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Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets' best player, traded to New York Rangers for 3 players and first-round draft pick

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Nash, along with a 2013 third-round draft pick and a minor-league defenseman, heads to New York in exchange for centers Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round pick next year.

rick-nash.jpgRick Nash leaves Columbus for New York after becoming the Blue Jackets' all-time leader in most offensive categories.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Months after asking the Columbus Blue Jackets to trade him, star forward Rick Nash had his wish granted and is headed to the New York Rangers.

Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson announced Monday the club had dealt the big right wing, the team’s captain and career leader in most offensive categories, along with a 2013 third-round draft pick and a minor-league defenseman. In return, the Rangers sent centers Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round pick next year.

Nash is the oldest player in the deal at 28.

It shocked many when Nash, who shared the NHL lead in goals with 41 in 2003-04, revealed in February that he asked management a month earlier for a trade. When a deal wasn’t worked out, he finished the year in Columbus, and immediately became the hottest name on the offseason trade market.


Dennis Manoloff tells 92.3 The Fan that NCAA punishment will cripple Penn St. program

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DMan joined Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps to talk about the punishment levied against Penn St. and the state of college football.

Dennis Manoloff PD Sports InsiderDennis Manoloff.
Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff joined Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps on WKRK FM/92.3 The Fan today to talk about Penn St. and more.

Dennis talked about whether the punishment against Penn St. was enough, whether we value college football too much, whether it's vital to an institution and more.

Each weekday, Plain Dealer reporters and writers will share their insights on sports topics on The Fan. You can also catch their views on SB TV on the Starting Blocks blog.

Cleveland Browns working through the evening with Trent Richardson's agent, deal is close, source says

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The Browns are meeting today with the agent for Trent Richardson, and the deal is close, a source told the Plain Dealer today.. The only outstanding issue .is the offset language.

Trent RichardsonCleveland Browns number one draft pick, running back Trent Richardson is close to signing his deal.

CLEVELAND -- The Browns and the agent for No. 3 pick Trent Richardson worked hard through this evening to get his deal done and it's very close, a source told the Plain Dealer today.

The two sides were prepared to work well into tonight to get it finished.

Richardson is in town ready to sign the deal and begin practicing.

The only outstanding issue throughout the day was the offset language that the Browns wanted in the contract. Such language would prevent them from having to pay the full guaranteed amount in the event Richardson signs with another team.

The No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin, do not have offset language in their contracts, meaning they'll get their full fours of guaranteed money regardless if they remain with their original team. Richardson's agent Jimmy Sexton also managed to keep offset language out of the deal for No. 7 overall pick Mark Barron.

No. 6 overall pick Morris Claiborne also signed today with no offset language. The highest pick with offset provisions is No. 10 Stephon Gilmore, meaning Richardson has a good case. 

Richardson stands to make a fully guaranteed contract worth about $20.4  to $20.6 million, with about a $13.4 million to $13.9 million signing bonus. Browns rookies are due to report in Berea tomorrow night and take the field for the first time on Wednesday. Veterans report Thursday night and begin practicing Friday.

The first practice open to the public is Saturday at 8:45 a.m.

The Browns have also not yet signed No. 22 overall pick Brandon Weeden, who's seeking all four years guaranteed. He's set to make about $8.1 million over the four years.

Browns general manager Tom Heckert said recently he expects both Richardson and Weeden to be in on time.

Indians vs. Orioles: Twitter updates and game preview

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The Indians take on Baltimore tonight at Progressive Field. Get in-game updates and talk about the game.

The Indians will try and end their current losing streak and salvage a game from the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Progressive Field. 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.

Note: Hit reload for latest Tweets


Cleveland Indians lose to Royals, 8-2View full sizeJustin Masterson will try to play the role of stopper tonight for the Indians.
(AP) -- Tommy Hunter shrugged off a recent demotion to the minors to pitch a solid outing and help the Baltimore Orioles get started on their current surge.

The right-hander will look to build off that performance as Baltimore seeks a season-best sixth straight victory and its first four-game road sweep of the Cleveland Indians in more than 40 years Monday night.

A stint in the bullpen and three starts for Triple-A Norfolk seemed to do the trick for Hunter (4-4, 5.71 ERA), who allowed one run and six hits over a season-high 7 1-3 innings of Wednesday's 2-1 win over Minnesota, the first of five consecutive victories for the Orioles (51-44).

Hunter had gone 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA in his last seven appearances - five starts - before being sent to the minors after he was tagged for five runs and eight hits in a 1 2-3 innings of relief against the Indians on June 30.

"To come back up here and do that, hold them to one run ... he threw a great game for us, much needed," Mark Reynolds told the team's official website.

Hunter didn't earn a decision in his last start against the Indians despite giving up five runs in 5 1-3 innings while pitching for Texas on Sept. 8, 2009. He'll look to help Baltimore complete its first four-game sweep in Cleveland since Sept. 24-26, 1971, after the Orioles held on for a 4-3 victory Sunday.

J.J. Hardy hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs to extend his hitting streak to six games, and Zach Britton pitched six scoreless innings.

Despite allowing a run during Cleveland's three-run ninth inning, Jim Johnson got the final two outs and notched his major league-best 30th save for Baltimore, which hasn't won four straight overall meetings with Cleveland since 1993.

"All our guys made big pitches," manager Buck Showalter said. "You can doubt yourself, but when it hurts the most is when you go back to the hotel or apartment and say, `I wish I hadn't been so timid there.' Go after them. They did."

The Indians have lost four straight and have fallen below .500 for the first time since they were 3-4 on April 14. Carlos Santana had three hits - including a two-run homer - for Cleveland (47-48), which is 4 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central.

The Indians have been outscored 23-6 while hitting .202 during their skid.

"We continue to struggle offensively, but the sun is going to come up tomorrow," manager Manny Acta said. "We still have over 60 games to go. Things can change in a heartbeat. Every day is a new day."

Cleveland will look to avoid being swept at home for the first time this season with the help of Justin Masterson, who has been solid recently versus the Orioles.

Masterson (6-8, 4.29) has won his last three starts with a 2.70 ERA against Baltimore after giving up one earned run in seven innings of a 6-2 road victory July 1. He's been inconsistent this month, though, going 2-1 with a 5.16 ERA in four starts, including giving up four runs in 4 1-3 innings of Cleveland's 10-6 win at Tampa Bay on Wednesday. The right-hander had won two straight home starts before allowing a career high-tying eight runs in 4 1-3 innings of a 10-3 loss to the Rays on July 6.

Baltimore's Nick Markakis and Adam Jones are a combined 5 for 36 lifetime against Masterson.

Cleveland Indians P.M. links: Trade away rather than trade for; Esmil Rogers could be a find

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Indians are 21-30 since May 24, and it might be more realistic for them to trade veteran players to true contenders than to acquire them in what could be a futile try at the playoffs. Links to more Indians stories.

derek-lowe.jpgMaybe the Indians could get at least a marginal prospect, and rid themselves of what they owe veteran pitcher Derek Lowe (photo) in his contract, if they can trade him to a playoff contender.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians try to avoid being swept in a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles when the teams meet tonight at Progressive Field.

The Tribe is 47-48 and beginning to fade in the American League Central Divison race, trailing the first-place Detroit Tigers (52-44) by 4 1/2 games and the second-place Chicago White Sox (50-45) by three games.

Right-hander Justin Masterson (6-8, 4.29) takes the mound tonight for the Indians. The O's counter with righty Tommy Hunter (4-4, 5.71).

The Indians have lost four straight games and eight of their last 11. They are 3-7 since the All-Star break. In eight of those 10 games, Cleveland has totaled 12 runs.

Since May 24, the Indians are 21-30. After that night's games, the Indians were in first place, leading the White Sox by 3 1/2 games and the Tigers by six.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes PD Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes' interview on Starting Blocks TV, talking about the Indians; Hoynes' Cleveland Indians Insider, focusing on the return of starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona; Bud Shaw's column that an understanding Indians' fan base would be helpful for Hernandez; Hoynes' game story on the Indians' 4-3 loss to the Orioles on Sunday; the minor league report.

The non-waiver trade deadline is July 31. As the Indians, with a flawed roster, struggle to stay in playoff contention, some observers believe the Tribe should trade veterans to playoff-hopeful teams, rather than dealing for players to boost potentially futile hopes  for the stretch drive.

Leo Florkowski writes for the Bleacher Report that it's probably best for the Indians to be "sellers' instead of "buyers:"

The problem for the Indians is that they are simply not good enough as currently constructed to make up the ground they need to in the standings to make the playoffs. They have not rattled off more than four wins in a row all season. That simply will not cut it. With the presence of the second Wild Card spot there are far too many teams already ahead of the Indians in the standings. They are currently at the bottom of the heap for teams that are still "in the race".

The glaring weakness on the Indians is the lack of a formidable right-handed outfield bat. The second Wild Card spot available to teams this year has turned so many teams into playoff contenders that there are simply not enough sellers on the market to satisfy the demand of the buyers out there.
Indians story links

An analysis of relief pitcher Esmil Rogers' performance shows he may have benefited from joining the Indians via a transaction with the Colorado Rockies. (By Steve Kinsella, Wahoo's on First)

An elbow strain led to a turning point in the career of relief pitcher Vinnie Pestano. (By Justin Albers, MLB.com)

What to do for the Indians, as they slip in the AL Central race and the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline nears. (By Stephanie Liscio, It's pronounced "Lajaway")

Indians notebook, with manager Manny Acta saying the Indians can still turn things around. (By Sheldon Ocker, Akron Beacon Journal)

A ninth-inning rally falls a run short for the Indians. (By Jim Ingraham, News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal)

Continuing a countdown of the top 100 all-time Indians players: At No. 87, right-handed pitcher Jake Westbrook. (Let's Go Tribe)

The Indians drop from 17th to 20th among the 30 major league teams in a new power rankings. (ESPN.com)

Indians notes, leading off with Roberto Hernandez. (By Chris Assenheimer, Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette)

Reality sets in -- that the Indians are an average team with a lot of flaws. (WaitingForNextYear)

A review of the week of July 16-22 for the Indians' Class AAA team, the Columbus Clippers. (By Andrew Holleran, Indians Prospect Insider)

What's going on around the Indians' minor league system. (By Jim Pete, Indians Prospect Insider)


Trent Richardson signs 4-year contract with Cleveland Browns, 4 years, $20.5 million, $13.3 million signing bonus

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Signing bonus for running back likely accounts for about two-thirds of the money. Browns' other first-round pick, Brandon Weeden, remains unsigned.

trent-richardson5.jpgTrent Richardson, the Alabama running back who was the third overall pick in April's draft, has signed a four-year contract with the Browns.

   
BEREA, Ohio -- Browns running back Trent Richardson won't miss a beat in his bid to become "the most dominant player" of all time.

The No. 3 overall pick in the draft out of Alabama, Richardson signed his four-year deal today, a source told The Plain Dealer. With Browns rookies due to report to Berea on Tuesday, Richardson avoided missing any time and will take the field for the first workout on Wednesday.

Richardson's fully-guaranteed deal is worth $20.5 million over the four years, with a $13.3 signing bonus, a source told the PD. He also has no offset language, which means he'll receive the whole $20.5 million even if he signs with another team before the four years are up.

Now that the Browns have Richardson's deal done, they'll turn their attention to quarterback Brandon Weeden, the No. 22 overall pick. The only issue there is the fourth-year guarantee which Weeden's agent, Sean Howard of Octagon, hopes to secure, according to a source.

The only holdup in Richardson's deal was the offset language, which the Browns wanted and Richardson's agent, Jimmy Sexton did not. Richardson won that final battle, which enabled the deal to get done Monday after a full day of negotiating.  The highest current 2012 pick with offset provisions is No. 10 Stephon Gilmore of the Bills.

During organized team activities in May, coach Pat Shurmur praised the Browns' top pick.

"Wow, he's a very powerful man and he's powerfully built,'' said Shurmur. "Don't let the 5-9 1/2 fool you. He's almost 230 pounds and that's a lot of muscle packed into that body. I think he's got a very powerful build, much like we thought when we drafted him and it shows up on the field.''

Shurmur said Richardson's thick, compact frame will dictate his running style.

"Trent can get his foot down and slash it up in the line of scrimmage and by the nature of his build, he is sometimes hard to get your arms around and tackle. That natural leverage that he has also gives him great balance and body control.''

Richardson told The Plain Dealer during OTAs that after overcoming so many obstacles in his life, "It's a miracle that I've gotten to this point. Now that I'm here, I want to be remembered as the most dominant player to ever play the game."

Shurmur said during minicamp that Richardson will be the starting running back, and that Montario Hardesty and Brandon Jackson will also get reps.

Weeden, who's expected to win the Browns' starting job, will receive a four-year deal worth about $8.1 million. Many players in the latter part of the round receive  three-year guarantees with a partial guarantee for the fourth year.

Browns veteran players report Thursday and begin practicing Friday, but the first practice open to the public is Saturday at 8:45 a.m.

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Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's fall sudden, steep: Bill Livingston

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Has anyone ever fallen faster than Joe Paterno or become so powerful more suddenly than NCAA President Mark Emmert? Popular as his heavy penalties against Penn State were, they set a precedent the NCAA might wish it had avoided.

paterno-color-2004-head-down-ap.jpgView full sizeThen-Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, on his way to a loss in 2004, lost all of his victories from 1998 to 2011 as part of the NCAA's penalties against the school.


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Has anyone ever fallen further or faster than Joe Paterno?

He has gone from paragon of moral virtue to pervert enabler; from the coach who built the Penn State football program to the agent of its near-destruction; from cast-in-bronze icon to, literally, the dismantling of his statue on campus.

All since last November.

Has anyone ever aggrandized more power more suddenly and seemingly unilaterally than NCAA President Mark Emmert, who passed stern judgment on Penn State on Monday?

All since the Freeh Report 11 days ago, which all but indicted Paterno and his nominal superiors.

The concern in legal circles isn't so much with the crushing penalties Emmert levied on Penn State, which the school has accepted. Nor is it even with the timing.

The concern is with the precedent Emmert established in exercising the policing powers of the NCAA in a criminal case.

Most fans everywhere, except perhaps in State College, Pa., think Penn State deserved extraordinary discipline. The heinous nature of Jerry Sandusky's crimes and the moral abdication in its cover-up -- including ignoring an eyewitness account by assistant coach Mike McQueary in 2001 of a child rape -- convinced Emmert to use newly claimed, sweeping powers.

It can be argued that the Penn State case clearly had to do with football, with what Penn State had built, with the money the program had brought the school. The NCAA, however, never had intruded on due process in criminal cases until Monday.

"The NCAA has put itself in whole new territory that is historically unprecedented, maybe even more than they thought," said Rick Chryst, the former Mid-American Conference commissioner, now a practicing attorney in Michigan.

In recent years, the NCAA did not claim jurisdiction in the case of a Florida International football player, Kendall Berry, who was stabbed to death by teammate Quentin Rashad Wyche in an argument over a girlfriend; nor in the wrongful death judgment won by the family of Central Florida football player Ereck Plancher against the school; nor in the murder of Baylor men's basketball player Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson.

"The model for the NCAA, for better or worse, has been more of a deliberate and collaborative effort," said Chryst.

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany significantly referred during a conference call Monday to league personnel being "embedded" in the Freeh investigation. Delany should have enlarged on that theme. It would have emphasized the collegial nature of the decision and defused characterizations of Emmert as a dictator, which are sure to come from Penn State fans.

This case is the most radical departure from NCAA procedure since 1987, when football at Southern Methodist University was shut down under the "death penalty" rule for an abundance of illegal player benefits. So crippled was SMU that it went 22 years before qualifying for even a minor bowl.

Accordingly, the NCAA never considered whacking Auburn, Alabama, Miami, Southern California or Ohio State, all of whom have since gone on probation for impermissible benefits. It took the public pressure of inconceivable moral turpitude at Penn State for Emmert to venture into a possible legal quagmire by hammering a big-boy school.

Penn State's sanctions actually might be tougher than SMU's. They are accompanied by $73 million in fines -- $60 million from the NCAA and a de facto fine of $13 million in lost bowl revenues from the Big Ten.

In the wake of the biggest scandal in college sports history, one conducted by its most revered icon, both Emmert and Delany invoked a vision of college sports that probably never was and never will be. They spoke often of "subordinating the athletic culture to the academic culture of member institutions." It was the propaganda portion of the day.

"In probably half of the states in this country, a football coach is the highest-paid figure at his school and sometimes the highest-paid [state employee] overall," said Chryst. "College athletics are big business. That is not going to change."

It will get bigger, too. The NCAA will begin selling its football championship game to the highest bidder in 2014.

In a last twist of the irony found only in college sports, as part of its penalties, the NCAA vaporized 14 seasons of Penn State football, dating to 1998 and the first report of Sandusky's misconduct. A total of 111 victories were "vacated," making Bobby Bowden the all-time leader.

Now, the last game Paterno officially won was in November 1997 against Wisconsin. Mike McQueary was his quarterback.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

London calling: With Olympics yet to get under way, city is already ahead of the game

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The rebuild of London's East End is beautifully conceived.

londoncalling-stadium-july24.JPGView full sizeLondon's Olympic Stadium is part of the largest urban park developed in Europe in 150 years.

London -- For more than a half hour Monday evening, they poured out of Olympic Park toward the Stratford rail station like graduates of the world's largest nursing school, circa 1945. Hundreds, if not thousands, of young women dressed in old-fashioned blue nurses dresses with white smocks and white caps appeared happy, but hot and spent in the welcoming cool air. Some turned to take photos of the scene, with the stadium dramatically lit in maroon lights against a dark, clear sky.

This was a high-energy dress rehearsal for Friday's Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics, a source of great curiosity because we wonder how this show will stack up against the breathtaking scope of Beijing's 2008 opener.

The answer: It will be decidedly British. Among the exiting performers were were several dozen children who looked as though they walked off the set of Oliver! Music still reverberated inside the steel ribboned stadium, but it wasn't Paul McCartney, who is scheduled to appear, likely with the Queen.

And why not? Great Britain has much to celebrate, and not just with the Olympics coming to town for the third time. The Olympics are an enormous undertaking, but beyond that, in just seven years, London took a shovel to a historically gritty East End and built a new centerpiece, Olympic Park. It is a beautifully conceived reclamation of abandoned factories and rusting scrap yards, through which three streams now flow around Olympic Stadium and five other venues, as well as the athletes village. Billed as the largest urban park developed in Europe in 150 years, it will be the festive heartbeat of the Games. Easily accessed by rail and bordered by a massive, up-scale shopping district, the hope is that it will pump fresh blood into a congested city in desperate need.

The Olympics have yet to begin, but London is well ahead of the game.


Roberto Hernandez's bullpen session goes well, right-hander scheduled for rehab game Thursday: Cleveland Indians Insider

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Right-hander Roberto Hernandez threw a bullpen session Monday afternoon and is scheduled to make his first minor-league rehab appearance Thursday.

hernandez-bullpen-insider-july24.jpgView full sizeRoberto Hernandez was impressive in a bullpen session on Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians right-hander Roberto Hernandez impressed onlookers with his 30-pitch bullpen session Monday afternoon at Progressive Field.

"Very good, very smooth," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "Granted, it was just a bullpen, but it was nice to see. It does look like he's been pitching."

Added pitching coach Scott Radinsky: "It was good. Actually, it was really good. Everything came out free and easy."

Hernandez, formerly Fausto Carmona, joined the Indians over the weekend from the Dominican Republic. He is in the early days of a three-week suspension by Major League Baseball for engaging in age and identity fraud, which had prevented him from obtaining a visa to enter the United States for spring training.

Hernandez is eligible to pitch in minor-league rehabilitation games during the suspension. Provided the arm feels good today, Hernandez will make his first rehab appearance Thursday. Candidates are short-season Mahoning Valley (home to Staten Island) and Class A Lake County (home to West Michigan). He likely will throw 70-75 pitches.

When Hernandez returned to the clubhouse from the bullpen, reporters asked him how the session went. He said, "Fine." Asked to elaborate, Hernandez smiled said, "I've got to go do some work," and walked into an off-limits area.

Acta and Radinsky said Hernandez threw all his pitches.

"He had good command and sink," Radinsky said. "He looks to be pretty far along."

Hernandez went 7-15 with a 5.25 ERA in 32 starts last year.

E-Z Mac: No one is saying Indians right-hander Zach McAllister has "arrived." He has plenty of proving to do.

At the very least, though, McAllister appears to be building on solid ground.

McAllister is 4-2 with a 3.21 ERA in nine starts with the Tribe this season. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in seven consecutive outings.

McAllister is averaging just a shade more than six innings per start, but he has given up fewer hits than innings (52 to 56) and his 52 strikeouts indicate some power in his repertoire.

The key to this season's quality stretch, McAllister said, dates to his final two starts of 2011, when he limited the White Sox and Tigers to a combined two earned runs in 101/3 innings. Those were the third and fourth starts of his big-league career.

"It helped me gain confidence, which carried over into the winter and into spring training," McAllister said.

Even though McAllister, 24, did not break camp with the Indians, he was certain that his relatively new delivery would reap rewards eventually. The Tribe recalled him from Class AAA Columbus in early May; he made four starts before being sent down. He was recalled again in late June to replace struggling Jeanmar Gomez.

The McAllister whom teammates and coaches have seen in Cleveland is more sure of himself than the one from 2011.

"I'm definitely happier with my mechanics, stuff and ability to stay in the moment," he said. "It's the case with anybody up here: The more time you have, the more comfortable you will be in the surroundings and the more you understand what you need to do."

McAllister's delivery overhaul occurred after the 2010 season. He had gone 8-10 with a 5.09 ERA for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees' system before being traded to Cleveland for Austin Kearns. He went 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA in three starts for Columbus.

Clippers pitching coach Ruben Niebla and Indians bullpen coach Dave Miller made McAllister one of their projects in the instructional league. Niebla and Miller saw a pitcher who should have been getting more out of his 6-6, 240-pound frame.

"I'm not exactly sure whose idea it was to change my mechanics, but I know Dave Miller and Ruben Niebla were the ones down there, in Arizona, after the season to help me get used to it," he said. "They were big into showing me video, and it made sense to me. It was a whole new thing, but I bought in right away."

McAllister essentially cut down on moving parts and became more compact. It has enabled him to be more consistent with his release point.

"There's more of a hip turn, whereas I used to be up and down with leg kick," he said. "I'm not really collapsing on the front leg. I stay a little taller, which allows everything to have better rhythm. That's big for me -- to have rhythm as I go back to go forward."

McAllister relies on a low-to-mid-90s fastball, curveball, change-up and cutter. The overhaul in mechanics has helped him to better maintain fastball velocity, but he has noticed the most improvement in his curveball, a pitch some might call a slurve.

"Earlier last season, it was more of a get-me-over pitch," he said. "I would try to steal a strike here or there. Last year, toward the end, it started to turn into out pitch. This year, I've thrown it for a strike and it's been a put-away pitch at times."

Pitchers face hitters, not opposing pitchers. Such is literally the case in the American League. But there is no getting around the difficulty of McAllister's next assignment. Thursday night, he faces the sizzling Tigers and the best pitcher in baseball, Justin Verlander.

Other streaks have gotten more attention, but that doesn't mean Verlander's 62 straight starts of at least six innings is any less impressive.


 
 Lineups

Orioles -- 1. Markakis rf; 2. Chavez lf; 3. Thome dh; 4. Jones cf; 5. Wieters c; 6. Betemit 3b; 7. Davis 1b; 8. Flaherty 2b; 9. Quintanilla ss; and Hunter rhp.

Indians -- 1. Choo rf; 2. Cabrera ss; 3. Kipnis 2b; 4. Brantley cf; 5. Santana c; 6. Hafner dh; 7. Damon lf; 8. Kotchman 1b; 9. Hannahan 3b; and Masterson rhp.

Ichiro Suzuki traded by Seattle Mariners to New York Yankees for 2 pitchers

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Suzuki, a career .322 hitter but batting .261 this season, sent to Yankees for 25-year-old righties D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar.

ichiro-suzuki.jpgIchiro Suzuki had at least 206 hits in each of his first 10 major league seasons (2001-10).
SEATTLE, Washington -- Ichiro Suzuki is headed to a new team and, after all these years, maybe a shot at playing in the World Series.

The New York Yankees acquired the star outfielder from the Seattle Mariners in a trade Monday for two young pitchers.

The Yankees, with the best record in the majors, also got cash in the deal that sent 25-year-old righties D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to the last-place Mariners. The trade was announced a few hours before the Yankees played at Seattle.

The 38-year-old Suzuki had spent his whole big league career with Seattle. The 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner is batting .261 with four home runs, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases this year.

Suzuki is a career .322 hitter, a former AL MVP and holds the record for most hits in a season. He had batted over .300 in every season until dipping last year.

The only thing missing on Suzuki's resume is an appearance in the World Series, and he may get a chance with the Yankees. Suzuki was the AL MVP and rookie of the year in 2001 after a stellar career in Japan, and the Mariners reached the AL championship series that season before losing to the Yankees. Seattle has not been back to the playoffs since then.

The Yankees made the trade a few days after learning that speedy outfielder Brett Gardner would likely miss the rest of the season because of an elbow problem.

The Yankees certainly hope this trade with the Mariners works out better than the last big deal between the teams. New York sent prized young catcher Jesus Montero to Seattle before the season for All-Star pitcher Michael Pineda, who was later injured and is out for the year.

Mitchell made his major league debut this season and pitched four games for the Yankees. Farquhar made his big league debut last year with Toronto and was claimed last month on waivers by the Yankees from Oakland.

Cleveland Indians avoid sweep, beat Baltimore Orioles, 3-1

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Justin Masterson and Shin-Soo Choo help Tribe climb back to .500 mark.

masterson-indians-july24.JPGView full sizeJustin Masterson pitched into the eighth inning to pick up the win on Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians made sure Monday night not to get caught peeking ahead to their showdown series against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field.

OK, OK, so maybe it is not a "showdown" series given the Tribe's struggles and Tigers' surge. Or because it is still July. But the three-game set that begins Tuesday is huge for the home team if it is serious about hanging around in the AL Central.

While the surging Tigers rested on their lead, the third-place Indians shaved a half-game from their deficit with a 3-1 victory over Baltimore. They salvaged the finale of a four-game series in front of 18,264 paid on a 91-degree night.

Right-hander Justin Masterson gave up the run in 71/3 innings and Shin-Soo Choo homered as the Indians snapped a four-game slide. They are 48-48 overall, four back of Detroit (52-44). The White Sox are in second.

The Indians actually have been a .500 club for quite some time. Since Aug. 26, 2010, they are 147-147.

Tribe manager Manny Acta was asked if Monday's victory had extra pop because it halted a skid and came directly in front of the Detroit matchup.

"Every game is important to us, but I understand the question," Acta said. "After losing three in a row, every game is (that much more significant), so this was huge. The last thing you want to do is start a series against those guys on a five-game losing streak."

Masterson allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out six. He rebounded from a rough outing at Tampa Bay (41/3 innings, seven hits, four runs, seven walks, one strikeout). He threw numerous quality sinkers and mixed in four-seamers and sliders. He also threw his mystery pitch several times in big spots; the pitch, also known as "Loch Ness Monster," has slider spin and splitter drop.

"We had good movement, for the most part, in the zone," he said.

Masterson has been inconsistent this season, but even though he owns a sub-.500 record (7-8), his ERA is an American League-respectable 4.12 in 1331/3 innings. And he is receiving some of the lowest run support in the league.

"Justin did a tremendous job," Acta said. "He did what we expect our No. 1 guy to do: Get out there and shut down the opposition."

The Orioles, whose lineup featured eight left-handed batters, had ample opportunities against the hard-throwing Jamaican. Their leadoff batters reached in the second, third, fourth and seventh -- but none scored.

The biggest threat of those four came in the second. Adam Jones doubled to left. After Matt Wieters struck out swinging, Wilson Betemit grounded up the middle. Masterson snagged the ball and caught Jones between second and third, the out resulting from a 1-5-6-5-4-6.

With Betemit at first, Chris Davis struck out.

The Indians took a 2-0 lead off right-hander Tommy Hunter in the third. With one out, Casey Kotchman grounded sharply to first and off first baseman Davis for an infield single. With two outs, Kotchman ran to second on a passed ball and scored on Choo's high-arching shot to right.

Choo finished 2-for-4 with two runs. He is hitting .320 (81-for-253) with 23 doubles, 11 homers and 27 RBI in 61 starts since being moved to the leadoff spot May 14. He has raised his average from .235 to .296.

Baltimore scored in the fifth. With two outs, Masterson plunked Ryan Flaherty. No. 9 batter Omar Quintanilla followed with an RBI double to left-center. Orioles No. 9 batters stung Cleveland in three of the four games.

The Orioles -- specifically, Nick Markakis -- did the Tribe an enormous favor in the eighth.

After Quintanilla flied out, Markakis singled. Acta hooked Masterson for Vinnie Pestano. Endy Chavez greeted Pestano with a liner into the left-field corner. Third-base coach DeMarlo Hale put up the stop sign, but Markakis ran through it and eventually was tagged between third and home.

"I should have picked up my third-base coach, and by the time I saw him I didn't see him do anything, so I was using my own judgment," Markakis said. "I thought I was going to get there. I heard him as I was going past the bag. I stopped and froze. I should have kept going. It was bad base-running on my part."

Credit defensive replacement Aaron Cunningham with a clean pick and throw to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who threw to catcher Carlos Santana, who flipped to third baseman Jack Hannahan.

"We played fundamental baseball and hit the cutoff man," Acta said. "Cabby was alert. It was a huge play."

Chavez reached third as Markakis was retired, but Pestano stranded him by getting Jim Thome to swing through a nasty slide piece.

Pestano has inherited 14 runners this season. None has scored.

The Tribe made it 3-1 in the eighth on Michael Brantley's RBI single. Brantley pulled the hands in and punched a pitch from lefty Troy Patton through the hole at short. With the bases loaded and one out, Travis Hafner struck out and Cunningham popped out.

The run that scored on Brantley's single was just Cleveland's second in the series without the benefit of a homer.

Chris Perez worked a perfect ninth for his 27th save in 29 opportunities. He retired the last batter, Betemit, on a 12th-pitch grounder to second.

The Indians improved to 28-3 when Pestano and Perez pitch.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a double. He has reached base via hit or walk in 17 straight games (.288 average).

Canadian Open offers late entry opportunity for Bridgestone Invitational: NE Ohio Golf Insider

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There are 77 players who already have invitations to the World Golf Championships event at Firestone Country Club.

curtis-2012-england-ap.jpgView full sizeFormer British Open champion Ben Curtis, a Kent native, is looking to qualify for next week's Bridgestone Invitational with a strong showing this week at the Canadian Open.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is the last week that players can qualify for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, so it's no surprise that the entry list for the RBC Canadian Open includes many familiar names.

Ben Curtis, Stuart Appleby, John Daly, Chris DiMarco, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Paul Casey, Rory Sabbatini, Sean O'Hair and Robert Garrigus are part of the 150-player field at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. So are recent British Open champion Ernie Els, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan.

The difference between the two groups? Those in the first group must win in order to gain entrance into the $8.5 million Bridgestone.

By virtue of his tie for fifth in last week's British Open, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell became one of 77 players eligible for the Bridgestone, as he rose to 11th place on the official world rankings. Eight others also gained entry. McDowell will play at Firestone for the seventh time, looking to better his career-best finish of 22nd in 2010.

Appleby, one of a handful of players who have competed in the previous 12 WGC events at Firestone, is in jeopardy of having his streak broken.

No free parking: For the first time in 12 years, there will be a $5 fee to park in the previously free lot at the Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems and Lockheed Martin. There is no charge for the shuttle service to the course. Tournament officials say the parking fee will increase the proceeds to charity. The Bridgestone has donated more than $20 million to local charities over the years.

Off to the North: Kent State coach Herb Page headed for the Canadian Open on Monday. He has four former players in the field in Curtis, David Markle, Jon Mills and Mackenzie Hughes. Markle and Mills, both Canadian, gained entry by finishing first and second, respectively, in the Monday qualifier.

Off to the South: The Greater Cleveland area is well represented in the Optimist International Junior tournament at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. Sixteen boys and girls from the area are part of the 595-player field that will compete in seven age groups.

The Optimist is one of the largest junior tournaments in the country, with 31 nations represented. Boys aged 10-15 and girls 10-14 competed through Tuesday with the older players taking stage Thursday-Sunday.

Some of the 16-18 boys entered include Barberton's Chase Johnson, Avon Lake's Brendan Aussem, Medina's Mike Bishop and Sean Sherman. Medina's Stephanie Horvath and Lauren McKenzie and Breckville's Halley Morrel, Cuyahoga Falls' Jennah Romansky and Akron's Ashley Yarbrough are part of the girls 15-18 field.

It's all in the voice: Medina businessman Pat Spoerndle has recruited ESPN 850 WKNR radio guys to help him raise $25,000 for the fourth-annual HMC Hospice of Medina County on Monday at Fox Meadow. While Spoerndle attempts to play 100 holes in nine hours, Greg Brinda, Kenny Roda, Chris Fedor, Matt Sontana and Nathan Green will play in two-hour increments.

On Twitter: @TimRogersPD

Lake Erie Crushers to play extra home games this week

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Frontier League moves games to Avon from London, Ontario, as that club battles financial difficulties. Tickets for the added games -- a Thursday double-header and a Friday night game -- are $1. Hot dogs, beer and soft drinks also are $1.

AVON, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Crushers will play this week's series against the London Rippers at its ballpark in Avon rather than on the road in London, Ontario.

The games are being moved as the London ballclub sorts through financial problems.

The teams will play a double-header on Thursday, with the first game at 4 p.m. On Friday, the teams will play a 7:05 p.m. game.

All tickets will be $1 both nights. Fans also will be able to purchase hot dogs, draft beers and fountain drinks for $1 all game long.

The Crushers play at All-Pro Freight Stadium. For more details, go to lakeeriecrushers.com

Robert Stephen Malaga, 1926-2012: He brought Davis Cup here, supported tennis everywhere

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"Bob Malaga did things for tennis and Cleveland that will probably never be duplicated," said Jack Herrick, a tennis and squash partner.

malaga-evert-1970s-usta.jpgView full sizeBob Malaga, here chatting with a young Chris Evert at a Cleveland tournament in the 1970s, died last week at age 85. Malaga is credited with bringing major tournaments to Cleveland and helping boost the sport nationwide.

BRATENAHL -- Bob Malaga brought the Davis Cup to Cleveland and spurred a tennis boom nationwide. He was also a judge, Ohio Lottery leader, state tennis champion, Olympic tennis captain, Cleveland Barons president and the first paid executive director of what is now the U.S. Tennis Association.

Malaga died Saturday at Judson Park at age 85.

"Bob Malaga did things for tennis and Cleveland that will probably never be duplicated," said Jack Herrick, a tennis and squash partner.

Joseph Nook Jr., who helped Malaga bring the Midwest its first Davis Cup finals, told The Plain Dealer in 2004, "Malaga has always been a great salesman."

The salesman outbid coastal cities in 1964 by guaranteeing a new stadium and $100,000. Then he coaxed local leaders to back him up.

Sports Illustrated featured him that year: "He is a bald man who does not wear a hat. His eyes do not dart about, his whole head does. ... He is an aggressive man but not pugnacious, a cigar smoker who does not jab out with the cigar. He brought the Davis Cup to Cleveland by careful planning and polite cajolery."

Raised in Collinwood, Malaga was the only child of a Cleveland policeman. He starred in football and basketball at Cathedral Latin School.

He was captain of the Michigan State University tennis team and a freshman placekicker in varsity football. He kicked a pivotal extra point in a 7-6 win over Kentucky, thanks to a miss by the rival kicker, George Blanda, who became a master of the art in the National Football League.

Malaga was president of the Phi Delta Phi fraternity at the Western Reserve University School of Law. He served as an assistant Ohio attorney general in 1953 and an aide in 1957 to Gov. C. William O'Neill. He later practiced law with Strangward, Marshman, Lloyd and Malaga.

By 1959, Malaga had complained so much about local tennis apathy that colleagues in the Northeast Ohio Tennis Association made him president and challenged him to stir things up. He complied. In each of the next three years, he landed the Davis Cup's American Zone finals for the Cleveland Skating Club and drew impressive crowds.

In 1963, he led hockey's Barons. He also hosted the first of six Wightman Cups here, pitting the United States' top women tennis players against Great Britain's.

In 1964, Malaga stumped for the Davis Cup finals at tennis conclaves around the country. His slogan was "Take the game to the people, not the people to the game."

He built the $200,000 Harold T. Clark Tennis Complex at the Roxboro School in Cleveland Heights and named it for a leading backer. Crowds filled its more than 7,000 seats for all five matches, with Australia winning three and the United States two.

He had no time to bask in success. The day after the last match, Gov. James Rhodes phoned him at 6 a.m., summoning him to a meeting with Cleveland Mayor Ralph Locher at the Cleveland Hotel and putting him in charge of the "Save the Indians" committee. Malaga helped sell $1 million in season tickets.

From 1967 to 1973, he led what was then the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association. Malaga typically credited his rise to his town.

"The support Cleveland gave tennis is really responsible for my job," he told the Cleveland Press in 1967. He commuted to the association's office in New York. He lived in Shaker Square a while and at Bratenahl Place for the past few decades.

Malaga also told the press: "The future of tennis is fantastic. We have only scratched the surface."

He promoted the sport in California, Colorado, North Carolina and many other places. He brought the Cup finals back to Cleveland in 1969, 1970 and 1973 and staged many other leading tournaments here. He hosted top stars such as Arthur Ashe and Ilie Nastase, plus a 16-year-old Chris Evert.

"Watch her," he told The Plain Dealer in 1971. "She'll go far."

Rhodes made him executive director of the Lottery in 1975 and later its chairman. He appointed Malaga to Cuyahoga County Probate Court in 1980 and to Cleveland Municipal Court in 1981, but the candidate lost races for full terms.

At various times, Malaga led the National Tennis Foundation, U.S. Davis Cup committee, Cathedral Latin alumni and more. He coached the Cleveland State University tennis team and started a booster club for the Vikings basketball team.

Cleveland Heights reclaimed the Clark site in 1973 for other purposes. Malaga helped build the Clark Courts in 1978 on South Marginal Road. But no one liked the noise from Interstate 90 and Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport. In 2004, he told The Plain Dealer that Cleveland would have remained a tennis hub if not for that move.

He was honored by the Ohio Supreme Court, several athletic halls of fame and more.

Herrick, his former tennis and squash partner, said Malaga was a fierce competitor who won many city championships in both sports. But he knew he couldn't win an exhibition against the great Clark Graebner in sweltering heat. Drenched with perspiration, Malaga narrowly held serve in two games and lost handily in the two when the dry, fresh Graebner served.

"Hey, nice match," Malaga declared. "It's always great when you split." Then he led the star to the clubhouse bar.

Cleveland Indians squeeze past Detroit Tigers, 3-2

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UPDATED: The Indians open their three-game series against first-place Detroit on Tuesday night with a thrilling 3-2 victory at Progressive Field.

Gallery preview
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Aaron Cunningham was more excited than nervous. Late-inning defensive replacements usually don't get many chances to change the course of a game.

When Cunningham saw the squeeze sign flashed in the seventh inning Tuesday night, he almost smiled. Doug Fister threw a 1-1 pitch, Cunningham bunted it in front of the player and pinch-runner Lou Marson slid home with what proved to be the winning run in the Indians' 3-2 victory over the Tigers.

"It was a chance to help the team," said Cunningham. "I was excited because I'm confident I can get a bunt down."

Cunningham definitely changed the course of the game, but did he also send the Tribe's future spinning in a different direction? It's too early to tell, but there is a lot riding on this three-game series against the AL Central-leading Tigers.

The Indians began the night in third place, four games off the pace. With the trading deadline Tuesday, a bad series could drop them out of sight and mind. It definitely could influence if GM Chris Antonetti becomes a buyer or seller of baseball talent.

"It was a big win," said manager Manny Acta, "because it came against the team leading the division. You never want to fall too far behind."

Travis Hafner tripled off the left-center field wall with one out in the seventh after Miguel Cabrera erased the Tribe's 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.

"When we saw the ball bounce off the wall, everyone in the dugout was screaming, 'Three, three, three!'" said Acta.

Hafner said he couldn't hear the screams because "my ears were ringing too loudly."

He did have one complaint -- getting pinch-run for by Marson.

"That's a pretty tough crowd when you get taken out of the game after hitting a triple," said Hafner with a smile. "I guess Manny knew the tank was empty."

Cunningham's squeeze was the Indians' fifth since Acta became manager in 2010. The win went to Joe Smith (6-2), who backed into the victory after giving up Cabrera's homer with two out in the seventh. The homer didn't bother Smith, but walking Quintin Berry to bring Cabrera to the plate did.

"That's just bad," said Smith. "But finally I felt like our team came together. Besides me giving up the homer, everyone played great. (Starter) Ubaldo (Jimenez) threw the ball absolutely fantastic. The infield was unbelievable.

"For us to come back after Miggy's homer was awesome. It's a good sign. It shows we still have some fight in us."

After the squeeze, the pen took over to ensure the Indians' sixth victory in seven games against Detroit this season.

Vinnie Pestano pitched a scoreless eighth and Chris Perez earned his 28th save in the ninth. Perez has registered a save in all six victories over the Tigers. The loss ended Detroit's five-game winning streak.

Jimenez pitched six scoreless innings for his third quality start of the season against Detroit. He scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out four.

"Everyone knows what we're playing for," said Jimenez, 2-0, 1.93 ERA against Detroit this year. "We're trying to win the division. If we want to do it, we have to start right now."

The Tigers put their leadoff hitter on base five times against Jimenez, but he did not yield. Detroit really applied the pressure in the sixth when Prince Fielder hit a leadoff single and Brennan Boesch blooped a single into short left field that fell because of a communication problem between left fielder Johnny Damon and third baseman Jack Hannahan.

Jimenez advanced the runners on a wild pitch, but retired Jhonny Peralta on a pop-up and Alex Avila on a grounder to first.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second. Carlos Santana hit a leadoff double and scored on Damon's single to center.

They made it 2-0 in the fourth. Jason Kipnis hit a leadoff double. Michael Brantley reached on an infield single to third. Santana followed with a single to right to score Kipnis, but Brantley was tagged out by Prince Fielder, who sprinted across the diamond from first to take the relay throw from Peralta and tag Brantley.

Brantley slid hard into one of Fielder's massive legs, jarring his wrist, but stayed in the game.

Fister (4-7, 4.03) allowed three runs on nine hits in seven innings. He was 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA against the Tribe last year.

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

On Twitter: @hoynes


Don Garber, MLS commissioner, discusses state of league in Sporting News Conversation (Part 1)

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Garber sat down with Sporting News for a wide-ranging interview that covered those successes, as well as several of the considerable challenges the American league still faces, from growing the game at home to competing with the entrenched powers abroad.

don-garber-021512.jpgMajor League Soccer commissioner Don Garber

PHILADELPHIA - Technically, they’re the 72 stairs on the east side of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But everyone knows them as the Rocky Steps. The fictional boxer occupies prime real estate in the city’s sports pantheon, and a statue of him stands outside a building that houses the work of Rodin and Picasso.

Atop those steps on Friday, underneath a threatening but ultimately cooperative sky, MLS commissioner Don Garber joined Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and dozens of kids in a ceremony to kick off All-Star week. After a few quick speeches, the kids sent soccer balls careening down the Rocky Steps toward Eakins Oval. T-shirts were handed out reading, “Let’s kick them in the crown jewels,” a reference to the London home of next Wednesday’s All-Star opponent, European champion Chelsea, and a slogan appropriate for a city known for its confidence and grit.

The MLS All-Stars, who will have only two days to train together, surely will be underdogs against the high-priced English club, but the league they’ll represent is as strong as ever. With more clubs, stadiums, investors, big-name players and visibility than ever before, these are relatively sunny days for Major League Soccer. Garber, a former NFL executive who took over MLS nearly 13 years ago, can take a significant amount of credit. He shrewdly has guided the league from a limping 10-team outfit in 2002 to a robust 19-club circuit that’s the home of foreign icons like David Beckham and Thierry Henry and the launching pad for American stars like Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.

Following Friday’s festivities, Garber sat down with Sporting News for a wide-ranging interview that covered those successes, as well as several of the considerable challenges the American league still faces, from growing the game at home to competing with the entrenched powers abroad.

In the first part, Garber discusses the MLS’s financial health, its relationship with the U.S. national team and performance in international competitions and the effort to make the game more free-flowing and appealing to fans:

Growth of the league, growth of the game

SPORTING NEWS: Considering how far the league has come over the past few years, are the “Rocky Steps” an appropriate setting and metaphor?

GARBER: I think they are. I believe that there is a desire on behalf of most people in our country and certainly many people in the sports industry that want to see Major League Soccer, and soccer in America, really grow and prosper. It will be a generation before we’re thought of the way most people think of the other major leagues in this country, so therefore I think that we are still a bit of an underdog. But there’s certainly a lot more momentum and we’re getting some pleasant surprises in a wide variety of areas that have us feeling that we’re going to get into that ring and, who knows, not be an underdog and get a knockout?

SN: We last sat down and spoke 18 months ago. Since then, what’s been the biggest success? Beckham re-signing with L.A.? The new stadiums in Kansas City and Houston? Expansion in Montreal?

GARBER: It’s much bigger than that. At 30,000 feet, there’s been a real sea-change among those who influence the way people think, influence the way they spend their money and influence decision making and that’s moved where more people are beginning to care about the sport and believe in Major League Soccer. Years ago, I would sit on a plane next to some corporate CEO and he would say to me, “What do you do?”

“I run Major League Soccer.”

“What exactly is MSL? And with all the kids who play, why aren’t more people supporting the sport? When will soccer make it in America?”

I still have to answer those questions, but it’s no longer on a regular basis. That skepticism has waned quite a bit. Over the last couple of years, what’s driven that has been the massive success of our new expansion teams. The incredible popularity and social and cultural breakthrough in the Pacific Northwest. The amount of money that broadcasters have been investing in the sport and MLS, with our new NBC deal. There’s a bit of a buzz, and that buzz is leading to some momentum for the league.

ESPN came out with a sports poll six months ago which surprised us. We had no idea that the sport had grown that quickly, but it said among 12-24 year olds pro soccer is the second-most popular sport. And MLS was included in that. It wasn’t just “I just love the Premier League.” It was, “I love pro soccer.” And that empowers us even further because those kids are going to grow up just like those people who are supporting our league today grew up with the game and kind of get it.

Parallel to all of that, international soccer – both at the national team level and the club level – has exploded in our country. Far more so than we thought when the league was founded (in 1996). More people just like soccer.

I was at my bank today meeting with my banker, a guy who’s a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee fan and who grew up in the Bronx and said, “You know, I don’t really follow you guys that much, but I’ve been to Red Bull Arena and I was captivated by Euro (2012).”

That’s not something I would have heard a couple of years ago. We talk a lot about building a soccer nation in America. It’s built. The challenge now for us is converting all those people who love the game into being a passionate fan and supporter of their local club. And that will be our continued task for the next couple of years.

SN: What sort of reception did you get when you attended the UEFA Champions League final in Munich? What do European soccer administrators and officials want to ask you about MLS?

GARBER: We were asked to be one of the founding members of this new association of professional leagues that’s called the World League Association (Note: Garber sits on the 11-member board of directors). It’s chaired by Dave Richards, who’s the chairman of the (English) Premier League. It’s an assembly of all the league presidents, their version of commissioners, mostly from Europe but starting to be more global.

The intrigue and respect that the other pro football leagues have for MLS is significant. They love our system. It’s our model. The fact that we have revenue sharing. We have reasonable cost controls. We have a real strategic way of thinking as owners, collectively. It’s a very commercially-oriented focus. It’s the American pro sports thing. In this country, we really get how to operate and manage pro sports leagues in a way that builds for the common good. That’s not something that exists in the other leagues.

SN: Could MLS ever face the debt issues that plague so many clubs in Europe?

GARBER: Today, teams can put debt on their stadiums. We have no debt on our clubs. It’s not a policy; it’s just that we remain a relatively small business and for today that’s what’s been working. The league, based on our structure, has the right to approve any financial transaction and at this point we’re very comfortable with the situation that exists at the league level and the club level. There’s not debt at the league level, and it’s not an issue for us today.

Who knows what will happen sometime in the future. Life’s a long time. But where we are today seems to be working fine.

SN: With all the metrics improving, with revenue up and with the new TV contract, what do you anticipate will be the major issues when collective bargaining begins again in 2014?

GARBER: You know, the league still isn’t operating financially as well as we’d like. The good news is that we’re moving in the right direction, but we still have many teams that are not doing as well financially as we would like. We continue to advance massive amounts of money in players and infrastructure. The total investment in the league is well more than $2 billion today, and nobody’s gotten any return on their money. So when we talk about improvement on gate and television and revenues, that’s good. But we’ve got a long way to go before we’re feeling like we’re just sitting around dividing up the spoils, which might exist in some of the other leagues.

MLS, the U.S. national team and the global stage

SN: How big of a blow was the failure of the U.S. Under-23 team to qualify for the Olympics? There were a lot of good, young MLS players on that team.

GARBER: Listen, we’ve had national teams that haven’t qualified for the Olympics. (There are countries) that haven’t qualified for the World Cup that were pretty good teams. At the end of the day, we would have preferred that our national team qualified for the Olympics than not. But it’s part of the sport that these things happen, and you’ve got to learn to get beyond it. We missed an opportunity. We missed an opportunity for our players, our league, and to co-promote with our new broadcast partner. I was very disappointed, and I hope we’re able to get back on track and qualify again four years from now.

SN: Does it say anything about, and L.A. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena has talked about this (to The Washington Post in May.), the development gap for players 18 to 22, who are sort of right in the Olympic wheelhouse? We’ve got MLS teams investing in teenagers in the development academy and we’ve got the senior teams, but there really isn’t anywhere for these guys in the middle to go.

GARBER: I think Bruce’s comments were spot on. There is a bit of a development gap, and we’ve got to try to find a way to address that and look to whether the reserve league is the best approach to close that gap or is it a closer relationship with the second division or third division. There’s a wide variety of things that we’re very focused on. We had a committee meeting amongst our ownership just last week where we were talking about that and trying to figure out the right plan to address some of those issues.

SN: As you said, good teams don’t qualify for the World Cup. England has missed it. Holland and France have missed it. What happens to MLS if the U.S. misses the World Cup?

GARBER: It certainly would be far more devastating than not qualifying for the Olympics.

SN: Is there a contingency plan? A panic room?

GARBER: No. No. All we can do as a league is do everything we can to be supportive of our federation, to release players in a way that’s far more cooperative than perhaps other leagues are with their national teams. To be close to Jurgen Klinsmann -- he’ll be at our All-Star Game -- to have him talk with our technical people at the league level and the club level and do all we can. But at the end of the day, the ball’s round and it bounces a lot of different ways. You hope it bounces in for the good guys.

SN: Do you think Klinsmann is doing a good job?

GARBER: Yeah, I do.

SN: Do you appreciate his feedback?

GARBER: I do. I do. I think Jurgen’s candid. He’s honest. He’s hard-working. He believes in the league. I think he has a belief in the league that is far more than perhaps previous national team coaches have had.

SN: Some have said he’s not picking enough MLS players, that his selections don’t reflect well on the league. (Note: Five of the 23 players named to Klinsmann’s recent World Cup qualifying roster were from MLS.)

GARBER: I don’t think MLS players should get picked because they’re playing in our league. They should get picked because they deserve to be picked. But there’s much more to our relationship with the national team and the ongoing dialogue with our national team coach than just picking a player. He’s got to qualify our guys for the World Cup and hopefully get as far as they can and maybe even win. And he needs the best possible team to do that. If those players are in MLS, he’s going to pick them. If they’re not MLS, he’s not. But there’s far more to that dynamic.

SN: I thought the Galaxy’s failure in the CONCACAF Champions League was just about the biggest gut-punch MLS has received, maybe, since contraction. It was devastating. That team, more so than any MLS team ever, both because of its success on the field and in terms of its visibility, was poised to win it. And they fell flat on their face. At what point should we stop apologizing and making excuses and start expecting and demanding that an MLS team win this competition?

GARBER: You can’t demand anything when you’re sitting in my chair. Fans can because they have the right to do whatever they want. But from a league perspective, it’s inconceivable to think that we’d make demands like that on our clubs. I don’t think at any time that a team is going into an important game and not trying to win. But again, just like Sean Johnson had a bad day in qualifying and something I’m sure that he regrets, the ball bounces and sometimes it’s going to bounce your way and at times it won’t.

Was I disappointed that an MLS team didn’t get further, whether that was the Galaxy or (Toronto) FC? Absolutely disappointed. At the end of the day, we’ve got to stand toe-to-toe with our neighbors in Mexico. We’ve got to try to win that tournament. We’ve got to try to get to the world club championship. That’s got to be a priority.

SN: When you spoke earlier about getting all the people who populate this soccer nation to really get behind MLS, it seems there isn’t much more you can accomplish on the field than to win CONCACAF. Beat Mexico. And it’s not happening.

GARBER: It is, without doubt, an important priority for the league. But the way of addressing that is not just saying “Hey guys, go out and win.” It’s how are our teams structured? What kind of schedule do we have? What kind of clutter exists for those teams that are playing there?

SN: Is there more you can do to help?

GARBER: There are many, many more things that we can try to do to try to prioritize that tournament.

SN: Can you give us an example?

GARBER: There’s lightening the schedule for those teams that are participating there because they’re at a competitive disadvantage with all those games. It’s perhaps providing them with some flexibility with their rosters. There’s a number of things we can do.

At the end of the day, the league needs to improve and the quality of our players needs to get better. All those things that we want, our fans want, our owners and teams want. And that’s not something you can waive a magic wand and expect to happen overnight. It’s going to happen in time.

SN: Would you consider reducing the number of regular season games (from 34)?

GARBER: I don’t know the answer to that. I’ll have to give that some thought.

Improving the game

SN: Regarding improving the quality, we love obsessing over the disciplinary committee, and every time those announcements come out on Thursday afternoon, fans and writers argue over whether the decision was fair, whether this guy or that guy should’ve been suspended too, whether the league is biased for this team or that team. Our sense is that is that the identity of the individual player or his team isn’t the point. The committee’s decision is a teaching moment. It’s about the big picture and trying to suppress one style of play and promote another and give examples of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Is that the way you see it as well?

GARBER: You’ve got it right. It’s important for everyone to understand that this is not a bunch of guys sitting behind a curtain licking their chops and watching tape, thinking, “What can we do today so that we can piss people off?” It’s quite the opposite.

It starts with a lot of discussion at the board level that dictates what kind of league we want to be. What kind of behavior do we want to see out on our fields from our coaches and players? What style of play do we want? How do we want to ensure that our players are safe? That direction, which is board driven, comes to the league and we sit as a league office and try to figure out the right way to ensure that we can deliver on that direction.

The disciplinary committee is in essence acting on behalf of the commissioner. The way the league rules are written, the commissioner basically is responsible for discipline. The committee is set up to advise the commissioner’s office with a lot of very talented, experienced soccer people looking at tape and trying to make decisions that are in the best interests of the league. Dealing with precedent, dealing with balance and fairness, dealing with our players union.

The reason that it comes out on Thursday when the committee makes a decision on Tuesday morning is the first group that’s called is the (MLS) Players Union. The player has the right to appeal that decision, and that’s all done in concert with the MLSPU.

The MLSPU has been very pleased with the process this year. You should speak to them and get their reaction. It’s hard. It’s a painful part of our job. But we feel good about the decisions that that committee has made, and it has the full support of our board. I will say, unequivocally, that there is absolutely no bias, at no time, for any player or any player club. And anybody who thinks that has the right to, and fans certainly love to see controversy and the cloud of conspiracy. But that’s just not the way it is.

SN: Is there more the league can do, in its effort to market soccer in America, to influence the way the game looks and appeal to fans in this country?

GARBER: We need to promote an attacking style of play. Goal scoring is up this year -- for the first time in quite some time. We’ve had some great games. We’ve had a lot of goals. Fans like goals. You can’t argue with that. They also like quality soccer. So you want to promote attacking soccer and at the same time you want to promote having a safe and attractive style. And the best way to address that starts with talking to our coaches and players, and if that talking to doesn’t get the results we want we have to do it through discipline. It’s a carrot and a stick.

GM Chris Antonetti says series vs. Tigers will likely determine trade deadline actions: Indians Insider

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Manager Manny Acta says the Indians can't worry about what the other AL Central teams do before the July 31 trading deadline. Watch video

ACTA-INSIDER-JUNE29.JPGManager Manny Acta said new addition Brent Lillibridge will serve as a late-inning defensive replacement in the outfield and extra infielder.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chris Antonetti was asked what effect the Indians' three-game series with the AL Central-leading Tigers will have on his plans for the July 31 trading deadline.

"I'm hopeful and confident that we'll be closer to first place than we are right now," said the Indians' general manager.

With a 3-2 victory in the opener Tuesday, the Indians are third in the Central, three games off the pace. Will Antonetti try to strengthen the roster? Or will he start planning for next year by trading players?

"We will assess between now and the deadline, and for the rest of the season, our short-term and long-term competitiveness," Antonetti said.

The Tigers on Monday acquired right-hander Anibal Sanchez and infielder Omar Infante from the Marlins for No.1 pick Jacob Turner, left-hander Brian Flynn, catcher Rob Brantly and next year's draft pick that the Tigers received in the competitive balance lottery.

The second-place White Sox have been adding talent since late June with the acquisition of third baseman Kevin Youkilis and closer Brett Myers.

"Both teams have improved themselves," said Antonetti.

Manager Manny Acta agreed, but added, "Our problem is not Detroit or the White Sox or the Twins or the Royals. We have to worry about ourselves. We have to play better baseball overall, be more consistent and worry about our own house."

New guy: It can't compare to the additions the Tigers and White Sox have made, but the Indians acquired utility man Brent Lillibridge from Boston on Tuesday. Lillibridge, designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week when Carl Crawford came off the disabled list, will join the team on Wednesday.

The Indians sent right-hander right-hander Jose De La Torre to Boston. He was a combined 8-1 with a 2.91 ERA and two saves at Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus.

Lillibridge, 28, started the season with the White Sox. Chicago sent Lillibridge and right-hander Zach Stewart to Boston for Youkilis on June 24. Acta said Lillibridge can play all over the diamond with the exception of catcher. Look for him to be used mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement in the outfield. He'll also spell shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Jason Kipnis.

Aaron Cunningham has been the Tribe's late-inning defensive replacement in the outfield. Cunningham is out of options.

Asked what the move meant for Cunningham, Acta said, "We haven't made a decision yet. Do you want to mention a couple of more names? We have 25 names in there. We didn't have a backup shortstop and we've played 25,000 games already."

Acta said utility man Jason Donald was considered, but the Indians want Donald to continue playing every day at Columbus.

Just a visit: Former big leaguer Stan Javier, now working for the players association, visited the Indians before Tuesday's game.

Javier said the visit had nothing to do with the association's potential grievance for the team's treatment of left-hander Nick Hagadone, who broke his left wrist in a fit of anger after coming out of a game on July 4.

Hagadone was optioned to Class AAA Columbus and placed on the minor-league restricted list. Hagadone, making $480,500 in the big leagues and $78,250 in the minors, does not get paid or receive his salary while on the restricted list.

Testing, testing: Roberto Hernandez will start for Class A Lake County Thursday night.

"He'll pitch four to five innings or 70 to 75 pitches," said Acta.

Hernandez, just granted his visa to enter the United States, is serving a three-week MLB-imposed suspension for identity fraud. In 2003, when Hernandez was known as Fausto Carmona, he went 17-4 with a 2.06 ERA at Lake County.

Finally: Rafael Perez, who has not pitched in a big-league game since late April because of a strained left lat, threw two scoreless innings for Akron. Acta said Perez still needs to pitch in a couple of more game-type situations (consecutive games, etc) before he's activated.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

Clippers, Aeros and Scrappers all win on Tuesday: Minor League Report

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The Lake Erie Crushers have to go 12 innings before winning in Florence, Ky.

AAA Columbus Clippers 

Clippers 7, Mud Hens 4 CF Ezequiel Carrera (.281) homered and drove in three runs to lead Columbus to victory over visiting Toledo in International League play Tuesday. Dan Wheeler (1-2, 2.73) pitched an inning in relief of starter David Huff for the win. Frank Herrmann (4.57) picked up his fourth save. 

AA Akron Aeros

Aeros 4, SeaWolves 2 Left-hander Matt Packer scattered eight hits over 7 1⁄3 innings as Akron edged Erie (Pa.) in an Eastern League game at Canal Park. Preston Guilmet worked a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.

Advanced A Carolina Mudcats

Dash 10, Mudcats 3 Starter Joseph Colon (0-2, 10.61) gave up nine earned runs in 41⁄3 innings as Carolina lost a Carolina League game in Winston-Salem, N.C. Mudcats CF Carlos Moncrief (.258) drove in his 51st run for one of the few bright spots for Carolina.

A Lake County Captains 

The Captains were idle on Tuesday.

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers 

Scrappers 9, Crosscutters 3 Seven starters had at least two hits and Mahoning Valley banged out 17 base knocks in a New York-Penn League victory in Williamsport, Pa.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers 

Crushers 8, Freedom 7 The Crushers scored six runs in the top of the ninth before finally winning in the 12th inning at Florence, Ky.

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony say they value experience from disappointing 2004 Olympics

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The poor showing in Athens led to big changes, and Team USA is favored to again win gold after winning it in 2008.

lebron james carmelo anthony.jpgView full sizeLeBron James, left, and Carmelo Anthony didn't get much playing time on a team that won the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — LeBron James’ first experience as an Olympian was not a great one.

James was 19, and the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year when he made his Olympic debut with the U.S. men’s basketball team in 2004 in Athens. That team, coached by Larry Brown, lost its first game of the Olympics to Puerto Rico, 92-73, and wound up with a 5-3 record and the bronze medal.

Coming off the bench behind starting forwards Lamar Odom and Richard Jefferson — which still sounds ridiculous — James averaged a measly 5.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Youngsters Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Amar’e Stoudemire were all in the same leaky boat.

"There was a lot of us on that team that had to sit there and actually watch and feel the humiliation of losing to the rest of the world," Anthony said during the recent 2012 U.S. men’s Olympic training camp in Las Vegas. "That’s definitely in the back of our minds."

James never complained publicly about his role, or lack of a role, on that 2004 team.

"We were very young," he said. "We didn’t play much. We were a part of that team but it was new for us. We didn’t have an opportunity to help our team win on the court. But it was a great experience to be part of the Olympics.

"The team was put together so fast that I never felt like we were going to become a team that quick," James said during training camp in Las Vegas. "I never thought we were going to become a team fast enough to win a gold in ’04."

Nonetheless, James still took something from the experience.

"I absolutely used that experience — being around the ’04 team and being around so many veterans like Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan," he said. "Those guys had great work habits. I tried to take that approach as a young guy and come back better than following season."

USA Basketball came back better, too. The poor showing in Athens led to big changes. Longtime NBA executive Jerry Colangelo was hired to right the ship, hired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as the Olympic coach, and elicited long-term commitments from players in an effort to build a team rather than just a collection of players.

James, Anthony and Wade returned to lead the so-called Redeem Team to a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and James and Anthony are back to try and win another in London.

"It wasn’t a good experience [in 2004] but it made me better as a person and as a player," Anthony said. "It made me stronger mentally just to see where we were in 2004 and where we were in 2008. It was night and day.

"We overcame ’04, the ’06 loss in the world championships [to Greece in the semifinals] that whole journey. For us to overcome that and figure it out with new guys and old guys, it would be double the pleasure."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668

Columbus Crew beats English Premier League's Stoke City 2-1 in friendly

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Ben Speas scored in the 87th minute and the Columbus Crew beat Stoke City of the English Premier League 2-1 Tuesday in an exhibition match.

Columbus Crew Logo

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ben Speas scored in the 87th minute and the Columbus Crew beat Stoke City of the English Premier League 2-1 Tuesday in an exhibition match.

Speas took a ball that ricocheted off teammate Aaron Schoenfeld and put a strike from 16 yards into the far netting. Aaron Horton tied the game in the 71st minute off an assist from Emilio Renteria.

Stoke went ahead in the 23rd minute on Jonathan Walters' crisp header at the near post on a ball from Ryan Shotton.

The Potters' three-game preseason U.S. tour continues Saturday against the minor league club Orlando City before playing Sporting Kansas City on Aug. 1. Stoke's first Premiership match is Aug. 18 vs. Reading.

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