With tens of thousands of fans lining the route, the Miami Heat held their championship parade on Monday. Players and coaches were on double-decker buses with friends and family, most of them taking photos and video of the crowd.

MIAMI - The NBA championship trophy was center stage, bathed in white light and sitting on a pedestal. And each Miami Heat player offered it a different greeting.

Mike Miller bowed. Udonis Haslem kissed it three times. Chris Bosh hugged it, and LeBron James strolled past before waving at the crowd.

Dwyane Wade did something different. In a nod to his preferred postgame fashion style throughout the playoffs, he emerged with a pair of faux eyeglasses and slipped the frames onto the neck of the trophy. Heat president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra and team managing general partner Micky Arison all donned similar pairs of the black spectacles as well for the party.

The glasses were fake. The sentiments were all real.

And with that, two years after Wade, James and Bosh opened their time together with a celebration, they got the party they really wanted on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Miami for the Heat championship parade, and then 15,000 more got into the arena afterward for a long, loud reception for the NBA's new kings.

"It's the best feeling I've ever had. ... This was my dream, right here, to be able to hoist that Larry O'Brien Trophy up, hug it, grab it, never want to let it go," James said.

During the parade, players and coaches were on double-decker buses with friends and family, most of them taking photos and video of the crowd. Other Heat staff were on flatbed trucks, as confetti fell and horns blared every step of the way. Wade cradled the championship trophy in his arms for much of the ride.

"I appreciate all our fans for sticking with us," said the now two-time NBA champion Wade, adding, "Best fans in the world."

And then the party moved inside, with a similar setup to the event that welcomed James and Bosh to Miami to play alongside Wade in July 2010. Music blared for nearly an hour as fans danced for joy, before the arena went dark briefly - and someone sneaked the trophy onto the stage.

For nearly 90 minutes afterward, the Heat relived so many aspects of the season, from Haslem's flagrant foul against Indiana's Tyler Hansbrough in the Eastern Conference finals ("the greatest flagrant foul in team history," Heat broadcaster Eric Reid told the crowd) to countless highlights from the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City, the Heat left few stones unturned.

Juwan Howard - the first member of Michigan's Fab Five to win an NBA title - did the Cabbage Patch dance, as teammates broke into absolute hysterics, waving their arms in time with him. Mario Chalmers was asked about why Wade and James yell at him so much on the court, as a montage of some of their more fiery moments played on the giant video screens. And the Miami natives, Haslem and James Jones, got perhaps the loudest ovations of anyone outside of the finals MVP.

"Feels great, man," said Haslem, who along with Wade is the lone holdover from Miami's 2006 championship club. "Changing my name from Mr. Miami to Mr. Two-Time. I ain't Mr. Miami no more. I'm Mr. Two-Time. ... It never gets old. But this one is more gratifying because of the way last season ended."

Spoelstra had a similar sentiment, talking to the crowd about the team's commitment, especially after Miami lost last season's finals to Dallas.

"People from the outside, they criticized this group, this team," Spoelstra said. "They counted this team out. But they never estimated how close this group was as a family. Every single one of these players had to sacrifice something, either money, opportunity, minutes to be a part of this team. And it was all for a moment like this."

Miami won the title by defeating Oklahoma City in five games in the NBA Finals. It was the second title for the Heat and the first for James, who nodded and pointed to fans for much of the parade. James came to Miami after seven years in Cleveland, and after he and the Heat fell in the finals a year ago, he's finally a champion.

"It's good being around other people who support LeBron," said Doug Mead of Toledo, Ohio, who came to the parade with his family. "They really don't like him in Ohio. They celebrate when he loses."

Everyone was celebrating in Miami on Monday. Arison snapped and tweeted several photos during the parade. Riley shouted "Thank you" to fans over and over, as his wife, Chris, stood to his left and led "Let's go Heat" chants.

Some fans began lining up for spots along the parade route Sunday night.

"I've been a fan since '89. For me personally I feel like I'm part of the Heat family," said Dexter Pace of West Palm Beach, Fla. "I've been through the goods, the bads, the losses, the trades, and now it's like someone in my family has accomplished something. .... It's going to mean a lot for the city of Miami, winning the championship."

As the event ended, Bosh thanked both the fans inside the arena and those outside, saying that without them, nothing would be possible for the Heat.

"It feels right," Bosh said. "This is how it's supposed to be ... and I would like to do it all the time."

Manager Manny Acta said Monday that Zach McAllister will take Jeanmar Gomez's spot in the rotation when the Indians open a four-game series against Balitmore on Thursday.

Amy Sancetta, Associated PressIndians recall Scott Barnes for a second time this year.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Indians have recalled left-hander Scott Barnes from Class AAA Columbus. He joined the Indians on Monday and was in the bullpen for the start of a three-game series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Struggling starter Jeanmar Gomez was optioned to Columbus to make room on the 25-man roster. Gomez took the loss Saturday in Houston and is 1-5 in his last six starts.

"Jeanmar needs to go down, get more consistent when it comes to throw strikes," said manager Manny Acta. "He needs to work on pitching out of the stretch, too."

Acta said Zach McAllister will take Gomez's spot in the starting rotation. He'll face Baltimore on Thursday. McAllister is still at Columbus.

"Zach pitched well for us earlier when Josh Tomlin was hurt," said Acta. "This isn't going to be a one and down for him."

Barnes' arrival gives the Indians an eight-man bullpen and three left-handed relievers to  counter the Yankees' left-handed hitters.

This is Barnes' second chance with the Tribe this year.

After getting recalled on May 30 when Travis Hafner went on the disabled list, Barnes made four appearances and posted a 10.38 ERA. His first three appearances were scoreless, but he allowed five runs on five hits in one-third of an inning on June 14 against the Reds. He was optioned to Columbus on June 15 when Jack Hannahan was activated.

"I'd like to think you learn something from everything you do," said Barnes. "I've learned you have to be focuses for every appearance and pitch like every game might be your last one."

Barnes is 0-2 with a 3.73 ERA in 14 games at Columbus. He struck out 35, walked 15 and allowed 21 hits and 13 earned runs in 31 1/3 innings. He averaged 10.1 strikeouts every nine innings.

After getting optioned to Columbus on June 15, Barnes made three more relief appearances. He opened the year as a starter, but was converted to the bullpen so he's still learning about the job.

"After I got sent down, I came into a game for the first time with runners on base," said Barnes. "You're always learning."

Blast from the past: Tribe pitcher Carlos Carrasco was at Yankee Stadium on Monday after getting his right elbow checked out in New York. Carrasco is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

He's going to throw a bullpen for Acta and the rest of the coaching staff on Tuesday.

"Being back with the has made me excited about playing again," said Carrasco, who probably won't pitch in game until September. "I'm going to throw two sets of 30 pitches in my bullpen.

"I'm only going to throw fastballs. In a couple of weeks I'll start throwing change ups."

Tonight's lineups:

Indians (37-34): RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (S), 2B Jason Kipnis (L), C Carlos Santana (S), CF Michael Brantley (L), LF Johnny Damon (L), 1B Casey Kotchman (L), 3B Jack Hannahan, DH Lonnie Chisenhall, RHP Josh Tomlin (3-4, 5.12).

Yankees (43-28): SS Derek Jeter (R), DH Curtis Granderson (L), 1B Mark Teixeira (S), 2B Robinson Cano (L), RF Nick Swisher (S), LF Raul Ibanez (L), 3B Eric Chavez (L), CF Dewayne Wise (L), C Chris Stewart (R), RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-7, 3.57).
 
Umpires: H Mike DiMuro, 1B Jim Reynolds, 2B James Hoye, 3B Tom Hallion, crew chief.

Indians vs. Kuroda: Jose Lopez is 3-for-3 with two RBI. Damon, Hannahan, Kotchman and Aaron Cunningham are a combined 2-for-12.

Yankees vs. Tomlin: Swisher is hitting .444 (4-for-9) with two RBI.

Next: RHP Justin Masterson (4-6, 3.98) will face New York's Phil Hughes (7-6, 4.94) on Tuesday night at 7:05. STO/WTAM will carry the game.

It was disclosed last week that NBA doctors are concerned about the health of Sullinger's back. An ESPN.com report that he will not be among players in the "green room" is an indication he may slide out of the upper half of the first round.

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerConcerns about the health of his back have apparently harmed the draft prospects for former Ohio State power forward Jared Sullinger (0).

NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson told ESPN.com that Sullinger wouldn't be invited based on the reports the league had received that Sullinger wouldn't go in the top 15.

"He's more likely to go in the teens or in the 20s," said Jackson. "We continue to have contact with teams but at this late date we don't anticipate inviting him."

Last week ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported that Sullinger's medical reports were red-flagged by a number of teams after the Chicago pre-draft camp because of a back issue. But Satch Sullinger, Jared's father who coached him in high school in Columbus, refuted it, saying that his son had muscle issues, and not a disc problem. Sullinger dealt with back spasms last December, forcing him to miss a road game at Kansas, but he was well enough to lead the Buckeyes to the Final Four.

Satch Sullinger said Monday that the family isn't anticipating an invitation and will host a party at a Columbus restaurant.

Here are what blogs from Cleveland and around the country are saying about the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians. Featured today are Bleacher Report, Waiting For Next Year and Dawg Pound Daily.

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

"Time will tell with the Browns’ 2012 draft class, but it looks like there is some serious potential. With running back Trent Richardson, quarterback Brandon Weeden and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, the team is already potentially looking at three immediate starters. Beyond that, the Browns are looking at plenty of projects, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few more players become contributors."

AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) Mr. Antonetti: Get Carlos Lee.

"Lee can be plugged right into the left field spot while being rotated in at first base and designated hitter. With the White Sox striking first by adding Kevin Youkilis to play third base, the Indians know they have cannot stand pat with what they currently have. I don’t want anyone to get all twisted and bent out of shape because the White Sox got Youk. This is Kevin Youkilis version 2012, not version 2007 that the Indians (and the rest of baseball for that matter), couldn’t get out. He has a bad back and his numbers have steadily dropped over the past two and a half seasons."

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerMistake letting Danny Green go?

"#2: Letting Danny Green walk - Green was waived in October 2010, and Ferry picked him up that November. After seeing his minutes double, he showed enough to get another shot with the Spurs in 2011-12.

Did he ever make the most of it.

Seeing an even bigger increase in minutes due to Manu Ginobili missing time to injuries, Green started 38 games this past season for San Antonio."

"Barnes is a good dude, he is athletic and has length at that spot, and he has great range on his shot. He will be a better pro than college player. I have seen him put the ball on the floor and twist and turn near the basket and finish. He can do it. He is 20 and is just starting to fill out and mature." - BHOFastandFuriousFelon

View full sizeAP Photo/Bob ChildPackaging a low pick and Anderson Varejao could land two lottery picks for the Cavaliers, which would create the possibility of drafting center Andre Drummond.

"I like the rumored Golden State deal. GS wants Andy and the #24 pick and the Cavs get GS's #7 pick.

I like Barnes at the #4 pick and Drummond at #7.

Barnes is a good dude, he is athletic and has length at that spot, and he has great range on his shot. He will be a better pro than college player. I have seen him put the ball on the floor and twist and turn near the basket and finish. He can do it. He is 20 and is just starting to fill out and mature.

Drummond is working on his foul shooting. He is nearly 7 feet tall and he has very little body fat. He is still growing. For a big man, incredibly athletic. He is the second youngest in this draft at age 18. He has a 7'6" reach and he is still growing. By all accounts a good guy who will work hard and is coachable. Take a risk, Cavs. They need size real bad. I would trade one or both of those second rounders to move up one or two spaces from #7 to get Drummond. If Drummond falls to #7, fantastic!

Start -- Drummond, Barnes, Thompson, Irving, and one of those second rounders or pick up a young veteran FA at the 2 spot. Gee could start at the 2 spot too. Samuels, Gibson, Sloan, and Kaun (bring him across the pond). Get a wing player with the second rounders. This team will be young, athletic, quick, and explosive. They will grow together at the same age.

Dan's Dynasty at the Gund! "

Smith played four NFL seasons with Baltimore and San Francisco, then played the 2011 season in the United Football League.

Associated PressTroy Smith during a Pittsburgh Steelers practice on May 29.

We have released veteran QB Troy Smith from our roster.

"We need Gomez to get straightened out at AAA. We will likely need him later in the season and we need him to be effective. We can almost be assured that one of our 5 starters will need to be replaced due to injury or ineffectiveness over the next 3 months. Gomez proved early on that he could pitch well so let's hope he finds whatever he has lost." - joedean

View full sizeChuck Crow/The Plain DealerJeanmar Gomez needs to be sent down and find his stuff says one cleveland.com reader.

"We need Gomez to get straightened out at AAA. We will likely need him later in the season and we need him to be effective. We can almost be assured that one of our 5 starters will need to be replaced due to injury or ineffectiveness over the next 3 months. Gomez proved early on that he could pitch well so let's hope he finds whatever he has lost."

After a rough weekend in Houston, the Indians make their way to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Get game updates on Twitter from Paul Hoynes, @Hoynsie.

After a rough weekend in Houston, the Indians make their way to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Get game updates on Twitter from Paul Hoynes @Hoynsie or click here for a live game box score. You can also download our Cleveland Indians app for Android to get Tribe updates on your mobile device. Read on for a game preview.

View full sizeAP Photo/Kathy WillensThe Cleveland Indians head to New York tonight to face the Yankees.

The Indians' next four opponents boast pitching staffs that place well in team ERAs among the American League's 14 teams: the Yankees, sixth (3.69); the Orioles, fifth (3.67); the Rays, second (3.50); the Angels, first (3.42). More Indians story links.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerRight-hander Josh Tomlin gets the start for the Indians tonight against a powerful Yankees' lineup.

The four players on the roster who are strictly right-handers -- and NONE of them everyday players -- are hitting a combined .211 with seven homers in 394 at bats.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerVeteran infielder Jose Lopez has been the most productive of the Indians' four strictly right-handed hitters. He's batting .231 with nine doubles, three homers and 20 RBI in 130 at bats.

Tim Mack rose to heights unseen on the world's biggest stage when he won the 2004 Olympic pole vault gold medal. Jim Tressel coached Ohio State to heights unscaled in 34 years when the Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship. On Sept. 19, Mack -- who was born in Westlake and graduated from St. Ignatius -- and Tressel --...

Tim Mack rose to heights unseen on the world's biggest stage when he won the 2004 Olympic pole vault gold medal.

Jim Tressel coached Ohio State to heights unscaled

LISA DeJONG/PLAIN DEALER Jim Tressel, former Ohio State University football coach, is now working as vice president of Akron University. He is shown here in his office on June 20.

in 34 years when the Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship.

On Sept. 19, Mack -- who was born in Westlake and graduated from St. Ignatius -- and Tressel -- who was born in Mentor and graduated from Berea High and Baldwin-Wallace -- will be inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.

I covered Tressel for 10 years, from the year before the double-overtime triumph in the desert over the mighty Miami Hurricanes to his resignation under fire on Memorial Day a year ago.

PASCAL GUYOT/GETTY IMAGESTimothy Mack jumps to win the pole vault competition of the IAAF World Athletics Finals in September 2004 at the Louis II stadium in Monaco.

I covered Mack at the Olympic Trials in Sacramento and in Athens at the Olympics, when he won both competitions after nearly falling short. We worked together closely for two years on my biography of him, "Above and Beyond" (see tinyurl.com/3ke2yh9).

Tressel's fall was long and hard. While making no excuses for Tressel's role in the biggest scandal in Ohio State history in his cover-up of his players' sale of memorabilia for tattoos and cash, I believe he did far more good than bad as a coach. That goes both on and off the field. The Ohio State scandal will never seem as heinous as the conviction of Jerry Sandusky on child molestation charges at Penn State or as reckless as the yachts-and-prostitutes lifestyle of the Miami players so lavishly favored by a lawless booster.

I believe Mack to have been a clean winner, even in track and field, a sport rife with drug cheats. He was unhappy with the cover of his biography because the photograph from the medal podium included bronze medalist Giuseppe Gibilisco of Italy. Gibilisco was eventually banned from international competition for two years because of his association with a notorious Italian "doping doctor." He was later reinstated because, like cycling's Lance Armstrong, he never tested positive.

Both Tressel and Mack came from comparative obscurity to their triumphs. Although Mack won a Junior Olympics, he did not qualify for the Ohio high school state meet. His coach at St. Ignatius, Chuck Kyle, the same respected coach who wore a necktie in salute to Tressel at the Wildcats' football opener last season, said he never saw greatness in Mack. Mack also won a U.S. Indoor championship before Athens, but the most important medals are the ones in outdoor competition, in which adjusting to the wind is a huge part of pole vaulting.

Tressel won four national championships in college football's minor leagues. He was at Youngstown State for 15 years before getting the Ohio State job.

The favorite to get the Buckeyes job was Minnesota's Glen Mason, who had played for Woody Hayes and had revitalized Kent State and Kansas.

The center of media attention in the pole vault in Athens was Toby Stevenson, the flamboyant silver medalist from California. Nicknamed "Crash" because of the helmet he wore, Stevenson played the "air guitar" after big jumps. He was an arm-waving, bar-jumping, crowd-inciting frenzy. By comparison, Mack, like Tressel, is reserved and soft-spoken.

Mack developed a sabermetrics of pole vaulting, noting the stiffness of his vaulting poles, the wind conditions, his state of physical readiness and other things in a dog-eared notebook after every jump. Pole vaulting is sort of a physics experiment on every attempt, a blend of many variables of force and trajectory. Mack eliminated the extraneous ones and thought his way to the medal, as much as he jumped to it.

Tressel spent the entire 2006 season running his big back, Beanie Wells, up the middle from a formation with three tight ends on second- or third-down with short yardage to go near midfield. In the biggest Ohio State-Michigan game ever, he hid speedy Ted Ginn Jr. at one of the tight end spots, had Troy Smith on a quick snap fake to Wells, and Ginn was all by his lonesome for a 39-yard touchdown pass in the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes' 42-39 victory over the No. 2-ranked Wolverines. The roar of the Horseshoe crowd drowned out the "D'oh!" of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.

Mack made the Olympic team by clearing a bar on his third and last try when he was in seventh place before going on to win the Trials. He won the gold medal in Athens on his third and last try at an Olympic record height.

Tressel's entire national championship season at OSU was a close call. Half of the victories were by seven points or fewer. Ohio State trailed in seven of the 14 games, too.

Mack liked to drive out-of-towners past this city's steel mills, pointing out the smokestacks. "This is what Cleveland is about -- hard-working, blue-collar. This is what I am about," he said.

Tressel held the ball when his boyhood neighbor, Lou "The Toe" Groza, practiced field goals in a Berea park. Tressel followed all the Cleveland pro teams closely, often rolling his eyes in exasperation after a setback by "our Brownies."

Tressel deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, warts and all. As for Mack, people who know him well say they will let me know when they find a wart.

Jayson Gee just can't do it. The associate head men's basketball coach at Cleveland State University just can't waste a minute wondering what if Anthony Davis actually had accepted the Vikings scholarship offer and attended Cleveland State. "It would be too painful to go through that [conjecture] as a coaching staff," Gee said, laughing. "But I've said things to...

DAVID J. PHILLIP/ASSOCIATED PRESSKentucky star Anthony Davis will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Thursday night. When he was just a 6-3 sophomore high school point guard, Cleveland State was the only college recruiting him.

Jayson Gee just can't do it.

The associate head men's basketball coach at Cleveland State University just can't waste a minute wondering what if Anthony Davis actually had accepted the Vikings scholarship offer and attended Cleveland State.

"It would be too painful to go through that [conjecture] as a coaching staff," Gee said, laughing. "But I've said things to our players like, 'Man, why didn't he just wait a year to grow?'"

Davis, the 6-foot-10 power forward from Kentucky who will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Thursday, was on Cleveland State's radar long before he hit the national stage and won a national championship. Of course, back in the 2008-09 season, he was a 6-3 sophomore point guard at Chicago's Perspectives Charter School, an OK player on a bad team.

"Our motto in recruiting is, 'Leave no stone unturned,'" Gee explained.

So when Randall Montgomery, a high school basketball official in the Chicago area who happens to be the father of CSU's Jeremy Montgomery, called Gee to recommend Davis, the coach followed up with a phone call to Perspectives coach Cortez Hale and a visit to his campus to see Davis.

"I didn't think he was outstanding," Gee recalled, "but thought he had a chance to get to our level.

"When I come back the following year he's 6 foot 8."

But through Davis' junior season, Cleveland State was not just the leading contender for Davis' services, it was the only school in the running.

"He was still kind of under the radar," Gee said of Davis. "We were doing really well in terms of having great discussions with the high school coach. Matter of fact, the high school coach was so engaged with us he had planned on driving his team here for camp and to have a campus tour. That high school, obviously, didn't have a lot of college players, let alone Division I players."

The plan was for Davis and his teammates to come to Cleveland in the summer of 2010 so the Vikings could get a closer look and evaluation. But between the end of his basketball season and the beginning of the camp, Davis was recruited by the Meanstreets AAU team in Chicago. Suddenly the kid no one had seen was getting national exposure -- and scholarship offers from teams like Kentucky, Syracuse and Ohio State.

"When it hit that level, I knew it was over," Gee said. "Then he went on to grow even more, and he had a phenomenal spring and summer.

"To make a long story short, we never talked to him again."

Of course, Davis always brought up Cleveland State in his interviews back then, telling reporters he thought that's where he was headed. Until he wasn't.

Gee admits he had no idea Davis would become a defensive force and shot blocker.

"When I saw him at 6-3, I thought, 'OK, he's got a chance.' When I saw him at 6-7 or 6-8 I'm thinking, 'He could eventually help us because he's so long and thin and he's going to get better.' Obviously, when he got 6-10, we didn't have any more conversations."

Gee also admits he didn't get to know Davis or his family well because his recruitment was in its earliest stages. But he would have loved to have a chance to coach Davis, and he doesn't begrudge him any of his success.

"Because I work with our big men, to have had the opportunity to coach him would certainly have been a dream," Gee said. "But you know what tempers that lustful thought? The fact of how great a kid he is. Most kids that are that good are so heavily sought after, even in high school, to go to the Oak Hills or the Brewster Preps or, in his backyard, Simeon High School, which is one of the top high school programs in the country year in and year out.

"What's awesome about that kid is that he didn't leave. The moneys, the overtures of benefits, the opportunity to be in the limelight or play a national schedule or play games on TV had to be overwhelming. For that young man to maintain at that high school, where I think they only won four or five games, I think that says a whole lot about his character. There's not many of us that would have turned down an Oak Hill Academy. There's not many of us that would have turned down an Akron St. V or a Brewster Academy. That takes a special, special young man. When I evaluate that part of it, this young man deserves the biggest stage he could possibly get because of his character."

Gee also thinks it speaks well of Cleveland State and coach Gary Waters, who has coached NBA players like Norris Cole at Cleveland State and Quincy Douby at Rutgers.

"It reinforced our culture," Gee said. "It reinforces what coach Waters is all about and what he's done to resurrect programs. Coach W's programs have specialized in that. That's a unique thing to take a no-name to the NBA. Anthony fell right in line with that. I have great affection and respect for him because of who he is and what he's all about."

Sullinger stays home: Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger will watch the NBA draft on Thursday at a Columbus restaurant. Sullinger was not invited to New Jersey for the draft because he is no longer projected to go in the top 15 since questions arose about his back.

Cavs host free draft party: The Cavs will host their traditional free draft party on Thursday night at The Q with entertainment and prizes available.

Play-by-play announcer John Michael and color analyst Jim Chones, along with Austin Carr and Campy Russell, will provide analysis of the draft. The Cavalier Girls, Scream Team, mascots Moondog and Sir C.C. and in-arena hosts Olivier and Nicole also will take part.

Doors open at 6 p.m. The draft begins at 7 p.m. Free tickets are now available at The Q box office or at cavs.com.

Keystone High School, Division II State Champions, put four players on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association North Region Team.

DAVID DERMER/ACTION IMPACTPHOTOS/COMKeystone pitcher Kenzie Conrad makes a pitch to a player from Greenville high school this June. Keystone won 7-2.

Division II state champion Keystone had pitcher Kenzie Conrad, shortstop Erin Pond, second baseman Alisha Silva and catcher Bri Buckley named first-team on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Louisville Slugger High School North Region Team. Brecksville-Broadview Heights second baseman Alexis Mack was a first team at-large selection while Our Lady of the Elms catcher Kaitlin Morse was named to the second team.

LaGrange is in Lorain County, west of Cleveland.

Little had some early problems last season with dropped passes, then finished with 61 catches. Browns need more from a group of wide receivers who haven't produced much at the NFL level. More Browns story links.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerWide receiver Greg Little during a Browns minicamp practice on June 5 in Berea.

Browns fans have clamored for additions and upgrades to the receiving corps since before the 2011 season and the only notable addition last season was Little, taken in the second round.

Little, who just turned 23 on May 30, officially became a starter after the first four games of his rookie season. He responded with 61 receptions for 709 yards and two touchdowns, including a season long 76-yard score against the Cardinals in December. Little was second in the AFC among rookies only to the Bengals’ A.J. Green, who had 65 receptions.

Overall, Little ranked 17th in the AFC in receptions. His 709 yards was the fourth highest in Browns history among rookies. His reception totals were second best only to Kevin Johnson’s 66 grabs in 1999. Little had six receptions in three games, with his high being 131 yards against the Cardinals.

Most Browns fans feel Little can be a fine NFL receiver, but not all outside the Browns’ front office consider him a sure-fire top tier receiver. However, Little has shed 11 pounds and the Browns are hoping one year of experience will help him to become one of the top receivers in the league.

The Yankees hit Josh Tomlin early, often and hard Monday night on the way to a 7-1 victory over the Indians at Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Indians are on a cold streak. On the field and in the front office.

On the field Monday night at Yankee Stadium, they lost 7-1 to New York. It was their third straight loss, matching their longest losing streak of the season. They have scored three runs in those three games.

When the Indians were assembled in spring training, GM Chris Antonetti and manager Manny Acta took a chance. They constructed a lineup of primarily left-handed hitters figuring they'd have an advantage because most starters in the American League are right-handed. It was a decision that left them vulnerable against left-handers, but they were willing to live with it.

Houston left-handers Dallas Keuchel and J.A. Happ beat them Saturday and Sunday at Minute Maid Park. Monday, however, Acta used an all left-handed lineup against Yankee right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. All Kuroda did was hold them to one run on five hits in seven plus innings.

When you work the numbers, when you play the odds, sometimes they just don't calculate.

Who knows what would have happened if Josh Tomlin (3-5, 5.70) had pitched better. As it was, Tomlin proved once again showed that he can do without Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees ripped him for six runs on six hits in three innings. He threw 80 pitches and it seemed like the Yankees hit everyone of them hard.

Robinson Cano hit a two-run double in the first after Curtis Granderson walked and Mark Teixeira singled off the right field wall.

Dewayne Wise hit a two-run homer in the second to make it 4-0. It was Wise's first homer of the season and the first of three Tomlin allowed.

In the third, Cano and Nick Swisher hit consecutive homers for a 6-0 lead. Tomlin has allowed 11 homers this season.

In two starts at Yankee Stadium, Tomlin is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA. He's allowed 18 hits and 12 runs in eight innings.

The Indians scored their only run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Jason Kipnis. Lonnie Chisenhall hit a leadoff single and went to third on Shin-Soo Choo's double. Clay Rapada replaced Kuroda (7-7, 3.40) and Asdrubal Cabrera greeted him with a liner to right, but Swisher made a nice lunging catch.

Kipnis followed with a sacrifice fly to right.

Kuroda allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two. It was his first career appearance against the Indians. 

EUGENE, Ore. - There's a term Oregonians use when the sun makes an appearance: "sun break." University Heights resident Emily Infeld is a walking sun break. She constantly emits a sunny disposition, which was much needed Monday on another dreary, cold, rainy day at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Little Miss Sunshine was absolutely glowing after her...

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY EMAILUniversity Heights' Emily Infeld is always sunny, and still in the running for an Olympic berth.

EUGENE, Ore. - There's a term Oregonians use when the sun makes an appearance: "sun break."

University Heights resident Emily Infeld is a walking sun break. She constantly emits a sunny disposition, which was much needed Monday on another dreary, cold, rainy day at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Little Miss Sunshine was absolutely glowing after her 5,000-meter preliminary race in her first Olympic trials. She placed fourth in her heat, and qualified fourth overall for Thursday's final in 15:43.41.

"I'm really excited! This is so cool," she said, beaming in the press tent behind Hayward Field. "This is my first trials, so I was just happy to be here competing.

"Everything here is so cool. I feel like in shock to be here, I'm so excited."

The 23-year-old Beaumont graduate proved she belonged. In a heat that got off to a crawling start the first 1,200, then took off, Infeld moved up to sixth with three laps to go, then fifth. The top six in each heat moved on to the finals, plus the next four fastest times.

Infeld was 2.27 seconds behind heat winner and top qualifier Abbey D'Agostino, who beat Infeld for this year's NCAA title.

"I was just trying to hang on," she said. "There are so many great girls here. It was awesome."

Event favorite Molly Huddle, the American record holder, was second in the second, slower heat (15:46.05).

"It's so crazy because I feel like these are girls I look up to throughout my college career," Infeld said. "They're so talented. I'm looking forward to it. The U.S. has such depth. It's really cool. I'm so excited."

Did she mention she was excited?

Infeld was the NCAA 1,500 runner-up this year as a Georgetown junior. She considered running the event with her sister, Maggie, who also ran in the 800 prelims and semis last week. Emily decided to stick to her strength, which is the longer distance. She also was the NCAA 6,000-meter cross-country runner-up in 2010.

"[Watching] Maggie was really fun," she said. "I think she's really ready to keep rolling in the 1,500. I'm really proud of her."

Justin Masterson has made four straight quality starts, and Ubaldo Jimenez is 4-2 in his past seven for the Cleveland Indians.

AP PhotoUbaldo Jimenez is 4-2 with a 4.04 ERA (19 earned runs in 42 1/3 innings) in his last 7 starts.

New York -- It has taken more than two months, but it appears the Indians have their top two starters on the road to recovery.

Justin Masterson (4-6, 3.98 ERA) will face the Yankees tonight after making four straight quality starts. He has gone 2-2 in those starts with a 1.24 ERA (four earned runs in 29 innings). He has struck out 29, walked six and allowed 19 hits in that stretch.

Ubaldo Jimenez (7-5, 4.59) faces the Yankees on Wednesday. In his past seven starts, he's 4-2 with a 4.04 ERA (19 earned runs in 42 1/3 innings). He has 32 strikeouts and 19 walks in that stretch.

He has made a quality start (three earned runs in six or more innings) in five of those seven appearances.

"They're both gaining command of the strike zone," said Tribe manager Manny Acta. "In the first two months of the season, they were pretty close to being first and second in walks in the American League."

The walks-to-strikeouts ratio still isn't good. Masterson is averaging 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 3.7 walks. Jimenez is averaging 6.9 strike outs per nine innings compared to 5.4 walks.

"It's about having consistency through the whole game," said Masterson. "We've had four bad innings where we didn't do what we were supposed to do."

In those four innings, against the Chicago White Sox, Seattle, Boston and Kansas City, Masterson allowed 19 runs.

"The biggest thing is that there wasn't a whole lot we were doing wrong, it just escalated with those four innings," he said. "It makes everything else look a lot worse."

Acta said Masterson also moved to the left side of the pitching rubber, something he did last year as well.

"Right now, I'm just working through the normal check points and making sure I stay with them the whole game," said Masterson.

Jimenez's problems dealt with his lead or left arm. Pitching coach Scott Radinsky studied video and noticed he wasn't using it as he had in the past.

"It was like I was throwing without moving the front shoulder," said Jimenez. "I didn't create any power or torque in the front shoulder. Now I'm doing it, and everything is coming out smooth."

Radinsky showed his findings to Jimenez early in the year, but it took a while for him to make the adjustment.

"He said it wouldn't happen overnight, but he said I'd feel improvement," said Jimenez. "He was right."

Roster moves: The Indians optioned right-hander Jeanmar Gomez to Class AAA Columbus Monday and replaced him with left-hander Scott Barnes. Gomez was 1-5 in his past six starts.

"Jeanmar needs to go down, get more consistent when it comes to throwing strikes," said Acta. "He needs to work on pitching out of the stretch, too."

Acta said Zach McAllister will take Gomez's spot in the starting rotation. He will face Baltimore on Thursday. McAllister is still at Columbus.

"Zach pitched well for us earlier when Josh Tomlin was hurt," said Acta. "This isn't going to be a one-and-down for him."

This is Barnes' second chance with the Tribe this year.

Blast from the past: Right-hander Carlos Carrasco was at Yankee Stadium on Monday after getting his right elbow checked out in New York by Dr. Richard Altchek. Carrasco is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

He's going to throw a bullpen session for Acta and the rest of the coaching staff today.

"Being back with the team has made me excited about playing again," said Carrasco, who probably won't pitch in a game until September. "I'm going to throw two sets of 30 pitches in my bullpen.

"I'm only going to throw fastballs. In a couple of weeks, I'll start throwing changeups."

After the bullpen session, Carrasco will return to Goodyear, Ariz., and continue his rehab.

The Yankees hit Josh Tomlin early, often and hard Monday night on the way to a 7-1 victory over the Indians. The Indians have lost three straight, matching their longest losing streak of the season.

NEW YORK -- Not being able to beat left-handers is one thing. In the Indians' blueprint for 2012, that was considered collateral damage. Something they could live with because their left-handed dominated offense still held a statistical advantage over right-handed pitching.

What happens when they can't beat a right-handed starter with a lineup stacked with nine left- handed hitters? Well, let's just say this season, built on a calculated gamble, may have undergone a tiny shift Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

Veteran right-hander Hiroki Kuroda showed the rest of the American League how to beat the Indians by pitching the power-hitting Yankees to a 7-1 victory in front of more than 42,000 fans in the Bronx. Kuroda, facing the Indians for the first time in his career, kept the ball away from their left-handers early, busted them inside in the middle innings and finished them off with a sharp-diving split finger.

The Indians are on a cold streak on the field and in the front office, where the computers never stop spitting out formulas to help them compensate for being a small-market team bereft of raw baseball talent.

The Indians have lost three straight, matching their longest losing streak of the season. In those three games, they have scored three runs. They have scored five on the first four games of this 10-game trip.

"Unfortunately, there are times when a right-handed pitcher is going to be able to get zeroed in on our [all left-handed] lineup," said Tribe outfielder Johnny Damon. "The better the pitcher, the more he can exploit it. Maybe a younger guy, or a guy who doesn't have two plus pitches or so, might have more trouble.

"Kuroda seems like he can throw four or five pitches [for strikes] at a given time. He found out what was working. He knew we were behind and that we were a patient team, so he was getting strike one and did a great job tonight."

Over the weekend, Houston lefties Dallas Keuchel and J.A. Happ thumped the Indians while hardly breaking a sweat. Then along came Kuroda (7-7, 3.40 ERA), who held them to one run on five hits in seven-plus innings.

"This is the long roller coaster of the season," said Tribe manager Manny Acta. "You hit, you don't hit. You pitch, you don't pitch. You score runs, you don't score runs."

Things could have been different if Josh Tomlin (3-5, 5.70) hadn't given up six runs on six hits in three innings. He needed 80 pitches to do that much damage, and the Yankees seemed to hit most of them hard.

Robinson Cano hit a two-run double in the first inning after Curtis Granderson walked and Mark Teixeira singled off the right-field wall.

Dewayne Wise hit a two-run homer in the second to make it 4-0. It was Wise's first homer of the season and the first of three Tomlin allowed.

In the third, Cano and Nick Swisher hit consecutive homers for a 6-0 lead. Tomlin has allowed 11 homers this season.

In two starts at Yankee Stadium, Tomlin is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA. He has allowed 18 hits and 12 runs in eight innings.

"You could tell from the get-go that Josh didn't have command of his pitches," said Acta. "It's very rare to see him go 19 pitches to the first two hitters. He threw 80 pitches in the first three innings. He's usually in the seventh inning with 80 pitches."

The Yankees showed Tomlin why they lead the big leagues with 115 homers, 37 of them coming in the past 20 games.

"This is the wrong place and the wrong team to pitch behind in the count and up in the zone," said Acta.

Tomlin, a model of consistency last year, has been anything but that this year. Before Monday's game, the Indians sent another inconsistent starter, Jeanmar Gomez, to Class AAA Columbus. Acta said Tomlin has not reached that point.

"Josh's problem hasn't been as pronounced as Gomez," said Acta. "If he doesn't work things out, he could probably be moved to the bullpen. But that's not something we're thinking about right now."

The Indians scored their only run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Jason Kipnis. Lonnie Chisenhall hit a leadoff single and went to third on Shin-Soo Choo's double. Clay Rapada replaced Kuroda, and Asdrubal Cabrera greeted him with a liner to right, but Swisher made a nice lunging catch.

Kipnis followed with his sacrifice fly.

Ryan Lochte beat Michael Phelps in a head-to-head showdown to kick off the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

View full sizeMark Humphrey, Associated PressThe mostly friendly duel between American swimmers Ryan Lochte, left, and eight-time 2008 Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps at the U.S. Trials in Omaha began with interviews on Saturday. Lochte beat Phelps in the 400 IM Monday.

OMAHA, Neb. -- The dimple popped in Ryan Lochte's right cheek, and if the first official Olympian of the U.S. Swimming Trials looked any more at ease, he would have been catching a nap on the bottom of the pool, no matter how loud the crowd cheered.

"I can take a deep breath and relax now," Lochte said with a grin after beating Michael Phelps in the 400 individual medley on Monday night, "and whatever happens, happens. I'm just going out to have fun."

Second to Phelps in the 400 IM in the 2008 trials, second to Phelps in the 200 IM in both the 2004 and 2008 trials, Lochte in fact had never won an event at the Olympic trials, though he did win one individual gold at the 2008 Olympics.

But when he stood on the winner's podium that rose from the ground, wearing winged American flag high-tops and a black T-shirt of himself, exposing the Olympic rings tattoo on his triceps as he smiled and waved to the crowd of 11,207, he couldn't have looked more at home.

The 27-year-old has said this is his time. Start the clock.

"I'm definitely ready to tear it up in London and show people what the USA is all about," Lochte told the screaming fans at the CenterLink Center after stopping to hug his family on his victory lap around the pool deck.

"My mom was bawwwling her eyes out," Lochte said. "She said, 'Thank God you made it so we're not going to London by ourselves.' "

Like that was possible. At the moment, you can't imagine American swimming without Lochte. Phelps' dominating eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics raised the sport's profile, but Lochte might be even more comfortable as its rock star.

"They gave me wings. Ha, ha," he laughed to himself after stopping to flash his shoes to photographers after his victory news conference.

Phelps locked up his first spot on the team by finishing second in 4:07.89, behind Lochte's winning 4:07.06. In the morning prelims, Phelps swam a 4:14.72 that Lochte called the smoothest 4:14 he had ever seen. But after Lochte swam a 4:10.66 in the morning, Phelps almost knew he was swimming for second Monday night.

"I think we knew [second] was a definite possibility," said Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman. "I do think it'll motivate him."

Considering that Phelps won 14 of the 16 Olympic events he entered in 2004 and 2008, and that he doesn't have a silver medal in his 16-medal Olympic collection, second should be strange. But with only the top-two finishers advancing to London, Phelps said his focus was holding off third-place finisher Tyler Clary, who must deal with the hard luck of being the fourth-fastest 400 IM swimmer in history and having two all-timers in Lochte and Phelps ahead of him. For a moment at about 300 meters, entering the final freestyle stage, Bowman admitted he was a bit worried about Phelps retaining second.

"The crowd definitely played a big role in giving me energy my last 150, so I was very pleased with that," Phelps said. "I was just trying to put myself in a good position."

In the two other finals Monday night, Elizabeth Beisel won the women's 400 IM to make her second Olympic team, with Caitlin Leverenz, who had finished third once and fourth twice at the 2008 trials, taking second to make her first Olympic team. And in the men's 400 freestyle, two-time gold medalist Peter Vanderkaay took first, while Conor Dwyer made his first team in second place.

But the best came right at the start.

Monday afternoon, between the prelims and final, both Phelps and Lochte had been awakened by a fire alarm at their hotel, a fact they laughed about after going 1-2.

"I heard it was a kid on the fourth floor," Lochte said. "I was like, 'I'm going to find that kid.' "

By Monday night, they were dealing with actual fire, as flames shot from poolside pyrotechnic boxes when the top three swimmers were neck and neck and neck at the halfway point.

"I saw that, and I was like, 'Something is going on here,' " Lochte said.

It was something. It was Lochte arriving, in his way, with a lot of events still ahead.

"I'm just out there having fun, goofing off," Lochte said after his morning swim. "And that's what I'll do through the meet."

Molly Beckwith's dramatic rise into the elite ranks of U.S. 800-meter runners came within a blink of an eye of landing her in the Olympics.

ERIC GAY/APPhoebe Wright, Geena Gall and Molly Beckwith, from left, compete in the women's 800 meter semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

EUGENE, Ore. - Molly Beckwith's dramatic rise into the elite ranks of U.S. 800-meter runners came within a blink of an eye of landing her in the Olympics.

The graduate of Thomas Worthington in suburban Columbus had the third and last Olympic berth seemingly in hand as she raced down the stretch of the 800 final Monday, but in a wild sprint, Beckwith was caught at the wire and finished fourth by .22 seconds, behind Alice Schmidt (1:59.46).

Alysia Montano won in 1:59.08, and Geena Gall was second in 1:59.24.

Beckwith was a high school sprinter who went to Indiana on a soccer scholarship, but knee injuries ended that career. She switched to track and ran a season-best 2:14 in 2007. Three years later, in 2010, she broke 2:00 for the first time.

Kynard jumps to London: Toledo resident Erik Kynard took second in the high jump. The top four all cleared 7-53/4, and the top three were determined by their misses. Jamie Nieto, Kynard and Nick Ross all cleared the winning height on their first attempt. Kynard is reigning, two-time NCAA champ as a Kansas State junior

"People think of Toledo and they think of Jamie Farr and Jim Jackson, I want people to think of Toledo and think of Erik Kynard. I'm doing this for my family, my home town, my country and myself," Kynard said. Symmonds wins: Defending trials champ Nick Symonds won a highly anticipated and blazing 800 final in 1:43.92. K.D. Robinson was second (1:44.64) and Duane Solomon, who took the pack out in a 49.9 split, was third (:144.65).

Chasing the (steeple) dream: It was a good semifinal round for Ohio's deep steeplechase contingent, including Hiram native Bridget Franek and 2008 Olympian Josh McAdams, a Brecksville-Broadview Heights High grad.

Franek won her women's heat and advanced to Friday's final. Among the men, Ohioans McAdams, Cory Leslie, Dan Huling and Brian Olinger all made it to their final, which is Thursday.

Franek and Huling have the Olympic "A" standard, the minimum time for an Olympic berth. The men have to hit 8:23.1, as well as finish in the top three. McAdams and Olinger both predicted the top three will hit that standard and Huling went a step further.

"I think the Olympic trials record [8:15.02] has a chance of going down," said Huling, who was the top qualifier (8:29.00).

Huling, Olinger and Leslie are training partners in Columbus and McAdams just completed his doctor of optometry degree in Tennessee.

Running in a hard rain on her new home track as an Oregon Track Club member, Franek had one minor slip, and quickly recovered. Emma Coburn was the top qualifier (9:43.19).

"I pushed it through and got the job done. I'll be ready for Friday," she said. Multitalented Mims: Cleveland native Madeline Manning Mims, the only American woman to win the Olympic 800 (1968), sang a stirring rendition of the national anthem to open the meet Monday. Two days off: The trials go dark today and Wednesday while everyone involved catches their breath. Action resumes Thursday with finals in the men's steeplechase, pole vault and discus, and men's and women's 5,000.

Still to come are the men's and women's 200, 400 hurdles, 1,500, race walk, men's 110 hurdles and triple jump, and women's shot put, steeplechase, high jump, long jump and javelin.