"Terrence Jones has moved up to 7th in a mock draft, he has a lot of talent and scouts have been impressed with his workouts. He is supposed to be one of the better defensive players and he is able to play the 3 or the 4 and can guard those positions also. The more i find out about him and Terrence Ross and Perry Jones the more I like them. Terrence Jones has moved ahead of Perry Jones on one of the mock drafts." - rome

View full sizeAP Photo/Mary Ann ChastainOne cleveland.com reader likes Terrence Jones and would take him over Perry Jones.

"Terrence Jones has moved up to 7th in a mock draft, he has a lot of talent and scouts have been impressed with his workouts. He is supposed to be one of the better defensive players and he is able to play the 3 or the 4 and can guard those positions also. The more i find out about him and Terrence Ross and Perry Jones the more I like them. Terrence Jones has moved ahead of Perry Jones on one of the mock drafts."

"I don't think we'd be as concerned if Santana was our number 6 or 7 hitter. The problem is he replaced Victor Martinez and was the cleanup hitter on his first day in the bigs. I think the expectations were too high. Between last year and this year, we have seen what he is, a .250 hitter with some power. Move him down in the order and he'll be much better off." - Tribefan888

View full sizeChuck Crow/The Plain DealerDoes Carlos Santana need to move down in the order to get back on track?

"I don't think we'd be as concerned if Santana was our number 6 or 7 hitter. The problem is he replaced Victor Martinez and was the cleanup hitter on his first day in the bigs. I think the expectations were too high. Between last year and this year, we have seen what he is, a .250 hitter with some power. Move him down in the order and he'll be much better off."

Join us for drinks, prizes and networking prior to the Indians game against the Reds on June 20th.

View full sizecleveland.com

Lefty reliever Hagadone can be tough to hit. Shortstop Cabrera - an all-star last season - and second baseman Kipnis, like Cabrera, is a candidate this season. Links to more Indians stories.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerIndians relief pitcher Nick Hagadone has allowed just 16 hits in 30 2/3 innings during his brief major league service.

Hagadone concentrated his offseason throwing program on being in control of the strike zone. He started with a long toss regimen and ended by throwing off a mound six or seven times at the University of Washington’s field house. As a former member of the Huskie baseball team, he was given a key.

“I think I’m a much better pitcher than last year,” Hagadone said. “Not that my stuff is better, but I have better command. The game doesn’t speed up on me. I can keep my composure and get the job done.”

Friday night, Acta let him pitch the ninth inning with a four-run lead over the Cardinals. It was not a save situation, but it was hardly a blowout, and Hagadone retired the side in order, striking out one.

“He earned that,” Acta said. “He’s gone through the process. He went through all the stages, so now I trust him. He throws strikes in all environments. He was facing the Cardinals [who won the World Series]. There was a big crowd. He’s not a finished product, but his heartbeat is pretty good.”

Browns fans have shown much patience to a team that has accomplished little in recent years. Links to more Browns stories.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerBrowns fans have remained loyal though the team has lost 65 percent of its games over the last 19 seasons -- counting the six seasons prior to former owner Art Modell moving the original Browns to Baltimore.

Why then, at this point, would measuring the success of the Browns by expecting a playoff berth be that far out of the question? I’d pose that it’s not out of the question.

However, entering the playoff discussion cannot happen unless the Browns can win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. That, though, is easier said than done.

For years, Browns fans have been waiting for the right time when talent and opportunity meet. This year, aging Steelers and Ravens defenses may be primed to fall. Have the Browns added enough firepower to exploit this potential fall-off in the division?

"It has been stated many times over, how the Browns were hurt more than most teams ( new coaches on both sides of the ball, new systems on both sides of the ball ) with the loss of training camp last year due to the strike. I happen to believe that is true. This year, with an entire training camp, an improved coaching staff ( Childress and Cromwell), two huge draft picks in TR and Weeden and Little and MoMass coming in in shape and healthy, my expectations are high." - sadsamjones

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerOne cleveland.com reader states the Browns will be improved because of a full summer of workouts and improved coaching staff, including Brad Childress.

"It has been stated many times over, how the Browns were hurt more than most teams ( new coaches on both sides of the ball, new systems on both sides of the ball ) with the loss of training camp last year due to the strike. I happen to believe that is true. This year, with an entire training camp, an improved coaching staff ( Childress and Cromwell), two huge draft picks in TR and Weeden and Little and MoMass coming in in shape and healthy, my expectations are high. We will see this year if the last years strike was a legitimate excuse or not. At seasons end we will know whether we have an NFL quality coaching staff or not. Until then, we simply do not know. Go Browns!"

Buckeyes' punter the last two seasons, Buchanan was a finalist in 2011 for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is presented to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. More Buckeyes story links.

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerBen Buchanan will return as Ohio State's punter this season after earning a degree from the school in strategic communications.

Against a benign image of LeBron James crafted by national media forces, Cleveland fans should remember former Browns coach Bill Belichick, who could only go by what he saw.

View full sizeElise Amendola, Associated PressLeBron James, shown in the fourth quarter of his last game as a Cavalier, likes to tell people he is a humble guy. He also calls himself King James.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bill Belichick made a life strategy out of the physical evidence spread across the football field. "I can only go by what I see," he said as the Browns' coach.

It was a revealing comment by a man who became a great coach. He was the man of science, in years to come a Sherlock Holmes in a hoodie, spotting the telltale signs of diminished skills while the fans and media believed in the fairy tale of Bernie Kosar, the ugly duckling quarterback who could.

Next, the biggest mass delusion in modern sports history spread across the land. That was baseball's fraudulent home run derby, aka better slugging through chemistry. It didn't take observation of minutiae to see that this was unreal. It was hidden in plain sight in the grotesquely muscular bodies of the batters. Most voted for romance, not suspicion.

The clash of perception vs. reality will occur again in the NBA Finals, now that LeBron James' Miami Heat is in its second straight such series, beginning today in Oklahoma City.

Most of the local media members, including me, were guilty of selective sight with James when he played for the Cavaliers. Rudeness to underlings and habitual tardiness went unreported. The sycophants with which he surrounded himself were tolerated and even employed by the Cavaliers.

The reason so many said so little was that they were seemingly small things. The worst trouble James ever got into with the police was a 101 mph speeding ticket.

We chuckled at his oxymorons. "It keeps me humble," said James after one of his Most Valuable Player awards, when it clearly did the reverse.

We rolled our eyes but never wagged a finger at him in print, when he drew attention to his grandiose sense of his own humility. He passed out gifts to his teammates, for example, when he won two MVPs with the Cavs. "You know me," he said. "That's the kind of guy I am."

We knew James was the kind of guy who called himself King. That made his abdication against Boston in 2010 so shocking.

Some would come to blame "fear of failure" in James' meek submission to the Celtics on May 11, 2010, in his last home game with the Cavs. An ESPN talking head said later that James was "in a funk." Another said he was "confused" by the Celtics' defense.

I said James quit, in specific reference to Game 5, almost a month before Dan Gilbert's broadside in his message to the fans on June 8, the night of "The Decision."

ESPN's indulgence of James' ego that night showed how he would be treated by the propaganda arm of modern sports. It was just the start of a long line of powerful media and league officials who saw, heard and said almost no evil of him.

NBA Commissioner of Slapstick David Stern, seeing a ratings bonanza with a "super team" in Miami, was quick to ignore the sabotage of the Cavs franchise. "His integrity shines through," Stern said of James, who refused during his free-agency period to return messages from Gilbert or the team's potential new coach, Tom Izzo.

Sports Illustrated recently unleashed an apologist named Lee Jenkins, who came to the ridiculous conclusion that James was guilty of little more than poor marketing in the ESPN TV show.

These voices will say James has validated himself in his tremendous last two games in the Miami-Boston series.

There is no argument here with how good he can be. James was the most talented player I ever covered. I thought he had a chance to be better than Michael Jordan.

But his performance in this Boston series is even more startling when compared to his valedictory game in Cleveland against the Celtics. It was also a rather big change from his craven clutch play against Dallas in last year's NBA Finals. Sports history is what players make, not what anyone reads.

We saw what we wanted to see here with James, almost until the end. His apologists now, however, are not fans or media members who neglected many little things until they grew into an astonishingly big and ugly thing. They are people with a stake in LeBron Enterprises, Inc. They have bartered independence for access, criticism for apology.

Manny Acta, in the tension of a tight ballgame, has found comfort in watching Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez pitch with a lead late in the game.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerCloser Chris Perez runs out from the bullpen to protect another Tribe lead.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the late innings of a close game, comfort is in short supply in most big-league dugouts. There's little room for it among the strategy and tension.

Amid those emotions, manager Manny Acta has found a bit of an oasis whenever he can entrust a lead to set-up man Vinnie Pestano and closer Chris Perez.

"It's a comforting feeling," said Acta.

Pestano is tied for second in the big leagues with 15 holds. Perez leads the big leagues with 20 saves.

Quick reference point, the hold isn't an official stat, but it's helped a lot of relievers come arbitration time. It's defined this way: a reliever earns a hold when he enters a game in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game without having given up the lead.

In other words, Pestano is the escort vessel to Perez's aircraft carrier. He needs to pitch well to keep the big boy afloat.

Acta feels they're the equal of any duo in the big leagues right now.

"I tip my hat to the other club if they beat us with those two guys on the mound," said Acta last week when the Indians started a nine-game trip in Detroit.

The Indians open the final segment of the trip tonight with a three-game series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

No oasis is stress free.

In Sunday's 4-1 victory over St. Louis at Busch Stadium, Pestano started the eighth with the score tied, 1-1. He retired the first batter, but walked pinch-hitter Tyler Greene, Rafael Furcal and Carlos Beltran in succession. The bases were loaded and the sellout crowd of over 43,000 was making a lot of noise.

Pestano said there was so much sweat running down his arm and into his right hand that he couldn't get a good grip on the ball. That may have explained the walks to Greene and Furcal, but Pestano issued an unintentional intentional walk to Beltran, who had homered in the first inning.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerVinnie Pestano is one of the top setup men in baseball.

"I pitched around Beltran," said Pestano. "I was either going to walk him, hit him or break his bat. With two right-handers coming up and a base open, I felt comfortable with that."

Pestano struck out Yadier Molina and Allen Craig to end the inning. Acta and Pestano worked off the stats. Righties are hitting .l36 (6-for-44) against Pestano with four walks and 22 strikeouts. Lefties are hitting .209 (9-for-43) with eight walks and 11 strikeouts. Switch-hitters Beltran and Furcal batted left-handed against Pestano.

It was the second time this season Pestano has walked the bases loaded and escaped without allowing a run.

"I don't want to do it," said Pestano. "But I'm not afraid to pitch with the bases loaded. I don't get worried or scared."

Pestano was not happy with himself, but when he got to the dugout, pitching coach Scott Radinsky jokingly told him, "Maybe this will change the momentum for us."

Jason Kipnis must have been listening because he hit a three-run homer for a 4-1 lead to bring Perez into the game against the team that traded him. Perez had more trouble with his stomach than the Cardinals.

After Perez earned his 20th straight save, he knelt down on one knee on the field and vomited. Perez said he drank some warm water before he came into the game and it didn't agree with him.

"What am I going to do, call time out and run into the dugout?" said Perez. " I need to stay away from that warm water."

Pestano (3-0, 2.19 ERA) has pitched part or all of the eighth inning in 18 of Perez's 20 saves. He has 33 strikeouts and 12 walks in 24 innings for the season. He has not allowed an inherited runner to score.

"I try to strike out everybody I face," said Pestano, tied for fifth among AL relievers in strikeouts.

Pestano was the only rookie to make the Indians in 2011 and quickly moved into the set-up role. He finished eighth in the American League with 23 holds.

"I have the utmost confidence in Vinnie," said Perez. "Being a closer, you need a good set-up man to even get you the ball and he's been tremendous since he started doing it last year."

Perez (0-1, 2.59 ERA) has 20 saves in 21 chances. Going back to August of 2010, he's converted 92 percent (66-for-71) of his save chances.

Pestano and Perez have been especially effective against Detroit, last year's AL Central champ. In the Tribe's five wins over the Tigers, Pestano and Perez have allowed one run in 10 combined innings while going 1-0 with five saves.

"It's great knowing Chris is going to shut the door in case anything goes sideways when you're in there," said Pestano.

The success of one program can lead to success in other sports.

View full sizeSteve WoltmannWinning the regional title in Gary, Ind., on June 3 was just the latest example of a Kent State team succeeding on a national level.

EUGENE, Ore. -- Kent State's run to the final game of the NCAA baseball tournament's Oregon Super Regional continued to raise the profile of the KSU sports brand.

Without the fancy trappings of other universities that sport enrollments above 30,000, and with administrative indifference to athletics in general -- as evidenced by no athletic facility enhancements in President Lester Lefton's current $170-million campus improvement plan -- baseball coach Scott Stricklin does what his coaching peers do at KSU.

"The big thing we can sell a recruit is winning," Stricklin said as his team spent a long weekend in Oregon playing for a chance to become the first Kent team, and the first Mid-American Conference team in the modern era, to advance to the NCAA College World Series. "We sell winning.

"That hallway up where we are, that's championship hallway," Stricklin said, talking of a narrow corridor of offices in the bowels of the upper grandstands in the oldest sports facility in the MAC, Kent's Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, built in 1952.

"Just walk down that hall. Over the past few years alone gymnastics vied for a national championship, wrestling has a national champion, field hockey wins every year, golf plays for national championships, seems like every year, down the line every single one of our programs wins. Many win on a national scale, and football (Kent's lone notoriously losing program) is going to get there.

"Yes, we talk about it," Stricklin said of the school's coaches, who are aware that recruits are impressed by success in any sport and want to be associated with a winning athletic program.

"Absolutely, we talk about the other sports, take recruits to see how well the other sports do. The athletic department is very tight-knit. Our kids interact with each other, and certainly follow each other. If I go to a wrestling match, or gymnastics, a lot of my kids (baseball players) are there, too.

"The first thing we talk about is when you come to Kent State you're going to win. And you are not going to be alone."

MAC history: Yes, Kent was playing Monday night to become the first Mid-American Conference team in the modern era to advance to the NCAA College World Series. No team has been to Omaha, Neb., since the NCAA opened the field to 64 teams in 1999. However, MAC teams have been to Omaha before.

The last was Eastern Michigan, which finished second to Arizona in 1976. Eastern defeated Maine (3-2), Clemson (3-2 in 10 innings) and Arizona State (2-1) before losing two games to Arizona, 11-6 and 7-1. The very first MAC team to reach the CWS was Western Michigan in 1952.

About that streak: Kent State's 21-game winning streak was quite a feat on its own merit, but looking inside the numbers makes it even more impressive:

Twelve of the wins came on the road, including the last eight.

The final eight wins were in postseason play.

The Golden Flashes won six one-run games.

The streak included a 21-inning victory over Kentucky.

Kent hit .300 as a team with 233 hits, 46 doubles, nine triples and 16 homers. Kent's ERA was 2.10 with 163 strikeouts. Defensively, Kent committed 14 errors for a .984 fielding percentage.

Kent State wins in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth.

Eugene, Ore. -- Kent State did it!

The Golden Flashes will play in the College World Series for the first time after a dramatic 3-2 win over Oregon in the deciding game of the NCAA baseball tournament's Super Regional.

Jimmy Rider's bloop double down the left-field line on a 3-2 pitch scored Derek Toadvine from second in the bottom of the ninth, setting off wild celebration as players poured out of the KSU dugout in Oregon's PK Park.

Kent (46-18) advances to Omaha, Neb., where it will play Saturday at 5 p.m. against Arkansas (44-20), which defeated Baylor Monday night.

In the best-of-three Super Regional, the Flashes opened with a 7-6 win but Oregon came back to win the second game, 3-2. The defeat snapped a 21-game win streak for KSU.

Now they hope to be starting on a new streak, thanks to Rider, Kent's single-season (103) and career (350) hits leader. Rider's winning hit was a flare that eluded Oregon's left fielder, shortstop and third baseman.

"I thought at first, no shot," Rider said. "Then, it's got a chance. I knew Derek was rounding third. Then it was all a blur after that."

Said Oregon left fielder Brett Thomas: "It was a clean hit. It fell. It wasn't an error. It's baseball."

Rider's hit backed up some clutch relief pitching by freshman lefty Brian Clark from Munroe Falls. He gave up the hit that tied the game, 2-2 in the eighth inning, but settled down after that and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to set the stage for Rider's heroics.

"The key to the game was Brian Clark," Kent coach Scott Stricklin said. "That's a freshman with ice in his veins. He gave up the hit, then shut them down."

Clark started the ninth by getting a his lone strikeout of the game.

"Getting that first batter was key," Clark said. "I was OK after that."

He was even better when Toadvine nursed an opening walk against Oregon's closer, Jimmie Sherfy. Evan Campbell sacrificed Toadvine to second. Then Rider delivered.

"I was jumping for joy after that," Clark said.

Kent got on the board in the first inning. Back-to-back singles by Rider and David Lyon put runners on first and second with one out. An infield out by George Roberts advanced the runners and T.J. Sutton's single drove in Rider.

Kent sophomore starter Tyler Skulina retired Oregon in order in the second and Kent's offense went back to work, with the Flashes loading the bases with three straight singles.

Leadoff hitter Evan Campbell came to the plate and hit into a double-play, but a run scored for a 2-0 Kent lead.

Skulina struggled a bit in the third, walking two, but worked out of trouble thanks to a 6-4-3 double play.

Then Skulina ran into some trouble in the sixth when he hit the first two batters. He came back with a strikeout and long fly out to center before Stricklin pulled him in favor of Casey Wilson, who got the third out.

Kent got two men on in the seventh but again was unable to get a big hit.

Wilson gave up a leadoff single to J.J. Altobelli in the eight, and he exited in favor of Clark.

Clark walked Aaron Jones, and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third. Ryon Healy came through for the Ducks with a single to right to tie the game and energize a record crowd of 4,825.

But that was it as Clark shut down the Ducks in the ninth and Toadvine and Rider came through for Kent in the bottom of the inning to send the Golden Flashes to its first CWS in school history.

The Kings' 45-year Stanley Cup quest ended in a triumphant flurry of blood, sweat and power-play goals.

Manager Manny Acta thinks Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez are starting to pitch better. They opened the season as the top two starters in the Tribe's rotation, but have struggled from the outset.

View full sizeTom Gannam, Associated PressUbaldo Jimenez is among the league leaders in walks, but in his past two starts he has just one walk in 13.2 innings.

Nothing is more important than victory in the big leagues. The minor leagues are for development. In the big leagues, the focus of every organization should be on winning as many games as possible.

Indians manager Manny Acta knows exactly what that means, but he saw something bigger in the Indians' last two games over the weekend in St. Louis. He saw Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, his No. 1 and No. 2 starters, put together consecutive strong starts.

"It was rewarding," said Acta. "Regardless of the outcome, I was going to be a happy camper because both of them had good back-to-back outings. That's what I've been looking for."

Acta was doubly rewarded Sunday when the Indians rallied for a 4-1 victory in the ninth inning after Jimenez allowed one run, no walks with a season-high seven strikeouts in a seven-inning no-decision. It was the first time in 12 starts he hasn't walked a batter.

In Saturday's 2-0 loss, Masterson allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. Like Jimenez, he did not walk a batter for just the second time in 13 starts this year.

Jimenez (6-4, 4.91 ERA) and Masterson (2-6, 4.76) are in the AL's top five in walks behind Toronto's Kyle Drabek with 45. Jimenez is third at 43, and Masterson is fifth at 37.

In Jimenez's past two starts, he's 1-0 with one walk and 11 strikeouts in 13 innings. In Masterson's past two starts, he's 0-2 with three walks and nine strikeouts in 13 innings.

Jimenez has been working for several weeks with pitching coach Scott Radinsky to correct some problems with his delivery.

"I think everything is getting smooth," said Jimenez. "I don't even have to think about my mechanics anymore."

Said Acta: "Radinsky continues to tell me he is making progress. We can see him repeating his delivery and not being so herky-jerky, which helps him.

"When he's smooth in the back end of his delivery, the velocity is there. This guy sat at pretty much 95 mph [Sunday]. If you're throwing strikes at 95 mph, you don't need to throw 99 to get people out, 95 is pretty good."

Jimenez faced 25 batters and threw first-strike pitches to 19 of them. He threw 66 percent (67-of-102) of his pitches for strikes.

Masterson threw 72 percent (65-for-90) of his pitches for strikes. The MLB average is 64 percent. Eight of his 21 outs came on ground balls.

"I gave up a homer to [Carlos] Beltran, but that's the kind of performance I wanted. I got a lot of ground balls. I was ahead in the count and forced the action."

In their past four starts, Masterson and Jimenez are a combined 1-2 with a 1.69 ERA (five runs in 26 innings) with 20 strikeouts, four walks and 22 hits.

"I think I'm getting there," said Masterson. "I haven't done anything magical. It's just like you guys. Sometimes you write good articles, and sometimes you write bad ones. It's just the way it is.

"It's the same thing with pitching. Sometimes it just doesn't work. But most of the time, you really feel the mechanics well. It's all about feel."

Let's talk: Right-hander Kieran Lovegrove, the Indians' third pick in the draft, will be at Progressive Field this weekend to take his physical. Negotiations are still ongoing.

The Indians are slotted to spend $432,700 on the third-round pick under the new basic agreement.

Lovegrove, 6-4 and 185 pounds, went 6-3 with a 1.58 ERA at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School.

Finally: Third baseman Jack Hannahan, recovering from a strained left calf and a sore lower back, started his rehab assignment Monday with Class AAA Columbus. . . . Michael Brantley is hitting .357 (25-for-70) in his 18-game hitting streak. . . . Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .286 (14-for-49) in his 12-game hitting streak.

The Cleveland Browns Foundation hosted its 13th annual golf outing at Akron's Firestone Country Club on Monday. Watch video

Cleveland, Ohio - Joe Haden looked the part of a golfer, but his dress code is where it all ended on Monday.

Haden, cornerback for the Cleveland Browns, took to the links for the first time to help raise funds at the 13th annual Browns Foundation Golf Tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

According to the Browns, the foundation has raised more than $2.1 million as a result of the golf outing. The foundation is focused on helping children throughout Northeast Ohio in several areas, including education and youth football.

Several current and former Browns participated in the event including coach Pat Shurmur, rookies Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson and offensive lineman Joe Thomas.

"It was fun meeting some of the sponsors and being around some of my teammates bonding, relaxing and helping out a good cause," Richardson said.

Plain Dealer reporter says Asdrubal Cabrera also has a chance, but AL shortstop competition is tough. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Bill Lubinger, who's standing in for Branson Wright.

The Indians open a three-game series tonight against the Cincinnati Reds before returning home for a three-game set against another National League team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Which of those nearby teams do you think is a bigger rival for the Tribe? That's the question in today's Starting Blocks poll.

Today's guest on SBTV is Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff, who is down in Cincinnati and will cover the series starting tonight. He says he believes the Reds are a bigger rival for the Indians and their fans.

Dman also discusses which Indians he thinks deserve to be in the All-Star Game next month; what he thinks will happen with the Indians at third base after Jack Hannahan returns from his injury; and why Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez are pitching better of late.

SBTV will return Wednesday with Plain Dealer Ohio State reporter Doug Lesmerises talking Buckeyes and NBA draft.

AKRON. O - Kevin Gladney, Firestone's outstanding wide receiver, has given Nebraska his oral commitment. The 6-1, 185-pounder picked the Cornhuskers over Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Iowa, Michigan, Miami (O.),Purdue and Vanderbilt.

AKRON. O - Kevin Gladney, Firestone's outstanding wide receiver, has given Nebraska his oral commitment.

The 6-1, 185-pounder picked the Cornhuskers over Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Iowa, Michigan, Miami (O.),Purdue and Vanderbilt.

Gladney accounted for 48 receptions for 768 yards and 12 touchdowns last season after grabbing 15 passes for 337 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore.

Practice begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 12:30 p.m. Get updates from @MaryKayCabot and @treedpd on Twitter or on this page.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerMike Holmgren.

Will Wallace ask for a trade if he's No. 3? "I don't know,'' he said. "We'll see when it gets to that point.'' Watch video

Ross D. Franklin, Associated PressBackup QB Seneca Wallace thinks somebody's gotta go.

BEREA, Ohio -- Seneca Wallace said today that he and Colt McCoy will "probably not'' both be on the roster behind rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden, and that he doesn't want to be the No. 3 QB.

"Can any of you guys see all three of us being here?'' Wallace said. "You've written about it, so that answers your question...Probably not,'' he said.

He also made it clear he doesn't want to be the third quarterback. Coach Pat Shurmur indicated today it's possible all three will remain, and said he has an idea who would be No. 2 and who would be No. 3.  McCoy has been taking the second-team reps in camp and Wallace the third. The Browns also like developmental QB Thad Lewis, who's been going fourth.

"No not really (I don't want to be third),'' Wallace said. "That's something for no reason you go down to the third guy and we all know the third guy doesn't dress on Sundays," said Wallace, "and if that comes down to that decision, obviously neither (he or McCoy) wants to be that third guy.''

Will he ask for a trade if he's relegated to No. 3? "I don't know,'' he said. "We'll see when it gets to that point.''

Wallace said he doesn't think all three quarterbacks will be back because of the distractions it could cause.

"If you're going to move forward with a guy and (want him to) be your franchise guy, you need to put all of your focus on that guy and take all of the media situations out of it and the fan situations out of it and let him play in order to build that franchise the way you want it,'' Wallace said.

Wallace said he thinks he'd make a good backup because he knows the offense inside and out and can help Weeden. He said knows his role would be that of a mentor.

"I mean look, this is my 10th year,'' Wallace said. "I know the ropes. I know what goes on. I'm not naïve to that. I know the system well enough to compete at anytime. Whatever decision is made, that's the coaches' decision. We would all love for it to be sooner than later to figure that situation out.

"But the coaches are trying their best to figure out what's gonna happen. And like we've all said before, we don't know if we're all three gonna stick around. We might and we might not. But they know what I bring to the table. And if that's enough, who knows?''

McCoy said today that he hasn't conceded he's the backup yet and is getting better every day.

 "I have not gone there in my mind,'' he said. "When I come out to practice, in my mind I’m the starter. That’s the only way I look at it."

 He said he hasn't contemplated asking for a trade when Weeden is named the No. 1, which Shurmur has indicated will happen sooner than later.

"That's out of my control too,'' said McCoy. "Again, in my mindset we have three more OTAs, and I want to come out here and make those the best OTAs that we've had so far. I felt like today started a little slow in the team period, but finished strong and had one of my better team periods. Again, it's controlling what you can control and just going out there and playing. That's what I've always done.''

He said he has no plans to state his case to stick around.

"No, my mindset is just come out here and play and with each rep that I get, I expect to get better, each rep that I get, that's what I can contro., I study hard and I understand what's going on,'' he said. "I watch other quarterbacks, I watch defenses throughout this offseason. We're trying to beat our defense now, but you've got to look at what you're going to face the rest of the year, so I'm doing all the things that I would do as the starting quarterback and I don't think that will change.
 
McCoy added, "I understand we’re trying to get Brandon ready. He’s got a lot of reps. That’s part of the process.''

Shurmur said "I can see a scenario where all three of the players you're talking about will be here. That's fair.''

Shurmur said "it's my understanding is that (Wallace) would be (fine at No. 3). It's important that the room is right. There will be a starting quarterback and there will be guys working behind him and I have no reservation about however it works out and I think those guys will handle it in the right away.''

He said there are couple of things he looks for in a backup.

"Because the starter gets almost all of the reps during the week, the backup needs to be able to come in and function efficiently and not have many reps,'' he said. "Typically your backup quarterback, I like the fact that he may have mobility because the game may in a situation where you've lost your starter and you want to have everything available to you whether it be movement throws, dropback throws. Anytime you get an experienced player either as a starter or a backup, I think it helps them.

One of them will emerge with his first championship and probably the title of best player in the game. James is a three-time MVP. Durant has led the league in scoring the last three years.

Associated PressLeBron James (6) pressures Kevin Durant (35) during this season's NBA All-Star Game.

Who should the Tribe target via a trade? Should the Cavs move down for more picks in the upcoming draft? Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore.

View full sizeAP Photo/Charles Rex ArbogastTerry Pluto talks about if the Tribe should pursue Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs, who has 12 home runs this year.

Who should the Tribe target via a trade? Should the Cavs move down for more picks in the upcoming draft?

Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore.

Among other topics discussed:

• Kent State's baseball team and their run to the College World Series.

• Who is the odd man out in the Browns' backfield?

• Should the Tribe pursue a right-handed bat?

• Who will the Cavs take at No. 4?

You can download the mp3 or listen with the player to the right.

Be sure to also like Terry Pluto on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.