Jim Brown will talk with owner Jimmy Haslam on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jim Brown, the greatest running back in NFL history, received yet another honor on Friday when he received the Doak Walker Legends Award during a ceremony in Dallas.

It's an award presented to former running backs who excelled in college and went on to distinguish themselves on the field and in community efforts.

Past winners include Walter Payton, Archie Griffin, Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson.

Brown was pleased that the Cleveland Browns showed support at the ceremony with the presence of team president Alec Scheiner, and former Browns running back Kevin Mack. Brown will have a conference call with owner Jimmy Haslam on Sunday. The conversation will include Brown's possible role with the organization.

"I want to work with young people," Brown said. "I'll always be a Cleveland Brown . . . I'll do whatever Haslam would like me to do."

Brown is in town today participating in an event for Cornerstone of Hope, an organization that provides support to grieving children and adults.
 

Sorting through this week's mailbag for Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot.

View full size Redskins QB Kirk Cousins put on a show against the Browns while filling in for Robert Griffin III last season, which has some Browns fans intrigued in dealing for the former Michigan State QB. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

Hey, Mary Kay: Why isn't Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins on the Browns' radar as possible competition for Brandon Weeden? I think he fits the new offensive scheme. I would think he could be had if the price isn't too steep. -- Vince Manicho, New Vienna, Ohio

Hey, Vince: With Robert Griffin III coming off reconstructive knee surgery, there's no way the Redskins would part with Cousins. It was obvious last season how important it is for teams with dual-threat QBs to have a capable backup. Cousins, the Redskins' fourth-round pick last April, completed 26 of 37 attempts for 329 yards with two touchdowns and an interception en route to a 38-21 victory over the Browns. Pat Shurmur really liked the former Michigan State product, but the Browns opted for Weeden instead.

Hey, Mary Kay: I am worried that Jimmy Haslam will become what Randy Lerner was as an owner. Should I be? -- Mike Russo, Cleveland

Hey, Mike: Don't give it a second thought. Haslam will be just as hands-on as he ever planned to be, even after returning to his old job as CEO of Pilot/Flying J. He'll have a huge say in every key Browns decision, including who is signed in free agency and taken with the sixth pick in the draft. He'll be heavily involved in all key business decisions, such as improvements to the stadium. Haslam discovered after stepping aside as Pilot CEO in September that he really can play both roles very well. Many NFL owners keep their day jobs.

Hey, Mary Kay: Is it me or since the Browns hired Mike Lombardi as vice president of player personal, the search for a GM has come to a stop. Have not heard much about a GM since his hiring. Nobody wants it now? -- Johnny Rae, Brooklyn

Hey, Johnny: For all intents and purposes, Lombardi is the GM, and the Browns had no plans to add one once they hired him. Lombardi has the same job description as a GM, but does not currently have final say written into his contract. If the Browns like the job he's doing, he could someday get the GM title, but even then, the job won't change much.

Hey, Mary Kay: Do you think the Browns will get another quarterback or stick with Weeden? -- Daniel Smith, Brook Park

Hey, Daniel: I think the Browns will make every effort to upgrade the position, either through free agency, the draft or a trade. I don't think they'll have a crack at Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, because I believe GM Ozzie Newsome will make him a franchise player come March 4. They might have a chance at Alex Smith, but will have plenty of competition for his services. I still hear that Patriots backup Ryan Mallett won't be an option. They're evaluating all the QBs in this draft, including USC's Matt Barkley, West Virginia's Geno Smith, N.C. State's Mike Glennon and Florida State's E.J. Manuel. The Eagles have said they won't trade Nick Foles, but AP reports a first- or second-rounder would perk their ears up.

Hey, Mary Kay: I'm a fan in Brazil. I've seen some things about Ben Watson and I just do not understand why not bring him back. One of the main problems of the Browns, is the lack of experience of who gets the ball. I understand that WR and TE positions are completely different. But Watson is an experienced and safe target. Jordan Cameron is talented but not ready. -- Vinicius Parreira, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Hey, Vinicius: I don't get the sense the Browns are clamoring to re-sign any of their free agents, but things could change after the NFL Combine, when clubs often meet with agents. One thing working in Watson's favor is that Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner both value the tight end position (think Antonio Gates and Kellen Winslow Jr.) and Chudzinski played the position at Miami. The downside for Watson is that he's heading into his 10th season, but he's in excellent shape and is still a high quality tight end.

-- Mary Kay

Got a Browns question? Send it in. Submit your question at cleveland.com/heymarykay, and Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot will choose at least one to answer each Sunday here in the Sports section. All Mary Kay's answers are archived online.

Irving, the No. 1 pick of the 2011 draft, is still getting used to being mentioned in such elite company as Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant.

View full size After putting on a second-half show that lifted fans out of their seats in Houston, Kyrie Irving enjoyed the moment with fellow No. 1 draft pick Anthony Davis of New Orleans. The Hornets face the Cavaliers Wednesday at The Q. Eric Gay, Associated Press  

HOUSTON -- Byron Scott might be a little biased, but the Cavaliers head coach thinks point guard Kyrie Irving is one of the three best at that position in the NBA today.

"I'd probably have to say [Boston's Rajon] Rondo because of what he's been able to accomplish and [the Clippers] Chris Paul because he changes the game," Scott said. "Those are the top two right now. When I say top five, to me he's probably right there at three."

TNT analyst and former Cav Steve Kerr says that's not a high enough ranking for Irving, who will make his NBA All-Star debut Sunday night.

"Talent-wise, he's right at the top," Kerr said. "I don't see anybody with a better skill set, including Chris Paul. Nobody has his shooting range, his shooting proficiency, his athleticism, his speed. Now, Chris Paul is Chris Paul for a reason. His feel for the game, his passing ability, his leadership, a lot of intangibles are unmatched. That's why he's No. 1. But after Paul ... personally, I would put Kyrie right after Chris Paul. I would put him No. 2."

Irving, the No. 1 pick of the 2011 draft who became the Rookie of the Year last season and the MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend last year, is still getting used to being mentioned in such elite company as Paul and Kobe Bryant.

"Last year, [when] I was part of the Rising Stars event, I walked into the hotel and Kobe, CP3 -- all their pictures were around the hotel," Irving said. "This year, I get to see Kyrie's picture."

So, too, basketball fans will get a chance to see Irving's game on the grandest stage, surrounded by the biggest stars and the best players in the hoops world.

Irving, 20, was asked if he felt as though he belonged.

"For me, it's just about earning everybody's respect," he said. "I really don't care if they believe it or not. I let my game speak for itself. That's just the attitude I've had ever since I've come into the league. I just let my play speak for itself and whatever opinion anyone has is their opinion.

"I respect it, but you can't deny talent or hard work and that's what I try to do. I just try to show everybody why I was picked No. 1 and why I am going to become who I want to become."

Irving torments Detroit's Brandon Knight in Rising Stars

The young man does not lack for confidence. How else to explain the five game-winning shots he has in an NBA career only 93 games old?

"He's a difference-maker," said Minnesota coach Rick Adelman. "He can take the game over when the game is on the line."

Said Denver coach George Karl, "He has specialties. And probably his specialty right now is that he loves the fourth quarter. He loves the moment of the game."

All those comments have to do with his offense. "He doesn't have a weakness to his offensive game that I see," Karl said. "From a standpoint of stats, he doesn't have any areas of weakness."

But 20-year-old point guards have room for growth, and if Irving wants to become the best of his generation, there's one area that must improve significantly.

"Every person I talk to basketball-wise, they know how gifted he is offensively," Scott said. "But the one word that keeps coming out of their mouths is he has to get better on the defensive end, and I think he knows that. That's what separates Chris Paul. He's extremely good on the other end of the floor, not only man-to-man but as a team defender as well.

"Rondo is the same way. Derrick Rose, before he got hurt, was the same way. If you want to be the best point guard in this league, you've got to be able to do it at both ends of the floor. I think he understands that, and I think he's willing to work at it."

The Cavs have been the league's worst defensive team all season in opponent field-goal percentage. Irving is, as Scott so often says, the head of the snake -- on offense and on defense. If an opponent gets by him, his teammates have to scramble and they get caught out of position.

If the Cavs take their cue from Irving's aggressiveness on offense, what might happen if he made the same effort on defense? In the NBA, defense equals victories, playoffs and championships. Those are the things by which Irving will ultimately be measured.

"Being a point guard is kind of like being a quarterback in the NFL," Kerr said. "You can't really be considered the best quarterback in the NFL unless you get to the playoffs and you're successful year in and year out as a team. That's the next stage for him."

Said TNT's Kenny Smith, "He's going to be the future of what point guards look like. What's going to make him be the elite point guard or the best in that conversation when they say Rondo and Deron Williams and Chris Paul is when he wins. You can't be 15-34 and be in the elite conversation because of your team.

"That might hold you back because you don't have good guys around you. Maybe. But they're a young team and once they are playing for something that matters, and it's life or death, then all of sudden you see the best come out of them. You've seen the best come out of CP3 and Deron Williams and [Russell] Westbrook at times when something matters.

"That's what we're waiting for him. We just need to see him play when something matters."

No one will be happier when that happens than Scott. A connoisseur of point guards, he played with Magic Johnson, coached Jason Kidd and Paul. When he says Irving already is one of the best and can get better, he knows of what he speaks.

"He's continuing to grow, still has a long ways to go," Scott said. "But, man, at 20 years old, the way he's playing, it's going to be scary to see him in four or five years when he figures out this league and everything about it on both ends of the floor and the game really slows down for him. It's going to be scary."

Ironically, that's the same word Western Conference All-Star coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs used when asked about Irving.

"I know he's in the scary category," Popovich said. "You watch him on film and you think, 'Oh my gosh. How are we going to guard this guy?' He's extremely talented. He's obviously very competitive on top of it.

"I don't rank players, but he gives you just as much trouble as anybody else, that's for sure."

Three Cleveland-centric ways to view the great Michael Jordan, who turns 50 Sunday.

View full size Michael Jordan -- watching a Charlotte Bobcats game with his fiancee, Yvette Prieto -- hasn't had much success as an NBA executive. But that's hardly how NBA fans -- whether or not they rooted for him -- remember the sport's greatest player. AP file  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland usually viewed Michael Jordan, who -- maybe you've heard -- turns 50 on Sunday, through a darker lens than the rose-colored glasses elsewhere.

Even in New York, the wanna-be bad boys who gave Jordan his sternest tests of the 1990s, Spike Lee was always around to give kudos to Jordan. As a fan, Lee, a great film-maker, was still Mars Blackmon, the character he played while shilling for Jordan's shoes.

In Cleveland, Jordan was the villain. In Cleveland, he was booed.

Magnificently talented, he possessed an almost mystical drive to win. In the only Eastern Conference finals the Mark Price-Brad Daugherty teams reached, Jordan's slashes to the basket in the close-out sixth game seemed unstoppable. None of Sports Illustrated's 50 cover photographs of Jordan would have captured him then. Only a Michelangelo painting or sculpture would have served, with their depictions of powerful beings who simply existed outside the natural order of things.

Maybe those Jordan drives were the product of angelic or demonic energies, depending on the way you were rooting. As I said, it was mystical.

Here are three ways I remember Jordan. They represent the value of the longest shot in the game, the strategic sides of Phil Jackson's triangle offense in which Jordan thrived, and the unholy trinity of events that happened when here came Mr. Jordan.

1. The Shot: Jordan hung in the air at the foul line at Richfield Coliseum, then hung some more as Craig Ehlo, his last defender, descended. When The Shot went in, giving the Bulls a 101-100 victory in the fifth and final game of a thrilling 1989 first-round series, Jordan leaped and capered, punching his fist in the air, near Ehlo, who had crumpled to the floor. It was as gripping a moment of Cleveland sports trauma as you will find.

Lost was the best chance of an NBA championship in the Price-Daugherty years, despite reaching the Eastern finals in 1991-92. By then, Ron Harper had been traded. "After they traded Harper, we knew we couldn't win it all," Daugherty said.

The Shot was one of the franchise's three closest brushes with a ring, including the "Miracle of Richfield Year" when Jim Chones broke his foot before the East finals, and the 2008 second-round playoffs, when Mike Brown's fiercest defensive team lost a Tong War seventh game in Boston to the eventual champion Celtics.

In retrospect, 1989 is remarkable for the overconfidence of the Cavs. They had swept Chicago, 6-0, in the regular season. They rested Price, who was sub-par for the entire series with a groin pull, in the opener, which they lost. That was even though Price was the team's single most important player.

The previous year, the Cavs had also lost in five games to Chicago. Price played 43 minutes in a 107-101 final-game defeat in Chicago. In the five minutes he rested, the Cavs, who had no reliable backup at point guard, were outscored, 14-3. It was the whole game.

On The Shot, Cavs coach Lenny Wilkens double-teamed Jordan on the inbounds pass for the first time in the series with Ehlo and Larry Nance. The latter, however, was playing on a bad ankle. Nance either lost Jordan on a cut (the usual explanation) or was pushed just enough by Jordan (which is what really happened) to be out of the play before it hardly began.

Critically, no one guarded the inbounder, Warrensville Heights' Brad Sellers. Even giving credit to Wilkens for his gutsy gamble, the value of disrupting the initial pass has been shown time and again -- most memorably in the last-gasp Soviet bomb play in the 1972 Olympics and in Duke's overtime victory against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament East Final on Christian Laettner's shot.

Who was more likely to falter? Jordan? Or Sellers?

When The Shot went in, the soon-to-be champion Pistons, who were watching in their locker room, cheered. They had feared the Cavs more.

2. The Shot II: This 1993 Richfield reprise really doesn't belong with the first one. A jump shot over Gerald Wilkins' defense by Jordan at the Game 4 buzzer, it simply broke a 101-101 tie and concluded a 4-0 second-round sweep. The Cavs won 54 games, but had struggled mightily in a five-game series against the Nets in the first round. The Bulls won 57. The Bulls were defending champions, Jordan was at his most confident, and not even Riley's bully boys, who won 60, lasted more than six games against them.

If the Cavs-Bulls series was notable for anything, it was for Jordan's comment that at that stage of his career, he got "the benefit of the doubt from the referees."

Ya think? The shove of Nance would be reprised with a subtle forearm push that sent Utah's Bryon Russell tumbling and gave Jordan his hold-that-follow-through jump shot in his second threepeat. The NBA is a caste system. Jordan was a Brahmin.

3. The Gamesman: Jordan occasionally gave expensive gifts to players on other teams who considered themselves buddies, then laughed all the way to the victory parade afterward. A pal never knocks his generous and thoughtful buddy on his butt when he's driving the lane and scoring at will, does he?

Guess the No. 1 All-Star highlight? You're right

Once trapped outside on a defensive switch against 5-3 Muggsy Bogues, the smallest and quickest player in the NBA, with the game on the line, Jordan, a supreme trash-talker, dropped his hands to his side, backed off, and snarled, "Shoot it, you little [flipper]."

Bogues shot an airball and plunged into a prolonged crisis of confidence.

Our exhibit of this trait came at the 1997 All-Star Game at The Q, which was then called Gund Arena. Jordan stood behind the foul circle in the first half of the East's victory, chatting amiably with Golden State's Mitch Richmond as East teammate Grant Hill shot a free throw.

Richmond and Jordan were both still smiling at the moment Hill released the ball, after which Jordan burst unchecked down the lane, grabbed the rebound and dunked it with a flourish. Richmond's smile, like the Cheshire Cat's, was all that was left of him.

Cleveland fans knew the feeling. Only here it usually was tears.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

Irving, James have much in common, many differences at this stage of their careers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No. 1 pick in the NBA draft becomes Rookie of the Year and revives moribund franchise.

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have that in common when it comes to the Cavaliers. Both became All-Stars in their second seasons.

This is not a debate about who is better. Comparing a 6-foot-3, 191-pound, 20-year-old point guard to a 6-foot-8, 250-pound, 28-year-old power forward who has been a three-time NBA MVP as well as an NBA and Olympic champion is pointless.

Rather this is a look at how the two are different, especially at a similar point of their careers. If Irving's career path soars like James' did, just imagine what might happen if (when?) the two got a chance to play together -- as they might in Sunday's All-Star Game.

View full size In his second season as a professional, LeBron James was already a dynamic offensive player, but hadn't yet gotten the knack of being the go-to guy in the final seconds. Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer  

1. Approach: Byron Scott recently had to tell Irving to be aggressive and take over games. As a natural point guard, Irving's first inclination is to get his teammates involved. James always has been a willing passer, but the offense used to grind to a halt when he'd break off plays and pound the ball at the top of the key while the shot clock ticked down when he tried to take over games.

2. On the block: Irving thinks he can post up anybody, anytime. James had to be persuaded to go to the post and still seems to do so reluctantly.

3. Contact: Irving loves contact, ricocheting through the lane like a pinball and usually getting the call, perhaps as a reward for his fearlessness in spite of his size. James shied away from contact early in his career, perhaps because of the pounding he took inside. Because of his size and brute strength, he often didn't get the calls he thought he deserved -- and protested vehemently.

4. Closing: Irving already has five game-winning shots in his career. James' first game-winning buzzer beater came near the end of his third season, on April 10, 2006, a 23-foot jumper to lift the Cavs to a 103-101 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, who were playing in Oklahoma City that season. Those Hornets were coached by Byron Scott. Early in his career, James was criticized for passing off to teammates instead of taking the last shot, even when that might have been the smart basketball play given that his jump shot was not as strong as it is now. That caused some to question James' killer instinct.

5. Charity stripe: Irving is very good, shooting about 86 percent. James has shot 75 percent for his career. His best season was 2008-09, when he made 78 percent. Perhaps a lack of confidence at the line was part of the reason a young James opted to pass to open teammates late in a game. (See No. 4.)

View full size No one in the league is any better at finishing with his off hand -- with usually a artistic spin off the backboard -- than Irving as a sophomore. Just as impressively, he has embraced the contact that comes with driving toward the basket. Mark Duncan, Associated Press  

6. Health: Irving already has suffered a series of bizarre injuries, including a concussion, broken hand, broken finger, broken jaw bone and sprained right shoulder. Because he broke the hand over the summer, he never missed a game. Wearing a mask over the broken jaw, he also continued playing, so his toughness is not in question. James has been remarkably durable throughout his career, never missing more than seven games in any one season. Irving has missed 25 games in two seasons, James 29 in 10 seasons.

7. Defense: James has become a very good defender who relishes locking down an opponent. He turned the chase-down block into an art form. Irving has a long way to go defensively, although his poor footwork and reaching on defense at this stage of his career do call to mind a young James.

8. Glass: James used the glass from short range, but not to the extent or the way Irving does. Few, if any, in the game today spin the ball off the glass from the off-hand side as effectively as Irving.

9. Demeanor: James is much more animated on the court, with demonstrative celebrations that mirror his powerful moves. Irving is more subdued, but just as effective. James always wanted everybody to like him and have fun, hence the extended pre-game high-jinks and handshakes with teammates and opponents. Irving is much more business-like.

Plain Dealer reporters Mary Schmitt Boyer, Dennis Manoloff and Jodie Valade contributed to this report.

On Twitter: @dmansworldpd

In February, Andrew Nicholson has averaged 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for Orlando.

View full size His rookie season hasn't been without some struggles -- such as getting the wrong end of this loose ball battle with the Cavaliers' Shaun Livingston -- but former St. Bonaventure star Andrew Nicholson has been productive for the rebuilding Magic. John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer  

HOUSTON -- How good has Orlando's Andrew Nicholson been playing?

So good that the Magic's 6-9, 250-pound power forward was named to the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge when Detroit's Andre Drummond was forced to withdraw with a bad back.

"It's a tremendous opportunity, a tremendous privilege to be able to come out here and represent our organization," Nicholson said.

Nicholson had just six points and three rebounds for Team Shaq, which was routed by Team Chuck, 163-135, in Friday night's event. But he has been much more productive for Orlando recently.

The 23-year-old from St. Bonaventure, an Ontario native who was the 19th pick in the 2012 draft, moved into the starting lineup when Glen "Big Baby" Davis hurt his foot. He is averaging 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds, but in February those averages went up to 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, including 21 and eight in a 119-108 loss at Cleveland on Feb 8.

His season-high 22 points came in a 123-88 loss against Toronto on Dec. 29, and his high of 10 rebounds came in a 94-87 loss at Boston on Feb. 1.

Ohio led by 15 points, 46-31, early in the second half before the Golden Flashes rallied.

ATHENS, Ohio -- Stevie Taylor's 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining in overtime gave Ohio the lead as it defeated Kent State, 78-75, Saturday for its fourth straight victory.

On Kent State's ensuing possession, Nick Kellogg deflected a pass, and the ball came to Walter Offutt, who had 17 points for the Bobcats (19-6, 10-1 Mid-American Conference). Offutt tipped it to Kellogg for a final layup with 2 seconds left.

Ohio led by 15 points, 46-31, early in the second half before the Golden Flashes (14-12, 5-7) rallied.

It was Ohio's second narrow victory over the Golden Flashes in their first season under former Kent State coach Jim Christian. The Bobcats won, 69-68, on Jan. 26.

D.J. Cooper's seven assists give him 884 in his career, tied for 15th all-time with Jim Les, who played at Cleveland State and Bradley from 1981-86.

Chris Evans' 18 points and 14 rebounds led Kent State.

The five oddest questions Irving was asked during Friday's media session at All-Star Weekend.

HOUSTON -- Here are the five oddest questions Irving was asked during Friday's media session at All-Star Weekend.

Q: What's one thing Kyrie Irving thinks he could be Michael Jordan at?

A: Probably Uno.

Q: Lent started last Wednesday. What would be the most difficult thing for you right now to give up for 40 days?

A: Besides basketball? Probably candy. Sour Patch Kids.

Q: Who would you rather have on your team? Spider-Man, Batman or Iron Man? (Note: questioner was a youngster.)

A: A superhero on a basketball team? Spiderman.

Q: Russell Westbrook was recently caught on camera at a game singing to "Die Young" by pop singer Ke$ha. What female singer might you be caught singing to?

A: Probably Adele.

Q: How was your Valentine's Day?

A: It was good. I was with my girlfriend.

It's the early spring training edition of our weekly mailbag for beat writer Paul Hoynes.

View full size There will be likely plenty of teaching moments this spring between Indians manager Terry Francona and precocious pitching prospect Trevor Bauer. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

Hey, Hoynsie: I've read several times that Trevor Bauer might not be ready for the big leagues. Is it true that if he makes the opening day roster that it speeds up his arbitration eligibility? Didn't the Tribe do that to Lonnie Chisenhall and say that he needed "seasoning" a spring training or two ago? -- Michael Lee, Cleveland

Hey, Michael: A player can qualify for arbitration two ways. He has three full seasons in the big leagues or is in the upper 22 percent of players with fewer than three, but more than two years in the big leagues.

Bauer will open the season with 21 days of major-league service time because of the time he spent in the big leagues last year with Arizona. Any time spent in the big leagues this season will move him closer to arbitration. One year in the big leagues is equal to 172 days during the regular season.

Hey, Hoynsie: The fans have no excuse not to come out now and watch the Indians at Progressive Field. Sure hope they do. Why do you think all of a sudden the Dolans are willing to spend? Is it just because of the STO money? -- Tom G, Ki, Mo.

Hey, Tom: There are lots of theories, but the sale of STO to Fox has certainly given ownership money to work with. National TV contracts, starting in 2014, will also give each of the 30 big-league teams between $25 million and $27 million in revenue for the next eight years.

I think ownership and the front office sensed they had to do something after a 94-loss season last season. There is also speculation that the Dolans are trying to improve the club in order to sell it.

Hey, Hoynsie: Saw where Michael Bourn was signed, but has to pass a physical first. I was wondering how extensive these physicals are. Do they include MRIs, CAT scans, etc., or merely a basic check-up in the trainer's room? Can a player still hide an injury? -- Bruce Allen, Land O' Lakes, Fla.

Hey, Bruce: When you're investing $48 million in a player for four years, the physicals are extensive. They usually last all day. In most cases, especially with pitchers, they involve MRIs on elbows and shoulders.

Most players hit free agency after six years in the big leagues or minors. By that time, they have plenty of wear on their bodies. I don't think it's a matter of hiding injuries, it's a matter of the club weighing the risk/reward equation regarding the body part in question.

Hey, Hoynsie: Your article stated that the Tribe spent $104 million on Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. Isn't that expenditure paid over four years? Isn't the annual expenditure pretty similar to what they gave Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook in 2007, although Hafner's extension was for four years and Westbrook's three? -- R.P., Cleveland

Hey, R.P.: No, they are not similar.

The total cost of Swisher and Bourn's contract is $104 million. In the 2013 season, they will receive $18 million, $7 million for Bourn and $11 million for Swisher. Hafner and Westbrook, when they played for the Indians, each signed extensions in 2007. Their base pay that year rose a combined $4.25 million as the result of those extensions.

Hey, Hoynsie: Will an opposing team land a fly ball in an outfield of Michael Brantley, Michael Bourn, and Drew Stubbs? -- Joe Cepec, Dublin

Hey, Joe: Brantley, Bourn and Stubbs will cover a lot of ground, but I believe one or two fly balls will hit the outfield grass. If not, we've got a great story.

Hey, Hoynsie: Is Bo Greenwell still in the Tribe's future plans? -- Bob Gimza, Willowick

Hey, Bob: Not sure what Greenwell's chances are of making the big leagues with the Tribe, but he's still in the organization and is scheduled to play at Class AA Akron this year. Last season he hit .310 (53-for-171) with 10 doubles, two triples, two homers and 17 RBI in 46 games at Class A Carolina.

-- Hoynsie

Goal-oriented Horton has been checking off items from his 'bucket list' for more than three decades

BEREA, Ohio -- Ray Horton brings to Cleveland a unique view of the football world, one perhaps best enjoyed from the cockpit of a single-engine plane cruising 3,000 feet above the ground.

Two years ago, as many assistant coaches spent part of the NFL lockout honing their golf games, the Browns' new defensive coordinator fulfilled a long-time goal of pursuing a pilot’s license. For a 52-year-old coach who’s built a reputation on applying pressure, he has an uncommon way of relieving it.

“It’s not like in a car where you are on the ground,” Horton said. “It’s just you, you’re in the air and defying the laws of gravity. It’s the most calming thing I’ve ever done and it’s probably my biggest accomplishment.”

What the Browns are getting in Horton is more than a coordinator who will blitz the quarterback and transform them into a 3-4 defense. He is an eclectic NFL lifer – one with 31 years of experience as a player and coach – who’s not afraid to embrace change and step outside of ordinary.

He flies Cessnas -- and sometimes in the face of conformity. He dabbles with the saxophone. He once gave away a Mercedes to a Pittsburgh Steelers cafeteria worker. The assistant coach with the long braids makes former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan look as button-downed as Jim Tressel.

“Nothing that Coach Ray does surprises me in terms of self expansion,” Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. “He likes to live life and he likes intellectual challenges and he likes to grow from his personal experiences.”

Horton is known as a coach who relates to players through his knowledge of the game and ability to communicate it. He can be blunt yet understanding, the product of 10 seasons as a defensive back with the Bengals and Cowboys. He knows the joy of winning Super Bowls, the agony of falling seconds short and the humility of having to start over as a member of a 1-15 team.

Nobody in Cleveland needs to tell Horton the pain associated with losing to John Elway – he experienced it at the University of Washington – or being on the wrong side of a last-minute, 90-yard touchdown drive – see Super Bowl XXIII highlights.

At his introductory news conference last month, he memorably reassured reporters the roster possesses enough “big men that can run and little men that will hit” to play his style of defense. Striking a more serious tone, Horton acknowledged he would need to gain the players’ confidence.

“I have to establish something, which is trust and that’s all I want them to do,” Horton said. “I want them to trust I have ... the Cleveland Browns’ best interest in mind. I'm sure they have some apprehension about, ‘Who is this guy? What’s he going to do? What’s that mean to me?’”

Perhaps Horton can explain it to several players at a time as they take off from Burke Lakefront Airport and circle FirstEnergy Stadium.

Super Sundays

View full size "The rules of the game are pro offense," Horton says. "The only thing we have to counteract that is to hit people, starting with the quarterback." AP file  

Growing up in Tacoma, Wash., Horton compiled a ‘bucket list,’ decades before there was a term for such catalogs. He wanted to be a pilot. He wanted to be a fireman. He wanted to travel the world. He wanted to win a national championship and a Super Bowl.

“I went back home several years ago looking for the list but I couldn’t find it,” Horton said. “Sports were something I was good at, but as a kid I had a lot of interests.”

Horton, who earned his degree in sociology at Washington, became an All Pac-10 standout for the Huskies in 1982 after nearly leaving the program prior to his junior season. Horton had passed a Seattle firefighters exam and thought of applying for a job until a former high school teacher threatened “to beat me up and down the street if I quit.”

The Bengals drafted Horton in the second round of the 1983 draft in part due to a strong recommendation from LeBeau, then Cincinnati’s defensive backs coach. LeBeau has served as a position coach, defensive coordinator, mentor, confidante and friend to Horton over the past three decades. The Pro Football Hall of Famer knows him as well as anyone in the profession.

“He was an excellent player,” LeBeau said of Horton, who started 99 of his 147 career NFL games. “He could play outside (corner) and inside. At the end of his career he played safety and played it very well. I think playing all the positions has contributed to his ability to coordinate a defense.

“You get a feel for guys in this business. You know when you’re coaching them that ‘this guy would be a heckuva coach.’ I always felt that way about Ray. He just had an eye for the whole picture. Not just necessarily what he had to do, but what everyone had to do around him.”

LeBeau and Horton won two Super Bowls together on the Steelers’ staff and lost a heartbreaker in 1989 as Joe Montana drove the 49ers 92 yards in the final three minutes of a 20-16 victory over the Bengals.

Horton was on the field for the last drive, making several tackles, but he couldn’t prevent Montana from hitting John Taylor for a 10-yard touchdown with 34 seconds remaining. On the play, Taylor lined up as a tight end while Jerry Rice came in motion to the left side. It was a formation the Niners had rarely used and Horton opted to help double-team Rice, who had 11 catches for 215 yards.

As the famous play unfurled, Horton broke toward Taylor, but arrived a second too late.

“They had run that play one time all season and as soon as the play started happening I was like, ‘Oh shoot, oh shoot,’” Horton recalled. “Yeah, I wish I would have called time out. Would it have made a difference in the game? I don’t know.

“I’ve used that play (in coaching), telling players that there are going to be mistakes made. It’s the biggest game of the year and it did look like it was ‘your’ fault and you live with that forever. I remember walking down the street in Seattle and walking by someone who recognized me and he (told someone) ‘he cost his team the Super Bowl.’ You live with that. It’s your first Super Bowl and you never know if you’re going to get back.”

LeBeau absolved Horton of blame for the touchdown and concluded it was simply “Montana being Montana.”

Horton joined the Cowboys the next season, enduring a 1-15 record but recognizing the promise in playmakers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. Three years later, Horton would finish his playing career with a title as the Cowboys crushed the Buffalo Bills to win a Super Bowl.

“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of five Super Bowls,” Horton said. “I have been blessed. I’ve never thought about the ones I’ve won, but the ones you lose you go back and say, ‘If I had ... if I had ... if I had ...’ It’s one of those burdens you bear the rest of your career.”

Consistent approach

Horton has spent the past two decades teaching players and raising kids. The responsibilities of an NFL assistant make it difficult on family members who must learn quickly there’s nothing permanent about the lifestyle. Homes, mailing addresses and best friends change frequently.

His son, Jerran, 21, and daughter Taylor, 24, said their father made more youth games and piano recitals than he missed during coaching stints with Washington, Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Arizona. Horton taught them to be independent thinkers and to speak their minds. Taylor, shares Horton’s love of photography and travel. She also apparently inherited his bluntness.

About six years ago, Horton began to braid his hair, a look that did nothing for his then-teenage daughter.

“I told him, ‘Dad, you are too old for braids,” said Taylor, a professional photographer. “But that’s who he is. He does some things differently. He’s very comfortable with himself and he’s also very respectful with others’ opinions.”

Horton interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Arizona, Buffalo and Cleveland this off-season and asked his suitors if his braids would be an issue. His affinity for the saxophone was not a topic of conversation.

“Let’s just say I’m a better pilot than I am a saxophone player,’ said Horton, whose younger brother, Brian, is an Air Force veteran and pilot for Alaskan Airlines.

Those closest to Horton say he’s full of surprises. Two years ago, as he departed Pittsburgh to accept the Cardinals' defensive coordinator’s job, he stunned a Steelers’ cook who had long admired his 1999 Mercedes Benz SL 500 convertible roadster. While saying goodbye to the cafeteria staff, he told Maurice “Mo” Matthews he had lost his wallet and wondered if he could borrow money. The cook gave Horton $20. Horton handed the cook the keys to the Mercedes – and later the title to the car.

“My philosophy is you take care of people who take care of you,” Horton said. “(Matthews) was a guy who would travel to (Steelers) road games on his own. ... He was the kind of employee that you’d want representing your team, whether it was the President, the CEO or the owner. And he happened to be one of our cooks. It was just something I thought would mean so much more to him than it would if I traded the car in to get a new one or something like that.”

Horton was well regarded in his two years with the Cardinals. The defense ranked 29th before his arrival and 12th last season while also ranking first in passer rating (71.2) and second in interceptions (22) and third-down efficiency (32.9 percent).

Linebacker Paris Lenon said players appreciate Horton’s candor and consistency.

“His approach is impressive,” Lenon said. “He has a very cool demeanor and has the answers. Nothing catches him off guard or flusters him ...

“You know what you are going to get out of him. I’ve had coaches who weren’t that way. One minute they are cool, calm and collected and the next day they are yelling at everybody.”

There are many questions surrounding schemes and personnel fit as Horton converts the Browns' 4-3 front played under Dick Jauron. One thing seems certain: They will come after the quarterback, a philosophy favored by LeBeau. Only the Houston Texans blitzed more than the Cardinals last season.

“The rules of the game are pro offense,” Horton said. “People want to see scoring, they don’t want to see a 7-3 game, that’s not exciting. ... The only thing we have to counteract that is to hit people, starting with the quarterback.”

LeBeau believes his pupil is head coach material – another one of Horton’s bucket-list goals. In the meantime, he will revamp the Browns’ defense, teaching new schemes and terminology.

The defensive overhaul likely won’t be pretty or smooth. That’s OK. In football as in flying, Horton finds comfort in the turbulence.

The Buckeyes are 3-4 on the road this season, and though they've been close at Michigan and Michigan State, their NCAA seeding could suffer without a big win on a hostile court.

View full size Coach Thad Matta and OSU star Deshaun Thomas are still seeking a meaningful road win this season that might impress NCAA officials when tournament seeds are established. Sunday's game at Wisconsin is one such opportunity. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer  

MADISON, Wis. -- Asked for his favorite among the 42 Big Ten road wins in his Ohio State career, Thad Matta first mentioned the 56-53 win at Northwestern, clinched by a Ron Lewis drive, that ensured the Buckeyes at least a share of the Big Ten title in 2005-06, Matta's second season.

Seven years later, he still remembered the score.

Then there was William Buford's jumper with one second left at Michigan State last season -- Matta called it “huge” -- that lifted Ohio State to a 72-70 win, ruined the Spartans' Senior Day and snared Ohio State a three-way share of the conference crown.

And he couldn't forget Evan Turner's career-high 32-point performance at Purdue in 2010, including 23 in the second half, to outduel Robbie Hummel and his 35 points in a 70-66 win. It was Turner's third game after returning from a back injury, and with Ohio State reeling at 1-3 in conference play, Turner proved he'd be fine, and so would the Buckeyes. A “life saver” Matta called it.

Overall, Matta owns a 42-33 conference road record. Not bad, considering he went 2-6 in year one. But what the Buckeyes did with their 19-8 Big Ten road mark from 2009-10 through 2011-12, is something of which Matta is, and should be, proud.

“It's not easy, I will you that,” Matta said.

So as the No. 13 Buckeyes (18-6, 8-4 Big Ten) prepare for a 1 p.m. tipoff at No. 20 Wisconsin (17-8, 8-4) on Sunday, Matta knows just how difficult a big road win is to get in the Big Ten, but just how much it can do for a team that gets one.

“There are certain games you remember that change the season, that change the climate of our team,” Matta said.

Maybe that season changer is still there for the Buckeyes. They are 3-3 on the road in conference play so far, with wins over Purdue, Nebraska and Penn State, three of the bottom four teams in the league. They were blown out at Illinois, but played well in spurts and lost close games at Michigan State, 59-56, and at Michigan, 76-74 in overtime.

“I think about Illinois. That's when our team was still learning,” leading scorer Deshaun Thomas said. “That's one game I think we gave away. Michigan and Michigan State, they were tough games. We fought, though. That's one thing we showed, we fought.”

Nothing shows what a team's fight more than a road win over a ranked opponent, though. That's where the Buckeyes are lacking, and it could hurt them come March.

Though they are tied for third in the Big Ten with Michigan and Wisconsin, and ranked 13th in the nation, the Buckeyes were given a No. 6 seed in the annual mock NCAA bracket put together by media members. (NCAA Tournament media mock bracket)

Working off current resumes, Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press reported Friday that the Buckeyes were the seventh-best team in the Big Ten according to the mock committee, behind not only Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin, but Illinois and Minnesota as well. The result was a game vs. No. 11 Memphis in the first round, with No. 3 Louisville looming in the round of 32 at the Lexington site.

Maybe the two best road wins in the country are owned by Big Ten teams. Wisconsin won at No. 1 Indiana and Illinois won at No. 5 Gonzaga. While Minnesota is only 1-4 on the road in Big Ten play, that win was over Illinois, and it also has road wins at USC and Florida State.

Throw in a competitive 73-68 loss at Duke, and the Buckeyes have hung in on the road. They started slow at Michigan State and faded late at Michigan, but were there until the end.

“Michigan State, you're down (10-0) to start the game, so we didn't have what we needed at that particular juncture,” Matta said. “Michigan, you've got an eight-point lead in the second half, and they come back and take the lead on you.”

So they don't have that one win that can make all the difference.

With Northwestern and Indiana the only other road games remaining, this is Ohio State's best chance to impress. Beating the Wildcats won't open many eyes, and coming out on top in Bloomington might be the most challenging test of the whole season.

Ohio State won in Madison last year for the first time since 2012. The Buckeyes handled the Badgers in Columbus this year 58-49. In Bo Ryan's 12 years as Wisconsin, the Badgers own the fourth-best home winning percentage in the country. But after losing a total of 11 home games in his first 10 years, Wisconsin has lost six home games the last two years, including to Virginia and Michigan State this season.

“Last year won there and we know they'll have that momentum from last year,” Thomas said, “and they'd say, 'We can't have those guys come in here and win.'”

That's exactly what those guys need to do.

Sorting through this week's NBA mailbag with beat writer Mary Schmitt Boyer.

View full size Greg Oden hasn't played in an NBA game since the 2009-10 season. Associated Press  

Hey, Mary: I read your article about the Cavs' interest in Greg Oden. You mentioned the Miami Heat were also interested. Can you please explain to me how the Heat can be able to sign anyone and still be under the salary cap? They have three max contracts in LeBron, Wade and Bosh, and somehow were able to sign Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis this off-season. Now you are telling us they can sign someone else? How can this be possible? Does the league cheat in order to allow them to continue to go over the cap? How can Memphis have cap troubles but the Heat do not? -- Vince Pacetti, Strongsville

Hey, Vince: The NBA traditionally has had a soft salary cap, which means that teams can go over the salary cap but face increasingly stiff fines for doing so. The new collective bargaining agreement that went into effect before last season raised the fines significantly based on how far and how often a team is over the cap. Miami's owner is willing to pay them; Memphis' is not. Also, technically, James, Wade and Bosh do not have max contracts, though they each will make more than $17 million this season. If the Heat wanted to sign Oden, it would have to do so at the league minimum.

Hey, Mary: I have a question regarding the two 2011 draftees.

I believe I heard somewhere that Tristan Thompson led college basketball in blocks during his one year at Texas (although it may have just been the conference) and last year it seemed like he was getting more blocks than this year. Is there any explanation for this?

My question regarding Kyrie Irving is ... I was wondering at what point we can expect him to receive star treatment. I believe that he is an elite talent in this league and it is only a matter of time before he is allowed to travel, reach in and draw any foul he wants just like all the NBA superstars can do. -- Anthony T., Cleveland

Hey, Anthony: Thompson did lead the Big 12 Conference in 2010-11 with 86 blocked shots, an average of 2.4 a game, in his one year at Texas, but that ranked 24th in the nation. His blocked shots are down this year, but in general he's rebounding better and playing better position defense with his feet. Plus, last year he was playing a lot of center, whereas he's now playing power forward, so he comes at the shots differently. I think you're kidding about Irving's star treatment. He's an All-Star. Let's leave it at that.

-- Mary

A champion at every level, Jordan wasn't always easy to deal with, but he took his commitments to the league, the media and the fans seriously.

View full size The undisputed king of the NBA court, Michael Jordan created today's player-driven league. AP file  

HOUSTON -- Happy 50th birthday, Michael Jordan.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird may have saved the NBA, but Jordan took it to the heights its enjoys today, becoming a global star in every sense of the word. If you love All-Star Weekend or hate it, it's Jordan's fault.

I know Jordan's not a popular figure in Cleveland, where the pain of The Shot still lingers even after all these years. But today's players know what Jordan meant to the game. Every time they enter a packed arena, tie their custom-made shoes or film a commercial, they should whisper of word of thanks to Air Jordan.

"MJ has paved the way for a lot of us," Cleveland's Kyrie Irving said. "He's proven what hard work and dedication can get you. We're playing hard every night, never taking a play off. That's statement right there -- never take a play off -- [is a tribute to] Michael Jordan. He's a true testament of what a great player can do."

Prompted by Jordan's birthday and the great run LeBron James is on, a popular topic of conversation this week has been who would win a 1-on-1 game between the two in their prime. The answer is Jordan, and anybody who saw him in his prime knows it. He possessed a ruthlessness that James does not -- and that's no knock on James' prodigious talent.

A champion at every level, Jordan wasn't always easy to deal with, but he took his commitments to the league, the media and the fans seriously. On his birthday, we should celebrate the gift he was to basketball.

Former Indian Ben Francisco is trying to win a spot with his old team as an extra outfielder. The competition, however, is strong.

View full size "It would be nice to be here from spring all the way to the end of the season and hopefully in the playoffs," former Indian Ben Francisco said after Saturday's practice. "I'm looking forward to it." Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Ben Francisco wants to be a one-team player this year, and he'd like to do it with the Indians.

Francisco played with Toronto, Houston and Tampa Bay in 2012. He also made his first trip to the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

"It would be nice to be here from spring all the way to the end of the season and hopefully in the playoffs," said Francisco after Saturday's practice. "I'm looking forward to it. There's a lot of optimism and excitement. I hope to be a part of it."

The Indians traded Francisco and Cliff Lee to Philadelphia on July 29, 2009. Francisco played with the Phillies for 2 1/2 years, making three trips to the postseason, before being traded to Toronto after the 2011 season. With a week left in spring training last year, Francisco injured his hamstring.

"I took a week off because I didn't want to go on the disabled list and tried to play through it," said Francisco. "In the season opener against the Indians, I pinch hit and tweaked it running to first. From there it never got any better."

Francisco eventually tore the hamstring and spent a month rehabbing the injury in Florida. On July 20, he was traded to the Astros in a 10-player deal. Francisco played 31 games for the Astros before being traded to Tampa Bay on Aug. 31.

"It was challenging for me and my wife," said Francisco, the Indians' fifth-round pick in 2009. "She packed up a lot. I was living out of a suitcase pretty much the whole year."

View full size Indians pitching prospect Giovanni Soto. PD file

Francisco is trying to make the Indians as a fourth outfielder and possible DH on a minor-league deal. It will not be easy because the signing of center fielder Michael Bourn moved first baseman Mark Reynolds, another right-handed hitter, to full-time DH duties.

"It got a little tougher, a little more crowded," said manager Terry Francona, "but there's still a spot. ... We told all the guys like Ben, 'Just go play and let us worry about the decisions.'"

Tim Fedroff, Ezequiel Carrera, Matt Carson, Jeremy Hermida and Cedric Hunter are the other outfielders competing with Francisco.

Francisco, 31, was surprised by the signing of Bourn, but understood. "When you get a chance to sign a player like that, you've got to take it," he said.

Last year, Francisco hit .240 (46-for-192) with 14 doubles, one triple, four homers and 15 RBI.

Pitch count: Francona isn't a slave to the pitch count, but he never overlooks it.

"It's one of a lot of different ways of protecting your pitcher and keeping track of their workload," he said. "Pitch counts can be a little false. If a guy is out of there for over 100 pitches and he's not coming out of his delivery and he's comfortable, he's fine. If a guy is at 40 pitches, and he's flying open, he's in a lot more danger."

Francona said pitch counts really come into play after he gets to know his pitchers and their thresholds.

"Pitch counts can be overrated," he said. "Some of it is how strenuous the innings are. If a guy has a 35-pitch inning, I always note it in my little scorecard, that's a lot of stress on a guy."

Winging it: Reliever Joe Smith (abdominal strain) played catch for the second straight day and looked good doing it.

"I'm better than good, I'm ready to go," he said, adding that he should start throwing off the mound sometime this week.

"He's going exactly as we hoped," said Francona. "He'll be just fine."

Finally: SportsTime Ohio announcer Matt Underwood was in camp Saturday. STO will televise six Cactus League games this spring: Indians@Reds on March 17; Brewers@Indians on March 18; Indians@Diamondbacks on March 21; Diamondbacks@Indians on March 22; Cubs@Indians on March 24 and Athletics@Indians on March 26.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

After much reflection and work in the off-season, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez feel they know what went wrong in 2012 and how to correct it for 2013.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Baseball players, especially pitchers, have to live in the mirror of their mind. In good times and bad, know thyself is the rule of the game.

Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez took a long look into that mirror after combining for 32 losses last season. Things were so bad that Jimenez said, "I'd have the ball in my hand and didn't know what to do with it."

After an off-season of study and work, the top two starters in the Indians' rotation have reached two simple, but important, conclusions to make themselves effective starters again.

Said Masterson, "I've got to allow myself to throw strikes a lot more often." Last season Masterson struck out a career-high 159 batters, but matched that with a career-high 88 walks.

Said Jimenez, "I have to get my mechanics and everything ready before I leave camp." Jimenez said his mechanics were jumbled for the first two months of 2012. Those that saw him the last four months of the season could have said the same thing.

Conclusions are easy to reach. Turning them into reality is much harder. That's why this spring training is so critical to Masterson, Jimenez and a team that has been primed with $117 million in free-agent contracts.

View full size "I want to keep the effort level consistent," Justin Masterson (with Terry Francona after Saturday's workout) said. "We don't always need to throw 97 mph. If we're at 92 or 93, that's OK." Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

Masterson went 11-15 with a 4.93 ERA last year. He led the Indians in wins, innings pitched (206.1), strikeouts and starts (34). Consistency, however, was not his thing. In nine of his 34 starts, Masterson allowed six or more earned runs. He highlighted only seven of those starts on Saturday, but the point was the same.

"I think we did really good except for seven games and those seven games werereally bad," he said. "We just didn't do a good job of controlling things in those seven games. Instead of giving up seven or eight runs, we should have been able to give up four or five. That totally changed everything."

Masterson, like Jimenez, is a big man with a lot of moving parts in his delivery. The fact that all those moving parts were never aligned for an extended period of time led to his season of peaks and valleys.

"I'd have two or three good ones and one really bad one," said Masterson, 6-5 and 250 pounds. "I have some good ideas why and I think I will be able to make the adjustment and do a whole heckuva a lot better this year."

Masterson underwent surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder after the 2011 season. Manager Terry Francona felt the shoulder was still bothering Masterson last year and prevented him from "getting into his delivery."

Masterson agreed the shoulder was an issue, but not in the way one would think.

"Some of my problems were because I felt extra strong," said Masterson. "For the first time [following the surgery] I could work out really hard. In some of those games, I tried to throw harder and the ball didn't sink."

This season Masterson believes less can be more in throwing more strikes.

"I want to keep the effort level consistent," he said. "We don't always need to throw 97 mph. If we're at 92 or 93, that's OK. Maybe on some days we are consistent with our low to high velocity, but it's not because we're forcing the issue."

New pitching coach Mickey Callaway visited Jimenez twice this winter in the Dominican Republic. Francona visited as well. It is clear that the organization needs some kind of positive return on Jimenez, who cost them No.1 picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White in 2011.

"As a pitcher, the thing that you put in your mind, is that you have to be part of the team and do everything possible to help the team win every five days," said Jimenez. "That's something I didn't do last year. I have to find a way to do that this year."

Jimenez, 9-17 with a 5.70 ERA in 31 starts in 2012, said his delivery feels the same now as when he won 19 games with Colorado in 2010. He spent the winter looking at old video of himself, while working with one of his old amateur coaches.

Francona stood behind Jimenez on Saturday while he threw his bullpen session. He encouraged the 6-5, 220-pound right-hander for keeping the ball low in the strike zone.

"I was very happy," said Francona.

If Francona can say the same thing about Jimenez and Masterson in September, reality may have actually replaced conclusions.

On Twitter: @hoynsie

Former Glenville High standout Pierre Woods, who played four years in the NFL, was among those hoping to get an invite to a super regional tryout in Dallas.

BEREA, Ohio – Five years ago, Pierre Woods charged down the field inside University of Phoenix Stadium, ignoring the blinding blur of flash bulbs to make the first tackle of Super Bowl XLII as a member of the New England Patriots.

On Sunday morning, the 31-year-old father of four was running around the Browns indoor practice facility in a standard-issue gray T-shirt tracking something far more elusive than a kick returner. Woods, a Glenville product, was chasing another shot at the NFL as the oldest participant at one of the league's 10 regional combines.

The venue wasn't filled with coaches and scouts representing every team like the invitational-only NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis. The 40-yard dash times and shuttle runs weren't broadcast live on NFL Network and scrutinized by draftniks. The field of about 110 hopefuls did not teem with first-round promise. Among the humble lot was maybe a handful of legitimate training-camp tryout prospects.

But those long odds were good enough for dream chasers willing to plunk down $225 and submit to the analysis of seven NFL talent evaluators. The top performers in the regional events will advance to the super regional on April 7 at Cowboys Stadium in suburban Dallas.

"The Browns are switching to a 3-4 (defense), why not give it a shot?" said Woods, an outside linebacker known to scouts on Sunday as No. 75. "We'll see what happens. All I'm looking for is a shot. I don't want a handout, just an opportunity."

Woods was one of 10 participants from the Cleveland area looking for that chance. They were tested in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle run, vertical jump, standing broad jump and various positional drills. More than half the group was beyond their draft-eligible years, meaning there would be no college "pro days" to attend in the coming weeks, no second chances to atone for subpar performances Sunday.

There was a morning session for defenders and afternoon session tailored for offensive players. At the end of each, the candidates were gathered at midfield where they learned those lucky enough to advance to Dallas would be notified at week's end by email.

"If the email doesn't come then we have to start looking for something else," national field director John Aaron told defenders after the morning session. ". . . A lot of people don't have the work ethic and discipline you guys have. The intangibles we learn from the greatest game ever invented . . . we can take into the real world and make special things happen."

Recruiters from another exclusive team, the Navy Seals, addressed the sweat-stained participants following Aaron's speach. Some candidates such as Woods have embarked on careers outside the game, clinging to the belief they can regain passage to their former lives.

Woods, a four-year veteran who appeared in 58 NFL games, is a laborer for Precision Environmental. The linebacker who once was asked to figuratively run through walls for teams was now slicing through them with 30- and 60-inch saws.

"I cut walls out," said Woods, who can recall the date of his last NFL game, Jan. 2, 2011 as a member of the Buffalo Bills. "I work four, 10-hour shifts and it's a very physical job, often cutting through cement. I like it, though. It's basically demolition work and it keeps me in shape."

Woods isn't the oldest participant to attend a regional combine. Aaron said a 47-year-old offensive lineman ran, jumped and sweated through a two-plus hour audition last year in Chicago.

He might not be a favorite to advance to the super regional, but Woods serves as inspiration to others. He didn't receive an invite to Indianapolis during his 2006 draft year, yet signed with the Patriots as a free agent.

"I feel like my dream is very much alive," said Strongsville resident and personal trainer Brandon Stephens, 25, a defensive back who spent the 2011 season on the Detroit Lions practice squad. "I'm still in contact with a few teams. That's keeping me motivated."

His Twitter account @-_B-_Stephens describes him as: "(an) NFL cornerback just waitin' on my opportunity to shine!"

These regional combines are becoming a Last Chance Saloon for older prospects. A year ago, nearly 90 hopefuls signed contracts among the more than 2,000 applicants. Three players were drafted, including Greg Zuerlein, the thunder-footed St. Louis Rams kicker in the sixth round.

The 2012 season opened with 14 players from regional combines on NFL rosters, according to a league release, and 14 others on practice squads. Two were discovered at the Berea tryout.

The most famous regional alum is kicker Adam Vinatieri, found at one of these events before the NFL took control of them in 2011.

The league already has more than 2,000 applications this season - it drew 1,200 in 2011 - and needed to add extra days in Houston and Atlanta.

"Coming out of college my agent did not like these things; he thought they were just money makers," Stephens said. "But then more and more people started making it into the NFL."

Stephens thought he performed "OK." Combine officials did not release times or distances Sunday. Among the attendees who appeared to distinguish themselves were draft-eligible University of Akron running back Quentin Hines and Northern Michigan defensive end Zach Anderson, a 278-pounder who's believed to have run a 4.6 40-yard dash.

The Chicago Bears were the only team, Aaron said, with a scout in Berea. The Browns were represented by a former linebacker, Beau Bell, a 2008 fourth-round draft pick, attempting to make another run at the NFL. He has spent the past few seasons playing arena football and in the Canadian Football League.

"It's about staying recent in the NFL and if you're not recent, they stop caring about you," said Bell, 26, hindered by knee injuries in Cleveland. "My one season here was a blessing. I'm just waiting for another opportunity."

For older combine participants like Bell and Woods the walls are closing in, and they must feel as heavy as cement.

Danica Patrick is the first woman to win a pole at the top level of stock-car racing, and she will start alongside Jeff Gordon in the Feb. 24 Daytona 500.

View full size Danica Patrick after winning the pole for the 55th Daytona 500. Terry Renna, Associated Press  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick has made history before -- as a woman and a racer, in Indianapolis and Japan.

The spotlight is nothing new. But never has it been this bright before.

Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole Sunday, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any race in NASCAR's premier circuit. It's by far the biggest achievement of her stock-car career.

"I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl," she said. "That was instilled in me from very young, from the beginning. Then I feel like thriving in those moments, where the pressure's on, has also been a help for me. I also feel like I've been lucky in my career to be with good teams and have good people around me. I don't think any of it would have been possible without that.

"For those reasons, I've been lucky enough to make history, be the first woman to do many things. I really just hope that I don't stop doing that. We have a lot more history to make. We are excited to do it."

Her latest stamp in the history books came with a lap at 196.434 mph around Daytona International Speedway. Patrick went out eighth in the qualifying session, then had to wait about two hours as 37 fellow drivers tried to take her spot.

Only four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon even came close to knocking her off. Gordon was the only other driver who topped 196 mph in qualifying. He locked up the other guaranteed spot in next week's season-opening Daytona 500.

"It's great to be a part of history with Danica being on the pole," said Gordon, who joked that at least he was the fastest guy. "I think we all know how popular she is, what this will do for our sport. Congratulations to her. Proud to be on there with her."

The rest of the field will be set in dual qualifying races Thursday.

However the lineup unfolds, all drivers will line up behind Patrick's No. 10 Chevrolet SS.

And she knows her latest achievement will mean more public relations work.

The routine is nothing new for Patrick, who was the first woman to lead laps in the Indianapolis 500. She finished third in 2009, the highest finish in that illustrious race for a woman. And she became the only woman to win an IndyCar race when she did it in Japan in 2008.

Hardly anyone witnessed that victory.

Leading the field to the green flag in NASCAR's showcase event should be must-watch television.

"That's a huge accomplishment," team owner and fellow driver Tony Stewart said. "It's not like it's been 15 or 20 years she's been trying to do this. It's her second trip to Daytona here in a Cup car. She's made history in the sport. That's stuff that we're proud of being a part of with her. It's something she should have a huge amount of pride in.

"It's never been done. There's only one person that can be the first to do anything. Doesn't matter how many do it after you do, accomplish that same goal. The first one that does always has that little bit more significance to it because you were the first."

Even before her fast lap Sunday, Patrick was the talk of Speedweeks. Not only did she open up about her budding romance with fellow Sprint Cup rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but she was considered the front-runner for the pole after leading practice sessions Saturday.

And she didn't disappoint.

She kept her car at or near the bottom of the famed track and gained ground on the straightaways, showing lots of power from a Hendrick Motorsports engine.

"It's easy to come down here in your first or second year as a driver and clip the apron trying to run too tight a line or do something and scrub speed off," Stewart said. "That's something she did an awesome job. Watching her lap, she runs so smooth. ... She did her job behind the wheel, for sure."

The result surely felt good for Patrick, especially considering the former IndyCar driver has mostly struggled in three NASCAR seasons. Her best finish in 10 Cup races is 17th, and she has one top-five in 58 starts in the second-tier Nationwide Series.

She raced part-time in 2010 and 2011 while still driving a full IndyCar slate. She switched solely to stock cars last season and finished 10th in the Nationwide standings.

She made the jump to Sprint Cup this season and will battle Stenhouse for Rookie of the Year honors.

Starting out front in an unpredictable, 500-mile race doesn't guarantee any sort of result, but securing the pole will put her in the limelight for at least the rest of the week.

She also won the pole at Daytona for last year's Nationwide race.

This is considerably bigger.

The previous highest female qualifier in a Cup race was Janet Guthrie. She started ninth at Bristol and Talladega in 1977.

"It's obviously a history-making event that will last a long, long time," Guthrie said, praising Patrick's feat. "It's a different era, of course. Different times. I can't imagine what I would do with a spotter or somebody telling me how to drive. It's rather a different sport now. Back then, there was a much greater difference from the front of the field to the back."

Guthrie received a lukewarm reception from fellow drivers back then.

Patrick was much more welcomed, undoubtedly because of her background and popularity.

She's comfortable being in the spotlight, evidenced by her racing career, her television commercials and her sudden openness about her personal life.

"I think when pressure's on and when the spotlight's on, I feel like it ultimately ends up becoming some of my better moments and my better races and better results," Patrick said. "I just understand that if you put the hard work in before you go out there that you can have a little peace and a little peace of mind knowing that you've done everything you can and just let it happen."

The Cleveland Indians first baseman and his outsized personality lit up the practice fields in Goodyear, Ariz., on Sunday.

View full size Cleveland Indians first baseman Nick Swisher gives a thumbs-up to fans who welcomed him back to Goodyear, Ariz., after he left spring training to attend his mother's funeral. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Nick Swisher watched the ball he'd just hit Sunday morning sail over the right field fence and shouted, "I love Arizona."

Swisher rejoined the Indians on Saturday night after leaving the team last week to attend the funeral of his mother in Columbus. Lillian Marie Malizia, 63, died of leukemia on Feb. 11.

"This was her second go-around with leukemia," said Swisher. "She was tough the first time . . . but leukemia is nothing you want to mess with."

When Swisher left the team, manager Terry Francona told him to take as much time as he needed. He didn't know exactly when Swisher would return.

"You have to take care of what you have to take care of," said Francona. "But there's a little different vibe when he's around. I mean that in a really positive way."

Swisher, hitting with Jason Giambi, Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs, asked batting practice pitcher Phil Clark if Clark could throw a little longer than normal on Sunday. Swisher needed the swings.

"It's your day," said Clark. "I'll go all day if you want."

Said Swisher: "It was nice to be out on the field and playing the game you love. When you're out on that field everything else vanishes.

"Even at such a bad time, it was nice to go home and see my brother, step-sister and step-brother. The service was beautiful. We've got to move on, do our grieving and move on."

The Indians signed Swisher to a four-year, $56 million deal in December. Last week they signed Bourn to a four-year, $48 million deal that moved Swisher from right field to first base. It turned out that Swisher knew the Bourn deal was close at hand.

"With the whole Mike thing, we had some stuff that we knew," said Swisher. "We had some meetings where we talked about some things. To be able to bring a player of his caliber over here, just after signing a big contract in me, that's huge. You're bringing over two established guys who have a chance to be here for five years.

"Mike and me are really excited. I know every single pitcher is going to be excited about having him on this team."

Phone tag: Francona still hasn't received final approval from Joe Torre, manager of Team USA, to have relievers Chris Perez and Vinnie Pestano leave their workouts in preparation for the World Baseball Classic to pitch in a game for the Indians.

Perez and Pestano begin workouts at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 2. Francona doesn't want them to go a week without pitching in a game.

One player, one job: Last year Carlos Santana appeared in 100 games at catcher, 27 at DH, 21 at first base and one in left field. When Santana wasn't catching, former manager Manny Acta still liked to keep his bat in the lineup.

Francona has more weapons this season with Swisher at first and Mark Reynolds at DH. It means Santana might not be changing positions that much.

"I've talked to him about having to catch because it's not quite as easy to move him because you're moving someone else out of the lineup," said Francona.

Investment managing: When Boston promoted Justin Masterson to the big leagues in 2008, Francona was his manager.

"We were in the middle of a pennant race and shoved him in the bullpen, but we all thought he was a starter," said Francona. "We had so much trust in him as a competitor that he pitched himself into some high-leverage situations, which is not easy to do."

Francona has that same trust in Masterson now as the right-hander tries to rebound from an 11-15 season.

"I'm betting on the person," he said.

Finally: Trevor Bauer received a $3.4 million signing bonus from Arizona when they gave him a big-league contract after drafting him in 2011. When the Indians acquired Bauer in December, Arizona was still responsible for paying the signing bonus.

The second-year point guard played more than 24 minutes, a good chunk of that time coming in the fourth quarter, and also had four assists and three rebounds. The West won the game, 143-138.

HOUSTON _ Mission accomplished.

It one sense, it didn't matter that the Eastern Conference All-Stars lost to the West, 143-138, on Sunday night at Toyota Center, or that the Clippers' Chris Paul was named the MVP with 20 points and 15 assists.

It didn't matter that Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points, or that Carmelo Anthony lead the East with 26.

All that mattered was that Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving did what he set out to do -- become an All-Star.

"It's a goal that I accomplished," he said before Sunday's game. "My job is just beginning now, now that I'm an All-Star. Now I feel that it's my responsibility to be an All-Star."

He proved he belonged with 15 points, three rebounds and four assists in 24:46. He made 6 of 11 shots, including 3 of 6 3-pointers.

"They made me feel like I belong," Irving said of his fellow All-Stars. "They're a fan of me just like I'm a fan of them. I grew up watching them play. I played against most of them. We've had the matchups against each other and the respect factor is there."

Which is not to say he didn't enjoy it -- from the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday to winning the 3-point shootout on Saturday and through every second of the marquee event on Sunday night.

"This was the best weekend for me," he said with a grin. "I'm tired right now, but being around all those great players and being in every event was definitely an experience of a lifetime and I'm looking forward if I'm elected next year.

"It was the best experience of my life so far."

For the conspiracy theorists wondering how he'd look playing with LeBron James, you know, just in case James elects to become a free agent and return to Cleveland in the summer of 2014. Irving wound up playing 12:21 with James, including much of the fourth quarter.

"It was fun," Irving said of playing with James. "Seeing what he does out there and seeing his highlight dunks in person in real time was definitely an experience."

Irving had seven points in 11:56 in the first half, including a crowd-pleasing dunk after he split the defense, and said he was not the least bit nervous -- although he said the ball was terrible and felt "too new."

"I felt good as soon as I got out there in the first half," he said. "In other all-star games I played in I was really, really nervous, but here I found my comfort zone out here. In the second half, my legs started to catch up to me."

Irving started the second half in place of Kevin Garnett. He played about six minutes in the third quarter and then returned to the game with 8:02 left in the fourth and promptly hit two 3-pointers to get the East within 119-118. Then he was joined by James with 6:51 left for the stretch run, but not before the West pulled out to a 127-120 lead. Irving's driving layup made it 127-122, but the West went on a 9-4 run to build a 136-126 lead with 2:33 left, at which point Spoelstra inserted Indiana's Paul George for Irving.

Irving, one of the best closers in the NBA, said he was not surprised Spoelstra elected to use him down the stretch.

"I wanted to play," he said. "It was up to coach Spoelstra to play me and he did. I was happy to be part of it."

Cleveland Cavaliers' point guard Kyrie Irving made some extra cash for his efforts in Houston, but even more important was the boost to his national reputation.

View full size Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving pocketed $50,000 for winning the 3-point shootout on Saturday night. Eric Gay, Associated Press  

HOUSTON -- Believe it or not, Kyrie Irving's All-Star Weekend got off to a shaky start.

On the flight from Cleveland last Thursday, some vitamin juice in his luggage spilled all over his white shoes.

"So I didn't start off the weekend right," he said.

Asked on Friday what he was going to do, he smiled and said, "It's an excuse to get more shoes."

He can afford them. Going into the All-Star Game, he'd earned $50,000 for winning the 3-point shootout on Saturday and $10,000 for being on the losing team in the Rising Stars Challenge, although he did finish second to Denver's Kenneth Faried in the MVP voting in that game. He made $25,000 Sunday, but would have doubled that if he had played for the winning team in the West's 143-138 victory.

The money, obviously, is nice. But the bump to his reputation is priceless. Even Irving admits he's surprised at the impact he's having in just over one full season in the league.

"Sometimes," he said. "I just realize when I'm alone and I'm watching 'SportsCenter' or NBA TV or something like that . . . I do have some surreal moments at times. It's a blessing and an honor to be recognized as one of the great players in the league."

Coverup: Incidentally, Irving said the red sleeve he wore on his left arm during the shootout competition was something supplied by Nike and had nothing to do with his arm or elbow.

Jordan on James: Much has been made over recent comments by Michael Jordan that he views Kobe Bryant as more successful than LeBron James.

According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Jordan said, "If you had to pick between the two, that would be a tough choice, but five beats one every time I look at it. And not that he won't get five. He may get more than that, but five is bigger than one."

Bryant has won five championships with the Lakers, while James has one with the Heat.

James said he heard the comments, but didn't necessarily agree.

"I don't really have a take on it," he said. "He said he'd take Kobe over me because five rings is better than one. That's his own opinion. At the end of the day, rings don't always define someone's career. If that's the case, then I'd sit up here and say I would take [Bill] Russell over Jordan, but I wouldn't. Russell has 11 rings, Jordan has six. Or I'd take Robert Horry over Kobe. I wouldn't do that. But it's your own personal opinion.

"Rings do not define someone's career. Patrick Ewing is one of the greatest of all time, Reggie Miller is one of the greatest of all time. Sometimes it's the situation you're in, the team you're on and it's about timing as well. I don't play the game and try to define who I am over what guys say or how they feel about me. It doesn't matter to me. I go out and play for my family, my teammates, the coaching staff and I play for our fans."

Asked if he would use the comments as bulletin-board material, James said, "What do I need bulletin board material? My inspiration is the game I love. I don't need nobody to pick me or not."

The last word: From Irving, asked repeatedly if his Uncle Drew character from his PepsiMax commercials would be making an appearance over the weekend, "No. I already have enough to do. That makeup would take four hours out of my day, man. I don't think I have time for that."