CEO Joe Banner says the Browns are closing in on naming a GM, and that they will be announcing some coaching hires soon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Browns CEO Joe Banner said today that the Browns' first wave of interviews for their general manager search is almost complete, and that the team does have a frontrunner.

He declined to say if the frontrunner is Kansas City Director of Pro Personnel Ray Farmer, whom profootballtalk.com identified Monday as the potential leading candidate.

Most of Farmer's experience comes in evaluating professional players in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, but Banner, speaking at the FirstEnergy Stadium naming rights press conference, said any candidate strong on the pro side would have to impress them in the interview that his skills would translate to scouting for the NFL draft.

Banner also declined to say if NFL Network's Mike Lombardi, the former Browns Director of Player Personnel, is in the mix for the GM job.

He said the candidate would most likely be named GM instead of Director of Player Personnel, and that talent evaluating would be the most important asset.

Banner said the Browns might interview one of the current members of the Browns personnel staff. He declined to name him or any other candidate.

Banner said head coach Rob Chudzinski has made some important hires to his coaching staff, and that they will be announced in a few days. He declined to confirm reports that Norv Turner will be Chudzinski's offensive coordinator.

In other Browns news from the press conference:

• Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said helmets will not be altered and no uniform changes will be made until at least the 2014 season.

• Haslam also said no cheerleaders for the Browns because "they don't fit Cleveland."

• Haslam said three to four architectural firms will visit the Stadium in the next month to determine ways to improve the facility.

• Banner said architects will also visit the Berea training facility in hopes of getting all of the employees in the same building.

Corporate sponsorship is the name of the game for the stadium formerly called Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns officially changed the stadium name to FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the Cleveland Browns, today. That means only a little more than a handful of teams don't have a corporate sponsor, including Cowboys Stadium in Texas, Soldier Field in Chicago and Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

Now that the Browns have joined 23 other teams that have named their stadiums after a corporate sponsor, do you think that is that a good thing or bad thing for the stadium on the lake?

Or does it really matter?

Indians pitching prospect Trey Haley just wants to stay healthy.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Trey Haley has one goal above all others this season. It is not based in statistics.

"Stay healthy," he said. "Stay healthy. I want to give myself an opportunity to pitch for a full season."

Haley, a high-end reliever prospect for the Indians, is not unlike his contemporaries in this way. They all want to remain on the field. But it is the point of emphasis for Haley based on how his previous two seasons have unfolded.

In 2011, his first year after being switched from starter to reliever, Haley worked a combined 27 games for Class A Lake County and advanced-A Kinston. He missed most of June and July because of groin soreness.

Last season, he opened in Carolina (formerly Kinston) and dominated. Alas, he was shut down after nine appearances because of continued groin trouble. He underwent surgery in early June to repair a sports hernia, then returned to pitch well in nine games for Class AA Akron.

"It's good to get the injury issue resolved so I can concentrate on pounding the zone," he said.

When Haley can fully leverage a 6-4 frame, his stuff is electric. It begins with a four-seam fastball that sits in the mid- to high-90s and a two-seamer with good movement. Baseball America recently ranked Haley's fastball as the best in the Cleveland farm system.

Asked about Baseball America's ranking, Haley laughed and said: "I honestly didn't even know that. Really, I didn't."

View full size Trey Haley is looking forward to making an impact in the Indians organization in 2013. Indians photo  

Nor does Haley know exactly how hard he throws on a given day. He does allow, humbly, that he occasionally has reached triple digits.

"I'm focused on results, not pitch speed," he said. "It doesn't matter how hard you throw if you don't get outs consistently."

Haley always has possessed the live arm, but he was not necessarily seeking to throw the speed ball past anybody as a schoolboy in Texas.

"I didn't really have a four-seamer in high school," he said. "I just had a two-seam grip and got good movement with it. Nobody showed me any different. I only began to incorporate the four-seamer as a pro."

Entering the 2008 draft, Haley was ranked the 33rd best prep pitching prospect by Baseball America. The Indians drafted him in the second round (76th overall); their first pick was Lonnie Chisenhall. Haley would have been headed to Rice.

Haley struggled as a starter with Lake County in 2009 (4-8, 5.56 ERA) and in 2010 (5-11, 5.97). He had serious command issues, walking 151 in 193 2/3 innings. Farm director Ross Atkins signed off on Haley's move to the bullpen.

• MLB scout: Haley under the radar, but talented

"We felt it was the best way to maximize his ability," Atkins said. "The decision to have him pitch in relief is not the end of his chance to start, but we like where he is right now. He's come on strong."

Haley said: "I'm OK either way. Whatever they tell you to do, you do."

Part of Haley's problem as a starter involved pitching through the discomfort that inevitably accompanies the workload. Being a starting pitcher seems glamorous from the outside, but it requires endless hours behind the scenes that are taxing physically and mentally. The grind is exponentially more difficult for a pitcher coming directly from high school, given a lack of experience.

Another part of Haley's problem was dealing with an overhaul of mechanics. Only in the rarest of rare instances does an organization draft a pitcher and leave his mechanics alone.

"This past year, I got to the point where I didn't need to think or worry about my delivery," Haley said. "I could just go out and compete."

A reliever does not need the starter's assortment of pitches. Two often will do, as long as they are good enough. Haley complements the heater with a slider or curve -- "whichever is feeling good on that day." His biggest improvement has been in throwing the breaking ball for strikes in any count. Haley also uses a changeup.

Haley is part of the Indians winter development program at Progressive Field. Among others participating is the Tribe's top pick in 2011, shortstop Francisco Lindor.

On Twitter: @dmansworldpd

Jimmy Haslam, owner of the Cleveland Browns and Anthony Alexander, president and CEO of FirstEnergy Corp., held a press conference at Cleveland Browns Stadium to announce that the home of the Browns will be renamed FirstEnergy Stadium. Watch video

Naming rights sale will bring millions of dollars to Browns over duration of agreement. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- FirstEnergy Corp. Chief Executive Officer Anthony Alexander and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam Tuesday afternoon announced a partnership that changed the name of the lakefront stadium to "FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the Cleveland Browns."

The deal must be approved by the Cleveland City Council, because the city owns the stadium. The lease between the team and the city encourages the Browns to sell naming rights.

City council, which has 30 days to approve the deal, will probably hear from the public about the new name, partly because fans have been paying seat licensing since the stadium opened in 1999, and all Cuyahoga County residents have been paying a “sin tax” to help finance the debt on the stadium.

Still, the deal should sail through an approval vote. City Council President Martin Sweeney appeared at Tuesday’s announcement to praise Haslam and FirstEnergy.

“The naming right question has been around since 1999. And in four months this question has been answered,” Sweeney said. “Decisive decisions are going to be good for the city.”

Mayor Frank Jackson likewise gave his imprimatur.

“The decision to sell naming rights is a business decision by the Browns’ owner and he is within his rights to do so,” he said. “ I support his decision. A new name for the stadium won’t change the most important thing: Cleveland loves the Browns.”

FirstEnergy is not saying how much it is paying the Browns annually for the naming rights or the length of the contract.

Haslam defended that FirstEnergy cloak of secrecy in his answer to a question about the terms of the agreement. “We agreed with FirstEnergy that the terms of the agreement would remain private and we will obviously honor that,” he said.

Because of the lingering recession and low power prices, FirstEnergy has had to lay off 142 back-office staff and idle one of its very large coal-fired power plants. The company employs 20,000 people.

One thing is certain though: The Browns won’t be using FirstEnergy as its primary supplier of power any time soon. The Browns' lease with the city provides that Cleveland Public Power will provide electrical service at least until Feb. 1, 2029. CPP buys its power from American Municipal Power. AMP owns power plants and also buys power from the grid.

The deal would not only change the name of the $300 million building but also would give FirstEnergy exclusive rights in a wide range of joint marketing, from logos on tickets to television, newspaper and Internet advertising. The companies intend to launch a FirstEnergy Stadium web site in the near future and plan other joint marketing efforts, including philanthropic campaigns.

A new logo has been designed for the partnership and will be featured in large signs at the top of stadium -- signs big enough to be seen by passing traffic and probably large enough to be seen from the Goodyear Blimp.

The agreement will prevent other competing electric companies from advertising with the Browns. In other words, fans won't see signs from American Electric Power, of Columbus, or Duke Energy from Cincinnati, which are among about half dozen outside companies now offering discounted rates to FirstEnergy customers.

The Browns have a 30-year stadium lease that requires the city to put $850,000 a year into repairs. That money comes from a countywide tax on alcohol and tobacco sales. But the so-called sin tax expires in 2015. No word on whether the county intends to extend that tax.

While FirstEnergy is not disclosing the cost of the deal, it is unlikely it would be able to pass on the expense to its customers. Such a move would require the company to file a rate case with state regulators. Critics, including the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, typically dig through a utility’s claimed expenses, usually questioning company officers under oath.

In the works since last summer, the deal is being publicized just as FirstEnergy’s stock price on the New York Stock Exchange has slumped to nearly its lowest point about a year and a half, earning the title “featured utilities laggard” on the street.com.

The share price closed Tuesday at $39.87, up 38 cents and still in the basement among utility stocks. One of the largest utilities in the nation, FirstEnergy's sales in 2011 were more than $16.2 billion and profits after expenses of nearly $900 million.

Rookie guard Dion Waiters will continue to come off the bench for the Cavaliers.

View full size Dion Waiters' rookie season has been a bit like this drive to the basket against Earl Clark (left) and Dwight Howard last Sunday -- a demonstration of physical gifts, but not always with a successful result. Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. -- It has been two weeks since Cavaliers coach Byron Scott started the new year with a new lineup. He moved rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters from the starting lineup to the bench, inserting veteran C.J. Miles in his place.

In the eight games since, the Cavs have gone 2-6. Waiters came off the bench in seven of those, returning to the starting lineup for the 99-83 victory over Atlanta on Jan. 9 when Miles was out with back spasms.

Although Waiters, the Big East's Sixth Man of the Year last season at Syracuse, has made it clear he'd prefer to start, he's smart enough not to actually say it. However, his scoring has gone up slightly as a reserve. He's averaging 17.7 points off the bench, including a career-high 33 in a 124-118 loss at Sacramento on Monday. He is averaging about 14 points as a starter.

Coach and player say nothing much has changed in Waiters game, and Scott said Monday he will stick with his lineup at least another couple of weeks. The Cavaliers play the Trail Blazers Wednesday night at the Rose Garden.

But earlier this season, when first Kyrie Irving and then Waiters were out with injuries, the coach lamented that the two young guards needed time together to learn and grow.

So what changed?

"I just still felt if we got [Waiters] on the second unit, it makes the second unit better and it puts the ball in his hands a little bit more," Scott said. "Some of the things we've talked about that he needs to work on, sometimes you just have to wait until the summer to work on them. That's the only difference. I still think they need time to grow and play together. They're still playing together. They're just not starting together."

But earlier this season, the coach said Waiters' biggest adjustment this year would be learning to play without the ball. It would seem he would need to play with Irving in order to do that.

"Well, you've got a point there," Scott said. "I'm still of the belief that as long as we're not mathematically out of the playoffs, there's a chance. When we're completely out and I know it, then I'll start tinkering with stuff."

For his part, Waiters is just trying to cope.

"I'm just dealing with it," he said. "There's nothing I can do. It's out of my hands. Only thing I can do is go out there and do what he asks me to do."

He was asked if he'd prefer to start. "It's not my decision," he said. "I leave that up to the coach. Only thing I can go out and do is just play basketball."

The irony, of course, is that Waiters probably feels as though his increased scoring is proof he should be starting when, in fact, it's proof that he's an asset coming off the bench.

Much like at Syracuse, Waiters does like to be on the court to finish.

"Exactly," he said Monday, "being out there with my teammates trying to get a win."

Termini joins Klutch: According to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal, Klutch Sports Group, the firm founded by LeBron James’ longtime friend and now agent Rich Paul, has enlisted Cleveland-based agent Mark Termini to run player contract negotiations. The firm also signed signed Wizards forward Kevin Seraphin.

Vikings freshman guard Bryn Forbes has moved from a sparkplug on the bench to a opportunity to be part of the starting lineup.

View full size Having started just four games this season, freshman guard Byrn Forbes is second on Cleveland State in scoring at 11 points a game. His streaky production has helped give the Vikings a lift in recent games. John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A pure shooter seems to show up on the college basketball scene every few years or so, all arms and legs with Bambi eyes and a soft snowflake jumper. At Cleveland State, freshman Bryn Forbes certainly fits that profile.

It is much the same as C.J. McCollum, currently injured at Lehigh, and former college sharpshooters Jimmer Fredette (Brigham Young) or Stephen Curry (Davidson). All were under-sized, under-recruited shooters who built big college reputations. All became 20-point college scorers. Forbes is fast displaying his quick-trigger accuracy. The potential 20-point production shows signs of coming along, too.

Off the bench this season, Forbes has delivered 12 points in the first half against Kent State and 18 points in the second half at Ball State. Now a starter, he delivered 19 of his 21 points in the first half of the Vikings' upset over Horizon League favorite Detroit last week.

As a result, a CSU season that looked lost just 10 days ago behind a string of double-digit losses is showing signs of life. The Vikings (10-8, 2-2) travel to play Milwaukee (4-13, 0-3) on Thursday.

Despite Forbes' slight build at 6-3 and 175 pounds, head coach Gary Waters said: "He doesn't fear anything. If he shoots a bad shot, he's not going to stop shooting. And he's not going to stop shooting from where he's shooting them."

View full size "In AAU, I did not show much athleticism," Bryn Forbes (being fouled in a December game against Toledo) says in explaining how he was lightly recruited. "I'm not too muscular, and I'm not real tall." Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer  

That showed against the Titans, as the native of Lansing, Mich., was five of six on 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, and chipped in a 2-pointer to stake the Vikings to a 43-35 lead. Forbes admitted later a personal motivation, as Detroit star guard Ray McCallum Jr. had scored 28 against Forbes during a Michigan state tournament game.

Forbes played on a two-time state title team at Sexton High, and was the leading scorer both years. He was lightly recruited, however, compared with a pair of his teammates, now freshman starters at Iowa (Anthony Clemmons) and Michigan State (Denzel Valentine).

For a sport seemingly shy of pure shooters, Forbes and others like him often find paths to college success away from the typical spotlight programs.

"In AAU, I did not show much athleticism," Forbes said. "I'm not too muscular, and I'm not real tall."

In high school and the AAU, Forbes was the guy on the perimeter, waiting for the bailout pass from slashers and dunkers caught in tough spots their athleticism and/or size could not escape.

"They just needed me to score," Forbes said.

Combine the all arms and legs appearance with just a wisp of hair on his lip, players like Forbes can give the misleading appearance of being physically overmatched. Forbes is a mirror of McCollum (6-3), Fredette (6-2), Stephen Curry (6-3) and Curry's younger brother, Seth (6-2), who began his career at Liberty before transferring to Duke.

Unless a team is specifically looking for a deep threat off the bench, big-time recruiters will go right by guys like them.

• Cleveland State basketball team page

"The thing with Bryn is you can judge him [in AAU] on defense and overlook his offensive abilities," Waters said. "You can easily do that."

Forbes said his scholarship offers came from Holy Cross, Hofstra, Eastern Michigan, Oakland and CSU, with one teaser. "Michigan State said I could be a preferred walk-on," he said.

As his scoring performances and numbers to date show -- 11 points per game, 35.8 percent beyond the arc -- Forbes is currently more of a streak shooter. But, with a grin on his face, Forbes indicates that's due to being in a four-year "slump," simply caused by growing up.

"When I was a freshman in high school, I was 5-9, and I was a better shooter then than I am now," he said. Forbes says his growth spurts affected his jump shot. He was 6-0 as a junior in high school, and now he is 6-3.

"Now I'm starting to grow into my body, and [the jumper] is all coming back," Forbes said.

What happens the rest of this season, and beyond, will determine if CSU's emerging sharpshooter will have a shooting career comparable to the others.

Indians manager Francona was let go by the Red Sox following the 2011 season, after winning World Series titles with them in 2004 and 2007. Nick Swisher and Drew Stubbs join Michael Brantley in the outfield. More Indians story links.

Terry Francona, shown here when he was introduced as the Indians manager on Oct. 8, has co-authored a book about his years as the manager of the Boston Red Sox. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer  

The Indians' first exhibition game is slated for Feb. 22, when they play the Cincinnati Reds. Cleveland and Cincinnati share the same spring training site at Goodyear Ballpark.

The 2013 campaign will be the first for Terry Francona as the Tribe's manager. The Indians finished last season 68-94.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes Dennis Manoloff's story that Indians' pitching prospect Trey Haley's main goal for the coming season is to stay healthy (with video); Paul Hoynes' story on Indians' catcher-first baseman prospect Yan Gomes, who will play for Brazil in the World Baseball Classic in early March; David I. Andersen's video of an interview with Gomes, who was in Cleveland for the Indians' Winter Development Program.

Francona has co-authored a book, "Francona: The Red Sox Years," with Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. It's scheduled for publication on Jan. 22.

The Indians hired Francona in October, after he spent the 2012 season working as an analyst for ESPN. He had managed the Red Sox from 2004 through 2011, leading them to World Series championships in 2004 and 2007. Boston dismissed Francona following the 2011 season, when the Red Sox lost 20 of their last 27 games to miss the playoffs.

MassLive.com features an Associated Press story that includes some brief excerpts from Francona and Shaughnessy's book, such as the one regarding Francona's departure from the Red Sox (referring to Red Sox chairman Tom Werner):

Francona is quoted as saying that at the Sept. 30, 2011, meeting with owners he said: "If you don't know what you are doing about me, why am I here? This is a silly meeting. If you don't want me, just tell me." The team announced later that day that it was not exercising his option.

"It was at that meeting that he said that he had lost control of the clubhouse," Werner is quoted as saying, "that he was not the right person to continue as manager."

Francona recalled the session differently: "I never said I lost control of the clubhouse I said I hadn't been able to reach some of the guys."

He was critical of the owners in the book.

"They come in with all these ideas about baseball, but I don't think they love baseball," he said. "I think they like baseball. It's revenue, and I know that's their right and their interest because they're owners ... and they're good owners. But they don't love the game. It's still more of a toy or a hobby for them. It's not their blood. They're going to come in and out of baseball. It's different for me. Baseball is my life."

Newly-acquired Nick Swisher and Drew Stubbs join Michael Brantley to give the Indians a more versatile outfield. (By Jordan Bastian, MLB.com)

There are legitimate reasons why starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, recently acquired via trade, was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft. (By Christopher Almeras, Bleacher Report)

How Indians' players did in Winter League play on Monday, including a report on a possible injury sustained by first base prospect Jesus Aguilar. (By Tony Lastoria, Indians Prospect Insider)

Shortstop Francisco Lindor, considered by most talent scouts as the Indians' top prospect, is slated to being the season with the high-Class A Carolina Mudcats. (By Jim Ingraham, News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal)

Continuing a countdown of the Indians' all-time top 100 players. At No. 69, relief pitcher Doug Jones. (Let's Go Tribe)

Francisco Lindor, while being a premier prospect, seems humble and mature at age 19. (By Stephanie Storm, Akron Beacon Journal)

A review of Chen-Chang Lee's time as a top Indians' pitching prospect -- and how he's coming along in his recovery from Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. (By Steve Orbanek, Indians Prospect Insider)

The Indians are quite happy to have a few shortstop prospects in their farm system. (By Stephanie Storm, Akron Beacon Journal)

Recently-signed starting pitcher Brett Myers may not be a star, but the Indians should be able to count on him. (ESPN.com)

The Indians could again have a fine bullpen, with depth -- especially from the right-handed side. (By Katrina Putnam, Wahoo's on First)

Referring to an opinion that the Indians' signing of Nick Swisher will eventually backfire on them. (WaitingForNextYear)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Here's how a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school girls basketball teams in the second of seven weekly Associated Press polls, with won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses). DIVISION I

Twinsburg's Char-dell Dunnigan, center, works for position with Solon's Jordan Bekelja, left, and Alexis Gray during a December game won by Twinsburg. - (Tim Harrison, Special to The Plain Dealer )

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Here's how a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school girls basketball teams in the second of seven weekly Associated Press polls, with won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses).

DIVISION I

1, Twinsburg (18) 14-0 197 2, Kettering Fairmont (1) 12-0 167 3, Mason 13-0 138 4, Reynoldsburg (1) 12-1 110 5, Perrysburg 12-0 103 6, St. Joseph 14-0 95 7, Centerville 11-1 60 8, N. Can. Hoover 10-2 56 9, Wadsworth 12-1 53 10, Dublin Coffman 12-1 18

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Hudson 17. 12, Solon 13. 13, Aurora 12.

DIVISION II

1, Millersburg W. Holmes (13) 14-0 181 2, Clyde (2) 15-0 166 3, Hathaway Brown (5) 11-3 142 4, Tol. Rogers 9-2 114 5, Oxford Talawanda 15-0 89 6, Jackson 15-0 75 7, Geneva 12-1 65 8, Kettering Alter 11-2 55 9, Bellbrook 11-2 51 10, Archbishop Hoban 9-3 27

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, SVSM 21. 12, Beloit W. Branch 16. 13, Bellevue 13.

DIVISION III

1, Smithville (13) 15-0 188 2, Cols. Africentric (2) 11-3 151 3, Gilmour (2) 13-1 144 4, Archbold (1) 13-1 123 5, Orrville 10-1 98 6, Versailles 12-1 87 7, Richwood N. Union (1) 14-1 71 8, Anna 8-2 70 9, Beachwood 11-1 47 10, Proctorville Fairland 10-0 26

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Beverly Ft. Frye 20. 12, Cuyahoga Hts. 17. 13, Frankfort Adena (1) 13. 14, Can. Cent. Cath. 12.

DIVISION IV

1, Ottoville (14) 13-0 191 2, Newark Cath. (2) 11-0 151 3, Berlin Hiland (2) 11-2 115 4, Hamler Patrick Henry (1) 12-0 112 5, New Madison Tri-Village 12-1 107 6, Ft. Loramie 11-2 81 7, Mansfield St. Peter's 12-1 77 8, Bridgeport (1) 10-0 63 9, Ft. Recovery 10-2 56 10, Reedsville Eastern 11-1 44

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, N. Ridgeville Lake Ridge 29. 12, Zanesville Rosecrans 17. 13, New Riegel 15.

Mitchell excelled in his four seasons with the Browns as a runner, receiver and kick returner, before going to the Redskins in a famous trade that ended in sadness for the Browns.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A countdown of the top 100 players in Cleveland
Browns history. Players must have spent at least four seasons with the
Browns. The ranking is based only on players' careers with the Browns.

No. 48, Bobby Mitchell, running back/kick returner, 1958-61

The Browns went into the 1957 draft hoping to select Purdue quarterback Len Dawson. The Pittsburgh Steelers foiled those plans, tabbing Dawson with the fifth pick in the first round. Then, with the No. 6 pick, the Browns "settled" for Syracuse running back Jim Brown.

A year later, things fell Cleveland's way again. The Browns took another running back, Bobby Mitchell. They got him in the seventh round, with the 84th overall pick. Remarkably, Mitchell was still on the relatively unsophisticated draft boards of the day despite displaying special abilities at Illinois. Ironically, it was Mitchell's sprinter's speed as a Fighting Illini track star that left him available for the Browns' selection. Teams shied away from drafting Mitchell because they felt his favored sport was track, and that he was aiming to run in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Instead, Mitchell went on to an 11-year NFL career and a berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mitchell played just four seasons with the Browns, but they were quite productive ones. NFL regular seasons included just 12 games during Mitchell's first three years, before expanding to 14 games in 1961, his final season with Cleveland. Mitchell never missed a game with the Browns, nor in his seven years with the Washington Redskins.

NFL teams of the era lined up two ball-carriers at the same time in their backfields. Playing next to Brown, Mitchell made numerous big plays for Cleveland both as a rusher and receiver. He ran for 2,297 yards in 423 carries, averaging 5.3 yards a try. With the Browns, beginning with his rookie season, Mitchell ranked second, second, eighth and third, respectively, in the league in yards per carry.

Mitchell, who was listed at 6-0 and about 190 pounds during his pro career, caught 128 passes for 1,462 yards -- 11.4 yards per reception -- as a Brown.

Mitchell caused opponents yet more trouble as an ace return man. With the Browns, he brought back 62 kickoffs for a 25-yard average and 54 punts for an 11.2-yard average.

In 50 games with Cleveland, Mitchell scored 38 touchdowns: 16 by rushing, 16 on pass catches, three on kickoff returns and three on punt returns. He finished second in the NFL in all-purpose yards in 1959 and 1960; second in yards per touch in 1960; second in yards per punt return in 1958 and 1961. Mitchell was a 1960 Pro Bowl selection and made second-team all-NFL in 1959 and 1960.

The draft used to be held during the late stages of NFL seasons. Cleveland selected Western Illinois running back Leroy Jackson with the 11th pick in the first round of the draft on Dec. 4, 1961. Later that month (the regular season had ended on Dec. 16), it was revealed that the Browns had agreed on draft day to trade Mitchell and Jackson to Washington for Syracuse running back Ernie Davis, whom the Redskins had taken with the first overall pick.

Browns coach Paul Brown wanted to pair Heisman Trophy winner Davis with Jim Brown. Davis was bigger than Mitchell, and Paul Brown thought the new pairing would give the Browns -- who already, of course, owned a superb running game -- a virtually unstoppable attack.

Sadly, though, Davis never got to play for the Browns. He was diagnosed with leukemia during the summer of 1962 and died at age 23 on May 18, 1963.

Mitchell and Jackson made history with the Redskins. Owner George Preston Marshall had kept the team segregated through the 1961 season. Then, in 1962, Mitchell and Jackson were among a group of players who were the first African-Americans to play for the Redskins.

Washington moved Mitchell to wide receiver, where he was spectacular. He led the NFL in receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,384) in his first Redskins season and again in yards (1,436) the next year. In the first six of his seven seasons with Washington, Mitchell averaged 63 catches for 1,060 yards and eight touchdowns -- all big numbers for an era when teams generally didn't throw as often as they do today.

(The Browns' all-time top 100 players so far)

Video: From the 1961 Browns highlights film, Bobby Mitchell (49) is at running back during Browns' wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers (30-28), St. Louis Cardinals (21-10) and Washington Redskins (17-6). Radio analyst Jim Graner does the introduction and play-by-play man Ken Coleman narrates:

As the Cavs are on a pace to win fewer than 20 games, the message to the fans must be this won't happen again.

View full size Kyrie Irving has stared at the scoreboard to find the Cavaliers on the losing end for the vast majority of his young NBA career. That trend has to end for Irving -- and for the franchise's long-suffering fans, says Terry Pluto. Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavaliers fans are looking for a reason to believe the future will be better. That brighter future has to start next season.

At 9-31, the Cavs are on a pace to finish 18-64. At this point, it makes no sense to trade for veterans who will end the pain. They should keep playing kids and keep adding ping-pong balls to enhance their chances in the NBA lottery.

The general approach by the Cavs is the correct one for a middle-market team. You can't built a team based on free agents.

Would the Cavs love to sign LeBron James when he becomes a free agent again as soon as 2014? Of course. Will they be careful how the use their salary cap space? They must.

But not just for a chance to sign James. Rather they need what General Manager Chris Grant calls "flexibility" to make trades and other moves.

But will they just keep losing and drafting and put themselves at mercy of James' whims in 2014? They better not. Besides, James' departure for Miami to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh shows he shops for a team ready to win, not one that has a seemingly permanent seat on the NBA lottery stage.

More important than remaining on the LeBron watch is the psyche of the fans.

The Cavs are 49-139 since James left in the summer of 2010. It would be a public relations nightmare and render the franchise utterly irrelevant if the Cavs had a fourth consecutive season of more than 50 losses in 2013-14. It also would send a message to Kyrie Irving and the other young players that winning isn't important, especially dangerous as Irving will be a free agent in the summer of 2015.

Star search

View full size Byron Scott and GM Chris Grant have stayed true to the "go young" strategy. But three straight high draft positions can't be the limit of the team's rebuilding strategy. AP file  

The Cavs have had four first-round picks in the last two drafts. The problem is those drafts were not rich with talent. Of the last two rookie classes, only one player has emerged as a certain star -- and that's Irving, averaging 23 points this season. Portland's Damian Lillard (18.3 points) and Anthony Davis (13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds) of New Orleans also seem like they will be All-Stars at some point.

In the last two drafts, only four players are averaging at least 15 points: Irving, Lillard, Kemba Walker (17.4) and Klay Thompson (15.8). Dion Waiters (14.8) ranks fifth among scorers from the last two draft classes.

So the Cavs have two of the top five scorers entering the league since 2011. They have the third-leading rebounder in Tristian Thompson (9.2 per game). They do have a promising young big man in rookie Tyler Zeller.

Coach Byron Scott and Grant take solace in the fact that the young players are improving. Thompson is averaging 13.5 points and 11.7 rebounds, shooting 51 percent in the last 10 games. The 21-year-old power forward is figuring out the pro game.

While Scott never said it, he was frustrated with Waiters' poor shot selection and iffy defense. So he pulled the rookie guard from the starting lineup, making Waiters the sixth man. In his first seven games off the bench, Waiters is averaging 18.0 points and shooting 47 percent from the field, 87 percent from the foul line.

The 6-4 rookie is driving more than he did as starter, resulting in more trips to the foul line. This is the player the Cavs hoped to see when making Waiters the surprise No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft.

The only young player now struggling is Zeller, who became the starting center when Anderson Varejao (leg surgery) was injured. In those 14 games, he's averaged 10.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 39 percent shooting. He has been physically overpowered in several games, and been hampered with foul problems.

The NBA often is an unforgiving land for young big men.

Moving ahead

Grant knows fans are frustrated. He also knows the franchise has to be creative to add veteran talent -- and it's far more likely to come via a trade than free agency.

The Cavs have $10 million on the salary cap available to take back a player with a large contract in a trade. They don't say so, but seemed to be poised to deal Anderson Varejao before the Feb. 21 trading deadline, but the big man's leg surgery means it's doubtful he'll play before March. That makes a deadline trade unlikely, at least one with Varejao.

The Cavs may have to take the same road as Houston, which spent nearly two years collecting draft picks and expiring contracts to trade for an impact player. When Oklahoma City refused to offer James Hardin a maximum contract, the Rockets put together a package of picks and players to deal for the high-scoring guard. So far, Houston is 21-17, not much better than their previous three seasons. But the Rockets believe they can grow and build with Hardin.

While some fans are upset with Scott, the coach was handed a roster of young guys and told to teach the game and take the losses. In the off-season, the only veteran they added was C.J. Miles.

But Scott must do something with the defense. The Cavs rank 25th of 30 teams, allowing 100.7 points. They are dead last in opponents' field goal percentage (.474). Their young guards are often like swinging doors, allowing players to drive past them. Varejao's absence has taken away a big man who knows how to defend the basket.

The Cavs are a soft team.

Scott can't magically change it, but he must begin to improve it -- even if it means sitting some of the young players when they flounder on defense.

But the bottom line is not much will change for the Cavs this season. However, it must for next year with a playoff push in mind -- and it will take more than a few draft picks for that to happen.

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving and Blazers point guard Damian Lillard are two of a kind.

PORTLAND, Ore. - All eyes will be on point guards Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard when the Cavaliers face the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at the Rose Garden.

"You've got two very good young point guards,'' Cavs coach Byron Scott said at Thursday morning's shootaround. "Kyrie, obviously, last year kind of established himself as one of the better young point guards in this league, and I think Lillard's doing the same thing this year.

"He's having an excellent season. I think he's the front-runner for rookie of the year. I think if it was over right now, he would win it hands-down. A very good player. It's going to be a very good matchup."

Asked what he liked about Lillard, Scott could just as easily been discussing Irving.

"I like the fact that he can score,'' Scott said of Lillard. "I like the fact that he runs the team. I love his demeanor on the floor. He never looks like he's out of control. You never see him get up too high or down too low. He's just even-keeled pretty much the whole game.

"But you can also tell he has a little bit of a killer instinct in him as well. I just like the way he plays. I saw him at Weber State a couple times. I saw him i the summer league. Very impressed with him there, and he hasn't missed a beat since.''

Dan Gilbert said he envisions significant investment in the Greektown Casino-Hotel, as well as the enhancement and growth of the existing entertainment district in Detroit.

Businessman and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert talks to representatives of more than 25 of Dan Gilbert's companies March 16, 2010 at Quicken Loans Arena. John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio  -- Rock Gaming Chairman Dan Gilbert announced Wednesday that he has acquired a majority interest of the Greektown Casino-Hotel in downtown Detroit.

Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans and the Cleveland Cavaliers owner who triggered the building of the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland, moved his Quicken Loans headquarters to downtown Detroit. His family of companies are expected to help lead a revitalization of the city's urban core.

"Our plans are in the early phases," Gilbert said in a news release. "However, we envision significant investment in the Greektown Casino-Hotel, as well as the enhancement and growth of the existing entertainment district.

"We see this unique area extending to the Campus Martius and along Woodward Avenue building on the positive momentum already occurring in the heart of downtown Detroit," he said in the release.

Rock Gaming is a Detroit-based gaming partnership with Caesars Entertainment. Caesars, however, will play no role at this property.

The acquisition is subject to the Michigan Gaming Control Board approval. 

On the centennial of his birth, Ohio States salutes Cleveland's Jesse Owens in an exhibition at the William Oxley Thompson Library on campus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The old myths got it wrong. The shoe has no wings.

Mercury, the messenger god of the Romans, needed assistance in the form of winged sandals in getting his dispatches out on time. Jesse Owens delivered his message of athletic excellence, racial equality and human dignity in the 1930s, most unforgettably at Adolf Hitler's Berlin Olympics in 1936, without steroids or radically advanced equipment.

Performance-enhancing drugs hadn't been invented yet. Nor had cutting-edge running shoes.

The shoe, now bronzed, on display at the Ohio State exhibition, "Faster, Higher, Stronger -- Jesse Owens: 100 years of Life and Legacy,'' was worn by Owens in Ann Arbor, Mich., on May 25, 1935, when the sprinter from Cleveland set three world records and tied another in one afternoon at the Big Ten Championships. His long jump mark would last for 25 years. When Owens landed, it was as if he left a footprint on eternity.

Located in the William Oxley Thompson Library at 1811 Neil Ave. near Ohio Stadium, the exhibition honors the centennial of Owens' birth in 1913 in Alabama. It opened Jan. 9 and runs until May 5. Admission is free.

Raised in Cleveland, Owens was a great high school athlete at East Tech. He became the greatest athlete ever to pass through the doors at Ohio State or any Big Ten institution. USA Track and Field's highest award is named in his honor. That ignorant voters from the Big Ten Network put Owens third on the list of the conference's all-time athletic icons is an outrage, as I have written (tinyurl.com/4zarwur).

To OSU's credit, it does not hide the racial discrimination Owens faced as a Buckeye. Owens had no athletic scholarship, had to work while he was in college, had to live off-campus, and had to live and eat apart from the white members of the track team on trips. He entered Ohio State in 1933, after two African-American female students had been denied rooms in the Home Economics house.

At OSU, coach Larry Snyder quickened Owens' starts by teaching him to crouch tightly before the crack of the starter's pistol. Snyder also taught Owens to move his legs in the air on his jumps in an early form of the hitch kick. These refinements, along with Owens' ability to run smoothly and not "tie up" under pressure, made him track and field's greatest star.

A poster and painting of the medal ceremony for the long jump at the 1936 Olympics provide chilling commentary on the political climate in which Owens competed. The story of Germany's Ludwig "Luz" Long and Owens is one of the most famous in Olympic history, a stunning display of sportsmanship across racial and national lines, with the gesture heightened by the Nazis' hateful ideology of racial supremacy and by Owens' status as a subhuman in their eyes.

After an unusually nervous Owens fouled twice during qualifying, Long advised him to make his takeoff from slightly behind the board to avoid elimination with a third foul. That way, Owens would still be able to easily clear the qualifying mark. A calm Owens jumped four inches away from the board, qualified, and went on to win the gold medal.

At Olympic medal ceremonies, officials raise the three national flags of the medalists. The long jump silver medalist, Long, stands one step lower than Owens. He is giving the "Heil Hitler" salute to the Nazi swastika. Owens, on the top step, offers a military salute to the American flag. Behind the podium, a German official also gives the stiff-armed salute.

Tall, blond, the very model of Aryan racial ideals, a symbol of an ideology in which he did not believe, Long then walked arm-in-arm with Owens to the locker room. Owens later wrote that all his trophies could be melted down, and they still wouldn't be as precious as the "24-carat" friendship he had with Luz Long.

A poster at the exhibit, signed by members of the American team in Melbourne, Australia, at the 1956 Olympics, is dedicated to Owens. Two signatures that stand out are those of Al Oerter and Wilma Rudolph. Oerter won the first of his four straight discus gold medals in 1956. Four years before her triumphant performance in the sprints in Rome, Rudolph ran the opening leg of the women's 4x100-meter relay in Melbourne and won a bronze medal. Two of the greatest Olympians ever drew inspiration from Owens.

So did Ohio State senior Amanda Furrer. Her uniform from the 2012 Olympics, as a member of the American rifle team, stands near the signed 1956 poster. The point is that the connection still remains. They will always remember Jesse Owens at Ohio State. And in the world.

You can't lose something you never had, and the Browns never had Chip Kelly, Bud Shaw writes.

View full size When is a Duck not a Duck? When it's an Eagle. Oregon coach Skip Kelly passed on a chance to remain with the Ducks, choosing instead to become coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Paul Connors, Associated Press  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You can't lose what you didn't have.

Chip Kelly might like to be a cowboy when he grows up.

Or a baker or a candlestick maker.

Barring all that, he'd might even become a man of his word someday.

With the news that Kelly gave new definition to the term "read-option" with a late deception delivering him to paydirt in Philadelphia comes the criticism that the Browns somehow look worse for the surprising turn of events.

How exactly, no one can say. They're just so accustomed to the Browns playing the fool they surmise it must have happened again since Kelly did, in fact, re-open talks with the Eagles while the Browns were rushing to sign up Rob Chudzinski for a third tour in Berea.

The trouble with this logic is clear. You'd have to believe the Browns and Kelly still believed they were meant for each other. My best guess is Kelly never thought that. Not the first time around. And certainly not at second glance.

Did the Browns blow it by not giving him enough power to seal the original deal? Doubtful. Kelly was convinced he needed to hear everyone out. And even at that, you'd have to believe it made sense to give total power to a college coach with absolutely no NFL experience.

A far more believable take is that Kelly's decision was always between the Eagles and Oregon for a variety of reasons.

The breadth of Joe Banner's power might well have been one of them. Still, there was enough to recommend the Eagles over the Browns without that dooming the Browns.

The Eagles have a more explosive roster that nearly matches the Browns' youth.

Michael Vick at least gives Kelly an option to executive his offensive philosophy, though Kelly isn't any more likely to be a fan of a turnover machine at quarterback than any other coach would be.

The Eagles have their talent evaluator in place. The Browns are still interviewing for the position.

Kelly is an East Coast guy.

Until the past couple years, the Eagles ranked as one of the premier franchises in the NFL. The Browns, of course, did, too. A half century ago.

Kelly knew all that when he turned down the Eagles 11 days ago. By then, the Browns took the opportunity to walk away, letting it be known they had reason to doubt Kelly's interest in going all-in with the NFL.

They positioned themselves as the walking away on their own terms, not on his. Teams do this all the time.

But does anyone have fewer doubts about his commitment to the NFL today than they did back then?

If the Browns' search is subject to criticism it's on two fronts

One, they missed on a candidate they really liked -- Doug Marrone, the Syracuse coach who took the Buffalo job -- while misreading the Kelly tea leaves.

My only other issue is after rebooting the coaching search and expanding it, they called, interviewed and hired Rob Chudzinski in the space of three days.

Since Chudzinski wasn't interviewing with anyone else, why rush to get him under contract with legitimate candidates such as Mike McCoy in Denver still out there?

Then again maybe I'm accustomed to a snail's pace, having watched so many Browns' two-minute drills in 2012.

Would waiting have provided a second chance at Chip Kelly?

No way.

He might've been their top choice. But it's pretty clear now they weren't his.

And my guess is the first time around they liked the idea of Chip Kelly. The reality of Chip Kelly, as we've discovered, is a different animal.

A chameleon.

Spinoffs

Former Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy accepted the San Diego head coaching job and immediately announced he'd hire an offensive coordinator and turn play calling over to him.

A head coach deciding to be a head coach? What a concept.

At the press conference announcing FirstEnergy has bought naming rights for Cleveland Browns' Stadium, organizers showed a video montage of Cleveland sports history.

The next announcement should've been that grief counselors were available.

A big news conference. A crowd on hand. The unveiling of a corporate logo can't help but be a letdown. Don't worry, the next curtain-raising might well reveal Mike Lombardi.

In Terry Francona's new book, former Sox GM Theo Epstein says Boston ownership cared more about acquiring sexy, marketable players over the past few seasons.

No worries for Francona in that department these days. He's come to the right place.

A lawyer is suing the San Antonio Spurs in Miami Dade County over Gregg Popovich's controversial decision to send his star players home before a game against the Heat.

Said attorney Larry McGuinness, "It was like going to Morton's Steakhouse and paying $63 for porterhouse and they bring out cube steak."

With the NBA schedule requiring teams to play four games in five nights, diner beware.

There's always the chance you'll be left with the taste of ground round in your mouth.

Packers' assistant coach Kevin Greene said defensive coordinator Dom Capers absolutely deserves to return despite a tough year defensively for Green Bay.

"Does a fat baby fart?" Greene told the Green Bay Press Gazette.

No reason to drag Rob Ryan into this.

The Associated Press called Lance Armstrong's confession a "stunning reversal."Surely they meant "self-serving."

Ravens' linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo ripped the Patriots' hurry-up offense as a "gimmick" and referred to New England as the organization that "did Spygate and cut a guy the day (before) the Super Bowl."

He was referring to Tiquan Underwood.

The rest of us think of the Patriots as the organization that's in the Super Bowl often enough to cut a guy the day before.

The Atlanta Falcons no doubt feel delivered by the dramatic win over Seattle that ended a string of playoff collapses.

Since it delivered Colin Kaepernick, they should reconsider their good fortune.

My picks: San Francisco over Atlanta, New England over Baltimore. Then New England over San Francisco.

And I haven't been wrong since I said Fox News would never hire Dennis Kucinich.

Deadspin's bizarre story of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and his deceased (made-up?) girlfriend is too complicated to go into here. But read it and tell me if you don't think Lance Armstrong is thrilled with its timing.

And to think there was a time when Notre Dame believed George O'Leary's resume represented a credibility problem.

He said it

(But Probably Regets It)

"He did exactly what he said he would do: He would talk, he would gather all the information and then he would reflect and make a decision -- and that's exactly what he did. I appreciate the way he handled it." -- Oregon AD Rob Mullen 11 days ago when Chip Kelly told him he was staying at Oregon.

She Tweeted it

"Just wrapped with Lance Armstrong. More than 2 1/2 hours. He came READY." -- Oprah Winfrey after taping her interview for Thursday's show.

So the headline from The Onion is true: "Lance Armstrong Admits to Using Remorse-Enhancing Drugs."

You said it

(The Expanded Midweek Edition)

"Bud: Why did Lance Armstrong choose to be interviewed by Oprah? Wasn't Jim Gray available?" -- Bob H, Medina

Let's clear up a misconception. When Jim Gray asked LeBron James what his favorite cupcake was, LeBron did not say, "It used to be chocolate but now it's this interview."

"Bud: Amount contributed toward the stadium by county taxpayers: $300 million. Amount contributed toward the stadium by Jimmy Haslam: $0. Naming rights: Approximately $75 to $100 million to . . . Jimmy Haslam. The NFL sure is a great investment by a city, eh boys?" -- Ron

Yeah but look what the city is saving in ticker tape parade cleanup.

"Bud: Have you received any funny emails about 'Brown-Outs' at FirstEnergy Stadium?" -- Russ G

You could've stopped at funny emails.

"Bud: Did you misremember to mark Roger Clemens' name on your Hall of Fame ballot?" -- Wayne Kuznar

For some reason when I type his name on my IPad auto correct changes it to Stanozolol.

"Bud: Is it true Joe Banner never eats Chinese because an hour later he's hungry for power?" -- Kevin McCarthy

First-time "You said it" winners receive a T-shirt from the mental_floss collection.

"Bud: Given Derek Anderson's comments upon his departure that Cleveland fans didn't deserve a winner, would his rumored return by considered a self-fulfilling prophecy?" -- Bill T, Lakewood

Repeat winners get booed.

"Bud: If the Browns did hire cheerleaders, what would they do on Sundays?" -- Paul S

Repeat winners also get left out in the cold.

Buckeyes' basketball has a tough road game against the Spartans up next. Deshaun Thomas' team-leading scoring average nearly doubles the next biggest scorer. More Buckeyes story links.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 11th in the nation, continue to prepare for their next game, on Saturday at Michigan State against the No. 18 Spartans.

Ohio State (13-3, 3-1 in the Big Ten) is coming off Saturday's 56-53 home win over No. 5 Michigan (16-1, 3-1). The previously undefeated Wolverines had been ranked second before losing to the Buckeyes. Michigan State is 14-3, 3-1. The Spartans are playing at Penn State (8-8, 0-4) tonight.

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com features Ohio State sports coverage.

A primary concern for the Buckeyes as the Big Ten race develops and as tournament time nears is their lack of scorers besides junior forward Deshaun Thomas, who is scoring 20.3 points per game. That's a full 10 points more per game than the second-leading scorer, small forward Lenzelle Smith, Jr.

A look at Ohio State's statistics shows that the Buckeyes need more scoring punch from more players.

Buckeyes story links

   Buckeyes basketball

There will be lots of these before the real NBA draft on June 27. A mock draft. Here's one of the most recent, with Deshaun Thomas being picked late in the first round. (WalterFootball.com)

Despite the win over Michigan, Ohio State does not crack the top 15 in these new power rankings. At No. 4 is Michigan, with a photo explanation of what Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft and the Buckeyes did to contain Michigan point guard Trey Burke. (Sports Illustrated's SI.com)

A look back, a look ahead and more for Ohio State basketball. (By Bob Baptist, Columbus Dispatch)

Wisconsin is now the lone Big Ten team undefeated in league play following its 64-59 win at Indiana on Tuesday night. (Columbus Dispatch/Associated Press)

   Buckeyes football

What coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes hope to accomplish on the recruiting front before National Signing Day on Feb. 6. (By Brandon Castel, the-ozone.net)

How the Buckeyes' linebackers played in 2012, and what to expect from the linebacking unit in 2013. (By Tony Gerdeman, the-ozone.net)

According to a draft expert, the Buckeyes' Zach Boren ranks as the third best fullback available in April's NFL draft. (ESPN.com)

A list of the top 200 NFL draft prospects includes several Buckeyes, with defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins the highest-ranked at No. 12. (By Russ Lande, National Football Post)

FirstEnergy Corp.'s stock price is taking a beating on the New York Stock Exchange, even as the company tries to raise its long-term image by buying the naming rights of the Cleveland Browns Stadium.

View full size Renderings from FirstEnergy Corp. of Browns Stadium. FirstEnergy Corp.has bought the naming rights of the stadium.  

AKRON -- Only a day after announcing it would pay undisclosed millions to the Cleveland Browns for naming rights on the stadium, FirstEnergy Corp.'s stock price fell 50 cents Wednesday to $39.37 per share on the New York Stock Exchange.

That's the lowest since April 25, 2011, when it closed at $38.71 Over the past year, the stock has climbed to a high of $51.14, but its highest end-of-the-day closing price was $50.87 on July 30, 2012.

FirstEnergy captured headlines this week with the closing of a deal with the Cleveland Browns giving the Akron-based utility the exclusive naming rights for the stadium along with joint marketing and advertising on everything from tickets and schedules to philanthropic campaigns.

But the company has refused to disclose how much it is paying the Browns for the naming rights, except that it is a multi-year contract with annual payments.

Such marketing and advertising expenditures are easily buried in financial reports as a cost of doing business, and the company is not expected to try to directly tap rate payers for the expense.

The company's share price has more to do with business conditions, including low industrial demand for electricity, warm winter weather, and wholesale power prices kept low by power suppliers with cheap natural gas-fired boilers.

Last Friday, Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock from hold to sell. And on Tuesday this week, Jim Kramer of Mad Money recommended investors not buy the stock.

More than a dozen other analysts recommend still recommend holding the stock.

Notre Dame's Te'o went through the season building on the story that his grandmother and girlfriend had both died prior to an early-season game. The grandmother had died. There was no such girlfriend.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o has been caught in quite a fabricated story, one that doesn't necessarily diminish opinions of his playing ability, but one that damages something more important, his reputation as a man.

A cleveland.com report links to deadspin.com's details of the story.

Te'o played the last 11 games of the season as a sympathetic and inspirational figure, after claims that his grandmother and girlfriend had both died hours apart, shortly before Notre Dame's 20-3 win over Michigan State on Sept. 15. The story was reported by numerous electronic and print media outlets as the season went on, with Te'o often quoted about the ordeal.

Part of deadspin.com's story:

Manti Te'o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Annette Santiago died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72, according to Social Security Administration records in Nexis. But there is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Her passing, recounted so many times in the national media, produces no obituary or funeral announcement in Nexis, and no mention in the Stanford student newspaper.

Nor is there any report of a severe auto accident involving a Lennay Kekua. Background checks turn up nothing. The Stanford registrar's office has no record that a Lennay Kekua ever enrolled. There is no record of her birth in the news. Outside of a few Twitter and Instagram accounts, there's no online evidence that Lennay Kekua ever existed.

The photographs identified as Kekua—in online tributes and on TV news reports—are pictures from the social-media accounts of a 22-year-old California woman who is not named Lennay Kekua. She is not a Stanford graduate; she has not been in a severe car accident; and she does not have leukemia. And she has never met Manti Te'o.

Te'o, as of now, is expected to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft in April. Many mock drafts predict he will be selected around the middle of the round.

The Browns have the sixth pick in the first round, but -- again, at least for now -- it would be a surprise for Te'o to be taken that early. Cleveland doesn't have a second-round pick. Its next selection is currently slated to be the sixth pick in the third round.

Regardless of how they would get him, would you want Manti Te'o to play for the Browns?

SOLON, Ohio - In 75 years of Ohio high school wrestling, there is little uncharted territory. Even Tony DiGiovanni thought he had seen it all in his 29 years as Solon's coach. Then along came Brandon Thompson and Anthony Collica.

Solon seniors Anthony Collica, left, and Brandon Thompson are vying to become the first Division I wrestlers from a public school to win three state titles simultaneously for the same school. - (John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer)

SOLON, Ohio - In 75 years of Ohio high school wrestling, there is little uncharted territory. Even Tony DiGiovanni thought he had seen it all in his 29 years as Solon's coach.

Then along came Brandon Thompson and Anthony Collica.

The lifelong friends and teammates are on the verge of something new in Ohio. Both are seniors and both have won two state championships at Solon.

In March, they are heavily favored to win their third state titles.

No Division I public school duo has won three (or four) state titles at the same time for the same school.

"Not many schools have had three-time state champs. To have two in the same year would be pretty cool," Collica said.

St. Edward has done it twice, and can do it again this year with Dean Heil and Domenic Abounader, but that's a private school.

Massillon Perry had a pair of Division I, three-time state champs in 2004, but one of them won two of his titles at another school.

A public-school pair like Thompson and Collica in the state's large-school division is unprecedented. The quest for three is one of many things they have in common. Both started in Solon's youth wrestling program at age 4 and have been teammates ever since, traveling the state and the country with their wrestling-coach dads. They remain workout partners and close friends.

Both come from athletic families. Thompson's brother, Kevin Hardy, is Solon's only other three-time state champ (2005-07). Collica's sister, Maria, was a first-team All-Ohio soccer defender as a junior last fall.

Their fathers, both named Mike, were tutored as teens by DiGiovanni, and both dads are long-time Solon assistant coaches.

"They both are goal-oriented, great kids," DiGiovanni says of the 18-year-olds, "and yet they are completely different."

Collica is a physical 152-pounder who attacks relentlessly and has 20 pins in 32 matches (31-1). He's thoughtful, quiet and rarely flustered on or off the mat.

"He's very low-key, very even-tempered, just like his mom [Beth Collica]," Mike Collica said. "I've never seen him mad and I've never seen him upset. He can win a match and he can lose, and it will effect him the exact same way. When he lost at junior high states, he said, 'Dad, I gave 110 percent, and that's the best I can do.' "

Anthony Collica is an unusual high-level wrestler in that he cuts almost no weight, something his father has emphasized since his early days. Their focus has been on being the better wrestler, not the bigger one.

Collica was a Junior national freestyle champion at Fargo, N.D., last summer and has committed to Oklahoma State, where he plans to major in business.

Collica enjoys the process of wrestling, not just the success.

"It's a lot of fun. I enjoy getting better throughout the year and trying to get as good as you can so you can do your best at state," he said. "My main goal is to get to the Olympics one day."

Thompson (31-2, 16 pins) is a rangy, 120-pounder with size 12 feet, big hands and an almost impenetrable defense. He loves to tie up wrestlers on their feet, and is a cagy and sometimes unorthodox mat wrestler who had a school-record 30 pins last season. He can be as gregarious off the mat as Collica is unassuming.

Thompson was a Fargo qualifier last summer and recently de-committed from Grand Canyon State after it announced it was going to a club-level program temporarily. Ohio University, Clarion and North Carolina State are among the schools interested in him. He plans to study nursing.

Thompson said he isn't consumed by trying to win three state titles, but duplicating Hardy's success is important to him. Hardy was an NAIA national champ at Oklahoma City University.

"I'm just trying not to worry about winning another state title. I'm not trying to be like, 'I have to get three straight,' " he said. "My mentality is, if I go out there and wrestle hard, I know good things will happen. It always has.

"I am trying to beat my brother. It's kind of a family competition."

Their fathers say the fact their sons are on the verge of joining an elite group of Ohio three-timers says as much about them as it does about DiGiovanni, whom they have admired for years.

Mike Thompson wrestled at Kenston and Mike Collica was at Twinsburg when DiGiovanni was starting his career at Solon in 1984. DiGiovanni worked closely with both in the off-seasons and watched them wrestle at Cleveland State and John Carroll, respectively, before coming to work for him a few years after graduating.

DiGiovanni is known for getting the most out of wrestlers who use a wide range of styles. There is no Solon prototype, other than to be unpredictable, and there is a strong tradition that includes 20 state champs, 18 of them coached by DiGiovanni.

"Tony takes what you're good at and that's what he coaches you to do better. He takes Anthony's style and makes it better, and then he'll take an unorthodox and funky wrestler, and add to that," Mike Collica said.

SOLON, Ohio - There have been 58 three-time wrestling state champions and 22 four-time state champs in the state tournament's 75-year history. On eight occasions, two or more wrestlers from the same school won their third (or fourth) state titles in the same year. Solon's Brandon Thompson and Anthony Collica seek to become the first Division I public school...

Solon seniors Brandon Thompson, center, and Anthony Collica, right, are on pace to join an exclusive club in March. They are vying to become the first Division I public school duo to win all three of their state titles at the same school at the same time. Here, they perform pullups during a recent practice. - (John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer)

SOLON, Ohio - There have been 58 three-time wrestling state champions and 22 four-time state champs in the state tournament's 75-year history. On eight occasions, two or more wrestlers from the same school won their third (or fourth) state titles in the same year. Solon's Brandon Thompson and Anthony Collica seek to become the first Division I public school duo to win all three of their state titles at the same school at the same time.

1997, Walsh Jesuit (Division II): Joe Heskett and Jeff Knupp won third titles.

2000, St. Edward (Division I): Mark Jayne and Mason Lenhard won third titles.

2003, St. Edward (Division I): Ryan Lang won his third of four titles and Matt Koz won his third.

2004, Massillon Perry (Division I): Steve Luke won his third and Dustin Schlatter won his third of four titles. Schlatter won his first two titles at St. Paris Graham.

2008, St. Paris Graham (Division II): Ben Jordan won his third and David Taylor won his third of four titles.

2010, Monroeville (Division III): Chris Phillips, Hunter Stieber and Cam Tessari won their third titles.

2011, Monroeville (Division III): Phillips, Stieber and Tessari won their fourth titles.

2012, St. Paris Graham (Division II): Bo Jordan, Isaac Jordan and Ryan Taylor won their third titles.

Going for it in 2013

Solon (Division I): Brandon Thompson and Anthony Collica have won two titles.

St. Edward (Division I): Domenic Abounader has won two and Dean Heil has won three.

St. Paris Graham (Division II): Micah Jordan has won two and Bo Jordan has won three.

YEARLY RESULTS

Brandon Thompson

YearWeightRecordState tournament

2010 103 26-6 Did not qualify

2011 103 45-3 first

2012 113 45-2 first

2013 120 31-2 State is Feb. 28-March 2

Total: 147-13

Anthony Collica

YearWeightRecordState tournament

2010 112 34-8 Qualified

2011 130 47-2 first

2012 145 44-3 first

2013 152 31-1 State is Feb. 28-March 2

Total: 156-14