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Cam Trefny leads Olmsted Falls to Division I regional baseball final

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A bulldog is known for its tenacity and one Olmsted Falls baseball player typified that fighting spirit more than the others in the Division I regional semifinal at Nobby's Ballpark on the campus of Case Western Reserve University on Thursday. Pitcher/infielder Cam Trefny allowed just three hits through 5 innings of work and doubled home the game-winning run in...



A bulldog is known for its tenacity and one Olmsted Falls baseball player typified that fighting spirit more than the others in the Division I regional semifinal at Nobby's Ballpark on the campus of Case Western Reserve University on Thursday.

Pitcher/infielder Cam Trefny allowed just three hits through 5 innings of work and doubled home the game-winning run in a 6-5 Bulldogs victory over Strongsville (15-11).

"I just had to throw my stuff and it worked," said Trefny. "Definitely, my curveball worked. They struggled with it early on, but late in the game, they started hitting it a little more, so I was getting nervous. We're the underdogs, so it's awesome. No one expects us to win, except us. We know we're going to win."

Trefny entered the game in the top of the second when Denton Sagerman was relieved after surrendering five runs. Of the 22 Mustangs who faced Trefny, only two made it beyond first base. He struck out three and walked three.

"Cam's a competitor," senior catcher Chaz McGrain said. "He and I have been up here since we were sophomores and we both want to do something to get remembered. On the mound, he's been lights out. Hopefully, he'll keep it up. He wants to win."

After a four-run response in the bottom of the second inning and another to even the score in the third, the Bulldogs got the lead for good in the fifth.

Cory Maddocks singled to start the rally, but was forced out on a fielder's choice. Following designated hitter Kurt Carlisle's infield single, Trefny doubled down the right-field line, which provided more than enough time for Brennen Laird to score the go-ahead run.

"We've been preaching all week: family," said Largent. "We've been doing this all year, sticking together."

Strongsville sent ten batters to the plate in the top of the second and seven of the first nine hitters reached base.

Olmsted Falls (15-17) will get to play one of two state-ranked teams in the regional final at Madison Comprehensive High School in Mansfield. Perrysburg (23-4, No. 3 in the Associated Press poll) were scheduled to play Sylvania Southview (23-3, No. 10) at Bowling Green, but the game was rained out. The game is rescheduled for today.


Tyler Skulina, Ryan Berry lead Walsh Jesuit to Division II regional baseball victory

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Tyler Skulina doesn't feel he is all the way back, but he sure looked like it Thursday. Ryan Berry returned as well, but it's not as if he was gone that long.













Lake Catholic's Zach Cvelbar signals he still has the ball after tagging Walsh Jesuit's Forrest Perron after Perron tried to stretch a single to a double on Thursday.



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(Thomas Ondrey / PD)










Tyler Skulina doesn't feel he is all the way back, but he sure looked like it Thursday.

Ryan Berry returned as well, but it's not as if he was gone that long.

Either way, both players helped lead Walsh Jesuit to a 4-1 victory over Lake Catholic in a Division II regional semifinal game at the Ballpark at Hudson.

After being sidelined for nearly three weeks earlier this month with a muscle injury in his back, Skulina came up with his second solid performance of the postseason in helping the Warriors (28-1) reach today's title game against Marlington (21-8) at 5 p.m.

Skulina, a Virginia recruit, had his pitches hovering around the 90 mph mark the entire game -- reaching 92 mph with two throws -- in pitching a three-hitter and raising his record to 6-0. The 6-6, 235-pound right-hander struck out seven and walked one. That came on the heels of a one-hit, six-strikeout performance against Archbishop Hoban in the district finals.

"I really don't think I'm all the way back," he said. "My velocity is still a little down, but 90-91 is OK. My fastball was tailing today and my slider was working, but I couldn't get a real feel for my curve."

Skulina, now 26-0 for his high school career, threw 95 pitches, 65 of which were strikes. Coach Chris Kaczmar said senior Greg Greve (7-0, 2.35 ERA) will pitch today against Marlington, which run-ruled Beloit West Branch in Thursday's other semifinal, 10-0, in six innings.

Berry, a Dayton recruit, emerged from a minislump with a pair of singles, the first of which tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the fourth and the second of which nearly took the foot off Lake Catholic relief pitcher Kyle Kromar to start the sixth. His first hit scored Johnny Fasola, who led off with a walk, and got to third on a fielder's choice and wild pitch.

"All week long I worked on shortening my swing and getting the ball in play," said Berry, who is third on the team in hitting at .453 but leads the club with 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in, both school records.

Lake Catholic (22-9) did not go quietly. The Cougars led, 1-0, in the top of the fourth inning following a lead-off triple by Adam Urbania and a single by Dylan O'Donnell. They were still in the game when the Warriors scored twice in the bottom of the fourth but things took a bad turn when Walsh Jesuit scored two in the fifth.

Freshman catcher Cassidy Brown started the two-run fifth with a double to right-center and Anthony Marotto --the ninth batter in the lineup -- reached on a bunt single. A walk to Marco Caponi loaded the bases and Brown scored on a wild pitch and Marotto scored on a sacrifice fly by Fasola.

St. Edward baseball team overcomes errors for Division I baseball victory

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CANTON, Ohio -- Danny Allie was hot. The St. Edward coach was major-league hot. And he wasn't afraid to let his team know it, following a sloppy 8-4 victory over Medina on Thursday in a Division I regional semifinal game at Thurman Munson Stadium.



CANTON, Ohio -- Danny Allie was hot.

The St. Edward coach was major-league hot. And he wasn't afraid to let his team know it, following a sloppy 8-4 victory over Medina on Thursday in a Division I regional semifinal game at Thurman Munson Stadium.

"We simply stopped competing," he fumed after the Eagles committed three errors in the bottom of the seventh inning to turn what had been a comfortable shutout into a four-run victory. "We played four innings today and that's not acceptable at this stage of the season. I'm not taking anything away from Medina. They battled all the way through the game and my hat is off to them. We turned the game into a folly."

The folly notwithstanding, the Eagles (26-3) advanced to today's regional title game against Mayfield at 5 p.m.

And yes, Stetson Allie will pitch.

St. Edward, seeking a third state title since 1998, didn't need Allie as they won their 24th straight game behind junior Vince Bartolone, who held the Bees (21-10) to five hits through six innings in raising his record to 4-1.

Bartolone was lifted in the seventh when the Bees got three of their eight hits and took advantage of a walk, a hit batter and two errors. Junior Cody Cooper came on to close out the game, getting the final out on a foul pop with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate.

Cooper also was the hitting star, bashing a bases-loaded triple to the wall in right-center during a six-run third inning.

"Coach was right," said Cooper. "I think we got a little complacent there. When it got to 8-0 we should have closed out the game."

Mayfield 3, GlenOak 2 The Wildcats (21-6) reached the regional final for the second time in three years when they scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning and eliminated the Golden Eagles (20-10).

It marks the second time in the past three years that Mayfield and St. Edward have met in the regional final. St. Edward won, 9-5, when catcher Alex Lavisky drove in six runs.

Mayfield will face St. Edward ace Allie, who is headed to North Carolina if he doesn't like what transpires in the draft. Allie routinely reaches mid-90s with his fastball.

That means little to the Wildcats, who rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the sixth. Kyle Koski led off with a single and went to second on a bunt single by Ohio State recruit Tim Wetzel. Junior Rob Razzante and senior Dave Ianiro followed with singles.

"One thing I know is that our kids will not back down from anyone," said Mayfield coach Don Ramer."That's what I like about our team. They will battle anyone and they are excited about facing Stetson or anyone St. Edward might use. We have been finding ways to win."

Wetzel, Koski and Ianiro each had two hits for the Wildcats. Ramer used three pitchers in the game but said that will not be a problem.

"Koski will start and we have Mike Brown and about three others who can throw," he said.

NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships fact box

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The Division III championships begin today and continue on Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Where: Baldwin-Wallace College, George Finnie Stadium, 141 E. Bagley Road, Berea. Call 440-826-2184 or 2140

When: Today at 11 a.m.; Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Who: 688 men and women competing in 42 events.

Returning team champions: Wisconsin-LaCrosse men; Wartburg (Iowa) women.

Admission: Single sessions are $8 for adults, $5 for students; all-session tickets are $15 and $10.

Website: bw.edu/athletics/10tracknationals

Local competitors (men and women): Baldwin-Wallace (six): Kim Chinn (women's 3,000 steeplechase), D'Arcy Hlavin (women's 1,500), Greg Patrick (men's shot put), Kevin Phipps (men's discus and hammer), Steve Price (men's decathlon) and Mitch Supan (men's discus); Case Western Reserve (three): Erin Hollinger (women's high jump), Obinna Nwanna (women's decathlon) and Elaine Simpson (women's 5,000); Mount Union (four): Aubrey Jones (women's discus), Jason Lutz (men's shot put and discus), Sean Denard (men's discus) and Mary Mahoney (women's 200 and 400).

Other Ohio schools: Men: Demetrius Bailey, Muskingum (triple jump); Alan Bowsher (10,000 run) and Jacob Weyrauch (pole vault) Ohio Northern; Steve Brown (110 high hurdles) and Kyle Faris, Ohio Wesleyan (shot put); Julius Higginbotham (long jump) and Nathan Davis (high jump) Heidelberg; Brandon McMonigle, Wilmington (high jump); Michael Pankowski, Marietta (javelin); Joshua Woods, Capital (100). Women: Emily Amburgey, Ohio Wesleyan (high jump); Marian Bevington, Heidelberg (long jump); Samie Corbin, Otterbein (100 hurdles); Emily Goerig, Capital (shot put); Nicole Hope, Ohio Northern (javelin); Kim Kessler, Marietta (javelin); Callen Martin, Wilmington (100); Sharon Rymut, Ohio Wesleyan (discus and hammer); Kwesi Seabrook, Capital (400); Brittany Sims, Marietta (110 hurdles); Jessica Starks, Capital (100 and 200); Kat Zimmerly, Ohio Wesleyan (3000 steeplechase)

Other Ohio high school products: Cory Beebe, Salisbury (Md.), Cloverleaf (110 high hurdles and 400 hurdles); Elise Johnson, Williams (Mass.), Trinity (4x400 relay)

-- From staff reports

Baldwin-Wallace coach isn't a runner, but he knows how to run a program

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Baldwin-Wallace track and cross country coach Bill Taraschke believes it was his calling to be a coach and teach college athletes.

Bill Taraschke.jpgView full sizeBaldwin-Wallace track coach Bill Taraschke talks with 1993 Division III 100-meter hurdle champion Jenniffer Green.BEREA, Ohio — To look at Bill Taraschke, you would never mistake him for a runner. He is, after all, 68 years old, and certainly a few steps slower than he ever was when he was a discus thrower at Ohio University. He was never the kind of coach who would run laps with his athletes, not even when he first started coaching at Baldwin-Wallace 26 years ago.

The Bill Taraschke file

Baldwin-Wallace men's and women's track coach for 26 years; cross country coach for 19 years.

Has led 47 B-W teams to Ohio Athletic Conference championships (including 2009 women's cross country).

Named OAC Coach of the Year 33 times.

Named NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year 12 times.

Named NCAA Division III National Track Coach of the Year twice (1997 and 2002).

His women's teams have captured 16 of the past 21 indoor championships and had 15 consecutive from 1988-2002.

His women's outdoor teams have won 16 of the past 26 OAC championships.

A two-time MAC discus champion at Ohio, received bachelor's degree in 1964, master's degree at Southern Illinois in 1966, and a Ph.D. from Toledo in 1984.

He and wife, Denny, are parents of three grown children.

-- Jodie Valade


Division III Track and Field Championships fact box

"He is not a runner, but he knows what you need to become a good runner," said Hannah Purdy Budic, OAC cross country runner of the year 1999-2001 at Baldwin-Wallace.

No, Taraschke is not a runner, but he is most certainly a teacher in every sense of the word, a coach who has instilled a sense of family in his cross country and track teams at B-W. He has gathered 47 OAC titles during his time at the helm of the teams, been named OAC coach of the year 33 times, and NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year 12 times.

To say he is a runner might be a mistake. But to say he was destined to be a coach and is passionate about instructing young athletes is more precise.

"You don't survive in this business until the age of 68 because of just doing a job," said Eric Schmuhl, a former B-W runner and now an assistant coach for the team. "He's passionate about what he does."

Taraschke, who is the meet director for the NCAA Division III championships at B-W's George Finnie Stadium this weekend, said he became a coach because he felt a calling.

"It sounds hokey," he says now. "But I felt that was my calling to work with young people and help them grow and mature. Coaching and teaching seemed to be the obvious outlet."

He earned a Ph.D. to help with the teaching part through the classroom -- he still teaches two classes a semester for B-W's Division of Health and Physical Education -- and began coaching track to help him connect with athletes.

From the start, he wanted his teams to believe they were more a family than a group of athletes on the same team. He told his kids to think of each other as brothers and sisters, of himself as a father, and his wife, Denny, as a mother -- the kind who will serve homemade cookies to the kids during the season.

"We were a family on that team," said Budic, who met her husband, Tim, on the team. "He kept us together as a family."

Salisbury hurdler has soft spot for B-W track

The Tressel Field Track in the George Finnie Stadium is a special place for the defending Division III national 400-meter hurdles champion Cory Beebe from Salisbury University in Maryland.

"While competing in a meet in this complex in high school, I met my coach [Kevin Lucas] for the first time," said Beebe, a Medina High alumnus. "He was the coach at Heidelberg at the time and so I went there to start my college career. When he got the job at Salisbury, I went there with him."

Lucas has since left Salisbury to become the head women's coach at Mount Union, but this time Beebe stayed put. Nonetheless, he got the chance to return to the Cleveland area with the national meet in Berea. "This is always a special track for me to run on," said Beebe, who had the third best preliminaries time (5/100ths of a second from the first and 2/100ths from the second best qualifying time) in Thursday's prelims and easily qualified for Saturday's finals.

Host Baldwin-Wallace was able to claim an All-American on the first day of events with Kevin Phipps talking fifth in the hammer throw.

Phipps also qualified in the discus and will throw again Friday.

North Olmsted native Steve Price had a busy day Thursday and will be as busy today competing for B-W in decathlon, which completed the first pentathlon of two Thursday, leaving Price in position to place and attain All-American status by the end of the day today.

Price stands ninth, doing less than normal in his best event, the long jump, but making up for it in the shot put with his best showing of the season.

Case Western's Obinna Nwanna had a sterling day in decathlon, finishing the day in third place with 3,712 points, 74 behind leader Kurtis Brondyke of Central College (Iowa). Price has 3,516 points. Nwanna moved up from seventh after two events to third after five.

Berea native D'Arcy Hlavin finished ninth in her heat of the 1,500 run, short of qualifying to Saturday's final for B-W.

— Norm Weber

He teaches lessons off the track as easily as he does on it. When Budic was injured her freshman season, for instance, Taraschke still invited her to cross country camp and made her feel included with the team. When she fretted about whether she would qualify for nationals one year, he quietly informed her of his confidence in her abilities.

"Hey, Hannah," he said one day after a long practice. "I'd really like to try this new restaurant."

"Uh, OK," she responded, confused about why Taraschke would broach the subject at an odd time. "Where is it?"

"It's in Spokane," he said.

That year's national meet was in Spokane, Wash., of course.

"He would never come out and say, 'You're going to make it to nationals,' Budic said. "But that was his way of making me feel calm before the meet."

For Schmuhl, Taraschke has been an instructor on the track and in the office as the assistant coach strives to learn as much as he can from the veteran mentor.

"I tell our kids if they keep acting and behaving the way they are, I can coach until I'm 100," Taraschke said. "I'm having way too much fun doing what I'm doing."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jvalade@plaind.com, 216-999-4654

LeBron James enjoys Drake concert at Cleveland's House of Blues

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Minutes before hip-hop artist Drake took the stage on Thursday night at the Cleveland House of Blues, camera phones and pocket digital cameras flashed like fire crackers as LeBron James and his party made their way to the balcony seats in a private area. The King was here. After Drake breezed through his first song, the Toronto native told...

drakeap.jpgHip-hop artist Drake praised Cleveland and LeBron James on Thursday night at the House of Blues.Minutes before hip-hop artist Drake took the stage on Thursday night at the Cleveland House of Blues, camera phones and pocket digital cameras flashed like fire crackers as LeBron James and his party made their way to the balcony seats in a private area.

The King was here.

After Drake breezed through his first song, the Toronto native told the sold out crowd that he loved the city of Cleveland. He also thanked the city for supporting his career. Cleveland is the fifth stop on Drake's tour that ends July 27 in Vancouver.

Following cheers and several seconds of applause, Drake turned to his right and looked up toward the balcony.

"I want to thank LeBron James," Drake said. "Thank you man for being there for me. I'll do anything for you."

James nodded and smiled in agreement.

Cleveland fans hope to receive the same nod and smile from James when he becomes a free agent on July 1.

 

--------------- Branson Wright

Cleveland Browns receiver Brian Robiskie has praise tossed his way by coaches

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Browns receiver Brian Robiskie doesn't like to look back to his unproductive rookie season other than to seek ways to improve his game. It's sounding as if he's off to a good start in his second year.

brian robiskie.jpgView full sizeBrowns receiver Brian Robiskie didn't make an impression as a rookie, but the coaches have taken notice of his improvement in the off-season.

Browns end official role for Jim Brown and ponder Paul Warfield's future
Eric Mangini might use both Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace at QB

Browns got it right with center Alex Mack in 2009 NFL Draft: Terry Pluto



BEREA, Ohio — Without being asked, Browns coach Eric Mangini singled out Brian Robiskie on Thursday as having "an outstanding" off-season camp.


This might not be the career watershed Robiskie envisioned when he was drafted in the second round a year ago to play for the team he once served as a ball boy while his father coached receivers.



brian robiskie 2.jpgView full sizeRobiskie is upbeat about the upcoming season.But the unsolicited kudos beat most anything the coach had to say about Robiskie as a rookie. Comments like "he needs to find his role on special teams" and "he needs to have a better sense of how to run routes" were more the norm.


To his credit, Robiskie never publicly questioned why he was made inactive for four of the first 15 games of his first season. (He missed the last game with an ankle injury.)


After leaving Ohio State heralded as the most polished wide receiver in the 2009 draft, Robiskie concluded his rookie NFL season with seven receptions. Nobody saw that coming.


"Last year for me involved a lot of learning," Robiskie said Thursday after a 90-minute practice in sweltering conditions similar to training camp in August.


"But I think that was very beneficial to me to apply it to this year.


"I don't think there was a point for me where I was sitting and questioning myself for what I was doing. The biggest thing was, what can I do to get better? Regardless of what kind of season I had, I was going to take the same approach in the off-season."


There remains no consensus answer to the mystery of Robiskie's rookie year.


There were conspiracy theories -- that Mangini took offense to Robiskie cutting local promotional deals before he played a regular-season game; that Mangini suspected Robiskie or his father were sources for a story blasting Mangini for taking rookies on a 10-hour bus trip to work the coach's charity clinic in Hartford, Conn.; that Robiskie was purposely held out of playing to avoid hitting a contract incentive that would escalate his salary. When these theories were presented, one league source said simply, "Maybe he's just not good enough."


Mangini's contention all along has been that young players develop at different paces.


"There is no one formula for these guys," Mangini said Thursday. "You try a lot of different things to get them to contribute as quickly as possible. It sometimes hits at different spots.


"We've talked about the receiver [Mike Sims-Walker] when we played Jacksonville last year. The first two seasons he had 16 catches, and then 70-plus in his third year. So it started to hit. You don't know. I've seen it with a lot of players, pretty much every team I've been with. You try to get that magical combination of installs, meetings, the way to handle it."


Robiskie's attitude about his second season is upbeat. He doesn't dwell on the previous one.


"I don't know what it was. But for me, last year was last year," he said. "I'm excited about this year. I'm excited about the finish we had, about the things we were doing. And I'm excited about my opportunity to help us win games this season."


He said when he examined his first season, he decided he needed to "make everything better -- running routes, catching balls, run blocking. Everything receivers do. I think having a year under my belt really helps."


The Browns have completed six of their 16 formal off-season team practices, which includes a mandatory minicamp June 10-12. Robiskie said he started working out in informal throwing sessions with receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey as soon as new quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace joined the team in March.


He agrees with comments Massaquoi previously made, that having an established veteran quarterback like Delhomme as the starter will help the receivers immensely.


"Obviously, we're trying to develop a rapport with him," Robiskie said. "I think between watching film with him and coming out to practice, and listening to our coaches, we're trying to build a chemistry. I think that's definitely one of the most important things with a quarterback and the receivers, the chemistry between them."


Something must be clicking because Mangini, not one to heap praise on young players, said, "He's running good routes and has made some big plays pretty much every day."


To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670


Cleveland Browns Brian Robiskie having an outstanding camp

Browns continue second week of OTAs: Video

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Watch video Plain Dealer Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot talk about the Cleveland Browns during their second week of Organized Team Activities (OTA) at their training facility in Berea.

Watch video Plain Dealer Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot talk about the Cleveland Browns during their second week of Organized Team Activities (OTA) at their training facility in Berea. Tony and Mary Kay talk about the return of Jerome Harrison as well as the play of the receivers and defense.





Man fined in Ohio for importing deer to South Carolina hunting preserve

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Multiple media outlets reported that 61-year-old James Schaffer has been fined for being part of a scheme to take 54 whitetail deer from Ohio to his Bamberg County hunting preserve.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A federal prosecutor says a Charleston man has been fined $235,000 for a scheme to import deer from Ohio to South Carolina.

Multiple media outlets reported that 61-year-old James Schaffer has been fined for being part of a scheme to take 54 whitetail deer from Ohio to his Bamberg County hunting preserve.

Schaffer last year paid $250,000 in state fines and penalties for the scheme.

U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart in Columbus, Ohio, said Thursday that Schaffer also will serve six months of electronically monitored home confinement and 500 hours community service in the South Carolina park system.

Experts say Northern and Midwestern deer are valued because they have more meat and larger antlers than most deer in South Carolina.  

Cavaliers Comment of the Day: Make a decision on Danny Ferry

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"Here's a message to Dan Gilbert. You need to have a GM before you hire a coach. There should be no ambiguity about your future and your approach moving forward. Therefore you should either re-sign Danny Ferry or sign some other GM before you hire a new coach. To hire a new coach with Ferry's input and to then choose to hire a new GM would definitely be a losing strategy." - sawcavs

danny-ferry-020410.jpgView full sizeDanny Ferry's contract with the Cavaliers is up this offseason.

In response to the story Cleveland Cavaliers' list of possible head coaches features Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, cleveland.com reader sawcavs thinks Dan Gilbert needs to address Danny Ferry's future before anything else. This reader writes,

Here's a message to Dan Gilbert. You need to have a GM before you hire a coach. There should be no ambiguity about your future and your approach moving forward. Therefore you should either re-sign Danny Ferry or sign some other GM before you hire a new coach. To hire a new coach with Ferry's input and to then choose to hire a new GM would definitely be a losing strategy.

To respond to sawcavs' comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Browns Comment of the Day: Right call on Jim Brown

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"This is the best thing the organization could have done regarding Brown. Even though he was an asset to have as a mentor or motivational speaker, Brown couldn't leave his opinions to himself and, at times, was counterproductive to whatever was going on." - jskzes

brown-shaw.jpgView full sizeJim Brown will no longer be an executive adviser for the Browns.

In response to the story Cleveland Browns end official role for Jim Brown and ponder Paul Warfield's future, cleveland.com reader jskzes thinks the Browns made the right choice in reducing the team legend's role. This reader writes,

This is the best thing the organization could have done regarding Brown. Even though he was an asset to have as a mentor or motivational speaker, Brown couldn't leave his opinions to himself and, at times, was counterproductive to whatever was going on.

To respond to jskzes' comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Ohio State Comment of the Day: Expansion's effect on the regular season

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"As an Ohio State fan, the thought of possibly diminishing the 'luster' of the Michigan game will be a bit hard to accept. I am also not a huge fan of split conferences and conference championship games. To me, it diminishes the regular season and reeks of money grubbing selfishness."

Ohio State vs. MichiganView full sizeHow would conference expansion and the addition of a conference championship game effect the OSU-Michigan rivalry?

In response to the story Presidents control Big Ten growth: College Newswatch, cleveland.com reader hoovie70 isn't sure that expansion is what's best for the conference. This reader writes,

As an Ohio State fan, the thought of possibly diminishing the 'luster' of the Michigan game will be a bit hard to accept. I am also not a huge fan of split conferences and conference championship games. To me, it diminishes the regular season and reeks of money grubbing selfishness.

To respond to hoovie70's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

LeBron James: How many titles must his teams win to assure his standing among the best ever? Poll

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Poll: Some national media critics have said James must play on multiple championship teams to be regarded in the same class as players such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Bill Russell. What do you think?

lebron-james-mvp.jpgLeBron James holds his second MVP trophy before a Quicken Loans Arena crowd on May 3.



Already, at age 25, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has won two MVP awards. The Cavs were a struggling franchise before they drafted him first in 2003, but in the last five seasons, James has led them to eight playoff series wins.



Yet, in the wake of the Cavaliers' elimination from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, some national critics are saying that James needs to play on multiple championship teams to secure his place among the game's all-time greats. Boston center Bill Russell played on 11 championship teams. Among some of the game's legendary non-centers, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six titles; Magic Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to five; Larry Bird led Boston to three.



Jerry West and Oscar Robertson weren't champions until the twilight of their careers: West, once with the Lakers; Robertson, once with the Milwaukee Bucks after playing his best years with the Cincinnati Royals.



Then, the guys who famously never played on a championship team: the duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone; Patrick Ewing; Charles Barkley; Dominique Wilkins, George Gervin, Pete Maravich, Nate Thurmond and many, many more.



No doubt, James is among a select group of the most talented players ever. What will it take in terms of championships for him to be regarded among the very, very few, among the absolute greatest ever?




LeBron's elbow; confessions of rooting against the Browns; and the downfall of Michigan football

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Sports bloggers discuss how much of a factor LeBron's elbow was in the team's early exit from the playoffs, Kelvin Sampson as the next Cavaliers' coach and make Cleveland sports confessions.

Want more Cleveland sports blogs? Check out more headlines on our Fan Blog page.

lebron-james-holds-elbow.jpgView full sizeWhile LeBron James' effort in the playoffs was questionable, the health of his elbow was a very obvious issue as well.

Cavaliers

Cavs HQ: "With all that has been written about LeBron James over the past two weeks - people calling him soft, people saying that he lacks the killer instinct to be an all-time great player, people questioning his leadership - it is easy to believe that LeBron is not the player that we thought he was. I respectfully disagree. The LeBron James I watched in the Boston series was not the same player that I have watched for the last seven seasons. And rather than believing that he was hiding a major, damning character flaw behind his splendid play over the last several years, I choose to focus on the only single, easily-identifiable factor that could have caused all of LeBron's problems in the series - his injured elbow." » Read more

Cavs: the blog: "The point is that I don't care what Sampson did or didn't do with his conference calls or whatever it was when he was at Indiana. When he's coaching the big boys, that stuff won't matter in the slightest. On the other hand, I don't really know his body of work as a head coach. I like that he's been tutored by the Spurs and served as an assistant with the Bucks, both of whom have solid on-court systems. My gut reaction to Sampson is that the Cavs could do worse, but they could also do a lot better." » Read more

Browns

WaitingForNextYear: "I rooted against the Browns once. It was the Seattle game right after they let Bernie Kosar go. Todd Philcox started at QB for the Browns and quickly fumbled a ball that the Seahawks returned for a touchdown. I went crazy. Probably made myself hoarse cheering. I don't cheer or root for my teams to lose games in order to secure better draft picks. I'm like Herm on that front - you play to win the game. That was the one and only time I've rooted for the Browns to lose." » Read more

College football

LeBrowns Town looks at the downfall of University of Michigan football.

Cavaliers Comment of the Day: Mike Brown's failure to adjust to LeBron's injury

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"The only thing that is missing here is discussion about the fundamental problem of this team - the coach. In the games that LeBron was not playing well on offense, the Cavs had no other answer. I think other teams with better coaching could have adjusted when their star was not playing up to his usual level, but the offense just stopped when he wasn't scoring. This goes back to Brown not being able to coach an offense that didn't center around LeBron." - cavsann23

Mike BrownView full sizeAt least one Cavs fan makes the case the Mike Brown failed to adequately adjust to LeBron James' elbow injury.

In response to the story CavsHQ Season Debrief - Part II - LeBron's Elbow, cleveland.com reader cavsann23 thinks Mike Brown's failure to adjust to LeBron's elbow injury was fatal. This reader writes,

The only thing that is missing here is discussion about the fundamental problem of this team - the coach. In the games that LeBron was not playing well on offense, the Cavs had no other answer. I think other teams with better coaching could have adjusted when their star was not playing up to his usual level, but the offense just stopped when he wasn't scoring. This goes back to Brown not being able to coach an offense that didn't center around LeBron.

To respond to cavsann23's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Submit your ratings for area golf courses and read other reviews before deciding where to play: Local golf online features

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Rate your favorite -- and not so favorite -- golf courses throughout the Cleveland area and take a look at the reviews written by other golfers before you decide where to play this weekend.

bobolinkMERLIN-CLE2X00060_9.jpgView full sizeThe sixth hole on Bob-O-Link's Red Course in Avon.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Headed out to play golf during the holiday weekend? Check out The Plain Dealer's interactive online features before you hit the links.

Rate your favorite -- and not so favorite -- courses and take a look at the reviews written by other golfers before you decide where to play.


Indians Comment of the Day: So far so good for Jason Donald

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"What I like about Donald is he makes contact. Eventually those balls will start dropping in. He may be the only thing we get out of Vic and Cliff." - larryscheap

Indians 2010 Spring Training Sunday,  March 7View full sizeJason Donald is hitting .267 for the Indians since being called up from AAA Columbus.

In response to the story Rookie Jason Donald rebounding nicely from slow start: Indians Insider, cleveland.com reader larryscheap thinks Jason Donald has a chance to be a decent hitter for the Tribe. This reader writes,

What I like about Donald is he makes contact. Eventually those balls will start dropping in. He may be the only thing we get out of Vic and Cliff.

To respond to larryscheap's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Connecticut men's basketball program has eight violations found by NCAA, school says

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The alleged violations include improper phone calls and text messages to recruits, and giving recruits improper benefits. Coach Jim Calhoun was cited Friday for failing to "promote an atmosphere of compliance." University cites "an ongoing process" with the NCAA.

jim-calhoun.jpgConnecticut men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun has led the Huskies to two national titles.Storrs, Conn. -- The University of Connecticut says the NCAA has found eight violations in the school's men's basketball program.

The alleged violations include improper phone calls and text messages to recruits, and giving recruits improper benefits. Coach Jim Calhoun was cited Friday for failing to "promote an atmosphere of compliance."

Calhoun, who turned 68 this month, has had several health problems. He led the Huskies to two national championships and recently signed a five-year, $13 million contract.

UConn was 18-16 last season. Calhoun took a medical leave of absence in January, missing seven games with an undisclosed condition.

The school released an infractions letter it received from the NCAA following a 15-month investigation. UConn is to appear before the governing body in October to respond.

The announcement on the Storrs campus came a day after assistant coach Patrick Sellers and director of basketball operations Beau Archibald resigned.

UConn as an institution was cited for not adequately monitoring "the conduct and administration of the men's basketball staff in the areas of: telephone records, representatives of the institution's athletics interests; and, complimentary admissions or discretionary tickets."

In a written statement, the university and its athletic department declined to comment on the allegations, citing "an ongoing process" with the NCAA.

The NCAA and the school have been investigating the program since shortly after a report by Yahoo! Sports in March 2009 that former team manager Josh Nochimson helped guide basketball recruit Nate Miles to Connecticut, giving him lodging, transportation, meals and representation.

As a former team manager, Nochimson could be considered a representative of UConn's athletic interests by the NCAA and prohibited from having contact with Miles or giving him anything of value.

Documents released by the school showed pages and pages of phone and text message correspondence between Nochimson and UConn coaches Calhoun, Tom Moore, who is now head coach at Quinnipiac, and Sellers.

Miles was expelled from UConn in October 2008 without ever playing a game for the Huskies after he was charged with violating a restraining order in a case involving a woman who claimed he assaulted her. He played during the 2008-09 season for the College of Southern Idaho, and was cut last November by the NBA Development League's Sioux Falls Skyforce.

LeBron James not 'a winner'? National media is nuts, says Dennis Manoloff (Starting Blocks TV)

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On Starting Blocks TV, Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff takes issue with some national media critics who claim LeBron James has not yet established himself as a winner. Also, D-Man comments on Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona's resurgence.

lebrondunkmd.jpgLeBron - under attack by national media?

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports.


The show will post on weekday mornings. On today's show, hosts Mike Peticca and Bill Lubinger:



• Talk about how many titles LeBron James will need to win to be ranked among the NBA's all-time great players.


What do you think? Take the poll now posted on the Starting Blocks blog.


• Talk with Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff, who says the national media who are ripping LeBron for not being 'a winner' are off the mark. (Hey, he's already won two MVP awards.)


Also, Dman talks about today's story he wrote about Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona, and why he's having a strong 2010 so far after a subpar 2009 season.


SBTV will return Tuesday. Have a great weekend!




Starting Blocks TV

Come to L.A., LeBron: Clippers fans hold parade in James' honor (video)

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At least 75 Clippers fans in red-and-blue gear waved signs and chanted slogans as they marched up and down Chick Hearn Court on Thursday night. With signs displaying the No. 6, which will be James' uniform number next year, the fans chanted "We want the King!" and "L-B-J!". Story includes video.

clippers.jpgWill a parade be enough to sway LeBron James to the Clippers? LOS ANGELES - A band of Los Angeles Clippers fans has taken to the streets outside Staples Center to show love for LeBron James.

At least 75 Clippers fans in red-and-blue gear waved signs and chanted slogans as they marched up and down Chick Hearn Court on Thursday night in the hours before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns.

With signs displaying the No. 6, which will be James' uniform number next year, the fans chanted "We want the King!" and "L-B-J!"

Although the Clippers are a longshot in the LeBron sweepstakes after 17 losing seasons in the last 18 years, they're among a handful of NBA teams with a combination of salary cap room, a solid supporting cast and a major media market to entice James. The two-time league MVP is eligible for free agency July 1.

The march was organized through Facebook by Darrell Bailey, the self-proclaimed "Clipper Darrell" who taunts opposing teams with clever comments from the lower bowl at Staples Center. Wearing a suit with one blue leg and one red leg, Clipper Darrell marched in front of the pack, shouting through a megaphone.

"LeBron versus Kobe, four times a year!" Clipper Darrell yelled to cheers from his fellow fans.

Most Lakers fans streaming into Staples Center paid little attention to the march, although a few mumbled about disrespect from Los Angeles' perpetual second-banana franchise.

Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin are expected to be back next season with the Clippers, who haven't hired a coach after the midseason dismissal of Mike Dunleavy, the winningest coach in the franchise's sorry history. Interim coach Kim Hughes is among the candidates for the full-time job, and is still working at the Clippers' training complex in Playa Vista.

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