"Brantley has shown nothing, so I'm not upset that he got sent down, but I fully expect to lose Hodges. I agree with the above posters that Marte is someone that I would rather lose." - WSorBust

View full sizeScott Shaw | The Plain DealerSome Indians fans are ready for the Andy Marte experiment to be over.

In response to the story Tolmin to make MLB debut; Michael Brantley down, Wes Hodges out: Cleveland Indians briefing, cleveland.com reader WSorBust doesn't understand why Andy Marte is still with the team. This reader writes,

"Brantley has shown nothing, so I'm not upset that he got sent down, but I fully expect to lose Hodges. I agree with the above posters that Marte is someone that I would rather lose."

Let's hope Browns left tackle doesn't spread himself too thin.

View full sizeChris Murray,
Columbus DispatchChinedum Ndukwe of the Cincinnati Bengals, left, and Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns were the obvious choices for an American Dairy Association Mideast exhibit at the Ohio State Fair: There are none, er, butter at their positions.

So it's only fitting that he is one of two NFL players being honored by an American Dairy Association Mideast-sponsored display at the Ohio State Fair. Yes, Thomas and the Bengals' Chinedum Ndukwe have been sculpted out of butter. The two play key roles on their respective sides of the ball: Thomas has been protecting quarterbacks' blind sides well enough to make the Pro Bowl all three years he's been in the league. Last year, Ndukwe, a strong safety, had 91 tackles, third on the team.

So it almost makes sense to carve them out of butter, as both play positions with no, ahem, margarine for error.

The sculpture is part of an exhibit that has been part of the fair since 1920. So alongside Thomas and Ndukwe are the traditional cow and calf, carved of a ton of butter, according to an account in today's Columbus Dispatch.

Oh, and the reason the organization chose to highlight the two NFL stars? It's part of a program to encourage children to stay healthy.

And really, what could be healthier than a carving of two guys, one 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds and one 6-6 and 312, made out of nice, healthy butter.

Unsalted, of course.

Rogers is on the Browns Physically Unable to Perform list, according to bleacherreport.com and several other sites.

Also listed on the report are defensive lineman C.J. Mosley (ankle) and cornerback Coye Francies (undisclosed).

This is a different list than the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list that is issued at the start of the regular season, since that list requires a player to miss the first six games of the season.

The list Rogers was placed on means that he will be unable to participate in the Browns training camp on July 31 and for possibly several camp practices after that too.

The specific reason that Rogers will not participate was reported to be an issue with his leg.

This could be a case of Rogers needing some more time to get into football shape, since there have been offseason distractions, but regardless of the situation, he will be on the field hopefully sooner than later in training camp.

But for now, training camp when it opens on Saturday in Berea will not be Mr. Rogers neighborhood.

Powell, from Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, shows you how to keep your body quiet while putting.

Renee Powell of Clearview Golf Club in East Canton

This week, LPGA/PGA Professional Renee Powell of Clearview Golf Club in East Canton shows you how to keep your body quiet while putting, and how to use other clubs in your bag to keep your putting stroke true.

Need help with your game? Explain your problem to golf@plaind.com in an e-mail. We will select one e-mail each week. All videos are archived.

What are the Browns' top issues as training camp opens? Tony Grossi provides the headline topics.

Joshua Gunter / The Plain DealerAveraging 187 yards rushing in his final three games of the 2009 season, Jerome Harrison would be excused for believing he'll be the feature back in 2010. But rookie Montario Hardesty has captivated the Browns' coaching staff during the summer.

BEREA, Ohio -- Training camp is pro football's version of baseball's spring training -- minus the idyllic backdrop of swaying palm trees, ocean breezes and tranquil exercises on the field.

Football camp is physically demanding and mentally taxing. The heat is stifling and unforgiving. Same with the coaches, for that matter. The daily drills are tedious. The hitting can be violent, the tension sometimes unbearable.

The theory of NFL training camp is that whipping a group of men into a unit with one unified purpose builds camaraderie and character. In short, camp begins with a roster and ends with a team.

Only the strong survive, and then they embark on a long season to try to justify the four to six weeks of hell they all endured.

The commonality with baseball is that optimism fills the air. Every team is 0-0 and believing it can be the one hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February. Hope is more realistic in the NFL. Last year, the New Orleans Saints were the ninth team in the past 11 seasons to appear in a Super Bowl for the first time.

The list of teams never to appear in 44 Super Bowls is now down to four -- Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville and the Browns.

The Browns begin their quest to come off the list on Saturday when coach Eric Mangini puts his roster of 80 players on the field for the first practice of the season open to the public.

Here's a look at what to expect:

Most anticipated position battle: Jerome Harrison vs. Montario Hardesty.

Joshua Gunter / The Plain DealerA promising combination of size and speed, Montario Hardesty will be given plenty of chances during training camp to prove whether he's feature back material.

Yes, everyone knows that more than one back will play. But somebody has to be "the guy" -- the bell cow, the one to set the tone early in games, the one fantasy leaguers fall in love with. Harrison endeared himself to fans and teammates last year when he morphed into Barry Sanders in the final three games. Some believe Harrison's surge should not be a surprise because he had similar production at Washington State in the shadows of Pac-10 star Reggie Bush.

But if the Browns' new hierarchy totally believed in Harrison, they would have:

• 1. locked up Harrison to a long-term contract instead of giving him a one-year tender; and

• 2. would not have traded three draft picks to move from the third to the second round and select Hardesty in April.

Hardesty was a two-time captain at Tennessee, universally respected for his work ethic and playing through injuries. His three knee surgeries at Tennessee scared away some teams, but the Browns feel, evidently, he has more to offer overall than Harrison.

Hardesty was one of the "stars" of the off-season. The question is whether he can continue to impress, and stay healthy, when the real hitting takes place.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerJake Delhomme offers a body of work to prove he's a viable NFL quarterback this season. Then again, he also offers evidence of struggling through a poor 2009.

Why the quarterbacks dominate attention: Because it's been the most glaring problem position on the team since rebirth in 1999.

There's less drama this summer -- absent a so-called open competition for the starting job -- but no less focus on the passers. Newcomers Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace were the hand-picked choices of new President Mike Holmgren to take over for the stale duo of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

Holmgren likes Delhomme's leadership, experience, savvy and his body of work -- except for a miserable 2009 campaign. Holmgren likes Wallace's intangibles, too, and promises his arm strength and accuracy will surprise those who never saw him play seven seasons in Seattle. Holmgren also was the one to figuratively stand on a table in the draft room and "suggest" to GM Tom Heckert to select Texas record-holder Colt McCoy in the third round after Heckert's targeted pick (Kentucky defensive lineman Corey Peters) was nabbed two notches earlier by Atlanta.

How the coaches acclimate all three new quarterbacks in camp and preseason will be something to watch, as will be the plight of Eric Mangini-product Brett Ratliff.

Dominant storyline nationally: Mangini's future.

Gus Chan / The Plain DealerThe Browns' fast finish in 2009 earned Eric Mangini another chance to prove what he can accomplish as a coach without the burdens of the front office. Will he take advantage this fall?

Despite winning his last four games, Mangini is appearing at, or near, the top of every pundit's "coaches on the hot seat" list entering 2010. Technically, Mangini's contract runs three more years through 2012. But when Holmgren completed weeks of research and two days of intensive meetings with the coach, he announced Mangini "will return as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2010."

Holmgren later sought to diffuse the significance of the statement's wording, but that was like trying to squeeze the toothpaste back into the tube. The four wins in a row undeniably saved the jobs of Mangini and his assistants and raised expectations for 2010. The question now is how many wins do the Browns need for the Mangini program to continue beyond this season.

Storyline that won't go away: Will Holmgren return to coaching?

Holmgren is 62. Two current NFL coaches are older -- the Giants' Tom Coughlin (63) and the Cowboys' Wade Phillips (63). When owner Randy Lerner recruited Holmgren to take over all Browns executive operations, the offer included coaching, if he desired. Holmgren has tried to lay to rest rumors of a return to the sideline, but every once in a while he re-opens the door.

In his most recent national interview, he told USA Today, "I think there is that possibility [of coaching again]. But really not until I think I have accomplished what I need to do here."

The fact that Holmgren surrounded himself with four assistant coaches from his previous NFL posts and gave three of them unfamiliar roles in the organization certainly gives him a jump start on building a new staff.

In all fairness, Holmgren has repeatedly endorsed Mangini and has also been intrigued with the task of mentoring -- if not re-inventing -- him. But it remains to be seen how Holmgren stomachs the helpless feeling of being responsible for the football product while not being able to do anything about it on game days.

The deep, deep background on why the rookies will play: Heckert brought them here and wants to see them in action.

There is always a natural, even healthy, friction between a general manager given the "top football authority" label and a coach. GMs want to see their draft picks develop. Coaches know they have to win games to preserve their job and they generally favor playing veterans over untested rookies.

Now that the season is starting, the dynamic between Heckert and Mangini will be interesting to observe. All parties held hands and sang "Kumbaya" during the draft, but rumors have since leaked out that Mangini's draft would have looked different from Heckert's if the coach were still in charge of those decisions. The way their responsibilities are divided, Heckert has control over the selection of the 53-player roster and Mangini has control over who plays where and how often on game days. Disagreements are inevitable. The bottom line is wins and losses. Wins are currency to coaches.

Tips on attending camp you won't read anyplace else:

• 1. Bring ear plugs or avoid standing or sitting near the big, black speakers on the outskirts of the practice fields. Mangini selects the music playlist at every practice and also has control over the volume dial. He cranks it loud at carefully selected points of every practice session.

• 2. Some practices are extremely boring with more mental work than physical activity. If you prefer to see live hitting, try to pick a practice with the players wearing full pads. Mangini does not usually disclose his pad schedule to the media in advance. Most times we find out when they step on the field. But normally Mangini alternates pads and no pads and rarely has two practices in a row with pads on.

• 3. Prepare for lots of sun. As you enter the Browns complex via Beech Street, the left side is west and the right side is east. In the morning session, the sun broils the viewing areas on the left and the right is shadier. In the afternoon or evening sessions, the right side is sunny and the left side shady.

Righty reliever Guilmet is one of several pitchers in the Indians' farm system who are striking out batters at a stunning rate. He's fanned 42 and walked three in 27 1/3 innings.

azdesertswarm.comPreston Guilmet was a standout pitcher at the University of Arizona.

FARM REPORT

AAA Columbus Clippers

Tonight: Buffalo (51-51) at Clippers (64-40), 7:05. Bisons LHP Bobby Livingston (3-8, 5.28) vs. Clippers LHP Eric Berger (0-0, 0.00).

Notes: Going into Tuesday night's game, 3B Jared Goedert (.303) had not hit a home run in his last nine games and 35 at bats. Prior to that, Goedert had 16 homers in 143 at bats over 35 games for Columbus after being promoted from Akron. Still, Goedert went into Tuesday night's game with a .657 slugging percentage in 178 at bats as a Clipper, with 15 doubles and 16 homers....2B Luis Valbuena was batting .323 (30-for-93) with eight doubles, one triple and six homers since being sent to the Clippers by the Indians....LHP David Huff is 5-0 with a 3.28 ERA in six starts for the Clippers after being demoted by the Indians. But he has given up 42 hits in 35 2/3 innings, with batters hitting .294 against him. He has struck out 26 and walked nine...LHP Eric Berger was brought up from Akron to start for Columbus on Tuesday night. Berger was 4-5 with a 5.07 ERA at Akron this season....The Indians optioned OF Michael Brantley to Columbus for the second time this season to make room on their roster for RHP Josh Tomlin, who started for the Indians on Tuesday night against the Yankees. Cleveland designated 1B Wes Hodges for assignment to clear a spot for Tomlin on the 40-man major league roster. Brantley hit .315 in 241 at bats for Columbus earlier this season, with nine doubles, two triples and three homers. He scored 47 runs, had 26 RBI and stole 11 bases in 16 tries. During his two stints with the Indians, Brantley batted .157 in 102 at bats. Hodges hit .270 for the Clippers in 366 at bats, with 23 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 51 runs and 47 RBI. Tomlin was 8-4 with a 2.68 ERA for Columbus.

AA Akron Aeros

Tonight: Bowie (56-47) at Aeros (53-48), 7:05. Baysox LHP Rick Zagone (1-2, 3.55) vs. Aeros RHP Anthony Reyes (0-0, 0.00).

Notes: Going into Tuesday night's game, OF Matt McBride (.285) was batting .365 (35-for-96) with 12 homers, 11 doubles and 29 RBI in his last 25 games....OF Jerad Head (.301) was batting .486 (17-for-35) with four homers, five doubles and 11 RBI in his last 11 games....2B Jason Kipnis (.326) was 21-for-44 (.477) in his last 11 games....RH reliever Bryan Price (4-2, 3.55) is 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA in his last eight games, striking out 19 and walking five in 17 1/3 innings. For the season, he's fanned 50 and walked 13 in 45 2/3 innings....RHP Anthony Reyes, the Aeros starter on Tuesday night, was continuing his rehab assignment and is expected to also start for the Aeros on Sunday. Reyes underwent Tommy John elbow surgery on June 12th, 2009.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Tonight: Indians (48-51) at Winston-Salem (59-41), 7:00. Indians LHP T.J. McFarland (9-2, 2.59) vs. Dash RHP Nathan Jones (7-3, 4.62).

Notes: Going into Tuesday night's game, 3B Jeremie Tice (.291) was on a nine-game hitting streak, going 14-for-36 (.389) with five doubles and six RBI....RF Abner Abreu (.254) was on a six-game hitting streak, going 8-for-24 (.333) with one double, two triples and six RBI....RH reliever Tyler Sturdevant was 1-0 in four games, giving up one run in 5 1/3 innings, since being promoted from Lake County. He had struck out seven and walked two. Sturdevant was 3-0 with two saves and an 0.76 ERA at Lake County, striking out 56 and walking eight in 35 2/3 innings. He held hitters to a .140 batting average, allowing just 17 hits.

A Lake County Captains

The Captains were idle on Tuesday and will host West Michigan on Wednesday night at 7.

Notes: RH reliever Preston Guilmet (1-1, eight saves, 2.63) has struck out 42 and walked three in 27 1/3 innings. Guilmet was picked by the Indians in the ninth round of the 2009 draft...OF Greg Folgia (.215) is 9-for-24 (.375) with two homers, one double and eight RBI in his last seven games....2B Argenis Martinez (.196) is 13-for-38 (.342) in his last 10 games, with eight runs, six walks and just three strikeouts....RH reliever Jose Flores (0-0, one save, 2.01) has struck out 28 and walked four in 22 1/3 innings.

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers

The Scrappers were idle on Tuesday and will play at Jamestown (Pa.) on Wednesday night at 7:05.

Notes: RH reliever Kyle C. Smith (0-0, 7.13) of Kent State, picked by the Indians in the 20th round of the 2009 draft, has struck out 25 and allowed just 11 hits in 17 2/3 innings over eight games, but has walked 14....3B Giovanny Urshela (.267) is 8-for-23 (.348) with two doubles in his last six games, and is leading the Scrappers with 18 RBI....SS Kevin Fontanez (.203) is 8-for-25 (.320) with four doubles in his last seven games.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

ThunderBolts 2, Crushers 1 Lake Erie RHP Alberto Rolon (2-2, 3.02) took the loss despite yielding just two runs on three hits at Windy City (Crestwood, Ill.). He struck out five and walked two. Crushers 1B Eddie Tisdale (.267) went 3-for-4.

Notes: The start was Rolon's second after being moved to the rotation from the closer's role. Rolon has seven saves, and has struck out 49 in 47 2/3 innings, allowing just 35 hits and 13 walks....RH reliever Jeff Cinadr pitched a scoreless inning. He's 2-1 with three saves and a 1.91 ERA, fanning 30 while giving up 32 hits and nine walks in 42 1/3 innings.

Is that seat hot or are you just glad to see training camp start, coach Mangini?

View full sizeGus Chan,
The Plain DealerThis just in: Eric Mangini is on the hotseat. Oh, and the sky definitely is blue, whenever the clouds don't shroud it.

Well, DUH! It's no secret that the Cleveland Browns coach is under more scrutiny than any other coach in the NFL as this season dawns. Trying to coach with the legendary Mike Holmgren in the boss' office has got to be like doing one of those paint-by-numbers pictures for a class taught by Da Vinci.

James Walker of espn.com put it this way in what actually is an outstanding preview of the AFC North as the teams get ready to open their training camps:

Perhaps no person in the entire AFC North is on a hotter seat than Mangini. He must be successful this year to keep his job, and it's not going to be an easy task getting Cleveland out of the basement in the division. As a former head coach, Browns president Mike Holmgren believed Mangini deserved more than one year to implement his program. Cleveland won five games last season under Mangini and will have to do better in 2010 to impress "The Big Show."

That part of Walker's preview is good, but what Starting Blocks likes -- and what few have reported -- is about the potential of one of the unheralded rookies, receiver Carlton Mitchell, the 6-foot-3 wideout from the South Florida.

Rookie receiver Carlton Mitchell will be a pleasant surprise this summer for Cleveland. Mitchell, a sixth-round pick, comes to the Browns with few expectations. However, he has a nice combination of speed and size and will get plenty of opportunities at a thin position for the Browns.

Man, what a happy accident: Someone from South Florida taking his talents to Cleveland.

Earlier this summer, coach Eric Mangini said he wouldn't rule out starting two rookie safeties together. However, it would be surprising if (T.J.) Ward and (Larry) Asante force Mangini to turn that hypothetical scenario into reality. They can deliver punishing hits, but can they quickly adjust to NFL coverages? In part because of the learning curve Ward and Asante will encounter, (Abram) Elam and (Mike) Adams are favored to line up at strong safety and free safety, respectively. If a rookie does break through, though, it will probably be Ward. And if one of the veterans is surpassed, it will likely be Adams. Ward, a strong safety in college, thinks he can play either safety spot, and he'll need to be versatile if he's on the field opposite Elam. Therefore, Ward needs to prove he can learn the intricacies of multiple spots.

SB tends to agree, but really, after all these years of a suspect defensive backfield, isn't it nice to have guys like Ward and Asante as a, um, safety net?

Mike Holmgren, in his first year as Cleveland Browns President, explains why he is excited about the 2010 lineup for the Cleveland Browns heading into training camp in Berea. Watch the video and read the transcript.

Mike Holmgren, in his first year as Cleveland Browns President, explains why he is excited about the 2010 lineup for the Cleveland Browns heading into training camp in Berea. He also talks about what he thinks will be the most interesting position battles to watch during camp.




Transcript: Mike Holmgren Press Conference
Courtesy: Cleveland Browns

(Opening statement) - "We are in the middle of the rookie stuff right now. Our vets come in on Saturday, as you know. Every year I've ever been in this, at this time of the year you are excited about the possibilities of what your team can accomplish. If you are in this business, I don't care what went on the year before, you're just excited and looking forward to the competition. My feeling is that we have improved the football team. I saw some real positive things in our OTAs and the things leading up to training camp, particularly at the quarterback position, with our young wide receivers, with our young people in the secondary. Our running back group is a good group, I believe. Our offensive line we still have to piece together a couple things, but I think we have the people, it's just how we are going to put it together. Again, when I say put it together, that's Eric's. He's going to put it together, I'm not going to put it together. I'm very encouraged. I'd like to say I'm as excited as I've ever been, but I'm always excited at this time of year. It's the same and the difference for me is my role obviously. I don't want anyone to think the fact that I'm in a golf cart is the fact that I'm the president, it's the fact that I can't walk. That's the only reason because I used to have a rule at my practices, no one sat, including my friends in the media. I saw you sitting on the curb during OTAs over there. I'd make them stand up. Now, I'm going to get a lot of letters from my friends around the country if they ever see a picture of this, so I'll be in a cart for awhile. I'm looking forward to it, the players are upbeat, the coaches are great and they came in and had a good vacation and off we go."

(On the quarterback situation) - "I think that when they line it up the first time, Jake (Delhomme) will be in there. Right now, it's kind of like the way you saw. Seneca (Wallace) is the next guy in, Colt (McCoy) got a few reps and then (Brett) Ratliff gets in there and takes his share. Seneca, and I don't think that it's a big secret, is being used in other types of the offensive scheme. I think that will be fairly obvious and will sort itself out. I know it will be different than it has been. Where you come in and say, ‘Okay, we are going to divide the reps evenly…' Whatever was said before, I don't even know, it's not going to be like that. I think if everyone plays the way they're supposed to play and the way I expect them to play, I think it will sort itself pretty obviously."

(On his impressions of Delhomme) - "He didn't surprise me at all. I've said all along I think he's a fine player. I think he has played a long time, had a lot of success. His last year was documented, it was crummy and we've talked about that. I think you saw too, I hope you did, the ball is getting where it's supposed to be. He shows great leadership, that's a real positive. It's not a contrived thing. I think he is a natural leader. I think he includes people, he extends himself to people and that's what you want at that position. I think he had a really good offseason throwing the ball. People talk about the surgery he had and all of that, I didn't see anything that I would constitute as a problem in his delivery or his throwing or anything like that. He was working very hard to learn this stuff, I mean they throw a lot of stuff at the quarterbacks."

(On sorting out the secondary) - "I think the secondary thing is going to be a really interesting camp story. As far as sorting it out, I don't have to do that anymore. I don't have to sort out anything, but I think there is going to be really good competition in the secondary. Clearly by how we drafted, we wanted to increase that pile and get some young guys in there. I like the way (Mike) Adams had OTAs and (Brandon) McDonald. I liked how those other guys practiced, I really did. Sheldon (Brown) is a great addition. To me, I'm going to be watching that hard. That's going to be an interesting thing how that sorts itself out."

(On the players on the PUP list and the possibility of Shaun Rogers being suspended) - "We have three guys that will start camp on PUP, (C.J.) Mosley, Rogers and (Coye) Francies. My hope is and my belief is that at some point not too far away, because they haven't passed their physical, that they will pass their physical and then start practicing. That's what my hope is. They're all at different stages and I want to nail it down specifically that way because I can't. My feeling is that they will be able to participate in training camp at some point. As from the league Tony (Grossi), we have not heard from the league. I don't want to speculate because I don't want to be disappointed, but we have not heard. The commissioner is coming in for a visit next week. I would hope to know by then, but I've been through these things a lot and you can just never determine. Do I think something will be done? Probably, but who knows? I hope not. I hope not, but the way it's been going if I just look around at everything else that has been happening, yeah."

(On Robaire Smith) - "I have to admit, that happened before I was around and when I first read the story, I think I was on vacation. I didn't know. I didn't know that that had happened last November. The idea of all of a sudden something popping the following July, I don't quite get all of the timing of that. I don't know, we will have to wait on both of them. I know this, I have talked to both of them. I like both of them, I really do. I think they are pretty good guys, but you do screwy things sometimes."

(On if he has talked to Smith) - "I have not talked to Smith after this. I have talked Smith a fair amount after the OTAs."

(On what he thinks the team's record will be this season) - "Nice try (joking). I'd rather not. I'd rather not, but I think we will be improved. I believe we will be improved."

(On the availability of single game and season tickets) - "We had a meeting yesterday and I'm not going to say I was on pain medication because I do pay attention to all of that stuff. It's not my most fun thing to listen to, but the guys have been working very, very hard. There are season tickets available. The percentages are like 93-94 percent of our goals and where we were, have been thrown around, so that leaves some tickets available certainly. Through training camp, you typically get a little of a push. We are going to have access, as an example, here to anyone that comes here. Internet buy-ins and all sorts of stuff going on where they can purchase tickets here during training camp and all that kind of stuff. The guys are working really, really hard. They're doing a great job. The club seats are over. We are going over, so that's good, but there are tickets available to answer your question."

(On having seven of eight draft picks signed) - "Other than Dallas, who signed their number one pick at 24, I think all of us are in the same boat in the first round. I credit Matt Thomas and Tom Heckert for a great job of getting our guys in here. We are going to negotiate fairly and honestly. I know Matt, that has been his history when he has done this for Miami. When I was sitting in the room listening to the dialogues between the agents and Matt, I'm very impressed with how he goes about his business and I believe the agents are too. It doesn't surprise me that our guys are in. As far as (Joe) Haden goes, those of you who have been around this for a long time, the number one picks you just need a domino to go and then it starts to happen. Then it just explodes and happens. We have had good discussions with Joe's agents and I am hopeful that he will get in without too much loss of time. It's very important for the young man, I will say that. I get the business part of it, even when I was coaching I did. It frustrated me to a certain extent, but I get it. This is a lot of money, but I also saw and lived through and experienced the importance of this with a lot of athletes. If they wait too long, they miss some really valuable stuff. Almost their rookie year, it's hard to catch up in most cases. It's important that he gets in here, but I'm not discouraged. I think we are making progress."

(On if it is possible that Haden could be signed by Saturday) - "I think he could. What is today, Wednesday? Yes, he could."

(On what the rookies are working on) - "The rookies are going through another crash course, a tutorial I guess you could say of offense and getting them prepared so when we start, they are very comfortable and really know and aren't too surprised by things. They are on a very, very rigid schedule. They have got workouts, they have got seminars, they have got curfew, they have all sorts of stuff. The rookies are here. Quarterbacks and injured players (can come in Thursday), but rookies to this point.

(On if quarterbacks are coming in Thursday) - "They can come in. You can bring in quarterbacks, players that were formerly injured (last season) and your rookies."

(On evaluating the offense) - "That's really hard to say. You know, I think the team should be better, I think that our quarterback play should be more consistent, so start there. Just start there. If you did nothing else, if you had more consistent play at quarterback and everyone else played the same, you should be better. You should be better. Scheme wise, this is a different scheme. This is not my scheme, this is their scheme. Like with most things, there is more than one way to move the football and there is more than one philosophy. It's how you teach it, the type of player you have, those things. This is a good group of coaches. While they have been very receptive to adding a little something here, a little something here from the West Coast (Offense), that's not fair. I want to do this right with these guys, so it's their deal. I expect us to be better. I expect us to move the ball better. I expect us to pass the ball better for the reasons I stated earlier, more experience at wide receiver, one more year under their belt, more consistent play at quarterback. I think we have a pretty solid running game. We finished the season strong last year. We have added some pieces to that. (Ben) Watson, is a nice addition at tight end. We should be better."

(On if he considered molding the offense the way he wanted) - "Honestly, I think I made that decision before I accepted the job. Let me rephrase that. I think once we decided that we were not going to make a change, because that was in the discussion."

(On whether he reviewed what Mangini did offensively) - "Yes."

(On if he was fine with the offense last year) - "No, but every coach thinks he has the answer. I've been doing it a long time, a certain way and we've done things a certain way. I made the statement right when I got here, I said, ‘I don't know how you can win a game throwing the ball eight times a game.' I don't know how that can happen. I could never do that, but they did it."

(On whether he questioned what they were trying to do prior to the four wins at the end of the season) - "Absolutely. The interesting thing is, in evaluating the quarterbacks going back, this is old news, but evaluating the quarterback, I think one of the things that you have to do too, in fairness to the kid, is how much is it the player and how much of it is the scheme. Does the player have the chance to be successful? You have a good player, he just doesn't have a chance. What is it? That's why you have to study it so hard and talk to the coaches and find out what they want to get done with something. I'm comfortable now, Tony (Grossi), with our involvement, which is minimal, I will say that. The guys come into my office all the time, we have healthy conversations. I believe it's a very, very healthy situation and communication that way."

(On how much he thinks the quarterback situation last season stunted the growth of Brian Robiskie) - "I think receivers live to catch the football. Some of them say, ‘I love blocking.' None of them do, very few of them do. Hines Ward maybe does, but not many. They'll do it because they are football players and they are tough guys, but really want they want to do is catch the ball. When you're not throwing the ball very much, then be careful of the numbers. You look at a number, ‘Well, a guy caught 30 balls, okay. What did the quarterback do?' You have to have somebody to throw it to, so that all factored into Brian's first year. I like Brian Robiskie as a player. I will say this, rookie receivers and I've had them. High draft choices, rookie receivers, it's a different world for most of them. You'll see a lot of fine college receivers drafted high, come in their first year, kind of putz it around a little bit, then the second year, bang because now I get it. I see the speed of this thing, the physical part of it. I'm going against good guys all the time, I get it and they take off their second year. It happens all the time. I think Brian has a chance to be someone like that. It was a combination of things last year that didn't allow any of the receivers put up any numbers. There were no numbers there."

(On whether Mangini and the offensive staff are doing anything different or whether it's a matter of having new players) - "I think they are doing a few things different. Have they said they haven't been doing things different? I think they are probably doing a few things differently."

(On how difficult it is for him to sit back and watch the coaching staff do things their way) - "To make anything work, the people that have to make it work have to decide they are going to make it work. I'm committed to that. Let's flip it for a second. Let's say I was the coach. I lived through that a little bit of that. I was not the best one at coming in and having somebody telling me how to (do things). I was polite, but that wasn't a good thing. I remember consciously thinking, if this is what my job is going to be and I'm not going to coach the team, what kind of a president do I want to be for my coach. I'm trying to be that type of person, that type of guy, support him, answer questions if necessary, but really, if I thought I couldn't do that or I thought he couldn't do it, then I probably should have made a different decision way back when, but I didn't. So, we're going to do it this way. Do I think this will be difficult for me? We'll see. We'll talk after a couple months of watching games and stuff like that. I suspect I'll get a little antsy about stuff, but I've been doing something for so long that this is a different thing. I think that's natural."

(On if he will give more consideration to keeping extra linebackers) - "I think when you get into thinking about that, two things pop into play. If you are going to run a 3-4 scheme, which we run, you are going to have more linebackers anyway. To have a lot of linebackers that actually can go in, that can play, that's a nice problem to have. What a coach has to manage then at that point are the egos of the players. If you have eight guys that can play, it's not going to work out even all the time. The second part of that is their value on special teams. Linebackers are such a huge part of special teams for any team. That factors into those decisions so much at the linebacker position. I know Eric, he can answer this for himself, but my feeling is that he likes the versatile guys at linebacker that can interchange at certain positions. I mentioned the secondary in training camp, the linebacker situation, to me, will be as intriguing. I think we have good guys, there is a lot of experience there, we have some youngins coming in. It should be pretty good."

(On whether Delhomme's play in OTAs eased his mind about the quarterback spot) - "I wasn't really concerned. I've got to say the first few practices, I'm going, ‘Okay, that's good.' He told me, he's an upfront guy, you've talked to him. I don't think there's a lot of hidden stuff there. You ask him and he tells you. I expected him to do what he did. I would have been more surprised if he hadn't. Jake is what, 35? I had another quarterback who's 46 and he's still playing. Jake he keeps himself in great shape. I talked about Jake being a bridge of sorts until we can find the next young guy to come in here and hopefully be the quarterback for a long time. I'm not discounting any of the three players that we have other than Jake at the position, but the lifespan of a quarterback, he's getting close to where most guys finish up. I am really glad we have him. He is already made an imprint on this football team. We needed the leadership, in my opinion. We needed the leadership there as much as anything. The passing I didn't worry about too much, but I needed someone to bring everyone together and I think he's done a nice job of that so far."

(On his thoughts on the division) - "It's a great division. As an outsider looking in for years, it's a great division. I've played all those teams. I want to be a player in the division. I want to be considered a factor in what happens. The scheduling the NFL is doing now where you play your division opponents at the end, a lot of them. I want those games to be for the marbles, for everything top create that type of buzz. That type of atmosphere. Now, do we have some work to do? Yes. Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati hopping in there lately, they've kind of been the guys. So now, that's what we want to be. We keep improving, taking steps and we'll see what happens, but we know what kind of division it is, but it makes us work that much harder, I think."

(On whether there was a durability factor with Jerome Harrison in trading up for Montario Hardesty) - "I love Jerome Harrison. We had a good visit this offseason. He's a good football player, heck he played at Washington State. Anytime you get a chance in the draft to get a quality player at a great value, I think you do it. I think the competition at positions in this league, make your team better. Hardesty isn't the only guy back there. I think our pile at running back and at fullback this year is a real strong one. I think it's going to be a real battle in there and I think history has proven in this business now, more than in years past, the idea when I had Shaun Alexander that he would carry the ball 25-35 times a game, that's what he did. The other guy, whoever it was, (Maurice) Morris would come in when Shaun was tired or needed a blow or something. A lot of teams don't do that anymore. A lot of teams have two backs and they kind of even it off and they keep them fresh. We'll see how this plays out. Taking Hardesty, I wasn't thinking about who we already had. I was thinking, ‘Okay, we have a chance to get this player, let's get this player.' That was in the whole room."

(On the new NFL posters in the locker room informing players about concussions) - "I haven't seen the poster yet. There's been a lot of study and there's a lot being written about concussions and rightfully so. It's something that we all have to be aware of. The teams I've been associated with treated that type of injury the same way that I would be asked to treat it now. We didn't downplay it. We didn't say, ‘How many fingers? Go back in the game.' We didn't do that. We treated it the way it should be treated. For me, there isn't a dramatic change. I think with players, not only concussions, but players today know so much more about every injury and potential injury than we used to and it's probably a good thing. It is a good thing. Our medical staff and our training staff, we are committed to do the right thing for the players at all times. This is a rough sport sometimes and the players certainly deserve that. Whatever they put up, I'm fine with it."

(On whether players sometimes hide that they have a concussion) - "I suppose they do. I've had players do that. All of a sudden I'm looking at the film and say, ‘That was a nice play," and they say, ‘I don't remember that at all.' That's happened. I think the awareness of your training staff, if they weren't really tuned in before, which we were, but if your program wasn't tuned in then, they are going to be tuned in. We are just going to be more aware of it. Yes, players hide that. I don't know what you can do about that. You do the best you can humanly do in protecting the player. If you don't sense it or see it and it happens and he doesn't tell you about it, you do the best you can."

(On what he is looking to accomplish with the Family Day scrimmage next weekend) - "The way Eric runs it, it's just like a game. It's the walkthrough for everybody in the building, not just the team, but everybody, so it's a real good thing. We will be looking for how we do things, our game day operations first of all, from everyone else's perspective. How we function, it's a good learning thing and then the next week you can pick at it and get ready to do things correctly when it counts. For the player, I'll say what I always looked for with those things, now Eric again, you ask him the question he might have a little different slant on it. You want to see your young players, particularly the young ones that you kind of have in your mind that are going to be contributors. You want to see where they are. You want to see some sharpness in the passing game. I always did. I wanted to see the guys throw it and catch it. I wanted to see an active defense and other than that it's the first scrimmage. They'll have some other scrimmages, I guess, in training camp and then you just keep your fingers crossed that no one gets nicked up. That's maybe the biggest thing out of that. It's great for our fans. It introduces the new team to the fans that day. It'd be cool if they packed the stadium that day pretty good. I'm looking forward to it. It should be a fun day."

AVON LAKE, Ohio - Avon Lake incoming seniors Ron Willoughby and Andrew Bohan have given oral commitments to the football programs at Buffalo and Akron, respectively. Willoughby is a 6-4, 190-pound wide receiver who led the Shoremen last season with 29 receptions, good for 723 yards and nine touchdowns. Bohan is a 6-4, 270-pounder who plays offensive tackle and nose...

Willoughby is a 6-4, 190-pound wide receiver who led the Shoremen last season with 29 receptions, good for 723 yards and nine touchdowns. Bohan is a 6-4, 270-pounder who plays offensive tackle and nose tackle.

"I don't know how quickly I'll play [at Buffalo] but I do know they like receivers with height and speed," said Willoughby, who is undecided about his major.

Bohan will play offensive tackle for Akron but will have to wait a season because he'll be redshirted.

"The coaches at Akron said I need to bulk up a little more, and improve my strength and blocking technique but I don't have a problem with that," said Bohan, who will major in engineering.

Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says Chris Bosh was "checked out" last season. Was his mind already on Miami or perhaps not facing his future teammate LeBron in the first round?

Associated PressChris Bosh is happy to be out of Toronto, that's for certain.

What is it about Miami? Sports Illustrated's SI.com lists its "25 Most Hated Teams of All Time." No. 1 is the 1986 University of Miami football team. Despite not yet playing a game, James' South Beach Heat are No. 25. And, a Buckeye football sighting.

J. Pat Carter, Associated Press(Left to right) Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on July 9.

Cleveland, Ohio -- They are 0-0 and haven't even laced up their Nikes for a full-squad practice.

They are attracting the front-runners among today's sports fans. Contrarily, they are being ridiculed for their egos by most fans.

They are the 2010-11 Miami Heat, the Heat, specifically, of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Sports Illustrated's SI.com lists, in its estimation, "The 25 Most Hated Teams of All Time." The Heat sneak into the bottom spot, the lone ranked team to have never played a game.

There are no Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns or Cleveland Cavaliers teams included among these winners with losing personalities. Not even any Cleveland Force/Crunch of Barons/Crusaders. No Cleveland Spiders or Pipers.

Thanks to Akron native and seven-year-Cavalier James, though, there is a Cleveland connection.

About the 2010-11 Heat, on the second page of the list, Phil Taylor writes: 

I hate that the Three My-Egos are being painted as a bunch of Mother Teresas who have taken a vow of poverty when all they've done is forego a small percentage of what are still obscenely huge salaries. I hate that we have become so accustomed to the overwhelming greed of superstar athletes that when the Heat's threesome accepts roughly $110 million each when they could have had closer to $120 million, some people want to fit them for angels' wings.

The reader is directed to Taylor's full column on the Heat. He refers to the borderline decadent "celebration" on July 9 when James and fellow free agent Bosh signed with Miami, and joined Heat veteran Wade in a showboating spectacle in front of thousands of Miami fans:

I hate that preening, cocky, over-the-top welcoming celebration they had in Miami. Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would have arrived with less fanfare. The Heat's trio and their fans seem to be under the impression that they have already won something. I hope every one of their opponents watches a replay of that extravaganza on the locker room flatscreen just before they take the floor against the Heat, for a little extra motivation.

No. 1 on the motley list is the 1986 University of Miami football team that was coached by Jimmy Johnson. Maybe because he didn't want to get his hair mussed, Johnson let his players get away with almost anything. One of the seemingly few Hurricanes who wasn't familiar with local police was future Browns quarterback Vinny Testaverde. Then the poor guy threw away Miami's perfect season by throwing five passes to Penn State players in the Nittany Lions' 14-10 upset Fiesta Bowl win.

No. 2 are the 1988-89 "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons. Forward Rick Mahorn threw an intentional elbow at Mark Price's forehead that season -- at a time when Cleveland led eventual champion Detroit by five games in the standings -- giving Price a severe concussion and missing by a fraction an even more serious injury for the Cavaliers' star point guard.

Miami Hurricanes football makes another appearance at No. 11 with its 1990 edition. LeBron James is in on the action at No. 20 with the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team, a group loaded with talent but also with immature stars who had to settle for an under-achieving bronze medal.

Alex Wolff writes:

"It's not like it's the end of the world," LeBron James said after a 19-point pool-play loss to Puerto Rico.

And, after mentioning the youth of some of the players -- including James at 19 -- Wolff adds:

But decorum and discipline were so poor that coach Larry Brown wanted to send several players home from Athens on the eve of the Games. After another pool-play loss, to Lithuania, and a medal-round defeat to eventual gold-medalist Argentina in the semifinals, Brown pronounced himself "humiliated" and the alibis flew.

Thanks, Scarlet and Gray!

In light of the last few weeks, Ohio fans appreciate the 2002 national champion Ohio State football team even more. The Buckeyes capped their 14-0 season with a double-overtime 31-24 Fiesta Bowl national title win over M-I-A-M-I!!!

We could not care any less that SI lists that Buckeyes' juggernaut of great players and Nice Guys Who Do Finish First among the "Seven teams that just missed the cut (of top 25 hated teams)."

Paul Sakuma, Associated PressOhio State coach Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes celebrate their 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami (Fla.) in the 2002 season national championship game.

Stewart Mandel mistakenly writes about one of the greatest college football teams of all-time:

Half its wins came by a touchdown or less. Precocious freshman running back Maurice Clarett (pictured) became a villainous figure even before his criminal activities several years later. Few gave the Buckeyes a chance against defending national champion Miami in the BCS championship game, and even when they did pull off a double-overtime upset, it was marred by controversy. Miami appeared to have won at the end of the first overtime, but an unusually late pass-interference flag by field judge Terry Porter saved the Luck ... er, Buckeyes.

Too bad, South Beach! May you never forget it and never win again!

LeBron James learns that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas.

View full sizeYahoo.comLeBron James party poster.

Cleveland, Ohio -- Ex-Cavalier LeBron James was in Las Vegas this weekend, having a pah-tay with a few hundred of his closest friends, including a tattooed girl and some naked ladies in a bathtub.

You can't make this stuff up.

Or can you? ESPN.com's Arash Markazi hung out with the self-proclaimed King as he was being wined, dined and intertwined by executives of Nike and attended to by a flock of bodyguards and hangers-on like some sort of jumpshooting Cleopatra on a tour of the Nile.

Markazi's story was up on the Internet ... but only for a while. It's a fairly innocuous piece; nothing untoward and nothing less than what we might expect from any athlete suffering from a terminal case of entitlement. Certainly nothing surprising to those in Northeast Ohio who suffered the indignity of the snub that was his ESPN exercise in narcissism known as "The Decision."

Deadspin.com and yahoo.com managed to save screen caches of the story.

The most risque parts of it involved James' table being next to a tubful of naked women submerged under a blanket of rose petals. Oh, and Maverick Carter, James' manager and former St. Vincent teammate, dancing around him with a bottle of high-end vodka. Which he spilled!

Alcohol abuse!

So the question is, why was it pulled? Why did ESPN spike the story? Thescore.com suspects it's because one paragraph talks about James' BFF, Chris Paul, being with him . . . and ignores Chris Bosh, his new teammate at the Miami Cheat, er, Heat.

To be precise, thescore.com asks if ESPN yanked the story because of this section:

"Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The New Orleans Hornets point guard has seen how James has positioned himself to win a championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and has reportedly considered a similar move himself.

The truth is, in James’ dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when as a rookie he carried James’ and Wade’s bags to and from the team bus."

 

This is an interesting and potentially explosive claim by Markazi, since it implies that Bosh isn’t part of LeBron’s closest circle of friends and may not factor into his long-term plans. Say what you want about whether or not a LeBron-Wade-Bosh trio is a more potent combo than LeBron-Wade-Paul, but it’s become evident that LeBron wants things done his way all the time — regardless of whether or not it’s the best way.

That's all well and good, but Starting Blocks has another idea: ESPN, being a business and lacking a soul, sold a portion of itself to LeBron in a bid to get "The Decision," and Daddy decided he didn't like the story.

Is that true? Probably not. But it makes about as much sense as anything else in this whole LeBron James circus.

Anybody want some peanuts?

Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot analyze the Cleveland Browns position battles before training camp starts on Saturday.

Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot analyze the Cleveland Browns position battles before training camp starts on Saturday. They also give their predictions for the Browns season.

Browns President Mike Holmgren won't butt in on Eric Mangini's offense, but he doesn't exactly climb out on a long limb when predicting it will be better in 2010. (It can't be much worse.)

Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer"I remember consciously thinking that if this is what my job is going to be and I'm not going to coach the team, what kind of president am I going to be for my coach? And I'm trying to be that person," said Browns president Mike Holmgren of his relationship with head coach Eric Mangini. "Will it be difficult for me? We'll see. I suspect I'll get a little bit antsy about some stuff."

BEREA, Ohio -- When Mike Holmgren jumped aboard as Browns president, everyone expected him to bring along his version of the West Coast offense. But that's not what coach Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will be running in 2010.

"Scheme-wise, this is a different scheme. This is not my scheme. This is their scheme," Holmgren said Wednesday.

Curing the Browns' offensive woes has got to be at the top of Mangini's list of priorities when his second training camp begins Saturday at the team's headquarters in Berea.

In 2009 under the first-year direction of Mangini and Daboll, a rookie coordinator, the Browns finished 32nd among NFL teams in four categories and 29th in scoring.

The most incredible statistic about last year is that in their five wins, Browns quarterbacks completed 33 passes -- that's the five-game total, remember -- in 82 attempts for 386 yards. They had one touchdown, four interceptions and a passer rating of 38.97.

This bears repeating: That was in the team's five wins.

"I've made the statement, I don't know how you can win a game throwing eight times," Holmgren said. "But they did it. I couldn't do it."

Holmgren said that a thorough review of the team's offensive failings was part of his intensive meetings with Mangini before deciding to bring back the coach and his staff.

Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer"I'm comfortable with our involvement [in the offense], which is minimal, I will say," said Mike Holmgren. "But (coaches) come into my office all the time. We have healthy conversations. I believe it's a very, very healthy situation and communication."

So, was the man who made his reputation coaching offensive football satisfied with what he heard?

"No," Holmgren answered. "But every coach thinks he has the answer."

Nevertheless, Holmgren did not insist on Mangini incorporating a new offensive approach as a condition for returning as coach.

"Let's say if I was the coach and Eric was the president," Holmgren explained. "I lived through that a little bit [in Seattle]. I was not the best one to come in and have someone tell me what to do.

"I remember consciously thinking that if this is what my job is going to be and I'm not going to coach the team, what kind of president am I going to be for my coach? And I'm trying to be that person. If I thought I couldn't do that or I thought he couldn't do that, then I probably should have made a different decision. Will it be difficult for me? We'll see. I suspect I'll get a little bit antsy about some stuff."

Holmgren brought in Gil Haskell, his long-time sounding board and former offensive coordinator, to observe and offer suggestions to Daboll. Haskell attends all meetings and practices. He'll be the white-haired gentleman standing behind the offensive unit when the team takes the field on Saturday.

"I'm comfortable with our involvement [in the offense], which is minimal, I will say," Holmgren said. "But the guys come into my office all the time. We have healthy conversations. I believe it's a very, very healthy situation and communication."

Mangini and Daboll have downplayed whatever changes they have in store for the offense in 2010. Holmgren knows what's in store, but won't say. He does predict the offense will be better.

"I think our quarterback play should be more consistent. So just start there," he said. "If you do nothing else and you have more consistent play at quarterback, you should be better.

"There's more than one way to move the football and there's more than one philosophy. It's how you teach it, the type of players you have, those things. I expect us to move the ball better, to pass the ball better --for the reasons I've stated. We have more experience at wide receiver, with guys in their second year. We'll have more consistent play at quarterback. I think we have a solid running game. And the tight end [Benjamin] Watson is a nice addition."

Brownie bits: Holmgren said that nose tackle Shaun Rogers, defensive end C.J. Mosley and cornerback Coye Francies will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list until they pass their physicals. ... The Browns are hoping to have some clarification from the NFL on possible disciplinary action against Rogers and defensive end Robaire Smith -- for separate gun-related incidents at airports -- when Commissioner Roger Goodell visits camp next Thursday. ... Holmgren is hopeful that No. 1 pick Joe Haden could be signed in time to have the cornerback on the field for the first practice on Saturday.

Indians 3B Jhonny Peralta has been traded to the Tigers.

UPDATED: 9:34 p.m.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerJhonny Peralta's eight seasons with the Indians ended with Wednesday's trade to the Detroit Tigers. Peralta hit 103 homers and drove in 456 runs with the Tribe while playing shortstop and third base.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Those Indians fans who love to criticize Jhonny Peralta -- the number seemingly grew exponentially each year -- finally can relax.

 Peralta was traded to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday for minor-league pitcher Giovanni Soto.

 The Indians promoted infielder Luis Valbuena from Class AAA Columbus to take Peralta's spot on the roster.

Peralta had been in Tribe manager Manny Acta's lineup against the Yankees. The trade was announced late in the afternoon.

Soto, 19, is a 6-4 left-hander. He has spent the entire season at Class A West Michigan, going 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts. He has allowed 75 hits and struck out 76 in 82 2/3 innings.

Soto was Detroit's 21st-round pick in 2009. His career minor-league record is 10-6 with a 2.10 ERA and one save in 29 games (22 starts).

Peralta, 28, is hitting .246 with 23 doubles, seven homers and 43 RBI in 91 games. He figures to immediately play for the Tigers, who have been hit with a series of injuries to their infield, including nominal starter Brandon Inge.

Octavian Cantilli / The Grand Rapids PressGiovanni Soto has been impressive as a 19-year-old at Class A ball with West Michigan, posting a 2.61 ERA with a 3-to-1 ratio of strikeouts to walks in 82.2 innings.

Peralta has about $1.42 million remaining on a $4.6 million contract for this season. The Tigers inherit a club option for $7 million that increases to $7.25 million because of a trade. If the Tigers decline the option, Peralta receives a $250,000 buyout expected to be paid by Detroit.

It has been learned that the Indians will pick up the majority of the $1.42 million.

“We made a decision that we weren’t going to pick up the option (for next season),” Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro said.

“This was not really a money-motivated deal,” Shapiro said. “This is more about a combination of a projectable arm we’re getting back and the reality that we wanted to take a look at some of our internal third-base alternatives for next year, because we think they can help us this year and next year.”

The major-league mix at third base currently consists of Valbuena, Andy Marte and Jayson Nix. Marte replaced Peralta in the lineup Wednesday. Jared Goedert, playing superbly at Columbus, also will be getting a look at some point.

“I don’t think we’re going to take a huge step back [at third] the rest of this year,” Shapiro said.

Asked about trade rumors Monday, Peralta said: "It's out of my control. I'll go wherever they tell me to go. I've had a great time with the Indians, but if it's time to move on, it's time to move on.''

Peralta, signed by Cleveland as a non-drafted free agent in 1999, made his major-league debut in 2003. He became the Tribe's regular shortstop in 2005, hitting .292 with 24 homers and 78 RBI in 141 games.

Peralta, the franchise's all-time homer leader at shortstop, was moved to third base early last season to make room for Asdrubal Cabrera.

In 923 major-league games, Peralta is hitting .264 with 103 homers and 456 RBI.

Peralta habitually has struggled early in the year, then turned it on late to make his numbers respectable. His critics howled that Peralta only delivered when it didn't matter, but he did hit .469 (7-for-15) in the 2007 division series and .259 (7-for-27) with two homers and eight RBI in the 2007 ALCS.

Peralta's ultra-low-key personality makes him an easy target when he struggles. To Peralta's credit, he did not knock those fans who knocked him. He said he enjoyed playing in front of Tribe fans.

Valbuena broke camp with the Indians as the starting second baseman. He hit .166 in 49 games before being optioned to Columbus on June 24. He hit .313 with six homers and 20 RBI in 25 games for the Clippers.

Video of new Indians minor-league pitcher Giovanni Soto

Giovany Soto from Patrick Trotter on Vimeo.

In Columbus, Jack Tatum, the Ohio State legend who died Tuesday, was not the same man as Jack Tatum, the remorseless hitter whose nickname was "Assassin."

The legacy of Jack Tatum the football player is more than a tragic incident with Darryl Stingley. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has made sure to keep Tatum's fierceness alive with a weekly award in his name during the season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The stories about Jack Tatum always begin with brutality. There is no room in them for remorse. It was the code by which he lived.

But at Ohio State, they say they didn't know that Jack Tatum.

The safety who hit like a linebacker died of a heart attack Tuesday at the age of 61. Darryl Stingley, whom Tatum hit and paralyzed in one of the NFL's most horrifying moments, died three years ago at 55.

They were always connected, from the August day in 1978, when they met at the intersection of speed, force and macabre celebrity, until their deaths.

"We lost one of the greats," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. "You would never have known Jack Tatum's nickname was 'The Assassin' from listening to him. He was a gentle, loving, soft-spoken guy off the field. It was hard to believe he was the guy in the highlight films, blitzing against Michigan or making those big hits against Purdue."

Tatum, a fast, ferocious Oakland safety, smashed into Stingley, a New England wide receiver, in an exhibition game nearly 32 years ago, breaking Stingley's neck. Stingley was a quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

It was the kind of helmet-to-helmet collision for which heavy fines are assessed today. Although no flag was thrown; although the Patriots' coach at the time, Chuck Fairbanks, said there was nothing illegal about the play; although Stingley himself felt the procedures of the medical team at the game might have worsened his condition -- Tatum still became the symbol of a savage style that had to be reformed.

The ferocious image was set for all time in his book, "They Call Me 'Assassin.'"

"Any fool knows when you hit someone with your best shot and he is still able to think, then you're not a hitter. My idea of a good hit is when the victim wakes up on the sidelines with train whistles blowing in his head and wondering who he is and what ran over him," Tatum wrote.

One of Tressel's first acts when he became Buckeyes coach in 2001 was to institute the "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week" award for the biggest collision delivered by a Buckeye.

Always cast as the villain in the Stingley saga, Tatum never apologized because he felt he had done nothing wrong under the rules of the time. Hard tackles had made him a feared and respected player. He later said he tried to visit Stingley at the hospital, but was turned away by members of the receiver's family.

Tatum became a victim of selective morality, as far as applying what is known about head and neck injuries today to his own era. But the vilification he endured would be more regrettable had he not written about those screaming train whistles with such relish.

Stingley himself thought doctors should never have removed his helmet, lessening the stability of his neck, before rolling him on a gurney over Oakland Coliseum's bumpy turf, which he described as looking "like golfers had taken divots out of it."

A member of both the Ohio State and college football halls of fame, Tatum battled health problems in his later years, when the great hitter had to withstand some hard knocks himself.

Tatum lost the bottom part of his left leg to complications of diabetes. Tressel remembered how quickly Tatum was back on the sideline at practice after the amputation, using a prosthetic leg. "He was a warrior. He loved the Buckeyes," Tressel said.

Ohio State Medical Center doctors saved Tatum's other leg after his old teammates insisted that he come back to Columbus for treatment. During his recuperation, he stayed at the home of his teammate John Hicks, the great Buckeyes lineman from Cleveland's John Hay High School.

When he heard about Tatum's death, Ohio State linebacker Brian Rolle burst into Tressel's office, saying, "It's not true, is it?"

"You would think he lost a teammate," said Tressel.

The players recognized in Tatum the same things they saw in themselves.

"Jack Tatum had a great attraction to the players of today because you could see the love of the game of football in his eyes," Tressel said.

At places like Ohio State, what happens after college is almost incidental to how players are remembered. Autumn afternoons in the Horseshoe confer on them a type of immortality in the eyes of fans.

"He was always a Buckeye to us," Tressel said of Tatum.

They are perpetually young in fans' memories. Rex Kern will always be the leader of the "Super Sophomores." Archie Griffin will always be running to his second Heisman Trophy. Jack Tatum, the sunlit afternoons undarkened by his future notoriety, will always be throwing around the Wolverines and Boilermakers, like rag dolls.

UPDATED: The Captains see a big early lead disappear and turn into an eight-run deficit, then nearly rally at home.

Indians Prospect InsiderMatt McBride is one of the premier run-producers in the Cleveland farm system.

Updated at 1:13 a.m. with Lake County Captains result.

AAA Columbus Clippers

Clippers 6, Bisons 4: Cord Phelps slugged his fourth home run, and Jeanmar Gomez (8-8) pitched seven solid innings as Columbus defeated visiting Buffalo in an International League game. Gomez gave up three runs, two earned, and seven hits. He struck out four and walked one. Former Cleveland Indian Jensen Lewis pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. Phelps was 3-3 and is hitting .365 in 137 at-bats.

Notes: Going into Wednesday night's game, OF Jordan Brown (.313) was 11-for-19 (.579) with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in his last five games. He was fifth in the International League in RBI (61), despite having missed 39 games because of arthroscopic knee surgery in March and then lower back soreness. ... OF Jose Constanza (.310) was 11-for-26 (.423) with six runs in his last six games. He was leading the IL in with 27 stolen bases (in 29 tries) and had been safe on 15 straight attempts. ... OF Ezequiel Carrera was batting .318 (14-for-44) since joining the Clippers. He was 7-for-15 (.467) with a double, triple and five runs in his last four games.

AA Akron Aeros

Rain washed out Wednesday night’s game between Bowie, Md., and Akron at Canal Park. It will be made up next month in Bowie.

Notes: OF Matt McBride (.285) was batting .364 (36-for-99) with 13 homers, 11 doubles, 32 RBI and an .869 slugging percentage in his last 26 games. The right-handed hitting McBride, 25, was the 75th overall pick of the 2006 draft, coming out of Lehigh University. Last season, McBride hit a combined .297 with 44 doubles, 18 homers and 99 RBI for Kinston and then Akron. ... OF Jerad Head (.302) was batting .474 (18-for-38) with five doubles, four homers and 11 RBI in his last 12 games. ... 2B Jason Kipnis (.325) was batting .458 (22-for-48) in his last 12 games. ... OF Tim Fedroff (.273) was on a six-game hitting streak, going 9-for-23 (.391) with three doubles, one triple and one home run. ... OF Jordan Henry (.265) was batting .371 (13-for-35) in his last 10 games. ... RHP Connor Graham (3-5, 3.63) was 2-3 with one save and a 2.37 ERA in 24 relief appearances, giving up just one homer in 38 innings. ... RH reliever Bryan Price (4-2, one save, 3.33) was 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in his last nine games, pitching 20 1/3 innings while striking out 23, walking five and allowing 18 hits -- none of them homers. ... RHP Alex White (6-4, 1.48) was named last week's Aeros Player of the Week. He won both of his starts, allowing two runs in 14 innings while fanning 14 and walking none.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Dash 8, Indians 5: 3B Kyle Bellows (.257, eight homers) slugged a two-run homer and RBI double, but it was enough to offset Winston-Salem's six-run outburst in the bottom of the seventh inning. Kinston DH Chun Chen (.278) doubled twice, drove in two runs, scored two runs and walked twice.

Notes: 1B-3B Jeremie Tice is 17-for-45 (.378) in his last 11 games, immediately following his 2-for-19 (.105) start in his first five games after being promoted from Lake County. He has eight doubles and a homer in 64 at bats for the Indians. ... 3B Kyle Bellows is 5-for-9 with one double, one triple, one homer and six RBI in his last two games. ... DH-C Chun Chen is 7-for-20 (.350) with three doubles, one homer and seven RBI in his last six games. ... RH starter Joseph Mahalic (3-6, 4.52) took the loss, giving up five runs on four hits and three walks in six innings while striking out four.

A Lake County Captains

Whitecaps 16, Captains 14 Adam Abraham and Casey Frawley each drove in five runs as Lake County built a lead of 8-2, but West Michigan scored 14 unanswered runs and then held on to win at Eastlake. Frawley had two home runs and Abraham was a triple short of the cycle.

Notes: Going into Wednesday night's game, RH reliever Preston Guilmet (1-1, eight saves, 2.63) had struck out 42 and walked three in 27 1/3 innings. ... OF Greg Folgia (.215) was 9-for-24 (.375) with two homers, one double and eight RBI in his last seven games. ... 2B Argenis Martinez (.196) was 13-for-38 (.342) in his last 10 games, with eight runs, six walks and just three strikeouts. ... RH reliever Jose Flores (0-0, one save, 2.01) had struck out 28 and walked four in 22 1/3 innings. ... RHP Brett Brach (2-5, 3.22) was named last week's Midwest Player of the Week. He pitched the first nine-inning, complete game shutout in franchise history, beating Peoria, 3-0, on Saturday. Brach gave up seven hits, struck out five and walked one.

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Mahoning Valley led at Jamestown, N.Y., 1-0, after three innings, when the game was suspended because of rain. The nine-inning game will pick up where it left off at 6:05 p.m. Thursday. The regularly scheduled game will begin 30 minutes after the first game. That game will be only seven innings.

Notes: Left-handed hitting OF Jonathan Burnette (.294) was batting .330 (30-for-91) against right-handed pitching, with five doubles, two triples and each of his four homers. ... OF Brian Heere was batting just .210 (21-for-100) but was tied for third in the New York-Penn League with 24 walks. ... RHP Casey Gaynor started and lost his first game, yielding seven runs in two innings, and was moved to the bullpen, where he was 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in eight outings spanning 14 innings. ... The Scrappers were last in the 14-team league in batting (.228), tied for last in home runs (12) and 13th in runs (144/3.8 per game).

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

Wild Things 6, Crushers 2: Dom Duggan clubbed his second homer of the year, but Lake Erie lost at Washington, Pa.

Notes: Going into Wednesday night's game, 3B Andrew Davis (.329) was 2-for-17 (.118) with no RBI in his last five games, but was still fifth in the Frontier League in batting average and tied for 10th in RBI (40). ... IF Andrew Saylor (.219) was 7-for-22 (.318) with a double and homer in his last six games.

Former NBA big man had been missing for more than a week after visiting family.

UPDATED: 10:10 p.m.

Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerReportedly found dead from gunshot wounds on Wednesday by Memphis police, former Cavaliers forward Lorenzen Wright played the 2008-09 season in Cleveland, scoring just 23 points in 18 games.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Relatives and friends of Lorenzen Wright gathered Wednesday and grieved for the former NBA player who has been missing for 10 days, as police investigated the discovery of a man's body outside of Memphis.

Wright's uncle, Curtis Wright, told The Associated Press that police called the player's father, Herb Wright, Wednesday afternoon with the news he had died.

Sgt. Alyssa Macon-Moore of the Memphis Police Department wrote in an e-mail to the AP that police were investigating the death of an unidentified man beside a wooded area about 15 miles south of downtown Memphis. Asked if the man was Wright, she wrote they could not confirm the victim's identity Wednesday night.

The family issued a statement through a cousin of Lorenzen Wright, Camella Logan: "Lorenzen's family has come together to mourn his loss and honor his legacy. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and condolences as they are comforting at this very difficult time. Additionally, we ask that you please respect our privacy as we try to cope with his sudden loss."

Wright's mother, Deborah Marion, arrived at the scene Wednesday night with a handful of family members. She crossed the crime scene tape and tried to talk to police when she was told to move back. She sat in a TV van before returning to the tape. Two officers then let her through.

The distraught Marion then started running down the road toward the crime scene before being stopped by an officer. She spoke with officers, then walked back past reporters without speaking straight to a van.

The 34-year-old Wright was last seen July 18 when he was expected to fly out of town. His family filed a missing person report July 22.

Wright played 13 years in the NBA with five different teams: the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers with 17 games in the 2008-09 season. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers made him a lottery pick with the No. 7 selection overall.

He averaged 8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 778 career games.

By nightfall, nearly 200 people had visited the road blocked off by police while TV news helicopters showed investigators scouring the grounds for evidence. Police brought in a mobile command center that further blocked off the scene.

Former NBA star Penny Hardaway, who played at Memphis two years before Wright, said he heard the news from a friend and went to the scene near where the body was found.

"I cried. The emotions hit me immediately. It's just sad because we lost a good person and a brother," Hardaway said.

Elliot Perry, another friend and former Memphis player, also was at the scene. Wendy Wilson, who once worked as Wright's personal assistant, also was there and said Wright often used the road police had cordoned off as a shortcut to his mother's house.

"He was a good person. He did not deserve to die this way. God is not pleased with this," Wilson said.

Fausto Carmona gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season.

UPDATED: 12:16 a.m.

Lynn Ischay / The Plain DealerAlex Rodriguez didn't get his 600th home run on Wednesday, but he did have a brief possession of second base after dislodging the bag on his sixth-inning double at Progressive Field. Rodriguez also had an RBI single in the first inning of the Yankees' 8-0 victory.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One start after possessing arguably his best stuff of the season, Indians right-hander Fausto Carmona dropped his compass somewhere between the dugout and the mound Wednesday night.

Carmona gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings as the Tribe lost to the Yankees, 8-0, at Progressive Field. The Yankees improved baseball's best record to 64-36. They are 46-26 all-time at Progressive Field.

A.J. Burnett, who has been awful on the road for most of the season, allowed seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Two relievers combined to give up one hit.

Not all went swimmingly for New York. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with a double but failed to blast career homer No. 600. Captain Derek Jeter somehow did not scratch out a hit, finishing 0-for-5 as all of his starting teammates notched at least one.

The Indians (42-59) were blanked for the ninth time and have scored 14 runs in their last seven games, going 3-for-52 with runners in scoring position.

Carmona struggled through by far the worst of his 21 starts this season. His lowest innings total in a game had been four. The hits and earned runs allowed are a season high.

Asked what happened, Carmona said: “You know what happened. I gave up a lot of hits.”

Carmona had worked at least six innings and given up fewer than three earned in 15 starts. One of the occasions he did not do so was July 23 against Tampa Bay -- but only because of a protracted rain delay. Carmona gave up one hit and one unearned run in five innings, walked one and struck out seven.

The Rays, chasing New York in the AL East, must be wondering what happened to the filth. Their hitters would not have recognized Carmona five days later.

“For some reason, everything he threw was hard,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “There wasn’t much difference between the fastball and the change-up. His sinker was up, and his secondary pitches weren’t very effective. That’s the wrong lineup to face when your pitches aren’t working for you.”

Thomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerThe support of catcher Carlos Santana and the advice of pitching coach Tim Belcher couldn't provide much help for Fausto Carmona on Wednesday.

Rodriguez made it 1-0 in the first with a single to drive in Mark Teixeira. It was the Yankees' first hit with runners in scoring position in the series; they had been 0-for-10 in the first two games.

New York pulled ahead, 4-0, in the second. Brett Gardner had an RBI single and Teixeira a two-out, two-run single. Rodriguez followed with a popout on Carmona's 52nd pitch.

“I had more energy than usual,” Carmona said. “In the second inning, I tried to slow down but couldn’t.”

The Yankees knocked out Carmona in the third.

Robinson Cano led off with a double to left and moved to third on Jorge Posada's grounder. Curtis Granderson tripled to deep center.

Carmona plunked Francisco Cervelli and gave up an RBI double to Gardner. Jeter grounded into a fielder's choice, Cervelli cut down at home by first baseman Matt LaPorta. Nick Swisher picked up Jeter with a single to drive in Gardner, prompting Indians manager Manny Acta to hook Carmona for Hector Ambriz.

Carmona (10-8) suffered an ERA rise from 3.51 to 3.92. In his previous start against the Yankees this season, he gave up four earned in six innings of an 8-2 loss in the Bronx.

Carmona's performance looked that much worse given what happened the previous night. Right-hander Josh Tomlin, making his major-league debut, allowed one run on three hits in seven innings in the Tribe's 4-1 victory.

Robinson Cano homered in the fourth off Ambriz.

Rodriguez kept most fans in their seats the remainder of the night as he attempted to reach the homer milestone. But after Carmona kept him in the yard twice and Ambriz struck him out, Jess Todd and Frank Herrmann held him in check.

Rodriguez's at-bat against Herrmann in the eighth was memorable. He worked the count full before popping to shallow right on the 10th pitch.

“That was cool,” Herrmann said. “It was a long at-bat and pretty intense. You could hear the Yankee fans yelling, ’Let’s go, A-Rod,’ and the Indians fans booing on top of them.”

In the top of the eighth, Luis Valbuena entered at second base for the Tribe. He struck out in the bottom of the inning. Valbuena hustled up from Class AAA Columbus after being promoted to take the roster spot of Jhonny Peralta. The Indians traded Peralta to Detroit for a minor-league pitcher Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday's first pitch was delayed 42 minutes because of rain.

Veteran pitcher says right hand 'feels pretty good' after treatment for lingering blister.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerKerry Wood is just a successful rehabitation effort Thursday night in Akron from rejoining the Indians' bullpen this weekend in Toronto.

INDIANS INSIDER
Clubhouse confidential: Right-hander Anthony Reyes had a productive rehab outing at Class AA Akron on Tuesday.
Reyes underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in June 2009.
“He’s feeling really good and upbeat,” Indians manager Manny Acta said.
Acta said the next step for Reyes is at least another appearance in Akron. It is uncertain whether Reyes would need to continue the rehab in Class AAA Columbus.
The Indians would like to see Reyes activated this season, as a starter or reliever. He would come to camp in 2011 as a starter.
As a St. Louis Cardinal in 2006, Reyes started Game 1 of the World Series against the Tigers. He allowed two runs in eight innings and earned the victory.

Mr. Smith: Reliever Joe Smith entered Wednesday having allowed zero runs in a team-high 14 consecutive appearances since June 28. He had given up two hits in his last nine innings.
“I’ve simplified my delivery, which has given me less to worry about,” Smith said.
Smith, a sidewinder, is more hunched over.
“It’s how I was when I had success a couple of years ago,” he said.

Stat of the day: The Indians entered Wednesday leading the American League with 10 victories by rookie pitchers — Mitch Talbot (eight), Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin.
— Dennis Manoloff

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Closer Kerry Wood, who has been sidelined since mid-July because of a blister on his right index finger, could be activated this weekend when the Indians travel to Toronto.

All that stands in Wood's way is a scheduled one-inning rehab appearance for Class AA Akron on Thursday night.

"We'll see how the finger reacts," manager Manny Acta said. "He will be activated in Toronto if everything's OK."

Wood was placed on the disabled list July 17, retroactive to July 12.

"It feels pretty good right now, but it's tough with a blister on the hand," Wood said in the clubhouse Wednesday afternoon. "If it were a blister on the toe, I'd be all right."

Wood also had an index-finger blister in 2008, his last season with the Cubs, that forced him on the DL.

"It's bounced back a lot quicker than it did in '08," Wood said. "The guys here did a great job."

Wood is 1-4 with eight saves and a 6.30 ERA in 23 appearances. This is his second DL stint of the season; a strained lat muscle cost him the first month-plus.

Acta said that, when Wood is activated, he will not close immediately. The same approach was taken when Wood came off the DL in May.

"We want to ease him back into it," Acta said.

Chris Perez is the substitute closer and closer of the future. He entered Wednesday night with 10 saves.

"Chris has done a good job [pitching the eighth or ninth inning]," Acta said. "He's a bright kid. He understands you can blow the game in the eighth, too."

Gim dandy: The night before making his major-league debut, Tribe right-hander Josh Tomlin received a call from catcher Chris Gimenez.

"He told me: 'Relax, enjoy yourself and throw like you did in Columbus,'" Tomlin said. "He said it was the same game -- good pitches will get good hitters out."

Tomlin threw plenty of quality pitches Tuesday, resulting in a 4-1 victory in which he allowed one run on three hits in seven innings. He made sure to thank the co-pilot.

"Chris was a big part of my success," Tomlin said. "He called a great game, blocked balls and threw out Derek Jeter trying to steal. He did it all."

Gimenez, subbing for Carlos Santana, also went 1-for-2 with a bases-loaded walk against CC Sabathia.

Tomlin said he could not recall legitimately shaking off Gimenez. Several times, Tomlin shook him off simply to keep the Yankees hitters guessing.

"I thought Gimenez did a tremendous job calling the game," Acta said. "That was overlooked."

Tomlin used primarily four-seam fastballs (90-92 mph), cutters and change-ups to throttle baseball's highest-scoring club. He mixed in a few curveballs.

The Yankees, particularly Alex Rodriguez, struggled with the cutter's late action. Rodriguez went 0-for-3 against Tomlin, and 0-for-1 against reliever Chris Perez, to remain struck on 599 homers.

Rodriguez said Tomlin "pitched backward a little bit," which is a compliment to Gimenez. Gimenez called for off-speed pitches in fastball counts and visa versa.

"Josh shocked me when he threw 2-1 change-ups to some of those guys," Acta said. "He wasn't afraid to fall behind 3-1. The confidence he has in his pitches is tremendous."

Tomlin threw 60 of his 93 pitches for strikes, not many of which stayed in the middle of the plate. One that did was a fastball to Rodriguez in the seventh. The pitch was low enough, though, that Rodriguez failed to get good wood on it and flied to right.

Overhaul: Yankees right fielder and Ohio State product Nick Swisher was in the midst of a solid major-league career when, like a roundhouse to the jaw, the 2009 postseason hit -- and he didn't. He went 1-for-12 in the division series, 3-for-20 in the ALCS and 2-for-15 in the World Series.

The Yankees won the World Series, which mattered most for a team player such as Swisher. But it could not erase all the sting of a combined 6-for-47.

"It was almost like, the harder I tried, the worse I did," he said. "It was my first time on a stage like that, playing in the postseason for the Yankees, and it got to me."

Swisher decided to do something about it. After a brief vacation, he called Yankees batting coach Kevin Long.

"I said, 'Hey, bro, we're going to get to work,'" Swisher said. "Dec. 5, 10 a.m., we got to work."

Swisher and Long did not merely tweak his swing; they overhauled his offensive approach. Swisher could have continued to get by as a gamer who hit .245 with power, and made millions doing it, but he knew he was capable of more. Even at 29 and 761 games into his major-league career, it was not too late to reinvent himself.

"We essentially started from the ground up," Swisher said. "It wasn't adjustments I needed to make; it was changes. Change is a tough word to use when you're talking about a baseball player because you're like, 'Wait a minute, man. I'm in the big leagues and you want me to change something?'

"But it was my choice. I knew I needed to make changes to get to the level of play I should expect of myself."

Swisher came to spring training with a new stance and swing, as well as a better body and different mental game. The payoff has been a tremendous season to date.

He entered Wednesday's game against the Indians hitting .301 with 18 homers, 24 doubles, 59 RBI and 63 runs in 93 games. He is on pace for easily the best of his six full seasons.

"I'm still having fun, but it's more like a job this year," he said. "It's kind of like that x-factor. I view things differently now. Some people catch on at an early age. It took me until I was 29 before I started really figuring out this stuff. I'm enjoying the journey. Every second of it."

Swisher is the son of former major leaguer Steve Swisher.

Persona non-grata: A fan wearing a Miami Heat jersey of LeBron James drew the ire of bleacher crowd Wednesday night and was escorted out of the ballpark.

Fans in the left-field bleachers chanted obscenities and pointed at the man during the sixth inning. Hundreds of fans joined in before security led the man out of the stadium.

As he left, some fans followed him toward the gate with more derisive chants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Excitement for the Cavaliers might have to come from running the floor, not winning games, Bud Shaw writes in his Spin column.

Joshua Gunter / The Plain DealerJ.J. Hickson and the rest of the Cavaliers may be offering a fast-paced attack that should help fans deal with the losses surely coming their way, says Bud Shaw.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Time for another trip through the sports spin.

For you, a deal...

There's not much the Cavs can do to get the city's attention during this period, otherwise known as The Hangover.

But they have made a deal. It's not the one some of the more resentful Cavaliers fans might have been holding out hope for, the one involving Tonya Harding's goons and plane fare to Miami.

This deal sent Delonte West and his bag of hot sauce to Minnesota along with Sebastian Telfair. The Cavs received versatile guard Ramon Sessions and 7-0 center Ryan Hollins.

Nothing against Sessions, the central figure in the trade. He should fit in well. It's just that in an off-season highlighted by LeBron James' departure and followed by the exits of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, West and Shaquille O'Neal to come, the Cavs' next move was almost certain to fall short on the excitement meter.

I mean, no matter how much resentment there is toward James, we had the Cirque du Soleil in town for the last several years.

Guaranteed contention. A top seeding. Wins that came with the price of admission.

Every show started with a talc-heavy cloud of abracadabra.

There was magic in the air.

Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins?

They make perfect sense for the Cavs at this point in what surely will become a rebuilding. But for now it's like replacing the flying trapeze with a poetry reading.

Cavs Part II: Now that James is gone, it's time to run the floor

You keep hearing Sessions should work well in Byron Scott's system.

Scott wants to run after all.

(Why do I think, though, that after years of chiding former head coach Mike Brown for not running enough, Charles Barkley will soon enough be chiding Scott and the Cavs for not playing any defense?)

That is, if the Cavs ever show up on national TV.

Sessions can't shoot but does push the ball and distribute. So if you're a fan forced to commit to tickets before knowing James' plans, you'll have that going for you.

Of course, a skeptic -- if there are any in this glass half-full town -- might say Scott's two-guard system has worked best when one of those guards was Jason Kidd in New Jersey and Chris Paul in New Orleans.

If not the Cirque du Soleil, Cincinnati gets the circus

Mark Lennihan / Associated PressWith the addition of Terrell Owens to a receiving corps that includes Chad Ochocinco and Antonio Bryant, the Bengals have become must-see football -- especially in between the plays.

Now that Terrell Owens has joined the Bengals, Chad Ochocinco has already dubbed the pairing, "Batman and Robin."

That was easy enough. The hard part could come when each points at the other and says, "Carry my pads, Robin."

Maybe it won't happen. Owens wasn't a problem in Buffalo last year. He seems to know his limitations.

The Bengals needed to upgrade their red zone scoring. Owens could do that for them. But they also gave Owens a contract laden with incentives. No problem there, right?

I mean when has Owens ever been concerned with his numbers?

SPINOFFS

Bengals' president Mike Brown, in explaining why he pursued and signed Owens, cited the good attitude Owens exhibited when they met in March...

Lucky for the rest of the AFC North, the NFL still insists on playing its game from September through January...

Owens and Bengals' receiver Antonio Bryant are playing for their fifth teams, respectively. A coincidence, no doubt...

The NBA issued a warning not to tamper with Chris Paul, who is under contract for two more seasons in New Orleans. That may force Leon Rose and World Wide Wes to come up with another word for what they do...

Tim Tebow got a deal with Jockey International as an underwear spokesman. I'm sure that happened only because the other obvious hard-body choice, John Daly, already had an underwear endorsement with Slix...

HE SAID IT

"I didn't know nothing about no tradition," Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant, explaining why he refused to carry teammate Roy Williams' shoulder pads off the practice field.

It's hard to say who was more upset with Bryant.

Cowboys veterans? Or his high school English teacher?

HE SAID WHAT?

"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 after a meeting with the Hornets' front office in which he was expected to demand a trade.

Translation: He's no happier than he was when he walked in to the meeting, but decided the best way out was not to look like a jealous brat with two years left on his contract.

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Thursday Edition)

"Hey Bud:

"Can you explain the thought process of Yankees fans who take photos of A-Rod at Progressive Field, using their 3-volt camera flashes to illuminate a subject 300 feet away?" -- Steve

No, I can't, but I think one of them sent me the following message.

"[Bud]:

"If u tryed to work in a circus long ago u got fire, u r no funny but idiot. Auchhh." -- Jay

Congratulations on successfully sending your first text.

"Bud: I find it stoicly ironic that the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona and the tossing of the bull (ESPN) in Connecticut were totally in concert." -- Bobby O.

Jim Gray to the bulls of Pamplona: "Is red still your favorite color?"

"Hello dear:

"I came across your profile and I will like us to have a good relationship and to know much better. I am single and never marriage" -- Monica

And as the sole target of your affections, Monica, put me down as flattered.

"Bud:

"Since LeBron and his posse are moving south, does that mean that we can do away with the 'DIFF' at the Q?" -- Jim W

Be careful in singling out LeBron's guys. I have the SAT scores to prove that The Diff really does serve a purpose.

"Bud:

"When Larry Dolan bought the Indians he said he wanted 'to compete with the Yankees every year.' How is that working out?" -- Russ

Almost as well as my goal to compete with Jon Hamm for my wife's attention now that "Mad Men" is back.

"Bud:

"Now that the Cavs have lost LeBron and the Indians have lost two straight Cy Young Award winners, shouldn't we be giving the Browns some credit for not letting any of their stars get away. For example..." -- Edward

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

"Bud:

"Did the Cavaliers send Delonte West packing?" -- Connie G

Repeat winners receive a copy of West's "Guide to Feeling Safe on a Motorcycle."