.

"This is the best bunch I've seen in a long time," four-time Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. "I was out there riding next to some of them, and let me tell you, this is a hell of a group."

Lukas will saddle one of the longest shots, 50-1 Optimizer.

"History tells us that you can't throw anyone out," said Todd Pletcher, a former Lukas assistant who has two Derby starters including Gemologist. "There have been some winners the past few years that have been way down everybody's depth charts."

Some of the strongest contenders -- Hansen, for example -- have had the most success running at or near the pace. But their task is complicated by the presence of speedball Trinniberg, who could prove to be enough of a pest on the front end to compromise any horse willing to keep pace with him.

If the early fractions in the 1 1-4-mile race are fast enough, it could set up well for a deep closer like Dullahan, Daddy Nose Best or I'll Have Another.

Three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert, who trains 4-1 favorite Bodemeister and long shot Liaison, called it "one of the toughest Derbys I've been in probably the last 10 years."

"I've brought some really good horses here, and they were the best horse, but they got beat," he said, referring to Lookin At Lucky, the 2010 race-day favorite who was trapped on the rail and finished sixth. In 2001, his heavy favorite Point Given wound up fifth.

"I don't want to get myself too pumped up. Even my son, Bode, doesn't want to talk about it," he said.

The 7-year-old namesake of Bodemeister is worried. Upon learning the colt was headed to the Derby, he asked his dad, "Well, what if he loses?"

"It's a little extra pressure for me to make sure that he runs well," said Baffert, who had a medical scare in March when he was hospitalized with a heart attack in Dubai.

Bodemeister, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, goes into the starting gate staring down 129 years of Derby history. The last horse to win without racing as a 2-year-old was Apollo in 1882.

Union Rags, the 9-2 second choice ridden by Julien Leparoux, is the best horse trainer Michael Matz has brought to the Derby since he won with undefeated Barbaro in 2006.

"I was lucky enough once," he said. "It's hard to believe you can get lucky twice."

Matz trains the strapping colt for Phyllis Wyeth, the former steeplechase rider who was paralyzed from the waist down in a 1962 car accident and gets around in a wheelchair. She is married to painter Jamie Wyeth, whose father was the renowned artist Andrew Wyeth.

Gemologist, undefeated in five races, is trained by 2010 Derby winner Pletcher, yet he's been overshadowed by the other entrants since arriving late in Louisville and getting most of his training in Florida.

"He's done everything he could possibly do," Pletcher said, "but part of it might be because the 2-year-old races he ran in weren't the Breeders' Cup races. He was a little late in developing."

Two of Gemologist's wins came at Churchill Downs.

"Anytime you've had success over this track in the past, it bodes well for the future," Pletcher said.

Hansen is a standout on looks alone. The colt is nearly white and his outspoken owner Kendall Hansen tried to doll him up by having his tail painted blue for the Blue Grass three weeks ago. The track stewards didn't approve and neither did trainer Mike Maker.

"We're going to win this race," Hansen said. "We're not worried about anybody. We've got the best horse."

Like Baffert and Pletcher, Steve Asmussen has two horses in the Derby -- Daddy Nose Best and Sabercat -- who will try to help him end an 0-for-10 skid. He came close last year when Nehro finished second to Animal Kingdom.

"It is definitely on the bucket list," Asmussen said. "I like my horses, love how they're doing, feel that they're going to run real good Saturday, but have no control over everybody else."

Trainer Graham Motion, jockey John Velazquez, and Barry Irwin, who heads the Team Valor ownership group, shared last year's win with Animal Kingdom. They return with 20-1 shot Went the Day Well, trying to become the first connections to repeat since 1972-73 when Riva Ridge and Secretariat prevailed.

And then there's the weather.

Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 86 with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. The Derby day temperature has topped 80 degrees just five times since 1969, when it hit 87.

Post time is 6:24 p.m. EDT.

Startin Something put together a solid stretch drive on Friday to win the opening-day $50,000 Classen Memorial at Thistledown.

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- Jockey Scott Spieth made a slick move in the stretch with favored Startin Something to capture the featured $50,000 Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial Stakes on Friday's opening day program at Thistledown.

It was the season debut for Startin Something, a four-year-old bay filly from trainer Tim Hamm's Blazing Meadows Farm in Ellsworth, Ohio. She covered the six furlongs in 1:11.3 to win by a length and three quarters, paying $5.40, 3.20, 2.60. School Lass was second, $4.40, 3.40, two lengths in front of Gathering Dreams, $2.80.

Derby Day Storm set the early fractions, but was fading as she hit the stretch with jockey Victor Urieta-Moran aboard. Spieth was close behind, charging hard with Something Special, but had to find a path as a tiring Derby Day Storm began to drift to the center of the track.

"I had to be sure she'd keep drifting, not come back toward the rail and trap us," said Spieth. He picked the inside route, and Startin Something responded with the victory.

The daughter of Musical Dreamer won two of eight starts a year ago while battling foot problems, but is in top shape this spring, said Hamm.

"I was very happy with the way she came through with that stretch drive for the win," said Hamm. "Scott put together a great move with her, and it paid off."

Spieth, of Chagrin Falls, normally rides at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa. He has raced plenty in the past at Thistledown, and was happy to get in some action close to home while waiting for the Pennsylvania track to open on May 15.

"I really enjoy racing at Thistledown, and not just because it's only 15 miles from my house," said Spieth, who rode his 4,000th career winner a few weeks ago at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla. "It was good to see a lot of my friends, and have the chance to ride a nice horse like Startin Something."

Spieth said he thought Startin Something would have a little more speed in the early going, but couldn't match Derby Day Storm. When they head for home, though, no filly or mare in the nine-horse field could keep up with Startin Something.

Tony Farmer, an 18-year-old senior considered to be a top basketball player by some Division I schools, is accused of assaulting an ex-girlfriend in Bedford Heights.

Gus Chan, The Plain DealerGarfield Heights High School basketball standout Tony Farmer goes up for a shot during a game in February.

Tony Farmer, 18, who is ranked as the 86th best basketball player in the country by Rivals.com, a national scouting service, is free after posting a $10,000 bond. His arraignment is set for May 16.

Maria Russo, spokeswoman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said as Farmer's ex-girlfriend, who is also 18, left her residence off Rockside Road around 6:45 a.m., Farmer confronted her, demanding to talk.

The two began arguing and yelling when Farmer, who is 6 feet 7 and 220 pounds, then assaulted her, Russo said according to the police report. Farmer then took her cellphone, a bank card, a laptop computer and her car keys.

Bedford Heights police said nearby residents heard the fighting and arguing and called 9-1-1. Police later arrested Farmer, who had left.

He was also indicted on a kidnapping charge because, according to the report, he "by force, threat or deception, purposely removed the victim from the place where she was found or restrained her liberty for the purpose of terrorizing or inflicting serious physical harm."

Farmer is being recruited by several NCAA Division I schools, including a handful in the Big Ten.

Josh Cribbs' attorney, Patrick D'Angelo, said Cribbs is hoping to get a driving record penalty reduction for Cribbs, who has a previous speeding violation in the last year.

Thomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerBrowns receiver Josh Cribbs was still a student-athlete at Kent State on Sept. 11, 2001. Above, he receives diploma in 2010.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns ace kick and punt returner Joshua J. Cribbs pleaded not guilty to a speeding ticket Friday afternoon in Cleveland Municipal Court.

Cribbs, 28, of North Royalton was ticketed by Cuyahoga County sheriffs at 8:45 p.m. April 20 for driving his 2010 Bentley 103 mph in a 60 mph zone northbound on Interstate 71 near Fulton Road, Cleveland Municipal Court records show.

Cribbs' plea of not guilty to the misdemeanor charge was entered by his attorney, Patrick D'Angelo, who said that he was hoping to reduce the number of points Cribb's faces for a speeding violation. Cribbs' pretrial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 16, before Judge Lauren C. Moore.

While Perez has lived up to his All-Star status of last season, a number of his peers has had all sorts of issues. Watch video

View full sizeAmy Sancetta, Associated PressAn enthusiastic reaction to another save on Thursday night by Chris Perez didn't go over well with Chicago's Alex Rios.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Through one-plus month of the baseball season, closing has proven hazardous to the mental and physical health. If closers are not getting rocked, they are tearing ACLs while shagging fly balls in batting practice.

The Indians have been fortunate. Not only has their closer survived, he has thrived. Chris Perez has 10 saves in 11 opportunities and a 3.09 ERA after Friday's 6-3 victory over Texas. Since a rocky appearance on Opening Day, when he gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning in a blown save against Toronto, he has allowed one run in 11 innings of 12 appearances.

While Perez has lived up to his All-Star status of last season, a number of his peers has had all sorts of issues. Here is a sampling of what already has befallen closers:

Mariano Rivera, Yankees: The greatest ever suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee during batting practice Thursday at Kansas City. He was tracking a fly ball hit by former Indian Jayson Nix. Rivera, 42, is a 12-time All-Star.

Brian Wilson, Giants: The three-time All-Star underwent Tommy John surgery in April, the second such surgery of his career.

Joakim Soria, Royals: The two-time All-Star injured his right elbow in spring training and underwent reconstructive surgery.

Sergio Santos, Blue Jays: He was placed on the disabled list April 21 because of right-shoulder inflammation. He is 2-for-4 in save chances and owns a 9.00 ERA in six games.

Carlos Marmol, Cubs: He entered Friday at 2-for-4 and owned a 6.23 ERA in 12 games. He was replaced as closer this week.

Heath Bell, Marlins: He entered Friday at 3-for-6 and owned an 11.74 ERA in 10 games. He went 43-for-48 last year with San Diego.

J.J. Putz, Diamondbacks: He entered Friday at 5-for-7 and owned a 6.48 ERA in nine games. He went 45-for-49 last year.

Jose Valverde, Tigers: He entered Friday at 4-for-5 and owned a 5.59 ERA in 10 games. In the 2011 regular season, he was 49-for-49 and had a 2.24 ERA.

Alfredo Aceves, Red Sox: He entered Friday at 5-for-7. In the two blown saves, he gave up eight runs.

Perez did not need to be informed as to how difficult it has been for closers this season.

"We're sort of a fraternity,'' he said. "We feel for each other, because we understand how short people's memories can be. You're always one or two bad streaks away from them calling for your job. And that's how it should be. When you have the lead after eight innings, you've got to win those games.''

Nothing to see here: Perez does not care what a TV replay might suggest or what White Sox outfielder Alex Rios says. Perez reiterated Friday afternoon that he directed no ill will toward Rios at the end of Thursday night's game in Chicago.

As Rios grounded to Asdrubal Cabrera for what was to become the final out of a 7-5 Tribe victory, Perez is seen turning toward the first-base line and yelling. As Rios runs to first, Perez's head follows him.

Rios reached the bag and immediately turned. He flapped his arms and barked at Perez.

"When I was running to first, he was yelling the whole way,'' Rios told reporters. "I don't know what was wrong with him. He just started yelling at me. For no reason. I couldn't tell what he was saying; he was just staring and saying something.''

Perez said he simply was pleased that the Indians prevailed.

"I wasn't talking anything to Rios,'' he said. "I couldn't care less if it was he or (A.J.) Pierzynski or (Paul) Konerko -- whoever made the last out, I was going to do the same thing. It was for the team. We had just won a series on the road.''

Perez maintained that his look toward the first-base line only was to follow the ball into first baseman Casey Kotchman's glove.

"When I knew Cabby had it, I yelled, '(Expletive), yeah! Game's over!''' Perez said. "I watched the ball go to first, then Rios spun on me. I said, 'What? The game's over. What's your problem?'''

Rios said: "If you are celebrating, that's not the right way to do it.''

Rios said he has no history with Perez -- but he does have a walkoff grand slam against him. On Sept. 10, 2011, Rios's blast with one out in the 10th inning gave the White Sox a 7-3 victory.

"Rios was happy after he hit that homer, as he should be,'' Perez said. "And I had a right to be happy after we won a series in their place.''

Give him his due: Count Perez and his teammates among those pleased that Rivera has vowed to return next season. Rivera is MLB’s all-time saves leader with 608.

“You want to see him keep going, for all that he’s meant to the game,” Perez said. “As an athlete, you always want to go out on your own terms and not because you’re not good enough or because of injury.”

Tribe left fielder Johnny Damon said: “He’s one of the greatest pitchers of all time — not just relievers.”

Damon, who played with Rivera in New York, said the closer always has enjoyed running down balls in batting practice.

“For the past 17 years, he probably was the best center fielder the Yankees had,” Damon said. “That’s how good of a shagger he was.”

The Tribe (14-10), first in the AL Central, has won three in a row. Texas (17-9), first in the AL West, has lost three straight.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerJohnny Damon steams around second base on his way to a two-run triple in the seventh inning of Friday night's victory over the Rangers at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Damon was in the midst of a forgettable home debut with the Indians Friday night when he came to the plate with two on and two outs in the seventh inning. His first three at-bats were popped to left, and he had misplayed a ball in left field that led to a run.

But Damon did not have 2,724 career hits by conceding that any game was a lost cause. He knew one swing can salvage everything.

Damon hit a two-run triple in the seventh inning to account for the final margin as the Indians defeated the Rangers, 6-3, at Progressive Field. Right-hander Jeanmar Gomez allowed three runs in seven innings in front of a paid attendance of 16,147.

The Tribe (14-10), first in the AL Central, has won three in a row. Texas (17-9), first in the AL West, has lost three straight. In their first game against the Rangers this season, the Indians matched their victory total from last year's series (1-9).

"It's always good when you can beat a club like that, especially in the first game of a series," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We played very fundamentally sound, and Gomez was terrific against such a great lineup that the Rangers put out there."

Gomez (2-1, 2.82 ERA) did not have his plus-slider, but he used his fastball and change effectively and made quality pitches when necessary. It was his first career appearance against Texas.

"They have a lot of good hitters," Gomez said. "I watched an hour of tape. I felt good out there."

A one-run lead against the Rangers is virtually nothing, so the Indians figured they needed to squeeze something out of their seventh inning. With two outs, Casey Kotchman walked against right-hander Colby Lewis and advanced to second on Jack Hannahan's single.

Damon took a called strike, then smoked a Lewis curve deep to center. The smooth Josh Hamilton narrowly missed running it down at the wall.

"In my first three at-bats, I competed, but they were lazy swings at pitches off the plate," Damon said. "In the last at-bat, the pitch might have been a tad off the plate, too, but I happened to get the good part of the bat on it. Fortunately, Josh didn't make that play; he makes it quite a bit during the course of a season."

Damon is 2-for-12 in three games with the Indians since being signed as a free agent.

"It's good that Johnny can join the Tribe and start doing that stuff," Acta said of the triple. "He's been in so many big situations, nothing's going to faze him in this game."

The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the second. With one out, Carlos Santana singled. Santana barely had time to get his lead when Shin-Soo Choo dropped the barrel on a two-seamer and hammered it into the Indians bullpen in center.

Choo's first homer of the season snapped an 0-for-14 and gave him his first RBIs at home, where he had been 3-for-21. Choo had gone 17 games and 67 at-bats without a homer, easily the longest season-opening dry spell of his career.

Texas pulled within 2-1 in the third. Mitch Moreland led off with a fly to deep left field, where Damon got turned around and had the ball glance off his glove. Moreland, who was credited with a double, moved to third on a grounder and scored on Ian Kinsler's sacrifice fly to right.

Hannahan made it 3-1 with a homer in the Tribe half of the third. Hannahan's lead-off shot down the right-field line initially was a triple after the ball caromed back in play. Acta asked for a review, and the umpire crew saw that the ball hit the glass above the wall.

The Rangers scored in the fourth when Michael Young and David Murphy hit back-to-back doubles. They tied it in the sixth when Nelson Cruz lined a two-out single to left to drive in Young.

The Indians regained the advantage in the bottom of the sixth. Sizzling Jason Kipnis opened with a single, extending his hitting streak to eight games. Kipnis stole second and moved to third on Asdrubal Cabrera's infield single up the middle. Travis Hafner hit a sacrifice fly to center.

Kipnis finished 2-for-4. He was coming off a series in Chicago in which he went 6-for-11 with two walks.

Lewis gave up the six runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. In his previous five starts to begin the season, he did not give up more than two runs.

"We had a pretty good approach against him," Acta said. "We laid off some tough pitches, and guys didn't try to do too much."

Gomez was relieved by Vinnie Pestano to begin the eighth. Gomez allowed the three runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out two.

Pestano pitched the eighth. Chris Perez worked the ninth to earn his 10th consecutive save.

In the top of the first, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus reached on an infield single to shortstop, giving him at least one hit in 24 career games against Cleveland. The career-opening streak is the longest against the Tribe since at least 1918.

Even though the wind was blowing in, the ball carried to most parts of the ballpark. First-pitch temperature of 66 degrees qualified as balmy when stacked against most of the other Tribe home games this year.

On Twitter: @dmansworldpd

Linebacker recruit Alex Anzalone rescinded his oral commitment after a 31-year-old OSU fan who is on Kentucky's sex offender registry was photographed with Anzalone in a public setting during his OSU visit two weeks ago.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Linebacker recruit Alex Anzalone has rescinded his oral commitment to Ohio State after a 31-year-old OSU fan who is on Kentucky's sex offender registry was photographed with Anzalone in a public setting during his OSU visit two weeks ago.

After becoming aware of the photo, Ohio State sent a message to its more than 1,000 athletes this week warning them to not to interact personally or on social media with the fan, who also had sent messages on Twitter to several athletes and coaches. In a news release, Ohio State said the fan is not a booster and not associated with the university.

Anzalone's father doesn't believe Ohio State's staff was aware of the fan's background, but he was upset by the fact that the fan was allowed access to his son on a recruiting visit. Anzalone is a four-star recruit from Wyomissing, Pa.

"You don't want your son to go to a place where there's a potential issue (like this)," Sal Anzalone told the Reading Eagle newspaper. "You expect the (football) staff to have some sort of control on how things are handled with recruits when they visit. This is ridiculous.

"I was concerned with what recruits do, and with them being allowed to visit these kind of places where it puts kids at risk. That's the issue. You entrust people (at the school) to do the right thing."

The presence of Charles Eric Waugh at a function which included recruits was first reported Friday by OSU's student newspaper, The Lantern.

Regardless of the details, college football, after years of the worst postseason in sports, will offer the best with the jump to a four-team playoff in 2014.

View full sizeAP fileWhether or not it retains the Bowl Championship Series label, a revamped college football playoff -- with at least four teams involved beginning in the 2014 season -- is a development that finally improves the worst championship format in American sports, says Doug Lesmerises.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If college football's power brokers had come to their senses 10, five or even two years earlier, Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden might have shared a football field before putting on Browns uniforms.

The 2011 college football season cried out for a postseason playoff, and semifinals featuring LSU, Richardson's Alabama team, Weeden's Oklahoma State team and Stanford would have quieted every complaint offered between the end of the regular season and the drab national championship game.

But that's nothing new.

For at least the past decade, a four-team playoff almost always would have worked better than the system that was in place. But now that change is coming, with a four-team playoff being readied for the 2014 season, it is seismic, regardless of the details.

College football will go from the worst postseason in major American sports to the best.

It's about time

The difference between two teams with a title shot and four with a shot -- which is a change from 1.7 percent of the eligible teams and 3.3 of them making the postseason -- is an astronomical leap. It's best viewed not as a two-team jump, but a 100 percent increase.

The details are intriguing:

• Campus sites for semifinals (better)? Or current bowl games as semifinal hosts?

• A selection committee (better) to pick the four teams? Or something like the current Bowl Championship Series formula?

• Just the best four teams (better)? Or only conference champions?

View full sizeAP fileOn Jan. 1, 2011, Texas Christian's Andy Dalton (left) and Tank Carder struck a blow for non-BCS schools with a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. Twice denied a chance at a BCS title, the Horned Frogs would have been in the four-team playoff currently proposed if it had been in place in 2009 and 2010.

In the scheme of things, those questions are almost irrelevant. This is like moving from a studio apartment to a five-bedroom home and worrying about the landscaping. Sure, there might be a few weeds in the yard, but at least you're no longer sleeping in your kitchen.

So when BCS director Bill Hancock last week emerged from meetings featuring conference commissioners declaring that the "status quo was off the table," it was a cause for celebration. Then came the realization and the frustration of wondering just why it remained the status quo this long.

In at least every season since undefeated No. 2 Ohio State beat undefeated No. 1 Miami for the 2002 national championship, a four-team playoff would have served the teams and its fans far more than the system that was in place.

The split title of 2003 would have been eliminated. In 2004, undefeated Auburn would have earned a playoff spot. In 2006, Michigan could have faced Florida on the field to settle the battle over No. 2. And in 2009 and 2010, TCU would have proven what a non-BCS team can or can't do in a playoff with the big boys after a perfect regular season.

Even the best national championship in recent years, Texas knocking off USC in a classic matchup to win the 2005 title, would have been heightened by throwing traditional powers Penn State and Ohio State into the semifinals. Does anyone believe adding Joe Paterno, Tamba Hali, A.J. Hawk and Troy Smith to that postseason would have been bad for football?

Finding the line

But there is a line, and college football is far from crossing it. While I've always preferred the idea of an eight-team playoff, it's easy to embrace the four-team version, especially while the rest of the sporting world makes it so difficult for the best teams to actually win championships:

• The NBA and NHL both allow 16 of 30 teams, or 53.3 percent, into their postseasons.

• The NFL has 12 of 32, of 37.5 percent.

• Major League Baseball, adding two wild cards this season, goes to 10 of 30, or 33.3 percent.

• NCAA basketball's 68-team March Madness setup puts 19.8 percent of its 344 teams in the mix.

• Even the Football Championship Subdivision level of college football, which has had a playoff since its creation in 1978, has 20 of its 126 teams involved, or 15.9 percent.

So even an eight-team playoff, which would put 6.7 percent of the 120 FBS teams in position for a title, would be far more exclusive and protect the integrity of the regular season. That has been a constant, and admirable, goal of college football's decision-makers, though their thinking has always been backward: Too many playoff teams hurts the regular season. But they refused to see that too few teams hurt it just as much, especially with a BCS selection system both prejudiced and almost arbitrary.

The postseason problem for the rest of the sports world is that the best teams are too often knocked out of the saturated playoff systems. Looking at the last 10 postseasons for the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, only three times out of 40 -- three! -- have the two No. 1 seeds met in the championship.

College football, theoretically, has offered that matchup of the best two teams every year. Just 13 times has a No. 1 seed -- one of the best two teams -- won the title. College football, theoretically, guaranteed that.

Just 10 times in 40 has the championship even included what was viewed, by the seeding, as two of the best four teams playing for the title. The new college football formula will still offer that every season.

The problem for college football was the perception, and too often the reality, that the two teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 at the end of the season weren't the best two teams. The coaches' poll was biased and often uninformed. Undefeated teams were excluded. One or two single-loss teams were plucked from large groups of equally deserving schools. Schools not from the six major BCS conferences had almost impossible hills to climb.

The rest of the sports world has made it too difficult for the two best teams, as determined by the regular season, to hoist a trophy. College football, too often, wasn't even getting the two best teams into the postseason at all.

The four-team playoff will fix that. Undefeated Auburn will get in. Undefeated TCU will get in. More one-loss teams with equal championship claims will get a chance to prove themselves. One of the best four teams in college football still will win the sport's championship, and, finally, the two best teams will always get a shot, even if one of them is ranked No. 3 or No. 4.

Now that is a postseason. In two more years, it will, at long last, arrive.

EUCLID, Ohio — There were dark clouds and a hint of thunder during the 60th running of the Euclid Relays on Friday night. The light show, though, was reserved for the Solon Comets. Not only did Solon run away with the boys' title with 118 points to runner-up Mentor's 91, the girls also took home the championship, also besting...

Mentor's Blake Lewis crosses the finish line first in the 1,600 meters Friday at the Euclid Relays. - (Gus Chan, PD)

EUCLID, Ohio — There were dark clouds and a hint of thunder during the 60th running of the Euclid Relays on Friday night. The light show, though, was reserved for the Solon Comets.

Not only did Solon run away with the boys' title with 118 points to runner-up Mentor's 91, the girls also took home the championship, also besting Mentor, 123-75.

"Every year, depth is our strong point," Solon boys coach Dan Iwan said. "We filled out all the events tonight. We like this meet, we love the setup, and it's under the lights and fun for the kids. I'm real proud of the boys."

Solon's Rod Jackson (14.39) won the 110 hurdles, Khoury Crenshaw won the 100 meters (10.83) and his relay legs really set the stage for the Comets, as he was part of the winning 4 x 100 relay and the runner-up 4 x 200.

The Comets nearly had another first as two of its vaulters, Kyle Peterson (third) and Karl Pierce (fourth), each hit 13 feet. Medina's Kyle Hutchinson won the event on fewer misses.

While Solon's depth enabled the team to take home the championship, Painesville Riverside's Zach McBride put on perhaps the best show of the meet.

The Miami of Ohio-bound senior won the 3,200 meters with ease in 9:48.80, then took home the 1,600-meter title. McBride, who really wasn't pushed and ran a 9:35 last week at Mentor in the 3,200, said the heat and humidity early in the meet got to him during the race.

His win in the mile was more gut-wrenching. McBride (4:28.01) started off in the middle of the pack, but he sprinted the final 100 meters to sneak past Solon's Kevin Blank (4:29.73).

"It started out pedestrian. I saw we came through in 2:20, so I just tried to hang around and kick it in for the win," said McBride, who was the meet MVP. "This is the competition we'll probably see at regionals, so it was a good preview."

Perhaps the race of the night occurred in the 4 x 800-meter relay. Both St. Ignatius and Mentor battled it out to the wire, with the Cardinals' Max Ostrowski (1:57) edging St. Ignatius' Brian Keaton at the finish. Mentor (Desi Ingram, Jeff Gudowicz, Jared Keipert and Ostrowski) won with a 7:59.40, its fastest time of the year.

"I have confidence in the team. Still, it was a close race," Ostrowski said. "I knew if I hit 1:57, we'd be fine. It was exciting."

St. Ignatius' Blake Thomas continued his great season, taking home first in the discus with a toss of 181-5. It was nearly 20 feet farther than runner-up Reggie Jagers of Solon and his best throw of the year.

Wildcats coach Chuck Kyle believed it was one of the best in the state this season.

The Comets girls were led by Jelvon Butler, who won the 100 meters in 12.3, and Paige Yaeger, who took home first in the 100 hurdles (15.17).

"We have a lot of good athletes," Yaeger said. "It's been a good day. We broke the meet record and school record in the 4 x 200 relay. We are hoping to go to state in that."

Both were also part of the winning 4 x 200-meter relay (Lauren McCoy, London McNair, Butler and Yaeger) and also the 4 x 100 relay (McCoy, Butler, McNair and Yaeger) which ran a 48.2, and also the 4 x 400 relay that also took home first.

But it was Therese Haiss who stole the show and took home meet MVP honors. The junior was part of two winning relays, the 4 x 400 and distance medley, all school records, and she also destroyed the competition in the 400, running a 57.68.

"We didn't win the 4 x 800, but I ran a personal best of 2:12," Haiss said. "It's the first time I have ever done this grouping. There is not much of a rest. It feels really good. Our team had a great night, too."

Medina, which came in second in the 4 x 100 (Sarayah Kress, Kelsey Nemeth, Grace Nemeth and Katie Toporowsky) with its 49.8, was just as happy, as it set a new school record.

South's Maria Romano won the shot (38-6) and took home second in the discus with her 122-8.

"It was pretty good in the shot. I was consistent and it's close to my PR [personal record]," she said. "I wish I could have done better in the discus. I've thrown better."

Euclid's Mahogony Stitt, who was part of the winning high-jump team (with Brianna Cunningham), set a new meet record with her leap of 5-4.

Matt Pawlikowski is a freelance writer in Cleveland.

Why the Cavs are viewed favorably despite a bad season, while the Indians are not despite a decent start and the Browns are viewed the same way as always. Hint: It's the owners.

View full sizeMark Duncan, Associated PressDan Gilbert remains an inspirational figure to most Cavaliers fans -- as well as disgruntled fans of the perpetually disappointing Browns and the winning, but not yet believed in, Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians are last in attendance in baseball with a division-leading team. Last by a lot. Last by close to the same margins as the Tribe was last on the field in much of the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

The Browns won't have the same starting quarterback in the season opener as the year before for the fifth straight year. They signed no big-name free agents or medium-named college wide receivers. The rookie starting quarterback will be 29 in October.

The Cavaliers are in the NBA draft lottery again, with dreams of a second consecutive ping pong ball deliverance dancing in their heads. They have a presumptive Rookie of Year in point guard Kyrie Irving, who seems to be everything but durable. Nineteenth in a 30-team league in attendance, they still outdrew three playoff teams. Season-ticket renewals are running at a heartening 75 percent.

The Cavs look up, even though they are down; the Indians have achieved the reverse; the Browns are the same old same old. That's the perception in town, formed to a large extent by the three team owners.

The Indians are really closer to the playoffs, particularly after the addition of an extra wild-card team, than their Cleveland rivals. But they generate less excitement than either. Despite the occasional splurges by the Dolan family -- Ubaldo Jimenez (Ouch!), Travis Hafner (Ow-wee! again), Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana (Let's wait and see, but have the iodine ready) -- the franchise is considered cheap in the court of public opinion.

The Browns are as close to an unsinkable enterprise as the Titanic was before being blind-sided by the iceberg. That is because the fans remember from a generation ago how it felt to be abandoned by Captain Art Modell, who set a course full speed ahead for Baltimore.

Such an unthinkable loss then becomes current owner Randy Lerner's gain, because the fans wanted pro football back in the worst way. They now must live with the fact, as the joke goes, that this is exactly what they got. In a salary cap sport, Lerner's vast personal fortune is almost besides the point. Viewed through the lens of defeat after defeat, his reluctance to meddle in the football side of the organization is interpreted as uninvolved or uninterested.

The Cavaliers are noisy and distracting because close attention paid to the team's record right now is not a good thing. But in a league whose playoffs are almost as predictable as pro wrestling, with the Cavs no longer among the sport's elite, their feisty owner, Dan Gilbert, still seems to engage his "base" with a passion and immediacy that escapes the other franchises.

First of all, Gilbert will spend the money to get better. It was his decision to take on Baron Davis' huge contract that led to the lottery pick from the Los Angeles Clippers that became Irving. No amount of skill in disseminating his opinions to fans in cutting-edge ways would matter without that.

All teams want to use the new social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to side-step media interpretation and connect directly with their fans. The Indians, bless their MBA degree-holders in the front office, try. The Browns expect their communications people to handle the job.

By contrast, Gilbert (@CavsDan in Twitterese), comes off as free-spirited, frank and at times downright brazen.

When LeBron James, now a public enemy in town, tried to use the players parking garage for himself and his band of buddies at a Miami shootaround at The Q during the 2010-11 season, he was turned away. After an upset Cavs victory the same night, Gilbert Tweeted, "Not in our garage." It put a smile on a lot of faces in a downtrodden season.

Gilbert has also apologized after poor efforts by his team and, most memorably, he came out swinging with an incendiary response to James' defection. This would come off as bullying and rash if it were George Steinbrenner, firing employees at the drop of a game.

Instead, Gilbert -- a native of Michigan in an Ohio State town, a man who has openly modeled the Cavs on the Detroit Pistons -- comes off as just another fan, only with a bigger megaphone and a heavier wallet.

Bill Veeck, long ago in the late 1940s, enjoyed the closest fan identification of any Cleveland sports owner ever. If he had had more money and been born into a world of instant global communications, he'd be Gilbert.

Twitter: @LivyPD