Family and friends of Junior Seau say he suffered from insomnia and took a drug for the problem, according to a report in USA Today that investigated the final few days of his life.
Plain Dealer Browns reporter talks about improvements Little has made during the offseason. Watch video
Cleveland, Ohio - In today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, Plain Dealer Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot answers questions about the team in her weekly "Hey, Mary Kay!" segment.
Mary Kay tells hosts Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright (who celebrate National Doughnut Day) why wide receiver Greg Little, who was second in the league in drops, will overcome that issue this coming season.
Mary Kay also tells one fan not to worry when it comes to rookies Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden signing their deals.
No. 17-ranked Golden Flashes hold off No. 19 FSU; earn matchup this afternoon vs. Tide at Riviera C.C. in California.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Kent State's men's golf team survived a one-hole playoff against Florida State this morning and has moved into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I golf championships at Riviera Country Club.
The Golden Flashes, ranked 17th in the nation, held off No. 19 FSU by one shot.
KSU posted a plus-2 as a team, FSU a plus-3 on Riviera's 18th hole. Kent State sophomore Kyle Kmiecik (St. Ignatius) was the difference, as he posted the only birdie among the 10 players. His key shot was a 5-iron from 199 yards that stopped within 12 feet of the hole.
The Flashes are taking on top-ranked Alabama this afternoon in a match that started at 1 p.m. EDT.
Live scoring for the match-play is available through ncaa.com. And the NCAA also is streaming the event with coverage on holes No. 10, 14 and 18.
- Compiled using information from the KSU sports information department.
"I think it's going to be a huge year for Little...I mean, after being out of football for a year and to come into the situation he was in last year, this year will be like night and day. He's down 11 pounds and will have a much better understanding of the offense." - leroykellyrules44
"I think it's going to be a huge year for Little...I mean, after being out of football for a year and to come into the situation he was in last year, this year will be like night and day. He's down 11 pounds and will have a much better understanding of the offense. Plus, with a big arm QB slinging it, I see this year being miles ahead of last. And not to mention a decent running game will also ease pressure on him."
With Fowler, golf is the game, but marketing is certainly a profitable sidelight. Clothes make this man, almost as much as shot-making.
DUBLIN, Ohio -- Rickie Fowler's outfits can shame a leaden sky with what amounts to a ground-level sunset. On Friday at the Memorial Tournament, he wore blue plaid trousers and an Oklahoma State Cowboys shade of orange golf shirt, pardner. Whoopee-ti-yi-o.
It was a warm-up for Sunday's final round. Even if Friday's rain, wind and chill hang around in contradiction of weather forecasts, Fowler, rain or shine, will be as orange in the fourth round as a citrus grove ready for squeezing.
Fowler started on the back nine Friday and played its final stretch in a best-of-five holes death match between birdie and bogey, won 3-2 by birdie. Birdies on 17 and 18 -- the former on an 18-yard dead-eye blast from the bunker and the latter on a dart that stuck two feet from the cup -- made possible a 1-under 71 total to match his opening round.
"The up-and-down on 17 was the key," he said.
With Fowler, golf is the game, but marketing is certainly a profitable sidelight. Clothes make this man, almost as much as shot-making. He is the new wave of the sport, putting boring old dress-alike golf on same spinning Day-Glo color wheel as the football and basketball uniforms of Baylor and Oregon.
The mustachioed Fowler has re-introduced extreme versions of hues not seen since Doug Sanders would arrive at the first tee in the 1960s, resembling an Easter egg. (OK, we didn't forget about you, Ian Poulter, and when peg pants come back, you, sir, will receive your due.)
On Sunday, Tiger Woods is decked out in red; Phil Mickelson in black; and Fowler in screaming, retina-burning, brain-frying, head-to-toe tangerine zonkers. He connects with the new generation on Twitter and is savvy with the new social media. With a Japanese grandfather, Rick Yutaka Fowler has at least some of the ethnic diversity of Woods when the latter coined the term "Cablinasian" for his ancestry.
Fowler also endorses Red Bull, energy drink of the youthful go-getters. The oversized Puma brand baseball cap he wears has spawned imitators in legions of kids, many of them new fans. The hair protruding from the cap is enough to revive a generational issue best left to a '60s retrospective.
Fowler by any yardstick is one of the most recognizable faces in golf. But exactly how visible is he? The Big 12 has strong college golf programs in Okie State and Texas, but it's still college golf. Which may not be wrestling in the state of Oklahoma, much less basketball at the school of Hank Iba or football at the alma mater of Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Barry Sanders.
Weeden actually walked on as a member of Oklahoma State's golf team. Said coach Mike McGraw, "The players like his game. Now am I saying he's going to lead us to a national championship? Probably not."
Fowler, 23, is five years younger than Weeden, the Browns' quarterback of the future. He has already been a Rookie of the Year (2010); and, while it did take 67 tournaments, Fowler has a Tour victory. It came last month in a playoff with D.A. Points, representing Everypro, and dashing rival Rory McIlroy, whom Fowler defeated at the Wells Fargo Championship. Fowler clinched it on a brilliant wedge to four feet of the first playoff hole.
"I actually think if Weeden gets in, gets some time early, I mean, he's got a lot of power and definitely very accurate thrower, very mature, obviously spending time as a professional athlete before, I think that's definitely going to help him," Fowler said of the Browns' strapping rookie.
"Age-wise I don't think that really is too much of a factor just because he hasn't been playing football for very long, so his body is still healthy. I'm looking forward to watching him. He's obviously very talented, and if he can get out and build some confidence early, he can be very good."
As for Fowler's own public profile, "I've tried going undercover. It doesn't work. I stand out to obviously the normal golf fans and then every once in a while to just an average person walking around. Obviously I don't wear Puma stuff or a Puma hat out and around a whole lot. That would be a target on top of my head," he said.
"We try and slide under the radar a little bit. It works a small part of the time. But it's still nice to see fans when they come up to me in public, and I still want to interact with them and sign an autograph, take a picture."
In that regard, Fowler will sign souvenirs almost as long as they are thrust at him. Friday, he autographed pairing sheets, programs, Puma caps and Muirfield Village flags. One small boy, overlooked as the player walked along the fence outside the scorer's room, brightened like a Rickie Fowler shirt upon receiving a signature after the boy's mother pointed and said to Fowler, "Down here."
The best-known Oklahoma State player of all time?
"Barry Sanders is still up there," Fowler said.
But the fact that Fowler was "down there" matters a lot, too.
To reach Bill Livingston: blivingston@plaind.com, 216-999-4672
On Twitter: @LivyPD
The weather wasn't the best, but the fishing -- especially for walleye -- provided quite a memory for Lakewood's Ryan Buddie.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Lake Erie fishing trip with Ryan Buddie of Lakewood didn't go as planned. Big walleye got in the way.
The general idea on Tuesday morning was to pick up nightcrawlers at Erie Outfitters in Sheffield Lake, then launch Buddie's boat at the Avon Lake ramp. I wanted to watch the young pro fisherman put together rigs that might have us reeling in walleye. Then we'd head to the near-shore waters to try to catch and release a few chunky smallmouth bass.
The 29-year-old airline pilot for ExpressJet Airlines owns a slick 20-foot Starcraft fishing boat with the latest in angling electronics, and a bow-mounted electric motor to let us hover on bass-attracting rock piles. He also has plenty of trolling gear and large boxes of spinner blades to tempt finicky walleye.
To tell the truth, we came close to calling off the adventure. Storms had marched over the area that morning. At noon, there wasn't another truck and boat trailer in the parking lot at the launch ramp. We could see whitecaps on Lake Erie, guaranteeing a bumpy ride out.
What the heck, we said. We're here. Maybe the fish will cooperate.
The word at the bait shop was a nice bite in 50 feet of water, and lots of big walleye. That, and clearing skies, convinced a pair of inveterate fish bums to go for the gold.
Buddie has never been shy about going fishing. When the St. Ignatius High School grad was a sophomore at Ohio University in 2003, he decided to become a summertime Alaskan guide. He'd grown up fishing for western Lake Erie walleye with his grandfather, Frank Buddie of Rocky River, and made the switch from drift-and-cast fishing to trolling when the elder Buddie moved his 23-foot boat from Catawba Island to the Rocky River.
Alaska was a whole new world, filled with silver salmon and colorful Dolly Varden trout. Buddie was working on his bachelor's degree in aviation, but fishing stirred his soul. The Togiak River Fishing Adventures camp in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska stole his heart.
"It's big, beautiful, wild country," said Buddie, who has been back to Alaska almost every summer. "The fishing is incredible -- my best is a 48-pound king salmon -- and I enjoyed guiding the fishermen who'd arrive every week."
It was also a lot more fun than summertime work with shovel and rake at his father's construction company. The river fishing eventually prompted him to create Ohio Steelhead Drifters and guide steelhead trout fishermen on the local streams in winter.
Walleye tournaments piqued Buddie's interest a few years ago. In short order, Buddie and teammate Mike Knippenberg of Hiram were crowned the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit's 2010 Team of the Year. He now fishes the circuit with a Chicago-area friend, Paul Rogers, and the Lake Erie Walleye Trail with his brother, Kevin Buddie.
"I enjoy trolling for walleye, solving the ever-changing puzzle of where and how to fish," said Buddie. "Success depends on being in the right place at the right time, and figuring out exactly what the walleye want that day."
With big rollers pushing us eastward, Buddie was using the bow-mounted electric trolling motor to guide us.
"We're on a controlled drift," he said. "The GPS system tells me we're at the 1.0- to 1.2-miles per hour that will work best with the spinner harnesses and nightcrawlers we're running."
The first blade to attract a walleye's attention was tagged "burnt shrimp," an orange-and-charcoal pattern. I slowly reeled in a nice 8-pound walleye, then Buddie brought in a 9-pounder a few minutes later. The bite was consistently outstanding, with the largest walleye of the afternoon a 31-inch trophy we quickly released.
"I've got my guide licenses and I've been doing a lot of 'teaching' trips for walleye," said Buddie, whose web site is ryanbuddie.com. "I like the technical aspects of walleye fishing, and showing people how they can consistently catch fish."
I was supposed to show him a few different techniques for catching Lake Erie's smallmouth bass, a personal passion and a phase of fishing he had somehow neglected.
When another heavy walleye snared a spinner rig, we agreed to tackle the bass another day.
AKRON, Ohio - Maybe it was a case of first-time jitters. If it was, they didn't last long. Just long enough to give defending state softball champ North Canton Hoover the quick start it needed. Medina pitcher Bobbi Langlois walked North Canton Hoover leadoff hitter Mackenzie DiPietro and third baseman Abby Knechtel committed a throwing error when No. 2...
AKRON, Ohio - Maybe it was a case of first-time jitters. If it was, they didn't last long. Just long enough to give defending state softball champ North Canton Hoover the quick start it needed.
Medina pitcher Bobbi Langlois walked North Canton Hoover leadoff hitter Mackenzie DiPietro and third baseman Abby Knechtel committed a throwing error when No. 2 batter Ally Farrah attempted a sacrifice bunt. Both later scored and the Vikings went on to a 5-2 victory in a Division I state semifinal Friday evening at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
Hoover improved to 29-3 and will play the winner of Friday's final semifinal between Elyria and Lebanon on Saturday at 7 p.m. Medina, in its first final four appearance, finishes 24-5.
The Vikings, who will be looking for their sixth state title, all but put the game away with three runs in the fourth inning on four consecutive two-out hits. Senior left fielder Nikki Casper drove in both Medina runs with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the fourth.
Links also to stories on Emmanuel Acho, Eric Hagg, Trent Richardson and Marcus Benard.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns wrapped up this week's "Organized Team Activities" on Friday.
Next for the team is a mini-camp running from Tuesday through Thursday of next week. Then, from June 12-15, the Browns will conduct their third session of OTAs.
Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes a report that Browns linebacker Scott Fujita had a role in the release of an audiotape that shed light on the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal, according to the film-maker who had the tape; Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot's interview on Starting Blocks TV; and more.
Browns story links
Jim Brown talks with NFL Network about Randy Lerner and Trent Richardson.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rootstown junior David Paliscak did not think he'd find himself at the awards podium Friday. Yet a little more than a year after being encouraged by coach Larry Bailey to give the sport a try, Paliscak earned a state runner-up finish in the shot put at the first day of the Division III state track meet.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rootstown junior David Paliscak did not think he'd find himself at the awards podium Friday.
Yet a little more than a year after being encouraged by coach Larry Bailey to give the sport a try, Paliscak earned a state runner-up finish in the shot put at the first day of the Division III state track meet.
Paliscak threw 56 feet, 2 inches to finish second behind New Middletown Springfield's Stephen Lyons (59-101/2).
"My track coach wrote me a letter saying that I should come out and that I could be a beneficial part of the team," Paliscak said. "I'm glad I did."
Paliscak opened state with a throw of 52-61/4 and followed with a 54-61/4 to clinch his spot in the finals.
The 56-2 throw broke his personal best of 54-103/4, set last week at regionals.
"Right when I threw it, I knew it was a good throw," Paliscak said. "It was a big moment. Each week I just tried to perfect my technique. I've only been throwing for two years and I still feel like I can throw it farther."
The state meet wasn't quite as enjoyable for Paliscak's teammate, senior Ashleigh Pickens.
After finishing second in the high jump a year ago, Pickens settled for third (5-4). On her final try, she ran up to the pit twice but didn't attempt a jump.
Columbus Grove's Riley Eversole won by clearing 5-5. Pickens had the best regional jump (5-71/2) and skipped graduation to take a shot at the state title.
"I went to go and (someone) hit a hurdle and it threw me off," Pickens said. "I would have liked to have done better this year than last year. This was my worst meet of the year."
Two area teams reached the awards podium in the opening event, the girls 3,200-meter relay.
Gilmour Academy, which had the second-best regional time among the state's 16 qualifiers, got off to a slow start before moving up to sixth by the third leg, run by sophomore Halle Markel.
The Lancers placed sixth in 9:41.22 and Berkshire was seventh in 9:48.5 behind the winner, Toledo Christian (9:25.61).
"I knew we were in a farther back position than we would have liked but that if I ran smart I knew I could push us up into a better position," Markel said.
Also on Gilmour's relay were juniors Meghan Pryatel and Alexis Anton, and freshman Caitlin Whetstone. The relay ran 9:33.51 at the regional.
"Everyone's goal was to place higher, but we're still happy to place," Anton said.
Freshman Melissa Koziol ran the opening leg of the 3,200 relay for Berkshire, followed by sophomore Danielle Young and freshmen Suzanne Koziol and Christin Dornback.
"It was a little slower than we wanted, but we're still happy with our finish," Suzanne Koziel said. "I kind of doubted myself in the beginning, but in my second lap I tried to do it for my team and something came out of me."
Said Dornback: "Our coach asked us on the first day of practice, 'Are you busy the weekend of June 1?' We're happy that we're here."
Also competing in a final Friday but failing to place was the Gilmour 3,200 boys relay of junior Charles Hoge, sophomores Alex Clapacs and Paul-Henry Schoenhagen, and freshman Brandon Phillips. They finished 12th in 8:16.6.
In the boys high jump, Mogadore junior Kasey Beard tied for ninth (6-0) and Rootstown senior Mike Conley was 13th (5-10). Cuyahoga Heights junior Ricky Rospierski placed 10th (13-0) in the boys pole vault.
Villa Angela-St. Joseph had a solid morning in the running semifinals.
Rodney Burse had the fifth-best time in the 100 (11.32) and teammate Devon Bolden is seeded seventh (11.48). The 800 relay turned in the best time (1:29.67) and the 400 relay had the second-best time (43.49).
In the 200, Marcellus Embry is seeded third (22.8) and Milton Germany is fifth (22.94) going into the final.
Independence's Brian Calvey has the best 400 time (49.33) going into the final.
Advancing to girls finals races are Trinity's 800 relay (first, 1:46.44) and 1,600 relay (eighth, 4:07.02), Independence's Deanna Gesicki in the 400 (fifth, 59.34) and Gilmour's Briah Owens in the 100 (fifth, 12.86) and 200 (seventh, 26.81).
Jarrod Ulrey is a writer for This Week Community Newspapers in Columbus.
Woods is stalking the lead, a Jack Nicklaus record and old nemesis Sabbatini at the Memorial Tournament.
DUBLIN, Ohio -- The pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories is the chase always mentioned with Tiger Woods.
Woods, with 14 majors, can't win four more this weekend. He can't win any majors until the U.S. Open in two weeks. But with his game looking more like old Tiger or new Tiger or revamped Tiger, or whatever the right description would be for good Tiger, Woods could tie Nicklaus this week.
With 72 career PGA Tour wins, Woods needs just one to match Nicklaus' 73 victories, which is second behind Sam Snead's 82 career wins. At 5 under and just one shot out of the lead after two rounds at the Memorial, following a 3-under 69 on Friday, Woods is in position to do it. He trails leader Rory Sabbatini by a shot, and is tied with Spencer Levin and first-round leader Scott Stallings.
"We've got a long way to go for that," Woods said of the idea of tying the mark at Nicklaus' tournament. "Yeah, obviously it would be nice, but I've still got half a tournament to go."
That's more than half the battle, though. Just getting in position for the weekend is a major step. In his last three tournaments, Woods tied for 40th at the Masters, then missed the cut and tied for 40th again. But he did win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March, and said he's playing better now.
"It's better because I'm able to shape the ball both ways and hit the ball the correct distances every time," Woods said. "If you look over the course of my career, I think that's one thing that I've been very good at, hitting the ball pin high. The last couple days I've done that."
He'll have to catch former nemesis Sabbatini, who famously called Woods "more beatable than ever," in 2007 despite losing to Woods in a final pairing at the Wachovia Championship. The phrase turned into something of a phenomenon. Woods and Sabbatini will not be paired together Saturday, with Sabbatini playing in the final pairing with Levin, but the topic was broached on Friday.
"I guess the biggest lesson I learned was be careful what you say because the media will turn it on you," Sabbatini said.
"It's great to see him playing well," Sabbatini said of Woods. "There's a lot of good names on that leaderboard. Ultimately I'm not worried about what he's doing or anyone else is doing."
Others in the chase include Jim Furyk, who is two back and tied for fifth after a 68 Friday; Columbus native Kyle Reifers, who is tied for seventh and three back; and a group four shots out that includes Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Lucas Glover and Adam Scott.
Among those who missed the cut were defending U.S. Open champ Rory McIlroy and Kent's Ben Curtis, who both shot 79 Friday, and Masters champ Bubba Watson, who shot 74. But Woods is the one to watch. After hot and fast conditions Thursday, the four-time Memorial champ, who last won here in 2009, handled the switch to a rainy and windy Friday as well as anyone.
"It's two different tests but nevertheless great tests," Woods said. "It's not about magic or past experience. It's just about controlling my golf ball and staying in the present."
Memorial second round at a glance
Shot of the day: Take any of the 10 approaches Tiger Woods put inside 15 feet. Leader in the clubhouse was the tee shot on 16, the round's devil hole, to 5 feet for one of his five birdies.
Best finish: Troy Matteson, starting at 7:15 a.m., 21/2 hours ahead of the traditional storm, played the back nine in 33 strokes for a 3-under 69. It stood out on a dank day of carnage after rains soaked the course during a 1-hour, 48-minute weather delay. More typical was Adam Scott's round -- 32-40, including a trifecta of bogeys on 16, 17 and 18.
Hole of the day: The 201-yard, par-3 16th was the most difficult, averaging 3.316 strokes.
Blowup hole of the day: Rory McIlroy, 102 yards from the green, took a double-bogey 5 on 11, including a backfire 6 feet into the bank of the creek near the green that finished up periscope. He played holes 11-14 at 4 over, and missed the cut in his third straight tournament.
Long drive: McIlroy took out his frustrations with a 344-yard drive on 17.
Putting the lights out: Woods. Five birdies, but four were 6 feet or shorter. Woods also made a 25-footer on No. 6.
Staff writer Bill Livingston contributed to this report.
The Indians' catcher is eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list Saturday, but that is not going to happen.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carlos Santana's recovery from a mild concussion continued Friday afternoon with light cardio work and swings in the indoor cage.
The Indians' catcher is eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list on Saturday, but that will not happen. Santana's to-do list is expected to include catching a bullpen, running the bases and taking batting practice.
"Then he's going to be re-tested," manager Manny Acta said. "After that, we'll wait for approval from Major League Baseball to allow him to play."
There is no timetable for Santana's return.
"We're optimistic that, by next week, he should be back in the lineup," Acta said.
On May 25 against the White Sox in Chicago, Santana absorbed a foul to the mask. He complained of dizziness and exited late in the game.
Two days later, backup Lou Marson was hit in the mouth by an off-speed pitch from White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd. The contusion required stitches, which were removed Thursday.
Marson missed three games before returning to the lineup Friday night against Minnesota. He batted ninth against Twins right-hander Carl Pavano.
Willing hammer: One of the right-handed bats the Indians pursued in the off-season was outfielder Josh Willingham, who ultimately signed with Minnesota. Willingham entered Friday batting .276 with 10 homers, 35 RBI, a .401 on-base percentage and .564 slugging percentage in 47 games.
Even factoring in Willingham's subpar performance against lefties (.244 average) and on the road (.202 in 84 at-bats), the Indians could have used him.
Willingham made 44 of his first 47 starts in left field; Twins left fielders entered Friday hitting .282 (50-for-177) with nine homers, 34 RBI, a .392 OBP and .537 SLG.
In their 50 games, Tribe left fielders were hitting .185 (34-for-184) with three homers, 12 RBI, a .283 OBP and .266 SLG.
Pure rage: At the outset of May, Tribe closer Chris Perez screamed loudly enough in the direction of Alex Rios that the White Sox outfielder had no choice but to notice. As the month concluded, Perez used a hand-across-the-face gesture after striking out Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson, who learned about it later and was upset.
Perez could not care less.
If Perez happens to offend more opponents, or if he simply works his way onto some sort of "enemies list," well, tough and too bad.
"If it takes me doing stuff like that to get me pumped up, so be it," he said. "I play for my team, my teammates. If they're the only 25 guys in the league who like me, that's fine. But I know that's not the case. I've got former teammates on other teams, and they know how I am.
"I've been doing this kind of stuff since college. Honestly. You can interview some North Carolina guys who aren't too happy with me, still, over stuff I did in college."
Perez, who played at Miami (Fla.), is not concerned about hitters potentially being extra-motivated to face him.
"What -- they're not trying to get me now?" he said. "Every ninth inning, they're trying to get me. I'm the closer. They're trying to win the game. They're not going, 'Oh, it's a two-run lead, we're just going to swing through the ball.' It could work to my advantage, because they might try to do too much. The way I look at it is, every time I pitch, they're trying to get me. And if they're not, it's on them."
Perez entered Friday having converted 17 straight saves since a blown opportunity Opening Day.
Thunder stick: Just because few witnessed Indians reliever Nick Hagadone's batting-practice display Tuesday afternoon does not mean it failed to make noise.
Left-handed Hagadone, listed at 6-5, 230, cranked an estimated six pitches from bullpen coach Dave Miller over the right-field wall. One reached the second deck, the area formerly known as Pronkville.
Three days later, the shock waves still were being felt in the bullpen cocoon.
"Don't hit his bat," reliever Joe Smith said. "That's all I'm saying: Don't hit his bat. He was hitting screamers."
Hagadone said the previous time he took a full round of batting practice was 2007, with the Lowell Spinners in the Class A New York-Penn League.
"The other day, I swung as hard as I could," he said. "I definitely was swinging for the fences. As an American League pitcher, you only get so many chances to take BP, so you might as well take advantage. I think the guys were surprised by how many went over the wall. I know I was."
The Indians begin the road portion of interleague play June 8 in St. Louis.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Cuyahoga Heights made its first state semifinal appearance in 36 years a successful one as the Redskins defeated Berlin Hiland, 6-4, in the Division IV state semifinals on Friday night. Senior Austin Lane hit two home runs and pitched four solid innings and Alex Zander completed the game with three scoreless innings of relief as the...
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Cuyahoga Heights made its first state semifinal appearance in 36 years a successful one as the Redskins defeated Berlin Hiland, 6-4, in the Division IV state semifinals on Friday night.
Senior Austin Lane hit two home runs and pitched four solid innings and Alex Zander completed the game with three scoreless innings of relief as the Redskins (25-4) advanced to Saturday's title game for the first time since finishing as the runner-up in 1976.
Lane staked Heights to an early lead with a three-run homer in the top of the first and provided some insurance with a two-run shot that glanced off the foul pole in left field in the top of the sixth.
AKRON, Ohio - Lebanon scored all the runs it needed in the top of the fifth inning to defeat Elyria, 3-1, in Friday's Division I state softball semifinal victory at Firestone Stadium. Savannah Scott started the two-run rally with a single up the middle, then advanced to second on Tara Trainer's bunt.
AKRON, Ohio - Lebanon scored all the runs it needed in the top of the fifth inning to defeat Elyria, 3-1, in Friday's Division I state softball semifinal victory at Firestone Stadium.
Savannah Scott started the two-run rally with a single up the middle, then advanced to second on Tara Trainer's bunt.
Scott scored on Sadie Creech's single past the shortstop and pinch-runner Mikala Bonny came home on Samantha Showalter's two-out single that darted out to left field.
The victory puts the Warriors (31-1) into Saturday's 7 p.m. title game against defending champion North Canton Hoover (29-3).
Elyria ends its season at 26-3.
The Tribe (28-23) is 3-0 against Minnesota this season and has won 11 of 12 in the series dating to last year.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On his 39th birthday, Derek Lowe pitched like he was 29.
Lowe's gift to himself came in the form of one run allowed in 6 2/3 innings as the Indians defeated the Twins, 7-1, Friday night at Progressive Field. Jason Kipnis cracked his first career grand slam.
The Tribe (28-23) is 3-0 against Minnesota this season and has won 11 of 12 in the series dating to last year. Minnesota (18-33) was coming off a three-game home sweep of Oakland.
Lowe improved to 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA in seven career birthday appearances, including 2-1 in four starts.
"I'm not old, by the way," Lowe said with a chuckle. "I'm old-ing. I tell people all the time that age is what you make of it. I still love playing the game, the challenge of it."
Lowe is 2-0 with the one run allowed in 15 2/3 innings against the Twins this year, having pitched a six-hitter May 15 at Target Field. The previous game featured a career-high 127 pitches, the vast majority being sinkers.
Twins batters were better prepared this time. "They made some good adjustments," Lowe said. "We could tell early that they'd be a lot more patient."
Lowe (7-3, 3.06 ERA) gave up five hits, walked one and struck out two in rebounding from a bad start in Chicago. He threw 108 pitches.
"Derek did a nice job celebrating his birthday," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "I can't say enough about Derek. He's a guy you look forward to seeing every five days."
Acta raved about Lowe's ability to shake off a hard grounder to the right calf by Justin Morneau in the second inning. Lowe, who turned it into a forceout, said the welt was no big deal.
"I'm a sinkerball pitcher," he said. "I get hit all the time."
Lowe is the fourth Indians starter in the past 16 seasons to earn seven victories through the club's first 51 games. He joins Dave Burba (2001), CC Sabathia (2007) and Cliff Lee (2008).
The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the second. With two outs, Johnny Damon lined a single to left using one of his best swings of the season. Lonnie Chisenhall, in an 0-2 hole, reached down to dig out right-hander Carl Pavano's pitch and shot it into the right-field seats.
Chisenhall's second homer of the season traveled an estimated 411 feet.
The Tribe made it 3-0 in the third. Shin-Soo Choo led off with a single, advanced to second on third baseman Jamey Carroll's two-out throwing error and scored on Michael Brantley's double. Brantley extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Kipnis brought the kazoo and streamers to Lowe's party in the fourth. With one out, Chisenhall singled and stole second. Lou Marson walked. Choo singled to load the bases.
As Kipnis stepped in, former Indian Carlos Baerga predicted from the WTAM/AM 1100 booth that a line-drive grand slam was on its way. Kipnis drilled Pavano's first pitch over the wall in right-center for the Tribe's first slam of the season.
After the inning, Baerga, one of the Tribe's spark plugs in the 1990s, sought out a reporter.
"Listen to me: I like this kid Kipnis," Baerga said. "I like him a lot. You know whom he reminds me of? Chase Utley, with better defense. This kid can be really, really good. Write it down."
Kipnis finished 2-for-5. He is 15-for-36 over his last nine games.
Tribe fans have heard a lot about the potential of Kipnis and Chisenhall. Friday night, at least, no projection was needed. Chisenhall went 3-for-4.
"It's good to see, because those guys are going to be part of the core of this ballclub for years to come," Acta said.
Kipnis is hitting .283 and leads the Indians in homers (nine), RBI (34), runs (35) and steals (12).
"Something I kind of pride myself on is to be able to cover all aspects of the game," he said. "I've been fortunate to be going good so far this season, but I'm sure some other guys will be picking it up, and, hopefully, they'll catch me."
Kipnis survived a couple of injury scares. He singled with one out in the first and stole second -- his 10th straight steal -- but catcher Ryan Doumit's throw struck him in the helmet. Later in the game, his leg got hit while turning a double play.
"I think those things just woke me up and got me going a little bit," said Kipnis, who said he should be OK after a night's sleep.
Damon finished 2-for-4, having ripped a single to right in the fifth. Both the hits came against right-handers, who had held Damon to a .138 average (8-for-58) through Thursday.
Damon also made a terrific defensive play, diving to his left to deny Denard Span for the second out of the sixth. One inning later, Damon mishandled an RBI single by Dozier, enabling a runner to move to third.
Nick Hagadone relieved Lowe and whiffed Alexi Casilla for the final out of the seventh.
On Twitter: @dmansworldpd
The Cleveland Indians will not convert Progressive Field into a winter wonderland in 2012. Snow Days, which provided rides and skating in the ball park during the last two winters, did not draw enough people to merit a third season. Watch video
Progressive Field will not turn into a winter wonder land after this season: The Indians are scrapping the Snow Days concept after a disappointing year. Something else may take its place, but not this year.
Snow Days ran for two years offering paying customers a chance to slide on an inner tube down a hill that began in the stands and offered plenty of ice skating, plus extremely popular hockey games. (The 2011-12 "season" began on a 60-plus degree day and continued through the warmest winter on record in the Cleveland area.)
Schedules didn't line up for games this year and the organization decided to "pull back," said team President Mark Shapiro.
"We'll at least take a year off and think about it. What will the next iteration of Snow Days look like? How frequently do you do it?" he said. "We want to make sure that what we have is an event, rather than something that's expected."
That cheering you hear isn't another Johnny Damon, bases empty bloop single. It's Indians staffers excited about getting a real off-season. Shapiro acknowledge that was part of the rationale.
"To ramp up for this for two years was a stress operationally," he said.
Shapiro still considers Snow Days a success. It showed what the organization can do, and it introduced new people to the Progressive Field venue.
Its problem was the same one the Indians have: Not enough people came.
Go to cleveland.com/tipoff to read more items from Michael McIntyre's Tipoff
Rory McIlroy might be the best golfer in the world, but after missing the cut at the Memorial on Friday, he's stumbling toward a U.S. Open defense.
DUBLIN, Ohio -- He popped from the bunker to see if he'd holed his sand shot on No. 10 [he hadn't], the fans at the Memorial Tournament finally having a chance to cheer the effort of Rory McIlroy, a great golfer having yet another bad day.
"Rory was in the bunker again?" Martha Hippler asked her 15-year-old daughter, Mary, a huge McIlroy fan. "On No. 9 he was in the bunker."
Yes, yes he was. And on No. 11 he was in the creek after his attempt to chop the ball out from the creek bank popped right back into the water. On No. 14 he landed in a creek next to the fairway and, momentarily unable to find his ball, had the guys up the hill in the beer tent yell at him where to look. On No. 17, he just stood in the middle of the fairway and rubbed the back of his neck when his approach shot didn't trickle down the hill on the back of the green and toward the hole, instead sitting 39 feet from the cup.
"That's his frustration pose," said fan Tim Moon, who followed McIlroy's whole round. "That's all you're going to get."
Given both his collapse at the Masters and his victory at the U.S. Open in 2011, McIlroy is both sympathetic and stupendous, a great loser and great winner. He'd prefer the latter. But after missing the cut in his third straight tournament Friday, the first time in four years he's done that and just two weeks before he'll try to defend his Open title, he had to settle for the former.
"He keeps his cool," Mary Hippler said. "He has a swagger."
The swagger was in hiding, but the cool was obvious Friday, forced to the forefront by a birdie-free round of 79. McIlroy muttered to himself after the creek fiasco at No. 11 led to a double bogey on the easiest hole on the course. He swung his putter in frustration on his way to a three-putt bogey on No. 13.
"But even when he's frustrated he doesn't throw a club," Moon said. "That's why I like him. He represents golf so well."
He could be on his way toward being the representative for golf, with the curly hair of Nick Jonas and the game of a young Tiger Woods. Mary Hippler considered shouting a marriage proposal to McIlroy, 23, asking him to wait three years, but she didn't have a ring. By the way, McIlroy did throw a club while missing the cut on the European Tour last week, and the English tabloids went nuts.
"I didn't think it was that big a deal, and then I wake up the next morning and it's all over the papers in the UK, and I'm just like, 'Oh my God,'" McIlroy said earlier this week.
There's no escape for that kind of potential. Friday, McIlroy was surrounded by the chase for No. 1, playing to be ranked as the top player in the world and viewed as the best player of his generation, which isn't always the same thing. He has a chance at both.
In his group was world No. 1 player Luke Donald, with whom McIlroy, currently No. 2, has been trading off the top spot for months. The ranking is a mathematical formula, outside the realm of perception, but who wouldn't want to be ranked the best in the world at something? Donald shot 73 and beat McIlroy by six shots Friday.
One group behind McIlroy was Woods, the No. 1 guy in golf regardless of what a ranking or few bad years might say, and while McIlroy drew almost nothing by sympathetic "awws" from the fans after yet another missed putt, Woods was causing roars on a regular basis, which McIlroy's group heard. Woods shot 69, moving within one shot of the lead, and beat McIlroy by 10 shots Friday.
"I don't feel like the scores are actually reflecting how I'm hitting the ball," McIlroy said. "I hit some good shots, it just seems like every time I go out there I make one or two big numbers that sort of throws me. Those big numbers are killing me and I just need to get those off the card and I'll be OK."
But there weren't any little numbers at all, as McIlroy missed 10 birdie putts, six between nine and 16 feet.
"He's obviously frustrated," Donald said. "This game does that to you. But he's not far away. He made a couple of careless errors and made some big numbers on a couple holes that was the difference this week. I'm sure once he posts one solid round, this will be a blur and he'll forget about it quickly."
McIlroy is off to Memphis now, playing the PGA stop next week before the U.S. Open arrives. He was proud of himself on Thursday for rebounding from a quadruple bogey on his third hole to shoot a 1-under 71. He almost had one more rebound left in him Friday.
At 6 over, he stood in 18th fairway after a 323-yard drive. It looked like the cut might be at 4 over, though it actually settled at 3 over. Still, an eagle would have given McIlroy life. From 112 yards McIlroy landed the ball past the hole, then spun it back.
It hit the flagstick. But the ball didn't drop, instead stopping nine feet from the hole. Then McIlroy missed the birdie putt. He didn't look mad.
UPDATED: It was the 18th straight win for Kent, and the second-longest game in NCAA Tournament history.
GARY, Ind. — Lefty Michael Clark got a strikeout with two on and two outs in the 21st inning to give Kent State a hard-earned 7-6 victory Friday night in the opening game of the NCAA regional baseball tournament in Gary, Ind.
It was the second-longest game in NCAA Tournament history, trailing only Texas' 3-2 win over Boston College in 25 innings in 2009.
"I'm glad we didn't get it," KSU coach Scott Stricklin said of the 25-inning record. "It's certainly better to be on the winning side of that one."
Twice Kentucky used its potential final at-bat to extend the game at U.S. Steel Yard, scoring in the ninth and 18th innings to tie the Golden Flashes. But Kent scratched out a run in the top of the 21st, and Clark, despite letting runners get to second and third with two outs, got the strikeout he needed.
"I only remember the last hitter," Clark said of the 3 innings he pitched. He got two straight strikes on Kentucky's Thomas McCarthy, but did not waste the next one. "I went high and hard" and whiffed him on a checked swing.
That led to an eruption from a crowd that grew from 756 after nine innings to more than 5,000 by the end. Most seemingly waiting to see two Indiana schools, Purdue and Valparaiso, play the second game of the regional. The winner of that game will play Kent tonight at 7.
Clark isn't worried about the Golden Flashes being emotionally spent.
"If anything, I think this will help us. We're running on adrenaline."
Kent's winning rally in the top of the 21st began with a bunt single from senior Joe Koch. The ball just got past the outstretched hand of Kentucky pitcher A.J. Reed, who started the game as the DH for the first 10 innings. Reed then played two innings at first and pitched the final nine.
A sacrifice moved Koch to second, and with two outs, freshman Alex Miklos hit a triple to center that scored Koch. Derek Toadvine then became Kent's 26th strikeout victim of the game, but the good deed was already done. Twice before Kent was three outs away from victory, leading 5-4 in the ninth and 6-5 in the 18th, but could not close the win out.
"But I said it out loud in the dugout, 'Third time is the charm,' " Stricklin said.
The Flashes had a sweet opportunity to blow the game open in the second inning. They loaded the bases with none out behind a pair of singles and a hit batter. Kent picked up a run when the Kentucky shortstop booted a potential double-play ball, keeping the bases loaded with no outs.
But the next three batters were retired on two strikeouts and a soft liner.
The Wildcats scored twice in the third behind two singles and a hit batter to take a 2-1 lead. The hit batter was the third in the game, the second for Kent ace David Starn. That led to a warning for both teams.
Kent posted three runs in the fourth on a bunt single from Toadvine, a balk from Kentucky starter Alex Phillips, and a double from George Roberts, who went 5-for-10. But for the second time in four innings, KSU hitters could not deliver with the bases loaded. It was a pattern that lasted all game as KSU stranded 20 runners.
With Kent leading, 5-4, in the bottom of the ninth, relief pitcher Brian Clark gave up a first-pitch single and the runner was sacrificed to second. A Kentucky single up the middle followed to tie it, 5-5.
The two teams would then go scoreless until the 18th. But there was plenty of drama.
The Flashes got a huge break to start the bottom of the 12th as Kentucky's Michael Williams hit a rocket off the left-field wall for an apparent double. But he missed first base, and Kent threw the relay to first to beat him back to the bag. One pitch later, Toadvine made a diving catch for the second out of the inning, saving another potential double. Then an infield out ended the inning.
In the bottom of the 15th, the Wildcats loaded the bases, but were retired on a pop-up on a pitch that looked like ball four.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: ealexander@plaind.com, 216-999-4253
Also, Robel Garcia goes 2-for-4 with a home run in Lake County's Class A win over West Michigan.
AAA Columbus Clippers
Clippers-Red Wings postponed Columbus' International League game in Rochester, N.Y. was rained out on Friday. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader today, beginning at 5:05 p.m.
AA Akron Aeros
Aeros 10, Mets 2 Steven Wright (4-2, 1.72 ERA) gave up one hit in six innings while striking out six to lead Akron to an Eastern League victory in Binghamton, N.Y.
1B Adam Abraham (.255) hit his fifth home run of the season, and LF Nick Weglarz (.219) hit his fourth homer for the Aeros, who scored three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to secure the victory. CF Tim Fedroff (.316) went 4-for-5 with three RBI in the leadoff spot for Akron.
Advanced A Carolina Mudcats
Dash 8, Mudcats 7 Host Winston-Salem scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to push past Carolina in a Carolina League game.
LF Jeremie Tice (.313), RF Carlos Moncrief (.243) and 2B Ronny Rodriguez (.244) homered for the Mudcats, who lost a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning.
Shawn Armstrong (0-2, 1.00) was the losing pitcher, giving up one run in one inning of relief. He struck out two.
A Lake County Captains
Captains 8, Whitecaps 7 Host Lake County scored three runs in the seventh inning and four in the eighth and held off West Michigan in a Midwest League game.
2B Robel Garcia (.221) went 2-for-4 and homered for the Captains. RF Jordan Smith (.282) went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Reliever Francisco Valera (2-3, 4.20) was the winner, giving up two runs on two hits in one inning of work. Jeff Johnson (.6.04) gave up a run in the ninth inning but earned his 10th save.
Independent Lake Erie Crushers
Crushers 7, Thunderbolts 6 Brandon Decker was hit in the head by a pitch from Windy City's Ryan Carr with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the 11th inning as Lake Erie got its first home win of the season in a Frontier League game in Avon.
Cleveland enters the game allowing a league-low 46.9 points a game, but gives up 70 to the Barnstormers.
DES MOINES, Iowa — For the second straight week, Cleveland's top-ranked defense was porous.
The Iowa Barnstormers defeated the Gladiators, 70-62, Friday night in an Arena Football League game at Wells Fargo Arena. Cleveland entered the game allowing a league-low 46.9 points a game -- an average that was raised in last week's 55-33 loss to Philadelphia.
Robert Redd's touchdown catch with 47 seconds left pulled Cleveland to within eight points, but the onside kick went too far to be recovered. As it had all game, Iowa's offense moved quickly, this time with Jesse Schmidt's fifth touchdown catch with 31 seconds remaining.
Iowa (5-7) scored on 10 of its 12 possessions in tallying a season high in points.
Cleveland's first drive of the second half ended with an interception, while Iowa scored TDs on its first two possessions after halftime. The Barnstormers, which had lost five of six, led, 35-20, with four minutes left in the third quarter when Redd snared a 30-yard touchdown pass to pull the Gladiators within one score.
Cleveland (6-5) kept scoring, but so did Iowa, as the Gladiators were never in a position to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland's Jermaine Richardson fought for a two-point conversion with 4:57 left in the game to cut Iowa's lead to 56-48, but the Barnstormers responded with a four-minute drive. Schmidt capped the decisive series with a 10-yard touchdown catch.
Cleveland's Derik Steiner, a 285-pound fullback, made his longest run of the season -- 13-yards -- for the opening touchdown of the game. After Iowa tied the game, Steiner caught a 3-yard touchdown pass that put Cleveland ahead, 13-7.
Iowa responded with a go-ahead touchdown and then a defensive stop. Redd was bumped in the end zone on a fourth-down play, but the flag never came.
Iowa stretched the lead to 21-13 on a touchdown catch by Marco Thomas
Cleveland overcame a fourth-and-10 on the next drive to score on a touchdown pass to Carlese Franklin. An Iowa 33-yard field-goal attempt was blocked to end the half, with Iowa ahead, 21-20.
Mike Malloy, Special to the Plain Dealer.
Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot answers readers' questions.
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: Sheldon Brown looked a little slow last year. Can you elaborate on the DBs? What do you see developing from your vantage point, who plays and how good should they be? -- John Hughes, New Castle, Pa.
A: Hey, John: The Browns still like Brown at corner and have no plans to move him to safety. They're also high on newly re-signed Dimitri Patterson and second-year corner Buster Skrine. I envision Patterson getting plenty of playing time, possibly rotating with Brown in regular defensive formations. Eric Hagg has the early edge at free safety.
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: Considering the fact that Trent Richardson is a "3-down back," what kind of a role do you see Brandon Jackson playing this year? Also, how is he doing in his recovery from the toe injury? -- Kyle, Coldwater, Ohio
A: Hey, Kyle: I still see the Browns using Jackson on third down at times. They're going to want to keep Richardson healthy and give reps to both Jackson and Montario Hardesty. Jackson is 100 percent recovered from the toe injury and looked fast and explosive in spring practices.
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: Any update on T.J. Ward's injury from last year? Also, has the NFL game evolved beyond his skill-sets (hard hitting/in-the-box safety) considering all the rule changes? -- Mike Jones, Sacramento, Calif.
A: Hey, Mike: Ward is fully recovered from his foot injury and looking to make a big impact this year. I still think a premier box safety is valuable, but Ward needs to create more turnovers (two interceptions, two forced fumbles so far). More time on the JUGS machine, more practice ripping the ball out.
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: 1. The NFL allows new head coaches extra practice time with their teams. Since coach [Pat] Shurmur was not allowed to even talk to his team last year due to the lockout, will the NFL allow extra. Will Shurmur get any extra practice time this year to compensate for last year? 2. The Browns seem to have more players than other teams tearing their pectoral muscles (Phil Taylor, Emmanuel Stephens and D'Qwell Jackson twice). Is there anything the strength and conditioning coaches could or should be doing differently? Thanks, I love your insight on the Browns in your articles and interviews. GO BROWNS! -- Jim Swartz, Lynchburg, Va.
A: Hey, Jim: Plenty of other coaches were in the same boat as Shurmur last season, and the rules won't change. As for the torn pectoral muscles, I always believe that when there seems to be a trend, it should be studied.
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: You are the only writer I have any faith in in Cleveland, and I am wondering whether you feel a good training camp for [Colt] McCoy will earn him a backup role or at least decent trade. . . . As you recall, this was to be the first year he was to be the starter after the team was rebuilt. I wonder about your take on his outcome given a good training camp? -- Vern Bevill, Mountain City, Texas
A: Hey, Vern: I didn't know I had relatives in Texas! I do think a good camp by Colt could earn him the backup job, but the Browns must decide whether they want him around considering the distraction he might present. If someone offers them a draft pick for him, I believe they would strongly consider it.
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: The Pats have two great tight ends. They find ways to get them both on the field to create mismatches. Why can't the Browns do the same with Trent Richardson and Montario Hardesty? -- Salvalo Robalo, College Park, Md.
A: Hey, Salvalo: I think the Browns will use Richardson and Hardesty to keep both fresh and healthy..'
Q: Hey, Mary Kay: John Hughes is from Columbus (Gahanna), he played at University of Cincinnati (my son's school). Do you think he will start for the Browns this season since Phil Taylor is on IR? Thanks. P.S. Make me a Facebook friend. Bye. -- John Kristofeld, Columbus
A: Hey, John: Hughes is a candidate, but Scott Paxson has been working with the first unit so far in camp. Hughes has a great opportunity to try to win the job in camp.
-- Mary Kay
