The Ohio State and Michigan game may lose some of its zeal with Big Ten expansion, explains Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch. And that is the worst thing about expansion. Former Buckeyes players who experienced The Game think facing each other only once a season, in the regular-season finale, is the way to go. "I like the way...

Associated PressExpansion could hurt the Michigan and Ohio State rivalry.

The Ohio State and Michigan game may lose some of its zeal with Big Ten expansion, explains Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch.

And that is the worst thing about expansion.

Former Buckeyes players who experienced The Game think facing each other only once a season, in the regular-season finale, is the way to go.

"I like the way it is now," former receiver Dee Miller said.

But that tradition is in potential jeopardy as the Big Ten prepares to divide into two divisions and institute a championship game in 2011. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said the only certainty is that The Game will continue to be played every year. A decision should come by mid-September.

The best thing about the rivalry (besides Ohio State winning it every year) is that it's the final game of the season in the Big Ten. And, more importantly, the two teams only play each other once a year. But if the two teams are put in different divisions of the conference, there's a chance they could play at the end of the regular season and in the championship game.

But maintaining the status quo does not address the secondary issue of playing the emotional and hard-hitting game and then having to suit up the very next week for the conference championship game - with a spot in the Rose Bowl or another Bowl Championship Series game on the line.

So here's scenario No. 2: Place both schools in the same division, but schedule the game for earlier in the season.

"You would lose the (importance) of that last week, but it would still be the game of the week no matter where you put it," former Ohio State safety Tim Fox said. "You'd need to work hard to schedule around it, maybe schedule a nonconference game."

Explosive

The Ohio State Buckeyes should have another explosive offense (i.e. quarterback Terrelle Pryor) but the defense will decide many outcomes this coming season.

Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward can't wait to get on the field. In an interview with reporter Jon Spencer of MansfieldNewsJournal.com:

"This is the best year to play defense in the Big Ten because we get to play against the best talent," he said. "You want to play against the best, so I'm looking forward to getting after it.

"I want to be disruptive for four quarters. I only played about 60 percent of the plays last year, so conditioning is going to be more important this year."

But with many returning players on offensive throughout the conference, the defense in the Big Ten is often overlooked in the preview packages. But OSU coach Jim Tressel knows the real deal.

 "There are a lot of good defenses," he said. "Iowa didn't give up anything last year, Wisconsin was darn good and Penn State gave up two touchdowns a game at most. When you talk about quarterbacks in this league, the hardship on them is that the defenses are so sound, you're not going to have crazy (offensive) numbers. You're going to have to earn every dime you get here."

 

Overrated

It figures that a website based in Michigan, AnnArbor.com, would get this type of response from a poll when players were asked which player is the most exciting and which player is the most overrated.

Well OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor was voted as most exciting player in the Big Ten. He was also voted the most overrated player in the league.

 
Who’s the most exciting player in the Big Ten?
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State - 8
Adrian Clayborn, Iowa - 1
Denard Robinson, Michigan - 1
Comment: “I’ve seen how fast he is.”
N/A - 1

Who’s the most overrated player in the Big Ten?
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State - 3
Tate Forcier, Michigan - 1
Keith Smith, Purdue - 1
Nick Toon, Wisconsin - 1
N/A - 5

A drive over Yankee Stadium's center field wall off Toronto's Shaun Marcum in the first inning makes Rodriguez, 35, the youngest player to reach 600.

Associated PressAlex Rodriguez (facing camera) hugged by teammate Derek Jeter after slugging his 600th career home run.

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 600 home runs Wednesday, reaching the milestone after a 12-game drought — and exactly three years to the day after his 500th homer — with a drive off Toronto's Shaun Marcum in the first inning at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez's 17th homer of the season sailed over the center-field wall and landed in Monument Park, allowing a stadium worker to fetch him the ball.

He raised a hand slightly in triumph as he rounded first base, then completed his trot. He joined an elite club that includes Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630) and Sammy Sosa (609).

After coming out for a curtain call, Rodriguez received congratulations from teammates in the Yankees dugout. Many had raised their arms in joy when he finally connected.

The milestone homer provided a lift during a trying stretch for the Yankees. Not only have they watched the Tampa Bay Rays pass them for first place in the AL East, off the field they are still mourning the recent loss of owner George Steinbrenner, beloved public-address announcer Bob Sheppard and former manager Ralph Houk.

Despite saying he's been more relaxed than he was when trying for his 500th homer, the Yankees slugger went 9 for 46 after homering on July 22, the longest stretch between Nos. 599 and 600 for any of the seven to reach the mark. Mays was next at 21 at-bats, according to STATS LLC. Rodriguez went 28 without a home run before 500.

A-Rod turned 35 last Tuesday, putting his home run pace far ahead of the rest. Ruth had been the youngest to hit 600, reaching the mark in 1931 at 36 years, 196 days. The Sultan of Swat did it in fewer games, though — 2,044 to 2,227 for Rodriguez.

The Tigers, who went 10-0 in the regular season last year, garnered eight of the nine first-place votes.

Wittenberg's football team was voted as the preseason favorite by league coaches to win the North Coast Athletic Conference.

The Tigers, who went 10-0 in the regular season last year, garnered eight of the nine first-place votes for 79 points. The other top vote went to 2009 NCAC runner-up Wabash, which finished second with 71 points. Allegheny, which went 5-2 in conference play last fall, was third with 63 points.

The season opens Sept. 4 with conference play getting under way Sept. 11.

Wittenberg, which lost in the Division III NCAA playoffs by eventual champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, will be led by NCAC and NCAA Div. III defensive player of the year Eddie Vallery of South Solon, Ohio. The senior defensive end led the nation with 16.5 sacks as a junior.

2010 NCAC football preseason coaches poll

(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)

1. Wittenberg (8), 79

2. Wabash (1), 71

3. Allegheny, 63

4. Wooster, 56

5. Ohio Wesleyan, 41

6. Denison, 32

7. Kenyon, 30

8. Oberlin, 19

9. Hiram, 14

The defensive backfield for the Cleveland Browns got a lot of additions in the off-season including free agent Sheldon Brown and draft picks Joe Haden, T.J. Ward and Larry Asante.

The defensive backfield for the Cleveland Browns got a lot of additions in the off-season including free agent Sheldon Brown and draft picks Joe Haden, T.J. Ward and Larry Asante. They will be playing alongside veterans Eric Wright and Abram Elam.

Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot report on what happened during day five of training camp in Berea. They also discuss the wide receiver position.

Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot report on what happened during day five of training camp in Berea. They also discuss the wide receiver position.

Locally, John Carroll was picked to finish eighth by the coaches and sixth by the media. Baldwin-Wallace finished seventh in the coaches poll and eighth in the media poll.

View full size

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Mount Union is again the favorite to win the Ohio Athletic Conference football crown.

The Purple Raiders, 14-1 last year and the national preseason No.1 pick by USA Today, topped both the coaches and media preseason polls. The results were announced Wednesday at the league's football media day in Columbus at Ohio State University.

Locally, John Carroll was picked to finish eighth by the coaches and sixth by the media. Baldwin-Wallace finished seventh in the coaches poll and eighth in the media poll.

John Carroll is coming off a 3-7 season, including a 3-6 record in the OAC for a seventh-place tie with Baldwin-Wallace. The Blue Streaks open the season Sept. 4 at Case.

"We've got a group of outstanding players that have a true passion for the game," 12th-year John Carroll coach Regis Scafe said in a release. "Our guys are out to prove that they're gonna be a real good team this season."

Baldwin-Wallace also went 3-7 overall in 2009. Its first game is Sept. 2 at home against Wooster.

"Preseason polls only count for so much," B-W ninth-year coach John Snell said in a release. "But hearing the projections certainly serves as an intense motivator for us. We can't expect B-W football to finish seventh or eighth."

Mount Union, the 10-time national champion, has won 18 consecutive OAC football titles and 21 overall. Larry Kehres is beginning his 25th season as the Purple Raiders' coach and has a 289-22-3 overall record.

2010 OAC football preseason coaches poll

(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)

1. Mount Union (9), 81

2. Ohio Northern (0.5), 71.5

3. Otterbein (0.5), 63.5

4. Capital, 56

5. Heidelberg, 43

6. Muskingum, 41

7. Baldwin-Wallace, 34

8. John Carroll, 31

9. Marietta, 19

10. Wilmington, 10

2010 OAC football preseason media poll

(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)

1. Mount Union (34), 340

2. Ohio Northern, 299

3. Otterbein, 274

4. Capital, 197

5. Heidelberg, 176

6. John Carroll, 158

7. Muskingum, 154

8. Baldwin-Wallace, 145

9. Marietta, 78

10. Wilmington, 49

By waiting a few weeks for James to make his first visit back to Cleveland, the NBA might create even more build-up.

The Plain DealerThe Cavaliers and their fans will host James, Wade and Bosh for the first time on Dec. 2.

Given that LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to be with his buddies on the Miami Heat, many NBA fans felt a nationally-televised Miami-at-Cleveland season-opener would be a fitting and, certainly, intriguing event.

Apparently, the NBA had other thoughts. The Oct. 26 Opening Night twinbill on TNT will feature Miami at the Boston Celtics, followed by the Houston Rockets in Los Angeles against the defending champion Lakers.

Cleveland will open its season the next night, Oct. 27, at home against Boston.

The Cavaliers will host James and Miami on Dec. 2 and March 29, and take their talents to South Beach to meet the Heat on Dec. 15 and Jan. 31.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com thinks the NBA got it right with its early schedule, writing:

Word is LeBron won't make his first trip back to Ohio with the Heaters until Dec. 2 -- on the second night of a back-to-back for Miami -- which means the drama will build for a good month-plus.

Seeing LeBron at The Q in someone else's uniform before we even get to Halloween? Way too soon to me. You generally want to work up to the most anticipated game on the regular-season schedule, not lead off with it.

Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst reports on the Cavaliers and NBA's early-season schedule. The full-season schedule will be released next week.

Cavaliers vs. James

Sean Deveney writes about the first couple days of the 2010-11 season, too, for CBSSports.com:

It might be one of the most eagerly anticipated games the NBA has known. Just don't ask Cavaliers coach Byron Scott about what it might be like when a house packed with spurned Cleveland fans greets star Miami forward -- for seven years, the Cavaliers' star forward -- LeBron James.

"No, we are not going to get into that, we are not circling any games or going for revenge," Scott told Sporting News. "There are 82 games on the schedule and we're not going to go out of our way to worry about that one."

Apparently, neither is the NBA. The league released the highlights of its schedule on Tuesday (the rest will come out next week), and one of the most notable aspects of the big-game slate is that it does not include the Heat visiting Cleveland. Commissioner David Stern has admitted to being a bit put off by the assembling of the Heat's new James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh superteam, and apparently, he doesn't want to showcase James' jilting of the Cavaliers by giving Miami at Cleveland a prime spot on the calendar.

Ryan Hollins' perseverance

Newly-acquired Cavaliers center Ryan Hollins hosts a basketball camp near where he grew up in California. As a youth, Hollins learned to presevere, having been cut from his high school's freshman team.

Miguel Melendez writes about Hollins and the Ryan Hollins Basketball Skills Camp for the Pasadena Star-News:

Also among the coaches was Chino Hills boys basketball coach Don Grant, the same coach who cut Hollins his freshman year.

"We cut him because you weren't sure which direction he was going to go," Grant said. "He went in the positive direction, and immediately after we cut him he asked what are three things he could do to make the team in spring. He set his eyes on the next tryout instead of bad-mouthing or pointing fingers. That's when we knew he was special."

Hollins, a second-round (50th overall) selection in 2006 by the Charlotte Bobcats, used that example when talking to the kids, many of whom tippy- toed as if to try looking at Hollins in the eye.

"Getting cut, kids take it as a bad thing," Hollins said. "But that made me work even harder. When I talk to these kids, I can talk to the worst kid and the best kid because I was the worst kid once who sat at the end of the bench, and then the kid who was starting. So I can relate."

Through the hoop

The Cavaliers are in a rebuilding mode, writes Bob Finnan for the News Herald and Lorain Morning News.

Rick Noland of the Medina County Gazette and Elyria Chronicle-Telegram looks ahead to the Dec. 2 Miami at Cleveland game.

An offseason Cavaliers quiz on nba.com/cavaliers.

The Cavaliers own a bundle of draft picks over the next few years. NBADraft.net projects the players to be drafted, from No. 1 through No. 60, next June. (Pay no attention to the teams' drafting order. That was the order of this June's draft) The Cavaliers still have their first- and second-round picks for 2011, and will get Oklahoma City's second-rounder if the pick is not in the top 40. RealGM.com explains how the Cavaliers are in line for the pick, and lists the picks owed and acquired by all teams for the next several years.

Tiger Woods is winless in a pro golf season for the first time in his career. But where better to end the drought than at Firestone South?

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerTiger Woods says the pieces are coming together to give him his best chance at a tournament win this season. Bill Livingston says if he can't continue his dominance at Firestone, where will that next win occur?

AKRON, Ohio -- Firestone has always been the flint off which Tiger Woods strikes sparks. So if it's August, he must be lighting up Akron like a match in the heart of darkness.

The reference is to the Shot in the Dark a decade ago. It was his most memorable moment at the World Golf Championships' Bridgestone Invitational, which begins Thursday.

A winner by a staggering 11 shots in 2000, Woods' next-to-last shot of the tournament was all over the flagstick, even though few could see it. He walked to the 18th green with fans' cigarette lighters flaring in salute to him in the darkness. After he sank the birdie putt, a sheet of white from flash cameras turned night into day. "It was like a rock concert," said Woods.

The encore would be to win another Bridgestone. He has not won anywhere this year, you see. It has never happened to him before as a professional.

Like everything else that followed his one-car traffic accident Thanksgiving night and the sordid revelations about his personal life that ensued, it has been a season of shadows for Woods, even on the golf course.

"It's been a long year. It's been a long 10 months," he said.

But if he can't find his way out of his troubles here, where he has won seven times, the record for one tournament at the same course, where will he? (Sam Snead's eight victories at the Greater Greensboro Open came on two courses.)

Then again, Woods has already played such previously Tiger-centric venues as Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews this year. He has two top-10 finishes to show for his seven overall starts.

Firestone South unlocks all sorts of nostalgic memories. It recalls the tree-lined courses Woods played in his youth. The first time he played here, in fact, was as a 15- or 16-year-old with his late father, Earl. Firestone is also a straight-forward course, unlike life. You can identify the trouble and skirt it.

Woods' struggles on the course are clearly related to the turmoil off it. "I haven't practiced as much as I used to, nor should I. My kids are more important," said Woods of the breakup of his marriage.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerThe old NEC Invitational trophy was framed in floodlights after Woods' dramatic triumph in the gloaming of Firestone's 18th hole in 2000. Woods has dominated the vaunted Akron course in a manner seldom seen in professional golf.

Once, he was considered a near-lock to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. With next week's PGA Championship still to be played, he needs five more majors for 19. Five is as many as Woods' rival Phil Mickelson has won in his entire career. Five is as many as Seve Ballesteros ever won. Five is a lot.

Woods will be 35 at the end of the year. The shadows are lengthening.

Woods' greatest victory, it now seems, was his costliest one. In the 19-hole U.S. Open playoff with Rocco Mediate in 2008, Tiger stumped around Torrey Pines, another favorite venue of his, using his driver as a crutch. His left knee, now surgically repaired, was an orthopedist's nightmare.

One of Nicklaus' strengths was that he was relatively injury free during a long career, in which he won his first major at the age of 22 and his last at 46.

Woods missed the rest of the season in 2008. He couldn't hold a final-round lead in a major (last year's PGA) for the first time in his career. Now he has to come back from seamy disclosures as well as inconsistent shot-making.

He has had trouble off the tee, and fixed that; was spotty with his irons, and is working on that; and, at the British Open, when he drove the way even he would want to in his wildest dreams, he couldn't make a putt. Putting gets them all at times.

Tom Watson never won a major after he couldn't make abracadabra pars with his chipping and putting. Hell on this earth was watching Ben Hogan or Sam Snead putt.

"I've three-putted quite a few times, which I don't do normally," said Woods.

Nicklaus had an undiscouraged competitiveness that allowed him to absorb disappointment and come out swinging even better the next time. Jack was second a stunning 19 times in majors.

Woods is being tested in disappointment everywhere now. He is not the type of player who can come out of clutter and confusion and suddenly put together four pristine rounds. Ben Crenshaw did that to win the Masters in 1995. Ben Curtis came out of nowhere to win the 2003 British Open. Tiger has never been a Cinderella story, although victory here would be a start of one.

"You'll start seeing trends," he said. "I'm starting to put the pieces together."

Where better to turn the puzzle into a mosaic than Firestone?

Wes Wilcox joined the Cavaliers prior to the 2003-04 season and for the past three seasons has served as the team's pro/college scout.

PD photoWes Wilcox moves from scout to head of pro player personnel with the Cavaliers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers have promoted Wes Wilcox to director of pro player personnel and Trent Redden to basketball operations manager/scout, Cavs general manager Chris Grant announced today.

Wilcox joined the Cavaliers prior to the 2003-04 season and for the past three seasons has served as the team's pro/college scout. He has played a key role in the Cavs personnel operation, focusing on the NBA and NCAA as well as the minor and international leagues. He also served as an advance scout.

Redden began his NBA career with the Cavs as the basketball operations intern in July of 2006. He was hired immediately following the 2006-07 season as the basketball operations assistant and over the past three seasons has worked in all areas of basketball operations.

Indians manager Manny Acta says Michael Brantley will get his opportunity to show he belongs in the big leagues.

 BOSTON, Mass. -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians 2010 regular season. The Indians play the Red Sox tonight in the third game of a four-game series at Fenway Park.

 Fenway Park's dimensions: Left field line 310 feet, left field power alley 379 feet, center field corner 420, right center field power alley 380, right field line 302. Height of the Green Monster (left field wall), 37 feet.
 
 Pre-game notes:

 Game 108: Manny Acta said he anticipates that outfielder Michael Brantley will be recalled from Class AAA Columbus on Friday when the Indians start a nine-game homestand against the Twins, Orioles and Mariners.

 The Indians acquired Brantley from Milwaukee in the 2008 trade for CC Sabathia. Matt LaPorta, the other key player acquired in the deal, has been installed at first base.

 Acta believes when Brantley rejoins the club it will be easier for him to have a more consistent lineup.

 "Once Michael comes in, we'll be able to rotate Shelley Duncan and Trevor Crowe in left field and Duncan and Jordan Brown at DH until Travis Hafner comes back," said Acta. "It will be tough to find any consistency (in the lineup) because we still have to try find out about third base and continue to work Luis Valbuena at second and third."

 If Brantley does get called up, it will be his third tour with the Tribe this season. He was optioned to Columbus on July 27 when Josh Tomlin was added to the rotation to replace injured Aaron Laffey. Acta made it clear that Brantley would be recalled at the as quickly as possible, but he had to stay in the minors at least 10 days.

 Brantley is hitting .319 (84-for-263) with 51 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, four doubles and 28 RBI in 65 games for the Clippers. He has struggled with the Indians, batting .157 (16-for-102) with two doubles, one homer and seven RBI.

 Acta will put Brantley in the leadoff spot and start him in center field.

 "We feel Michael has done just about everything he can do in minor league baseball," said Acta. "The last time he went down, it was just a matter of us having too many outfielders up here.

 "When he gets back, he's going to have his opportunity here. We love the guy. We really think he's going to be a good player for us. He's going to have his chance."

 No word: The Indians gave no updates on how they will treat catcher Carlos Santana's injured left knee. Lonnie Soloff, head athletic trainer, said they are consulting with doctors to find out what the proper treatment will be. Surgery remains an option.

 All's quiet: No word from the commissioner's office on whether any Indians will be fined or suspended from Tuesday's bench-clearing incident in the eighth inning. Reliever Jensen Lewis and third base coach Steve Smith were ejected.

 "It was my first career ejection," said Lewis.

 In the minors: Class A Lake County outfielder Delvi Cid leads minor league baseball with 56 steals in 68 chances.

 He gone: The Rockies claimed first baseman Wes Hodges on waivers from the Indians and optioned him to Class AAA Colorado Springs. Hodges was taken off the Indians 40-man roster to clear space for Tomlin.

 Lineups:

 Indians (45-62): 2B Jason Donald (R), SS Asdrubal Cabrera, RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), LF Shelley Duncan (R), 1B Matt LaPorta (R), DH Jayson Nix (R), 3B Andy Marte (R), CF Trevor Crowe (S), C Lou Marson and RHP Justin Masterson (3-10, 5.55).

 Red Sox (61-46): CF Jacoby Ellsbury (L), SS Marco Scutaro (R), DH David Ortiz, 1B Victor Martinez (S), J.D. Drew (L), 3B Adrian Beltran (R), LF Ryan Kalish (L), 2B Jed Lowrie (S), C Kevin Cash and LHP Jon Lester (11-6, 3.05).

 Lineup notes: Boston activated Ellsbury before the game. Donald hitting leadoff for the Tribe because Crowe is struggling from the right side and Boston is facing Lester. Nix DHing to get another right-handed hitter in the lineup against Lester.

 Umpires: H Jim Reynolds, 1B Bill Welke, 2B Mike DiMuro, 3B Tim Welke. Tim Welke, crew chief. 

 Quote of the day: "Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It's no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It's a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest," Hall of Famer Ty Cobb from the Baseball Almanac.

 Next: RHP Josh Tomlin (2-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3, 4.22) Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson took a life-changing trip to Africa that helped him appreciate football even more and stop focusing on his contract.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerD'Qwell Jackson has put old grudges to the side with the start of the Browns' training camp, largely because he has a new view on life after a trip to Africa during the summer. "Something triggered while I was there," Jackson said. "How can I complain about money and contracts when they don't even have clean water to drink?"

BEREA, Ohio -- D'Qwell Jackson keeps a gas can in his living room to remind him of his recent life-changing trip to Africa, one that has him savoring every moment on the football field and not worrying about his contract anymore.

"Anybody who sees the gas can will wonder, 'what the heck are you doing with this piece of trash?'" the Browns linebacker said after Wednesday's practice. "But then you show them that it's used to play music, and they can see that it's special."

Jackson brought the gas-can instrument back from his June trip to Sierra Leone, where he helped his good friend Madieu Williams -- the Vikings safety and Sierra Leone native, deliver medical and school supplies to the impoverished and help care for them at the hospital.

"The people of Sierra Leone have nothing, yet they never complain," said Jackson. "They make do with what they have. They make beautiful music from a gas can. Something triggered while I was there: 'How can I complain about money and contracts when they don't even have clean water to drink?'"

During his eight days in Africa, Jackson watched a 10-year-old boy walk two miles with a wheelbarrow stacked with pallets taller than Jackson. He saw a 13-year-old girl with cheeks swollen to the size of softballs because of a tooth infection.

"She had been hospitalized for seven months," said Jackson. "The surgeon who came over with us performed a simple surgery. He made two slits under her ears to relieve the swelling and she was on her way to being fine."

The trip capped one of the toughest years of Jackson's life and put things in perspective on the eve of his comeback from a torn pectoral muscle.

"I'm a different person than I was a year ago," said Jackson. "I'm the same football player, but a better man."

It began in training camp in 2009 when Jackson and agent Brian Mackler were expecting the Browns' new regime to make good on a promise from the old one -- a big, new multi-year deal before the season began. The league-leader in tackles the year before with 188, Jackson felt jilted when the Browns wouldn't extend him.

But that was only one of the things weighing on his mind. His marriage to Amira was falling apart and headed for divorce.

"You feel like you can handle everything, but that takes a toll on you," he said.

Still, Jackson, voted a co-captain on defense last season, was leading the team with 57 tackles after six games. But on Oct. 18 against the Steelers, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle and was placed on injured reserve. He underwent surgery and missed the final 10 games.

In just a few months, he lost two of the things that were most important to him -- football and his marriage.

"It was a tough roll," he said.

But he vowed to come back stronger than ever and have a career year in 2010. Jackson attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and worked on body and mind. He utilized a nutritionist, did extensive vision therapy to improve his peripheral vision and used a sports psychologist to improve the mental aspect of his game.

"I worked harder than I ever have in my life," he said.

But he still received only a one-year tender offer of $1.759 million from the Browns and was left to weigh his options. After skipping the organized team activities and June minicamp, he signed it rather than risk having it reduced.

Meanwhile, the Browns brought in two linebackers who figure to start -- Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita. Speculation developed that Jackson might lose his starting job.

"It just added more fuel to the fire," said Jackson. "I love the challenge. You bring in more competition, it raises my level of competition."

On the first day of camp, Jackson was in the starting lineup, in all his glory.

"And I don't plan on coming out," he said.

Coach Eric Mangini acknowledged Jackson needs to shake off some rust, but Mangini has been impressed so far.

"D'Qwell's looked good," said Mangini. "He's moving really well. He's been close on a couple interceptions, maybe just a step off, but I think some of those will convert as he just starts firing right away."

Jackson said the pec feels great and the current linebacking corps is the best he's ever been a part of. He's especially loved watching Matt Roth. "He's a pit bull," said Jackson. "And Fujita can play anywhere even though he's so big. It's a great group of 'backers and I want to head that monster."

As for his contract, Jackson will make no fuss. In fact, he'll wait for the Browns to come to him. "If not, I'll become a free agent and might have to move on," he said.

But he's not as concerned as he used to be.

"For a while, I was thinking about me," he said. "But it's not just about me anymore."

He's got the gas can to prove it.

Only Stuart Appleby's sensational 59 kept Jeff Overton from coming to Firestone fresh off his first PGA Tour victory.

Kyle Green / Roanoke (Va.) Times via APA series of narrowly missed putts kept Jeff Overton in a perplexed mood over the final holes of last week's Greenbrier Classic.

AKRON, Ohio -- Jeff Overton was just this close to teeing it up at Firestone Country Club as a freshly-minted champion.

The 27-year-old from Bloomington, Ind., who led after three rounds of last week's Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia, just missed a long birdie putt on the par-3 18th hole that would have forced a playoff with eventual champion Stuart Appleby.

Instead, Overton had to settle for second place – at 21 under -- a stroke behind after Appleby's scorching final-round 11-under 59.

It was a tough finish, for sure, but the five-year pro took the disappointment in stride Wednesday between practice rounds for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. How could he not? After shooting a first-round 64 and a second-round 62, there's a lot to like about his game.

"You know, I'm playing well, and it was unfortunate he shot a 59 and I didn't putt the ball very good on Sunday," said Overton, an Indiana grad and the son of school teachers. "I've just got to continue to keep plugging along and continue to keep getting better."

Entering his first WGC event, Overton has turned in two other seconds (the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Byron Nelson Championship) and two thirds in 20 PGA events this year.

Thursday marks Overton's Bridgestone debut, but not his first Firestone visit. That came in the fall of 2000, his senior year of high school. By that time, Overton had quit all other sports to focus on golf. He was in the area for a junior tournament when one of his friends, a Firestone member, invited him to catch the PGA tournament -- and Tiger Woods, his favorite.

"So I came out and I'll never forget," he said. "I watched him play and people were talking about, 'He might shoot a 59, he might shoot a 59,' and he might have bogeyed 13 or 14. Just being out there, being so into watching it and having so much fun."

Now young hopefuls will be watching him. Overton tees off Thursday at 1 p.m. on the first hole.

Right at home: Woods naturally commands attention as the tournament's defending champ, but Englishman Lee Westwood and the Bridgestone Invitational have left quite an impression on each other.

"This is one [of] my favorite weeks of the year," he said in a media session this week. "I think it's one of my favorite golf courses, so it's easy to get up for this."

The world's third-ranked golfer, Westwood posted top-10 finishes in his last two tours of Firestone, finishing ninth last year (with a 275) and tied for second (271) in 2008, which was good for a smooth $635,000.

"You know, it's a tournament I always look forward to and I think, in the past, results have reflected that for me; second and quite a few top 10s, and I think my lowest score is 63, so it suits my eye as well."

Besides battling the field of 81 other golfers (Australian Robert Allenby withdrew Wednesday with a knee injury and will not be replaced), Westwood is nursing a sore ankle that he said is especially uncomfortable on uneven lies.

He took the last two weeks off to rest it and says he's feeling refreshed.

The break was well-earned. In 10 PGA events, Westwood has collected six top 10s, including a victory at the St. Jude Classic in May and runner-up finishes at the Masters and British Open. His victory in Memphis ended a 12-year winless drought on the PGA tour that spanned 123 starts.

Westwood and Woods are paired to tee off on the first hole at 1:50 p.m. Thursday. Westwood has said that playing with the world's top-ranked golfer helps him focus. The admiration is mutual.

"Yeah, I've always enjoyed playing with Westy," Woods said Wednesday, tracing their connection to their Walker Cup days. "What he's done over the last couple years now has been -- we always knew he had that type of talent, that type of level of play and now he's showing it."

Take cover: Tournament officials sounded a weather warning at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, sending fans away and players to the locker room as the course was closed for about 75 minutes.

Domestic brew: The Bridgestone Invitational boasts an international field of golfers, but only three players born outside the United States have won the event: Australian Craig Parry (2002), Darren Clarke (2003) of Northern Ireland and Vijay Singh (2008) of Fiji.

Walking with Ben: Dr. Michael Hopkins gave Jim and Paula Otis, of Monroe Falls, a nice gift. After making the highest bid in the Drive Fore Hope fundraiser to benefit Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cleveland, Hopkins earned a chance to follow former British Open champ Ben Curtis during Wednesday's practice round.

However, Hopkins was unable to attend on Wednesday, and gave his prize to the Otises, who are family friends.

Ace Conway, executive director of the organization, said Curtis has helped raise over $500,000 in the last three years.

Thrill for life: Tyler Sauric, of Eastlake, received a thrill of a lifetime on Wednesday when Justin Leonard summoned the 7-year-old out of the crowd around the seventh tee and had him accompany him up the fairway.

Staff writer Tim Rogers contributed to this report.

Akron's Nick "The Stoneman" Firth will defend his U.S. NABA heavyweight title against Mike "Lightning" Sheppard in the headline bout of Friday Night Fights at Nautica Pavilion on Aug. 20.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Akron's Nick "The Stoneman" Firth will defend his U.S. North American Boxing Association heavyweight title against Mike "Lightning" Sheppard in the headline bout of Friday Night Fights at Nautica Pavilion on Aug. 20.

The nine-fight card begins at 7:30 p.m. Firth has a record of 18-7-1 and Sheppard's record is 15-10-1. Each fighter has eight knockouts to his credit.

The co-feature will be a six-rounder between undefeated Cleveland junior middleweight Dante Moore, whose record is 6-0 with four knockouts, and St. Anthony, Minn., native Corey Rodriguez. Rodriguez's record is 4-1-1, with three knockouts.

The rest of the card: lightweights Julius Leegrand of Cleveland vs. Taide Torres of Milwaukee; middleweights Wilkins Santiago of Lorain vs. Matt Keglovic of Cleveland; heavyweights Jason Massie of Cleveland vs. Mujaheed Moore of Shaker Heights; and lightweights Michael Evans of Dayton vs. Ivan Hernandez of Dunkirk, N.Y.

Opponents are still being lined up for middleweight Michael Moore of Cleveland, light heavyweight Demar Singleton of Toledo and junior welterweight Johnny Garcia of Holland, Mich.

General admission tickets are $25; ringside seats are $75; and floor seats are $50. All are available at the gate or through Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Gates open at 4 p.m., and live bands will play until the first fight at 7:30 p.m.

Call 216-854-0485 or visit warnerpromotionsllc.com for details.

The man who forced Tyler Moeller to the sidelines last year faces sentencing Thursday, while the Ohio State safety reports for camp, ready to tackle again.

View full sizeAP photoSidelined a year ago as he recovered from being attacked in a Florida bar, OSU safety Tyler Moeller can't wait for fall drills to begin.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There's one collision that every Ohio State player should be waiting for when the Buckeyes put on full pads next Tuesday. Tyler Moeller may hit someone for the first time in more than a year.

"I'll come out the first day I can hit again and hit somebody as hard as I can," Moeller said in April, "and I'll be good to go after that."

The Buckeyes report for camp Thursday and Friday is the first day of practice, though only in helmets and shorts. The NCAA mandates four preseason practices before full pads go on.

While Moeller moves into the team hotel, Ralph Gray Decker, according to court records from Pinellas County, Fla., is Thursday morning facing sentencing after pleading guilty in June to felony battery. That plea followed an incident a year ago when Decker punched Moeller at a Florida bar, causing Moeller to hit his head on the ground and suffer bleeding on his brain that required surgery.

Moeller missed all of last season, but practiced with the Buckeyes in April, doing everything except what he loves most about football -- the hitting.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago this week that Moeller was probably 95 percent in the spring. The Buckeyes played it safe then, but now Tressel said Moeller is 100 percent healthy and cleared for all activity.

"We don't hit like crazy in the preseason," Tressel said, "but he wants to get a couple licks in."

It's an indication of the Buckeyes' needs, and how highly the coaches thought of Moeller before his injury, that he is penciled in as the starter at the star position as camp begins. That's Ohio State's fifth defensive back on passing downs, part of a defense the Buckeyes employ nearly two-thirds of the time.

There are coverage responsibilities that go with that job, but really, the star has a chance to help in the run game when teams spread it out and even get after the quarterback at times. If there's one thing a player in that position has to do, it's hit.

"I'm a hitter," Moeller said in the spring, "and that's the way I play the game."

Captain Pryor? The team won't vote on captains until the end of preseason camp, but with 12 senior starters, the chances of junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor gaining one of the four spots is probably slim.

"I think with Terrelle there will be some groundswell, but maybe not as much as you might have if you didn't have such a strong senior class," Tressel said. "We've got a good group of senior guys on offense, and that a lot of time spreads the vote a little bit. But we'll see. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't I don't think it'll affect his performance."

The two most likely captain candidates on offense are receiver Dane Sanzenbacher and guard Bryant Browning, who represented the Buckeyes at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago. Other senior candidates include guard Justin Boren and running back Brandon Saine.

There are even more candidates on defense, where defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, who was also in Chicago, is almost a sure thing. Linebackers Ross Homan and Brian Rolle, cornerback Chimdi Chekwa and defensive lineman Dexter Larimore are also strong candidates.

Justin Masterson goes five innings to beat Boston for the second time this season.

UPDATED: 11:23 p.m.

Elise Amendola / Associated PressJayson Nix was welcomed warmly back to the Indians' dugout after his solo homer in the sixth inning of Wednesday night's 9-1 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Indians have won two of three so far in the four-game series.

• Brantley is next of Tribe's kids to return: Insider

BOSTON -- The benches didn't empty Wednesday night at Fenway Park as they did Tuesday. No heated words were exchanged between the Indians and Red Sox.

The only entity driven by bad intent was the Indians' offense. They scored five times in the seventh inning, highlighted by Andy Marte's three-run homer, to beat left-hander Jon Lester and Boston, 9-1, at Fenway Park.

The Tribe is 2-1 in this four-game series against the powerful, but wounded, Red Sox. They are 12-8 since the All-Star break against Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, the Yankees, Toronto and Boston. All six teams are in contention for the postseason.

"This is our toughest stretch of the season," said manager Manny Acta. "You have to like the way our kids have stepped up. They're hungry."

Justin Masterson beat his old club for the second time this season. Wednesday'svictory wasn't as impressive as his two-hit shutout on June 9 at Progressive Field, but for a guy who has lost 10 games, he's not going to quibble over details.

Masterson (4-10, 5.40) allowed one run in five innings. He struck out three and walked four. Half of Masterson's victories have come against the team that traded him to the Indians for Victor Martinez last year.

"This is an exciting place to pitch," said Masterson. "I was able to get some big outs when I had to, but this game goes to the bullpen and the offense. We just kept piling on the runs."

Masterson is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA (one run in 14 innings) against Boston this year.

Lester (11-7, 3.07), battling a cramp in his left hamstring, lost his first game ever against the Tribe. He allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits in five innings and fell to 3-1 lifetime against Cleveland.

"We've faced three front-of-the-rotation starters in this series," said Acta, referring to John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Lester. "Tonight we just asked our kids to have good at-bats against Lester and try to run up his pitch count."

The Indians led, 4-1, entering the seventh against Scott Atchinson. Jason Donald opened with a single and went to third when Victor Martinez couldn't handle Asdrubal Casbrera's bouncer over first base for the first of two Boston errors in the inning. Atchinson intentionally walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases.

Shelley Duncan sent a double-play ball to Marco Scutaro at short, but Scutaro's throw home pulled catcher Kevin Cash off the plate as Donald scored and the bases remained loaded. Matt LaPorta set up another double play with an identical grounder to short.

Scutaro made the throw home to force Cabrera, but before Cash could throw to first to complete the double play, Cabrera took out Cash's legs with a slide at the plate.

"That's a play that won't show up in the box score, but it was probably the turning point of the game," said Acta. "Cabrera has a lot of street smarts on the baseball field. You don't teach people that."

Jayson Nix followed with a sacrifice fly and Marte sent a wall-scraper over The Green Monster for a three-run homer and a 9-1 lead. All five runs were unearned.

"Huge home run by Marte," said Acta.

The Indians built a 4-0 lead against Lester. They scored twice in the fifth to make it 3-0. Lou Marson and Donald started the inning with singles, Marson going from first to third when Donald's single glanced off third baseman Adrian Beltre's glove. Cabrera's sacrifice fly to the track in left made it 2-0.

Donald took second on a passed ball and moved to third on Choo's groundout to second. He scored when Duncan doubled into the right-field corner. That's when manager Terry Francona and a trainer visited Lester, who seemed to be cramping up.

The Indians stretched the lead to 4-0 on Nix's leadoff homer in the sixth. The homer was Nix's first since July 9. He has eight for the season, seven with the Tribe since being claimed on waivers on June 24.

Masterson threw scoreless ball through five innings, but other than first, he didn't have an easy inning. David Ortiz, after a long battle to start the sixth, homered into the center field bleachers on a 3-2 pitch to make it 4-1. When Masterson walked Martinez, Tony Sipp relieved and struck out J.D. Drew and Beltre.

Acta said the Indians have been playing better ball since the All-Star break "because we're hitting better with runners in scoring position and our pitching has been a little better."

The left-hander, a 32nd round draft pick by the Indians in 2009, was leading the Midwest League with a 1.60 ERA when promoted to Akron.

cavalierdaily.comMatt Packer pitching for the University of Virginia during the 2009 season.

FARM REPORT

AAA Columbus Clippers

Clippers 9, Bats 8: Third baseman Jared Goedert (.288) lined a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the Clippers snap their four-game International League losing streak. RH reliever Josh Judy (2.91) pitched a perfect ninth inning for his second save, following a scoreless 1 2/3 innings by RH Bryce Stowell (3.75) and a scoreless eighth inning by RH winner Jess Todd (4-2, 2.81). Catcher Richard Martinez (.286) drove in four runs with two doubles and a groundout; SS Josh Rodriguez (.315) slugged his 11th home run, a solo clout; and 2B Cord Phelps (.340) doubled twice, singled, scored two runs and drove in one.

Notes: Martinez played his second game for the Clippers after batting .130 (21-for-161) at Advanced A Kinston and .200 (4-for-20) for Class A Mahoning Valley. He has not homered this season. ... Goedert, who has 17 homers and 17 doubles in just 208 at-bats for the Clippers, had been 6-for-35 (.171) in his last nine games. ... Rodriguez is 11-for-30 (.367) with three doubles, three homers and seven RBI in his last seven games. ... Stowell has struck out 18 and walked 13 in 12 innings for Columbus, after totaling 74 strikeouts and 19 walks in 47 2/3 innings with Akron and Kinston. ... RH reliever Vinnie Pestano (1-1, nine saves, 1.53) has not allowed a run in his last 13 outings, fanning 19 and allowing seven hits and five walks in 14 1/3 innings. Overall, Pestano has struck out 47, walked 12 and not given up a homer in 35 1/3 innings.

AA Akron Aeros

Curve 5, Aeros 1: Starting pitcher Corey Kluber (0-1), who was making his Akron debut, gave up eight hits and four runs (three earned) in four innings in a loss at Altoona, Pa., in Eastern League play. Jason Kipnis (.337) had two hits for Akron.

Notes: Kluber made his Aeros debut after being acquired from the San Diego Padres' organization in Saturday's three-team trade, in which the Indians sent pitcher Jake Westbrook to the St. Louis Cardinals. Kluber was 6-6 with a 3.45 ERA for Class AA San Antonio, and was leading the Texas League with 136 strikeouts (in 122 2/3 innings) when traded. ... LHP Matt Packer pitched seven innings, getting no decision in his Aeros debut on Tuesday night. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk, with six strikeouts, during a 3-2 loss at Altoona in the second game of a Curve doubleheader sweep. Packer was promoted from Lake County, where he was 8-5 and leading the Midwest League with a 1.60 ERA. He struck out 92 and walked 13 in 95 2/3 innings, while holding batters to 77 hits, including just four homers. Packer, 22, was picked in the 32nd round of the 2009 draft by the Indians out of the University of Virginia. ... Going into Wednesday night's game, OF Jordan Henry (.291) was on a 10-game hitting streak, going 17-for-35 (.486) with three doubles, one triple and eight walks. ... 2B Jason Kipnis (.333) was 13-for-37 (.351) with two doubles, two triples and seven RBI in his last eight games, and was hitting .420 (29-for-69) in 17 games since the All-Star break. ... 1B Beau Mills (.241) was 12-for-36 (.333) with four doubles, a homer and eight RBI in his last 10 games. ... RH reliever Connor Graham (3-5, one save, 3.38) was 1-0 and had not allowed a run in his last seven games, striking out 13, walking none and allowing six hits.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Pelicans 5, Indians 1: A five-run eighth inning by Myrtle Beach, S.C., pushed the Pelicans to a rubber-game victory over host Kinston, N.C., in Carolina League play. Kinston’s T.J. House shut out the Pelicans for seven innings but came away with a no-decision. He allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out three.

Notes: House has been outstanding in his past three starts, surrendering just one run on six hits in 19 innings of work, good for an ERA of 0.47. Going into Wednesday night's game, RH reliever Cory Burns (0-1, 20 saves, 2.03) was a combined 0-1 with 32 saves and a 2.13 ERA with Lake County and Kinston this season, striking out 64 and walking 12 in 42 1/3 innings, while allowing 34 hits, including just one home run. ... 3B Kyle Bellows (.256) was 9-for-25 (.360) with one double, two triples, one homer and seven RBI in his last seven games. ... Catcher Chun Chen (.300) was batting .344 (11-for-32) with three doubles, a homer, 10 RBI and eight walks in his last 10 games.

A Lake County Captains

Captains 8, Dragons 2: For the second night in a row, Lake County rallied past visiting Dayton in Midwest League play. Captains starter Brett Brach (2-5) got the win. He pitched seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out four. Brach has allowed only two runs over his past 23 innings.

Notes: Ramon Cespedes made his Captains debut. He went two innings, allowing one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out one to pick up his first save. Going into Wednesday night's game, 1B Adam Abraham (.250) was 26-for-61 (.426) with six home runs, six doubles and 23 RBI in his last 15 games. Abraham was the Midwest League "Batter of the Week" last week. ... OF Delvi Cid (.250) was 9-for-19 (.474) in his last four games, with six RBI, four runs, seven stolen bases in 10 attempts and one double. He was leading the Midwest League with 56 steals (in 68 attempts). ... OF Greg Folgia (.244) was batting .469 (15-for-32) with four doubles, two homers, nine RBI, nine runs and six walks. ... RH reliever Preston Guilmet (2-1, eight saves, 2.20) had struck out 46 and walked six in 32 2/3 innings, while holding batters to a .188 average. ... RH reliever Jose Flores (0-1, two saves, 2.28) had fanned 36 and walked five in 27 2/3 innings.

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Scrappers 7, ValleyCats 2: Outfielder Jonathan Burnette had three hits, including two homers, and two RBI, to power Mahoning Valley to a victory over Tri-City (Troy, N.Y.) in a New York-Penn League game in Niles, Ohio. The Scrappers banged out 16 hits to end a three-game losing streak.

Notes: Going into Wednesday night's game, 18-year-old 3B Giovanny Urshela (.270) was 11-for-34 (.324) with one double and two homers in his last 10 games. ... LH reliever Nick Kirk (0-0, four saves, 3.12) had struck out 26, walked six and allowed just 12 hits in 17 1/3 innings. ... RHP Casey Gaynor (3-2, 5.11) was 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings of his nine relief appearances. ... RH reliever John Goryl (1-2, 3.91) was 1-0 in his last five games, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk in eight innings. ... RH reliever Dale Dickerson (2-1, 3.66) was 1-1, allowing one earned run in 10 innings, in his last nine games. ... The Scrappers had seven players with at least 60 at-bats hitting .200 or below.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

ThunderBolts 7, Crushers 4: Windy City took advantage of three Lake Erie errors in the bottom of the fifth to defeat the Crushers in Frontier League play in suburban Chicago.

Notes: Going into Wednesday night's game, RH reliever Jeff Cinadr (4-1, three saves, 1.68) was 4-0 with three saves and an 0.57 ERA in his last 16 games, pitching 31 2/3 innings and allowing just 19 hits. ... OF Arden McWilliams (.202) was 5-for-13 (.385) with two home runs in his last five games. ... 3B Andrew Davis (.315) was 5-for-12 (.417) in his last three games, and was eighth in the Frontier League in hitting despite his recent slump. ... IF Andrew Saylor (.232) was 11-for-35 (.314) in his last 10 games.

Firestone's Paul Lazoran, whose co-workers and employers call a legend in his own right, has seen all the great golfers.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerPaul Lazoran has seen all of golf's greats from the vantage point of Firestone's locker room head attendant -- and as a caddie in years gone by. Retiring this fall, Lazoran learned of the respect he's gained from the pros in a presentation at the club.

AKRON, Ohio -- He has walked with kings.

Legends have walked the locker room at Firestone Country Club, from Sam Snead to Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus to Gary Player, Lee Trevino to Tom Watson.

Paul Lazoran, whose co-workers and employers call a legend in his own right, has seen them all.

Lazoran, 68, will retire in October, so the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, which gets underway today on the famed South Course, will be his last, ending a 59-year association with the club. The tournament and the locker room will never be the same.

Lazoran caddied for Player when he won the 1965 World Series of Golf and was on the bags when Al Geiberger and Dave Stockton won the old CBS Golf Classic.

He walked alongside Palmer and Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Tommy Bolt and the late Bobby Nichols. He watched as his brother, Mike, barely moved while shagging ball after ball off the clubs of Ben Hogan.

The universally-liked Lazoran has entertained more celebrities than you'll find on a red carpet, guiding the likes of singers Glen Campbell, John Denver and Bobby Rydell, daredevil Evel Knievel and comedian Foster Brooks around the course.

As the pros arrived in the locker room earlier this week they greeted him like a favorite pal.

Lazoran began working at the club in 1951 at the age of nine, cleaning members' clubs for $2 a day.

"Hey, if I could make 10 or 12 bucks a week that was a lot of money for a 9-year-old back then," he said.

Over the years he worked as a caddie, spent time in the pro shop, gave lessons as an assistant pro and made his way to the locker room 30 years ago. He has worked every professional event at Firestone, starting with the 1954 Rubber City Open.

"It's been a great ride," said Lazoran, who at one time was a scratch player and now plays to a 7 handicap. "I have met some great people here. And, I have been lucky enough to work with great people."

He holds most of today's Tour players in high regard, but has a special place for Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Darren Clarke, Boo Weekley and Lee Westwood.

The players, in turn, hold Lazoran in high regard. On Wednesday, Mike Weir presented him with two plane tickets, hotel accommodations and daily tickets to The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. next May.

Firestone General Manager Mark Gore said, "Paulie is an institution. He is Firestone Country Club and represents what it's all about ... first-class service. He is one of the most generous people I've ever met."

And, one of the most genuine.

There's always need for damage control in the sports world as LeBron James, Rick Pitino, Albert Haynesworth and others prove, Bud Shaw writes in his Spin column.

View full sizeCarolyn Kaster / Associated PressIf you're thinking that for $21 million Albert Haynesworth should be in good enough shape to do more than prove he's faster than tackling dummies, you'll probably get a lot of nodding heads around the Redskins' camp.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Proof that not all publicity is good publicity...

A fraction of high school and college athletes make it in the pros. Many who do have short careers.

So if you're looking to make a living in sports, especially in this economy, go into a line of work where your services are guaranteed to be in great demand for years and years.

Such as sports public relations. Image polishing. More to the point, damage control. A small sampling underlines this growing field:

LeBron James. Who's advising this guy? Rod Blagojevich?Has anyone done more to soil an image in two months' time than James? OK, aside from BP? What's his next genius move to ingratiate himself to his home state? Publishing a book of jokes about the river burning?

Albert Haynesworth. The Redskins' defensive lineman took at $21 million signing bonus, but doesn't want to change positions in new coach Mike Shanahan's 3-4. Me? I'm changing whatever you want for $21 million, including my name to Budette.

Chris Paul. You have two years remaining on your contract. You play in a city crippled by crushing disasters, natural and otherwise. Somebody stop him before he refers to Hurricane Katrina as "a little gust."

Rick Pitino. Anybody reading the sordid details of his extortion case against Karen Sypher stemming from a sexual encounter in a closed Italian restaurant knows the difference between an average person's 15 seconds of fame and what will now be remembered as Pitino's 15 seconds of infamy.

The French World Cup team. As long as the French football players are around to re-define the word "quit," LeBron James couldn't be happier. They were so fractured by ego and so embarrassed their homeland in quickly bowing out of South Africa, it's surprising they weren't denied French air space when returning home.

Alex Rodriguez. Six hundred home runs should be reason to strike up the band for a confetti parade down Broadway. His steroid admission downgrades that to a single kazoo.

Jim Gray. He got hammered by public opinion when he grilled Pete Rose on national TV years ago. It was just as bad when he tossed softballs to James for "The Decision." He's in more desperate need of middle ground than the Redskins and Haynesworth.

The NBA. Good luck curbing the player egos the league helped create. Dr. Frankenstein had less reason to feel guilty after the monster escaped.

It's a heckuva time for Roger Goodell to turn into the good cop...

First, the NFL commissioner took no action against Tennessee quarterback Vince Young for a tussle at a Dallas strip club. Then he decided against further punishment for Michael Vick after a shooting -- not involving Vick -- happened at a birthday party in Virginia Beach.

Now, Goodell is hinting Ben Roethlisberger will be off suspension in time to face the Browns in October.

During a visit to Ravens camp, Goodell said the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is going above and beyond the league's mandate as part of a six-game suspension stemming from a sexual assault accusation.

It's understandable if Cleveland fans feel they're the victims of a great conspiracy after the happenings of the past few months. But Spin has learned that Roethlisberger truly is surpassing the league's stringent behavioral standards.

Not only is he helping old ladies across the street, he's only asked one for her phone number.

SPINOFFS

Matt Bush / Hattiesburg (Miss.) American via APIt's only speculation that Brett Favre was telling these Oak Grove (Miss.) high-school players "hey, if you know whether I'm retiring, you know more than I do."

And for the seventh day, Haynesworth rested...

I didn't think it were possible, but the Vegas odds now favor a LeBron James-Dan Gilbert national anthem duet on Dec. 2 over Haynesworth passing his training camp conditioning test...

Unless those conditioning tests involve a snow-capped peak and a sherpa, they really shouldn't take more than one or two attempts...

The Little League World Series is allowing its manager to challenge calls as part of its instant replay system. ... In 10 or 20 years, Major League Baseball is expected to adopt the same sophisticated, grown-up approach...

I'll believe Brett Favre is going to retire when he stops breaking the fingers of high school kids with his passes in the off-season and starts breaking the ankles of senior citizens with his 100 mph. shuffleboard pucks...

I don't know how to say it in Japanese or even in Spanish, but please, Ozzie Guillen, enough...

"Shaq Vs." is back for a second season. If he's willing to wear Celtics green as reported, it's only natural he compete with Liz Taylor in an desperate chase for rings...

HE SAID IT

"There's no way." Favre, responding to whether he'd play again after leaving the New York Jets and before joining the Minnesota Vikings.

HE SAID WHAT?

"I'm not a big hearsay person. I gotta hear it from the horse's mouth." -- Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress on Tuesday reports that Favre planned to retire.

Because, as everyone knows, when Favre says he's going to do something, you can book it.

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Thursday Edition)

"Bud:

"Isn't it a travesty that a metro area as large as Cleveland has as its biggest-name sports figure a return man [Josh Cribbs]? Near by, Pittsburgh has [Sidney] Crosby and Roethlisberger. Detroit has [Miguel] Cabrera tearing up the AL. Buffalo has a world class goaltender in Ryan Miller. Indy has [Peyton] Manning. We have a return specialist." -- J.D.

Yes. But the second most accomplished player in town is a long-snapper. That evens things out.

"Bud:

"If you get a blister on your typing finger, how long would The Plain Dealer shut you down? And what sort of rehab assignment would you face?" -- Keith

I did injure myself once after a wild Saturday night of thumb wrestling and was assigned to the Arizona Space Bar Instructional League for 15 days.

"Dear Bud:

"Do you think No. 6 will be tempted to join T.O. and Ocho so that he can win easy championships in another sport, too?" -- Michael Sarro

Doubtful. You know what they call guys in the NFL who lie on the ground after collisions as long as LeBron did at The Q? Punters.

"Due to the fact LeBron thanked the people of Akron for their support and failed to mention Greater Clevelanders, perhaps his new theme song should be 'Burning Bridges.'" -- Jim D., Richmond Heights

Maybe. So far he's only been heard humming a few bars of the old country western standby, "If My Nose Were Full of Nickles, I'd Blow It All On You."

"Hey Bud:

"When the Indians have their next 'kids run the bases free' promotion, will it include everybody on the roster?" -- P. Cavanagh, Columbia Station

First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.

"Bud:

"The Indians were playing [Toronto] when they traded most of their players. I thought the exchange rate was better in Canada." -- Frank

Repeat winners get international street cred.

Phil Mickelson gets another shot at becoming the world's top-ranked golfer this week. Lee Westwood could also replace Tiger Woods by Sunday evening.

Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer"Hello? World Rankings hotline? What exactly do I have to do to finally wrest the No. 1 spot away from Tiger Woods? Oh, winning would do it?" Phil Mickelson has made no secret that he covets Woods' 270-week hold on the top spot in golf.

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AKRON, Ohio -- The race for No. 1 is on ... again.

Phil Mickelson gets another shot at becoming the world's top-ranked golfer when the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational gets underway Thursday at Firestone Country Club. So, too, does Lee Westwood.

Taking a shot at being No. 1 means taking a shot at Tiger Woods, and that is not a new venture for Mickelson, or anyone else harboring thoughts of moving into the top spot of the world rankings.

Tiger has been chased -- but not caught -- for the last 270 weeks. That's longer than some marriages last. Mickelson is ranked second and Westwood is ranked third.

The formula used to determine the world's top golfer is almost as complicated as the NFL playoff formula. In short, it is a composite work of the six professional tours and the four major championships that make up the sport's International Federation of PGA Tours. Points are awarded for where a player finishes in a particular event, with the majors given higher consideration.

Mickelson has had several chances to replace Woods this summer, especially after winning the Masters in April. Woods and Mickelson tied for fourth at the U.S. Open in June -- thus negating any chance Mickelson had of making up ground -- and Woods finished higher than Mickelson at the British Open.

But, this is a new week and a new opportunity. Neither player is playing particularly well, but that doesn't mean Mickelson has given up hope.

"It would mean a lot to me," he said during an interview at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey on Tuesday. "These next two weeks, Akron and the PGA Championship, are special events. It would be a very important thing."

It won't be easy. Woods said three times on Wednesday that he intends on playing his way onto the Ryder Cup team, which would make it very difficult for anyone to replace him. He is well aware of his status and what it will take to keep it.

"You play and how I got here in the first place was by winning golf tournaments," Woods said. "And, how I will sustain it is by winning golf tournaments. Winning golf tournaments takes care of a lot of things and being No. 1 is one of them."

According to the PGA, here is a list of scenarios that will determine the world's top-ranked player.

• If Woods wins, he stays at No. 1.

• If Mickelson wins, he would become No. 1 no matter where Woods finishes.

• If Westwood wins and Woods finishes worse than a tie for second, Westwood would become No. 1.

• Mickelson has to finish higher than fourth to have a chance at climbing to the top.

• Mickelson can finish fourth, but Woods must be worse than a tie for 37th and Westwood outside the top two before Lefty moves up.

• If Westwood finishes second alone, then Woods must be outside ninth and Mickelson cannot be the tournament winner.