Tribe hitting instructor Bruce Fields is a proponent of the balance board. Watch video

There are many ways to learn how to consistently hit a baseball, and Cleveland Indians hitting instructor Bruce Fields employs a balance board to assist players.

In this video, Fields points out how Baseballance, a tool for baseball players to keep their balance while hitting. The board was invented in 2009 by Sean Hanifee, a high school baseball coach in Virginia.

Hanifee says in a 2011 Harrisonburg Daily News-Record article:

 "I heard kids getting directions like you're not staying back, you're not getting loaded, you're out on your front foot, you're stepping in the bucket, you're diving over the plate. I heard that terminology used with those kids and I could tell the kids aren't getting it."

Fields began to use the balance board in spring training with the minor league players. He says the results were amazing.

Whenever any of the Indians have balance issues at the plate, Fields says he puts them on the board and the issue clears up.

The Baseballance is a 4-foot-by-20-inch board attached to two sets of rockers.

The Orlando Magic can use an experienced GM, not Shaquille O'Neal says Mary Schmitt Boyer. Watch video

Cleveland, Ohio -- Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal is rumored to be a general manager candidate for the Orlando Magic.

After Plain Dealer Cavs reporter Mary Schmitt Boyer stops laughing, she tells Chuck and Branson that O'Neal could have a role with the Magic, but not as GM. She says the Magic desperately needs an experienced GM to take over that role.

She also talks about the Olympic prospects of Cavs guard Kyrie Irving and forward Anderson Varejao, who would play for his native Brazil.

Tune into SBTV on Friday when Yarborough and Wright have Plain Dealer Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot as their guest. She will answer fan questions from her weekly "Hey, Mary Kay!" feature.

On today's PD Sports Insider, The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw and Cleveland.com's Glenn Moore, along with Mary Kay Cabot talked about the Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden competition and whether McCoy can accept the backup role. Watch video

Today's PD Sports Insider is brought to you by Ed Tomko Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Avon Lake. Stay tuned for the next show Thursday, May 31 at noon.

Be sure to like PD Sports Insider on Facebook

About the show: PD Sports Insider airs live every Monday and Thursday at noon. Co-hosted by The Plain Dealers Bud Shaw, Dennis Manoloff and Cleveland.com's Glenn Moore, the show features a timely and lively debate of the biggest sports topics of the day and gives readers a chance to interact directly with PD sportswriters and columnists.

Viewers have to the opportunity to ask questions and post comments in a live chat room during the show. They can also their video questions during the week. Fans who miss the live show can watch the archive, available a few hours later.

Here are what blogs from Cleveland and around the country are saying about the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians. Featured today are BrownsDraft.com, Fear the Sword and The Cleveland Fan.

Here are what blogs from Cleveland and around the country are saying about the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians.

AP Photo/Mark DuncanCompetition or controversy?

"For Colt and his many followers, it’s time to face reality. The Browns drafted Weeden to be the guy. They’ve said it on multiple occasions. Yet, somehow they’re being chided for being ‘disingenuous’ because they're saying Colt will be allowed to compete for the job, though it appears while watching the two signal-callers in shorts, that it will be anything but a fair competition. Yet I suppose, if they came right out and said there was to be no competition at all, they would be chided for being unfair and ‘just handing a rookie the job’. Only then Colt could be painted as a victim; for never receiving a fair shot, even though he had 21 starts to prove he had what it takes to be a bona fide NFL starting quarterback. Yet somehow, despite obvious actions to the contrary, Colt, in the eyes of the media, has still become the victim and the organization is being cast as the evil-doer; “the unforgiving machine that chews up quarterbacks”."

"The only thing that kept Z-Mac from going 6.1 (or more) shutout innings was some shoddy defense from the Indians in the sixth. QuintinBerry, recalled by the Tigers prior to today’s game after Tigers centerfielder Austin Jackson was unable to take batting practice, got his first career hit with a bunt double. That’s not a typo. A bunt double.Berrypopped the bunt over the head of a charging Casey Kotchman and then Jason Kipnis, trying to field it on the short hop, had it go right under his glove into short right field.

The next hitter, Andy Dirks, lined a ball at Shin-Soo Choo who “baby giraffed” it into a double, misplaying it horribly and having to chase it down off the wall.Berryscored easily and the Motor City Kitties went up 1-0. After Miguel Cabrera flew out to medium-deep right field, the Indians brought the infield in with Prince Hitter at the plate (You’ll get the name change shortly). Hitter ripped a ball at Cabrera who made a terrific diving stab and short-hopped a throw to the plate that Carlos Santana was unable to dig out and Dirks scored."

Associated PressWill Andre Drummond become a star in the NBA?

"I don't know what type of player Andre Drummond will be in the NBA, and I don't want to pretend to act like I can make that judgment. But I won't be disappointed to see him in the Wine and Gold, and of the teams in the Lottery, I can't really think of a better situation for him to walk into. It won't be an Andrew Bynum situation where the team already has a Gasol and Odom so he can take his time working through injuries and development. Thompson and Varejao just aren't on that level, and the Cavaliers would need him to be an impact player a lot sooner. But we have a blooming superstar who isn't selfish, and we have a hard-nosed but still patient coach who will be on him one minute and pumping him up the next."

Is Browns President Mike Holmgren doing a good job?

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerMike Holmgren

NFL.com reporter Marc Sessler measures the impact Mike Holmgren has had on the Cleveland Browns since he arrived here in December of 2009.

When it comes to wins and losses, the Browns have nine wins in two full seasons under Holmgren, but Sessler has seen positive changes.

Let's start on a positive note. Upon his arrival in December 2009, Holmgren's first order of business was cleaning up the structure of the organization, a frazzled mess in the wake of too many failed head coaches and front-office men scattered along the road since 1999. The hiring of general manager Tom Heckert has resulted in back-to-back productive drafts in 2010 and 2011, and this year's haul looks promising. Holmgren has done good work on this front.

Sessler also points out how Holmgren may have solved the Browns' issue at QB in Brandon Weeden. We'll see in Week 1 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Questions remain on why the Browns didn't upgrade the receiving corps; and is coach Pat Shurmur the real deal?

For all the abuse Eric Mangini took, the team played with passion under that coach. Something about the Mangini-led Browns vibed 1920s wrecking crew. It was imperfect, but there was a sense of toughness. Shurmur can't afford to roll out another 4-12 season while going winless in the division. Perception is king. Holmgren has presided over nine victories in two seasons. We're all for a team built the right way -- over time, through the draft -- but the Browns must show signs of life in 2012. Holmgren's legacy rides on it.

More Cleveland Browns

Jim Brown speaks out on the Cleveland Browns (ESPN Cleveland).

Terry Pluto on why Colt McCoy should remain with the Browns (Cleveland.com).

No surprise that Joe Thomas is rated the best OL in the AFC North (ESPN).

Browns' top draft picks battle sophomore jinx (CantonRep.com).

He says his department is looking into 12 additional secondary or minor NCAA violations, but none is major in nature.

Plain Dealer fileGene Smith

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University athletic director Gene Smith says his department is looking into 12 additional secondary or minor NCAA violations, and emphasized that none of them is major in nature.

As first reported last week by Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer, Ohio State has found and self-reported 46 secondary violations to the NCAA over the last year.

This week, in an interview with the school newspaper, The Lantern, this week, Smith was quoted as saying, "“We’ve got 12 pending. It may turn out to be secondary. It may not.”

In a statement released today, he made it clear none of the new infractions was major. From the statement:

These are similar to those released last week. All are secondary in nature and consistent with the department's culture of self-reporting all issues.

The dozen new violations include providing expenses for an aunt who was thought to be the legal guardian of a prospective football recruit on his official visit; scholarship agreements sent to three athletes without being signed by the financial-aid officer; and a baseball recruit getting a free ticket to a home baseball game during a noncontact period.

Indians sweep Tigers with 2-1 win Thursday afternoon as Masterson bested Verlander in the battle of the Justins.

View full sizeChuck Crow/The Plain DealerCleveland Indians closer Chris Perez celebrates the Indians win with catcher Lou Marson as the Tribe swept the Detroit Tigers, winning 2-1.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Justin Masterson gave up one run in seven innings and Shin-Soo Choo homered as the Indians defeated the Tigers, 2-1, Thursday afternoon at sun-soaked and electric Progressive Field.

The Indians (26-18) swept the three-game series. Chris Perez saved all three.

Detroit slipped to 20-24.

Tigers righty Justin Verlander (6-2) allowed six hits and the two runs in eight innings. He threw a pitch clocked at 102 mph in the eighth.

The Tigers threatened in the top of the first.

 With two outs, Miguel Cabrera smoked an outside fastball off the right-field wall.  Choo fielded the carom cleanly and held Cabrera to a single. Prince Fielder singled to left-center.

 Delmon Young lined to right-center, where Michael Brantley made a running catch with his glove above his head.

 Choo led off the Tribe half by belting Verlander's third pitch an estimated 454 feet into the second deck in right field. The pitch was clocked at 84 mph on the inner half after Verlander had thrown two 89-mph fastballs.

 ESPN stats and info had the ball traveling 444 feet -- third-longest homer off Verlander since 2008.

 Verlander was coming off a one-hitter in a 6-0 victory over the Pirates in Detroit. He gave up a single to Josh Harrison with one out in the ninth.

 Masterson (2-3) gave up a leadoff double to Brennan Boesch in the second but escaped. With one out and Boesch on third, Jhonny Peralta grounded to third baseman Jose Lopez, who bobbled, recovered and threw home for the out.

 The Tigers tied it in the third. Quintin Berry led off with a double and scored on  Cabrera's one-out grounder to short. Asdrubal Cabrera ranged into the hole to make the play and threw out Cabrera by a fraction. Cabrera, as usual, squawked.

 The Indians pulled ahead, 2-1, in the fourth. With two outs, Brantley blooped a single to right. He stole second and sprinted home on Lopez's bloop to right-center on a 99-mph pitch away. Lopez has hit in 10 straight starts since subbing for injured Jack Hannahan.

 Berry led off with fifth with a walk. As Andy Dirks popped to second near the line, Tigers first-base coach Tom Brookens yelled that Masterson had not come set. TV replays backed Brookens.

 First-base umpire ejected Paul Emmel tossed Brookens. Moments later, Emmel tossed Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who got his money's worth.

 Berry did not advance as Cabrera fanned and Fielder grounded to Masterson.

 In the Tribe fifth, Lou Marson singled to right on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. It was Marson's third hit of the season, his first single.

 Peralta grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the Detroit sixth.

 Masterson worked out of trouble in the seventh after the first two runners reached. 

 Vinnie Pestano relieved Masterson to begin the eighth. Masterson gave up the one run on five hits, walked five and struck out four. He threw 100 pitches.

 Pestano retired the side in order but did not strike out, snapping his streak of games with at least one strikeout at 23.

 Perez stranded one runner in the ninth.

"Keeping Colt is smart for several reasons, including the fact that the odds are that Weeden will get inured at some point in the season and Colt is better than most back-ups (or will be with two years of experience and better supporting cast). Also, has anyone considered the possibility that, by keeping Colt and seeing him do well during the exhibition season that he may actually have more trade value than he does now?" - gary1301

View full sizeAP Photo/Mark DuncanOne cleveland.com reader states that Colt McCoy's trade value will increase if he plays well during the preseason.

"Keeping Colt is smart for several reasons, including the fact that the odds are that Weeden will get inured at some point in the season and Colt is better than most back-ups (or will be with two years of experience and better supporting cast). Also, has anyone considered the possibility that, by keeping Colt and seeing him do well during the exhibition season that he may actually have more trade value than he does now? When teams start to have their guarterbacks injured, they are going to be looking for guys of good quality and, though Colt may not be Peyton Manning, he does has the potential to win games and some upside long term, so that will make him valuable by the Fall. Also, we don't know how mobile Brandon Weeden will be and how he will respond to an NFL rush. So, seeing how he does before moving Colt is the smart play."

"I have seen a couple of mock drafts that look like good drafts if the Cavs were to land the 3rd pick in the draft. I know Beal is the highest projected SG in the draft right now. And most mock drafts have the Cavs selecting him with their first pick. I am fine with that. If the Cavs were able to get Beal with their first pick and then land Melo or Harkless with their 2nd pick then the first round would have been successful." - benny1699

View full sizeAP Photo/Kevin RivoliCould Fab Melo be a potential late first round pick for the Cavaliers?

"I have seen a couple of mock drafts that look like good drafts if the Cavs were to land the 3rd pick in the draft. I know Beal is the highest projected SG in the draft right now. And most mock drafts have the Cavs selecting him with their first pick. I am fine with that. If the Cavs were able to get Beal with their first pick and then land Melo or Harkless with their 2nd pick then the first round would have been successful. The Cavs need a SG and a center really bad. They also need a SF but that would be their 3rd position in order of importance.

If they were to go with Barnes or MKG with their first pick then they would most likely be able to get Doron Lamb or Melo with their 2nd pick. That would also be a good first round draft as well. IMO as long as the Cavs draft at least 1 SG, 1 Center or 1 SF in the first round I will be happy. Any 2 of those 3 would make the first round success. "

"Many "lights out" set-up relievers have failed when placed in the closer's role. MOST of them. Pestano may eventually succeed Perez, but as for now, the 'status quo' is working as well as ANY 8th / 9th inning combo in baseball." - TN_Tribe_Fan

View full sizeChuck Crow/The Plain DealerWhile Vinnie Pestano could handle the closer's role, he is perfect as a setup man.

"Many "lights out" set-up relievers have failed when placed in the closer's role. MOST of them.

Pestano may eventually succeed Perez, but as for now, the 'status quo' is working as well as ANY 8th / 9th inning combo in baseball.

JUST because a reliever pitches well does NOT make him a closer. But, my guess is that Vinnie has the intelligence, short memory & attitude to handle it, eventually.

But, should CP get hurt, we're better able to handle that temporary loss than most teams because of Vinnie.

This should work out well, because by the end of CP's contract, (when is that?), Vinnie should be primed to seamlessly step right in."

Shaq says he when he heard Otis Smith would not be back as Magic GM, he was “clearly intrigued” by the possibility of taking over. But, after further thought, he is not interested in the role and plans to continue on TNT’s NBA studio show.

AP FileTurns out Shaquille O'Neal won't be Dwight Howard's boss. After all, who would get to be called Superman?

Shaquille O'Neal has declined the opportunity to interview for the Orlando Magic’s open general manager position.

In a statement released Thursday and posted on NBA.com, Shaq says he when he heard Otis Smith would not be back as Magic GM, he was “clearly intrigued” by the possibility of taking over. But, after further thought, he is not interested in the role and plans to continue on TNT’s NBA studio show.

“I was drafted by the Magic, I have a great love for the franchise, and I have made the city of Orlando my home,” Shaq said in the statement. “Additionally, I have great admiration and respect for the DeVos family. However, this is not a job I have an interest in pursuing.

“I feel very fortunate to be with TNT and to have the best job in sports. I look forward to many more years with Charles (Barkley), Kenny (Smith) and E.J. (Ernie Johnson). I wish the best for the Magic and I am confident that they will select a great GM and coach.”

ESPN reported Wednesday that O’Neal was to meet with the Magic next week to discuss the position.

This story originally appeared on SportingNews.com

New Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer helped Aaron Hernandez emerge as a star at Florida and the same could happen with Stoneburner, who got off to a great start in 2011 before the OSU offense forgot about him. Links to more Ohio State sports stories.

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerTight end Jake Stoneburner could be a featured component of Ohio State's offense in 2012.

Urban Meyer made a star out of Aaron Hernandez at Florida and could do the same with Jake Stoneburner, who started off blazing hot last year before the Ohio State offense forgot about him. With the Buckeyes searching for playmakers, expect Stoneburner to be utilized heavily in 2012.

"Seeing Hernandez make all those plays makes someone like me pretty happy," Stoneburner told Adam Rittenberg last month. "It's something I've been waiting for since I graduated high school, being able to go out there knowing you're going to get the opportunity to get the ball more than once or twice a game. "

AKRON, Ohio — One overturned call, a three- run double and interference with a runner helped the Medina Battling Bees to a five-run third inning in their 6-0 win against Aurora in the Division I regional softball semifinal at the University of Akron's Lee R. Jackson Field on Thursday night. Medina's win sets up Saturday's regional final with the...

AKRON, Ohio — One overturned call, a three- run double and interference with a runner helped the Medina Battling Bees to a five-run third inning in their 6-0 win against Aurora in the Division I regional softball semifinal at the University of Akron's Lee R. Jackson Field on Thursday night.

Medina's win sets up Saturday's regional final with the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees at noon in Akron. The winner will travel just a few miles down the road from Akron's field to Firestone Stadium for the Division I state final four next weekend.

"We know Brecksville's a good team," said Medina coach Jessica Toocheck. "We know that they are aggressive on the bases. They play solid defense. They're a solid team."

The Bees (23-4) and Greenmen (23-6) battled through two scoreless innings, but Medina changed that in the top of the third.

Center fielder Lauren Peak singled to left, then came the overturned call.

Vanessa Scoarste hit the ball to Aurora shortstop Erin McNamara. McNamara flipped the ball to Julie Zidones at second. Originally, Peak was called out on a force, but the umpires held a conference and overturned the call. The change gave the Bees two runners on base and nobody out.

First baseman Madison Tata then reached base on a bunt single, which loaded the bases for catcher Maria Vanadia. After Vanadia earned a five-pitch walk, Medina junior right fielder Jen Sansonette crushed a double down the left-field line. Sansonette was interfered with rounding second and continued to run the base paths once she regained her balance.

Toocheck sent her home, but Sansonette was thrown out at the plate on a relay from McNamara to catcher Grace Aldredge. The umpires again conferred, and Sansonette was ruled safe after she cleared the bases with the double.

"We sent our runners around knowing that would be the obstruction call and runners can advance," Toocheck said. "She gets one extra base from the point of the call, so that's where she was when the play ended."

Medina scored six runs on seven hits, while senior pitcher Bobbi Langlois kept Aurora at bay.

Langlois worked a two-hit shutout and allowed just one base runner on an error through the first 5 innings before Ashlee Ling singled with two outs in the sixth.

The loss brought to an end Aurora's memorable run through its first Division I postseason tournament. Aurora, which qualified as a Division I school by eight girls, won its first district championship this spring.

"This team had a great year," said Aurora coach Micaela Minner. "We had a police escort out of town today. This was a big deal for our community, as you could tell by looking in the stands. The support of this town is unbelievable. I couldn't ask for a better community. I won state in high school as a player, and it was not even comparable to what I saw today. It's awesome."

Matt Florjancic is a freelance writer in Broadview Heights.

CANTON, Ohio — Chuck Schilling has never made excuses in his 25 years as Hudson's head coach, so that was the road he followed on the day he coached his final game. "The kids played their tails off," he said after Massillon Perry (20-10) made two runs stand up in a 2-1 victory to advance to today's Division I...

CANTON, Ohio — Chuck Schilling has never made excuses in his 25 years as Hudson's head coach, so that was the road he followed on the day he coached his final game.

"The kids played their tails off," he said after Massillon Perry (20-10) made two runs stand up in a 2-1 victory to advance to today's Division I regional title game for the first time in school history. "We just got beat."

Perry will play Chardon in the title game.

Perry starter Jacob Flounders (7-1) held the Explorers (24-3) to four hits -- three in one inning -- and the Panthers made several key defensive plays to keep Hudson off the scoreboard until the fourth inning.

Hudson hit into two double plays in the first three innings and had a runner thrown out at the plate, cutting short a rally after Perry had taken a 2-0 lead.

Designated hitter Joey Cahill and first baseman Duncan Moran had back-to-back singles with one out in the fourth. Cahill came home on a single by Will Stribny, but Moran was thrown out at home on the same play to end the inning.

Flounders walked two and struck out three but retired the last seven batters to end the game.

"He did a nice job of keeping us off balance," Schilling said. "It's a game of inches, and it came down to us not getting the big hit when we needed it."

Moore gets the victory last Saturday but can't notch his seventh stoppage as Michael Walker proves tough in going the full eight rounds.

View full sizeLonnie Timmons III, The Plain DealerLondon Olympics boxing middleweight qualifier Terrell Gausha threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Indians-Tigers game on Tuesday at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Michael Moore got the win, but he wanted a little more.

The Cleveland middleweight improved to 11-0 as he won a majority decision against Michael Walker (19-14-3, 12 KOs), of Chicago, last Saturday during the pro show at LaVilla Grand Ballroom on Brookpark Road. But Moore couldn't notch his seventh stoppage, as Walker proved tough in going the full eight rounds.

"I saw some footage, and I saw he wasn't in shape," said Moore, admitting he wanted to get the knockout. "He showed up in shape. I was throwing more power shots. He was doing more roughhousing. He butted me 15 times."

There were no knockdowns. Moore thought he had one in the first round, but it was called a slip. One judge called the bout even, while the other two had Moore comfortably in front.

"I could not get him out of there," said Moore, who is proud of being a graduate of Cleveland's now-closed South High School. "I made the jump from four rounds to eight, without going six. I used my jab a bit and both hands, and I was in tremendous shape.

"I did spend too much time on the ropes and let him bully me. I learned my jab is the most important tool. The more he tried to close the distance, it became a powerful tool."

Moore, 25, said he came out of the bout in good shape. He is considering taking a fight during the first weekend of June in Iowa.

Undercard: On the LaVilla undercard, Lorain junior middleweight Wilkins Santiago (6-0, 1 KO) won a unanimous decision against veteran Paul Mpendo (10-12-3), and Cleveland 154-pounder Dante Moore (7-0-2, 4 KOs) won on points against Casey Adams (3-2-2).

In pro debuts for both fighters, Cleveland bantamweight Antonio Nieves got a majority nod against Jesus Gonzalez; and Charlie Natal decisioned welterweight Renan Ruiz Jr.

Marco Hall (2-0-1, 2 KOs) and Angel Figueroa (1-0-1) fought to a majority draw at 135 pounds.

Moneymaker: Promoter Tim Van Newhouse took in a gate of more than $31,000 for his second effort at LaVilla. According to Ohio Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato, the show produced $1,586 in state tax for 5 percent of the paid gate.

Newhouse said the show fell about 150 short of a sellout, but it still had an audience of more than 1,000. He said he will try to put together another show in the summer.

Bringing it home: Cleveland's Terrell Gausha threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Tuesday night's Indians-Tigers game at Progressive Field. Gausha earned a trip to the London Olympics as an international qualifier at 165 pounds two weeks ago in Brazil.

Junior Olympics: Lake Erie Association is sending four boxers to the USA Boxing Region 5 Junior Olympic tournament in Dayton that runs Saturday through Monday. The senior division (15 to 16 years old) qualifiers are Isaiah Steen at 119 pounds, Robert Richards (132), DeMarkus Miniter (201), and, in the female division, Dazzlin Turner (154). The coaches are Charles Conwell and Donyelle Bell, with LEA's Gene Glen the team manager.

Around the ring: Roy Jones Jr. refuses to give it up. Jones (55-8, 40 KOs) has signed to fight light-heavyweight Dawid Kostecki (39-1, 25 KOs) in Poland on June 30.. . . . WBO super-middleweight champion Lucian Bute (30-0, 24 KOs) defends his title against former champion Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KOs) on Saturday in Nottingham, England. Bute was in line to fight Youngstown's Kelly Pavlik last November before Pavlik pulled out, deciding to switch trainers and move his camp to California. . . . Andre Berto's welterweight title rematch against Victor Ortiz, scheduled for June 23, has been called off. Berto tested positive for a banned substance. It follows the cancellation of the Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan match after Peterson turned up dirty. Tonight: ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" are in St. Charles, Mo., where lightweights Ji-Hoon Kim (23-7, 18 KOs) of South Korea and Alisher Rahimov (23-0, 12 KOs) of Uzbekistan square off at 9 p.m.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168

On Twitter: @JoeMaxse

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Story lines were plentiful during the regional-semifinal game between St. Ignatius and Westlake at Case Western Reserve's Nobby Field Thursday. Two teams reeling from emotion, coming off perhaps two of the most dramatic wins in school history, district championships, no less.

St. Ignatius' Mike Ruffing jumps out of the way of sliding Westlake player Jonathan Brick to turn a double play in the sixth inning. - (John Kuntz, PD)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Story lines were plentiful during the regional-semifinal game between St. Ignatius and Westlake at Case Western Reserve's Nobby Field Thursday.

Two teams reeling from emotion, coming off perhaps two of the most dramatic wins in school history, district championships, no less.

One program (St. Ignatius) with 10 state final four appearances and one (Westlake) playing for a beloved, hall-of-fame coach (Jeff Short), who is retiring after 30 years in the dugout.

A 6-4 win by Westlake (23-6) puts the Demons into the regional finals at 5 p.m. today against Ashland, which beat Oregon Clay, 5-2, in the other semifinal.

The Demons took control of the game early, when they got to Wildcat pitcher Matt Moyer. Jamie Lachner belted a major league homer deep over the left field fence in the third inning to put Westlake up 3-0.

"We were in command of that game, hit the ball well the first three or four innings, got a lead, and had one bad inning defensively," Short said. "I know its a cliche, but they find a way to win."

The defensive miscues Short talked about came when St. Ignatius began to play small ball. Westlake pitcher Ben Neumann pitched a complete game, and no-hit the Wildcats through three innings. But by the end of the fourth inning St. Ignatius had whittled it to a one-run game on a sacrifice by catcher Ralph Lucarelli.

Stephan Alexander laid down a perfect bunt in the sixth inning that knotted things up for the Wildcats. On an errant throw to first base St. Ignatius was able to take a 4-3 lead.

It appeared St. Ignatius had finally rattled Neumann, but two great defensive plays ended the inning.

Westlake showed its resiliency in the seventh. After scoring the tying run on a wild pitch by Kyle Pluta, Matt Leonard hit a bloop single to put the Demons up for good.

"I just knew we needed a hit and put the ball in play to see what happens," Leonard said. "That's how it goes. It feels good to win."

Neumann, then closed out the game, upping his record to 6-0 on the year.

"Wow, we have been finding a way to win all year and we did," Neumann said. "I was a little nervous, it was hot out there, but I just got fueled up with adrenaline and got the win."

St. Ignatius finishes the season 20-9.

"It's tough lessons to learn, but it will make them tougher in the long run," St. Ignatius coach Brad Ganor said. "They battled like this all through the season, and I am proud of them and what they did for the team and school.

"Everybody expects Ignatius to win everything, but there are a lot of other kids on the other team that have a lot to say about that and don't want you to win. I'm happy for them and hope they can do it all the way. I'm happy for Jeff and hope he makes it to the state championship."

The night walleye fishing has slowed around Cleveland, with daytime anglers catching fair to good numbers of walleye off Avon Point and Sheffield Lake and from the Gold Coast to Eastlake.

View full sizePlain Dealer file photo

Lake Erie fishermen have had to do a lot of searching for yellow perch, but the ones they're catching are large in size. While the walleye fishing has slowed around the Western Basin, fair to good catches are reported from Cleveland's Gold Coast to Eastlake and between Huron and Lorain. Inland lake fishermen are still catching crappie and bluegill in near-shore waters, catfish are starting to bite and largemouth bass fishing has been good despite some bass still on the beds.

Cleveland area: The night walleye fishing has slowed around Cleveland, with daytime anglers catching fair to good numbers of walleye off Avon Point and Sheffield Lake and from the Gold Coast to Eastlake. Hot spots include 35 feet of water off Bratenahl and 38 feet of water off Cuyahoga River Lighthouse. A few walleye are showing up off Fairport Harbor and Geneva. Trolling with spinners and night crawlers or spoons has been the top walleye technique.

Perch fishermen have had to do a lot of scouting to find the small schools of perch around Cleveland. Limits of perch are hard to catch, but jumbo perch are coming in. To the east, some perch are being caught off the hump northwest of the mouth of the Grand River. Cleveland Harbor anglers are catching rock bass on small jigs and leeches.

To the west, near-shore walleye fishing has been good very early in the day from Lorain to Avon Point in 16 to 28 feet of water and in 36 to 50 feet of water throughout the day. Walleye are also being caught from deep water west of Lorain Sandbar. Fair to good catches of walleye have been reported northeast of Cranberry Creek in the Huron area in 32 feet of water, with some yellow perch being caught in the same area. Anglers are generally trolling spinner rigs and night crawlers, relying on blades with color combinations of pink, purple, white and chartreuse.

Western Lake Erie: The walleye fishing has slowed considerably around the Western Basin, especially for drift-and-cast anglers. Trolling fishermen are targeting scattered schools of walleye near Green Island, around D Can, north of Niagara Reef, east of Middle Bass Island and east of Kelleys Island. The most productive western Lake Erie walleye area this week has been around West Sister Island.

Yellow perch are being caught off Marblehead Peninsula's stone dock and lighthouse and southeast of Kelleys Island.

Rivers and streams: The steelhead trout run has ended in Northeast Ohio, and the walleye run is just about over on the Sandusky and Maumee rivers. Some smallmouth bass are still keeping anglers entertained on the lower stretches of the bigger rivers, including the Rocky and Chagrin, with fishermen targeting deeper, rocky pools.

Inland lakes, reservoirs: Stocked trout are still being caught around the area, including those released last week at Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation ponds in Cuyahoga Heights and Wallace Lake in Berea. Trout were also stocked in recent weeks at Hinckley, Punderson, Shadow and Silver Creek lakes and Forest Hill Park Pond. Bait small trout hooks with pieces of worm, Berkley PowerBait, salmon eggs, maggots or waxworms. Suspend bait under a float, adjusting depth to find trout that will bite.

Pymatuning Lake is still giving up fair to good numbers of walleye, with anglers targeting both shallow 4- to 10-foot depths with jigs tipped with night crawlers and trolling or drifting deeper waters with spinners and Shad Raps, Flicker Shad or Hot 'N Tot lures. The crappie are still being caught around brush piles in near-shore areas.

Mosquito Lake water levels are down slightly, and weed beds are noticeably absent this spring. That has hampered the walleye fishing, which has been poor to fair this week. The best walleye catches have come while trolling deeper waters. The largemouth bass fishing has been hot, with fishermen using a wide variety of techniques to hook them, from casting plastic worms to pitching jigs and working spinnerbaits around near-shore structures. The Mosquito Lake crappie fishing has been slow, but the catfish are starting to bite on night crawlers or traditional catfish baits fished on the near-shore flats, especially early and late in the day.

The catfish are starting to bite all around the area. Bluegill are heading to shallow spawning beds.

Berlin Reservoir is down 4 feet, and the crappie are in transition. The white crappie have moved to deeper water, while the black crappie have yet to head to shallow spawning areas. A few limits of walleye are being caught in 4 to 14 feet of water, mostly trolling spinner jigs with night crawlers, Shad Raps and Flicker Shad lures.

Trophy fish: Wesley Bennington, of Avon Lake, caught one of the largest walleye of the spring season Thursday, boating a 14-pound, 14-ounce, 34-inch walleye. Bennington caught the trophy walleye while trolling a Green Flash model Reef Runner lure off Sheffield Lake.

-- D'Arcy Egan

Fishing tournaments

Bad Bass Tournament Trail (Mosquito Reservoir): 1. Keith Baker, Uniontown, and Bob Laird, Cuyahoga Falls, five bass, 12.28 pounds, $1,384; 2. Aaron Ditty, Canton, and Ken Ditty, Canton, five bass, 10.46 pounds, $872; 3. Dave Donaldson, Youngstown, and Chris Brandenstein, Youngstown, five bass, 9.69 pounds, $747. Big Bass: Baker and Laird, 3.93 pounds, $357.

Electric Elite Invitationals (Nimisilla Lake): 1. Jeff Brown and Eric Battershell, five bass, 16.85 pounds, $1,065; 2. John Shriver and Steve McClung, five bass, 15.58 pounds, $300; 3. Pete Balishin and Correy Petz, five bass, 13.39 pounds, $210. Big Bass: Brown and Battershell, 5.22 pounds.

The top-seeded Golden Flashes scores eight runs in the ninth to secure the victory for starting pitcher Ryan Bores.

View full size

Kent State first baseman George Roberts, the MAC Player of the Year, hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to cap a 12-3 victory against Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference baseball tournament at Avon's All Pro Freight Stadium on Thursday.

The top-seeded Golden Flashes (39-17) scored eight runs in the ninth to secure the victory for starting pitcher Ryan Bores. Bores gave up three runs on nine hits in eight innings, striking out three.

Right fielder T.J. Sutton went 4-for 6 for Kent, knocking in two runs. Shortstop Jimmy Rider went 3-for-6 with one run and one RBI.

It is the second game in a row that Kent State has had a big last at-bat. The Golden Flashes scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Wednesday to defeat Buffalo.

For fifth-seeded Western Michigan (26-28), Steve Laudicina pitched six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.

Central Michigan 4, Toledo 3 Third-seeded CMU eliminated the second-seeded Rockets, as the Chippewas' senior designated hitter, Nate Theunissen, went 2-for-3, with a double, RBI and a run scored.

With a single in the top of the third inning, Theunissen became the all-time hits leader in Central Michigan history with 253.

Chippewas starting pitcher Patrick Kaminska went 5 innings, allowing two runs on four hits before turning it over to the bullpen. CMU relievers allowed one run on one hit and struck out seven. Closer Jon Weaver needed only 16 pitches to retire the final five Rockets, striking out three.

Toledo starter Matt Kuna had a career high 10 strikeouts. The Rockets, MAC West Division champs, finish 30-27.

Buffalo 6, Ohio 5 The fourth-seeded Bobcats were ousted from the tournament by the eighth-seeded Bulls, as Alex Baldock's 10th-inning RBI double gave UB its first MAC Tournament victory.

Baldock went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI.

With OU down to its final out in the ninth, Tyler Wells blasted a homer over the left-field wall on a 2-1 count to send the game to extra innings. Also homering for the Bobcats was Logan Cozart, as he gave Ohio a 4-3 lead in the seventh.

The game marked the final game in the career of Bobcat head coach Joe Carbone, who retires after 23 seasons with a career record of 688-611-2.

OU finishes 28-29.

Miami 2, E. Michigan 1 (10) Kevin Bower singled in Ryan Curl with two out in the top of the 10th inning to lead the seventh-seeded RedHawks against the sixth-seeded Eagles.

Miami's Mac Thoreson tossed nine innings for the victory, allowing two hits and walking one.

Compiled using information from the MAC sports-information department.

MAC Baseball Tournament

At All Pro Freight Stadium, Avon

Thursday's scores

Elimination games

No. 3 Central Michigan 4, No. 2 Toledo 3

No. 8 Buffalo 6, No. 4 Ohio 5

Winners' bracket

No. 1 Kent State 12, No. 5 Western Michigan 3

No. 7 Miami 2, No. 6 Eastern Michigan 1 (10)

Today's games

Buffalo vs. Western Michigan, 9 a.m.

Central Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan, 12:30

Kent State vs. winner of today's 9 a.m. game, 4

Miami vs. winner of today's 12:30 game, 7:30

Saturday's championship

1 p.m. or TBD

More information:

mac-sports.com

-- From staff reports

The dirty Chicago River is no longer on American Rivers' list of the most endangered waterways, but Northeast Ohio's Grand River makes an appearance.

View full sizeD'arcy EganThe Grand River in Lake and Ashtabula counties is a popular spot for trout fishing, but it's landed on a list of endangered rivers in the United States.

There is good, bad and even strange news about some well-known rivers.

The dirty Chicago River is no longer on American Rivers' list of the most endangered waterways in America. American Rivers is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization devoted to protecting rivers and clean water.

After two decades, the Chicago River was removed because the Illinois Pollution Control Board promised to add a disinfection pollution plant by 2016. It took 15 years to convince the sewer agencies that the river should be used for recreation, not just for dumping sewage.

What makes that decision strange is American Rivers' placement of Ohio's Grand River on its endangered river list. American Rivers thought poorly of the Grand River, one of Ohio's premier steelhead trout streams, not because of today's pollution. The group wanted assurances that natural-gas development and disposal of wastewater from gas wells "does not harm the river, its clean water and local communities."

On Thursday, the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee issued a report in Chicago that the dreaded fish heading for the Great Lakes are under control in the Chicago River and the Illinois Waterway. Federal officials promised an aggressive plan to detect and remove any live Asian carp in the region. That includes fish markets, urban fishing ponds and the Illinois Waterway downriver of the Chicago River. Three electric barriers designed to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes were shut down for 13 minutes by a May 2 power failure.

The report didn't spotlight arrests made on the United States-Canada border -- by Ontario officials -- when U.S. fish suppliers tried to sneak into Canada with truckloads of live Asian carp.

The Ashtabula River has had serious industrial pollution problems for almost a century. To help the river recover, federal officials reached a $5.5 million settlement with Ohio officials to clean up pollutants. The money will buy property along the river and establish land-use restrictions and habitat restoration. There is a chance the Ashtabula River could become another great steelhead trout fishery.

Big bass lakes: Bass anglers have a rare chance to fish Aqua Ohio's bass-rich Pine and Evans lakes in the Youngstown area by entering the Muransky Companies Bass Classic for the Mahoning Valley United Way.

Fishermen are allowed on the lakes Saturday and Sunday to get ready for the June 2 event. The tournament competition is between pro-am teams. The lakes are known for trophy bass, crappie and northern pike. An entry form is available at ymvunitedway.org. A free children's derby will also be held June 2 at Evans Lake, with games, refreshments and shoreline fishing from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

BRC hunt test set: The Buckeye Retriever Club is holding its annual BRC Spring Hunt Test June 16-17. Spectators are welcome to watch the retrieving breeds in action. The test is being held at Hambden Nurseries, 14849 Rock Creek Road, in Chardon. For information, visit buckeyeretrieverclub.com.

Coming right up: The kids fishing area and its stocked ponds at the Division of Wildlife headquarters in Akron is open on weekends starting Saturday. . . . The deadline is next Friday for the Youth Fly-Fishing Clinic lottery that will allow children to fish fabled Cold Creek at Castalia State Fish Hatchery. . . . The South Cuyahoga Sportsmen's Association has its two-day Medina County Iron Man sporting clays tournament this weekend. For more details on the events and the entire Outdoors Calendar, visit cleveland.com/outdoors.

Children and bows: The Archery in the Schools Program has grown so large that the 632 Ohio students who competed in the 2012 nationals recently in Louisville, Ky., helped the competition earn a spot in Guinness World Records.

The total number of youth archers from 34 states and Canadian provinces was a record 7,804. Ohio's Tyler Finley, a ninth-grader at Maysville High School near Zanesville, was the top overall archer. He scored 298 of a possible 300 points to win a $10,000 scholarship. In the team standings, Maysville was second and Hocking High School in Logan, Ohio, was third.

Teachers and school officials in northern Ohio can get children involved in the archery competition. The first step is to attend a free all-day Basic Archery Instructor Training workshop on June 6 at Amherst Junior High School. Registration is needed. Call wildlife official Ken Fry, 330-245-3030.

Ride a bike: Royalview Mountain Bike Expo will ride into Cleveland Metroparks on June 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park system is showing off eight miles of natural surface trails on its new Royalview Trail for mountain bikers at the Royalview Picnic Area in the Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville.

The trail is designed for beginners or experienced riders. The free clinic will feature demonstrations, group rides and an obstacle-course race at 3 p.m. Bikers must wear a helmet.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

Oczypok fires her final throw a distance of 152 feet to place 10th overall and qualify for the NCAA Championships June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Down to her last attempt and in need to move up at least two spots in the women's javelin at the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla., Kent State junior Sara Oczypok saved her best for last.

Oczypok fired her final throw a distance of 152 feet -- more than 6 feet better than her first five throws -- to place 10th overall and qualify for the NCAA Championships June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.

National title win: Mount Union senior Aubree Jones, of Falconer, N.Y., became the first Purple Raider since 1995 to win a national title as she won the discus at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, Calif.

Jones fired off a school-record throw of 153-10.

Case's Shaffer finishes 11th: Case Western Reserve University senior Ty Shaffer, of Myersville, Md., concluded his career in a Spartan uniform with an 11th-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles on the first day of the 2012 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championship in Claremont, Calif.

Shaffer dashed to a time of 53.51 seconds, not fast enough to break into the top nine qualifying for today's finals.

Notable: John Carroll sophomore Mitchell Herringshaw has been named to the D3Baseball.com All-Mideast Region first team. In 40 games, he led JCU with a .374 batting average. His slugging percentage (.484), on-base percentage (.429) and 11 stolen bases also were tops on the team. . . . For the third time in her career, John Carroll softball pitcher Brittany Danilov has earned a spot on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region team. She went 23-7, with a 2.53 ERA.

Navy standout: Noelle Kaufmann (Magnificat) was a co-winner of the Navy women's tennis team's "Most Improved Player" Award, given in recognition for improvement over the past year.

The freshman went 13-1 at No. 6 singles during dual-meet play for an 18-6 overall record. That mark represented the seventh-most victories in a season in school history and the second-best winning percentage in a season. She owned a school-record 13-match winning streak from Feb. 5 to April 11 and went 4-0 against Patriot League opposition during the spring.

The Midshipmen, playing just their third year of varsity tennis, posted a 20-3 record, earned the Patriot League Tournament top seed and advanced to the league finals for the second straight year.

JCU Hall Class: The men's track and field team that captured the school's only Ohio Athletic Conference championship in the sport will be well-represented as part of the 2012 John Carroll University Athletic Hall of Fame induction class.

Inductees from that squad include Antonio McCladdie and George Sample, both from the Class of 2002. Other inductees are: Stephanie Turner (diving, 2002); Paul Habrecht (soccer, 2000); Jill Comerford (soccer, 2002); Larry Holmes (football, basketball, 2001); Julie Zajac (track, cross country, 2002).

Chuck Preifer (Class of 1963), a longtime college and professional football coach, will be this year's recipient of the Schweickert Award.

B-W tennis honors: Five members of the Ohio Athletic Conference champion Baldwin-Wallace men's tennis team were named to the All-OAC team, and head coach Brian Rector was named Coach of the Year.

Senior No. 1 singles player Alex Trzeciak (Avon Lake) highlighted the selections with his third straight first-team nod. He was joined on the first team by sophomore No. 2 player Joe Horvath (North Royalton). On the second team are freshman No. 3 player Kyle Patterson and senior No. 4 player Alexandre Bourdiaux. Junior Tyler Beaton was honorable mention.

B-W women's players Jenny Greene was named second-team All-OAC; and Rebecca Mittler (Elyria Catholic) and Danielle Rueger were honorable mentions.