Quantcast
Channel: Cleveland Sports News
Viewing all 53367 articles
Browse latest View live

Cloverleaf girls edge Keystone to win Bob Knoll Invitational track meet: Sports Roundup

0
0

Keystone's girls captured first place in five events at Saturday'sBob Knoll Invitational but, in the long run, it was Cloverleaf's Ashley Murray who helped the Colts win the event by a slim 117-112 margin. Murray won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races in meet-record times of 5:23.37 and 11:27.22, respectively. Teammate Natalie Martz won the pole vault when she cleared...

Keystone's girls captured first place in five events at Saturday'sBob Knoll Invitational but, in the long run, it was Cloverleaf's Ashley Murray who helped the Colts win the event by a slim 117-112 margin.

Murray won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races in meet-record times of 5:23.37 and 11:27.22, respectively. Teammate Natalie Martz won the pole vault when she cleared 9-6, while Kaylee Gutschow captured the triple jump with a meet-record effort of 28-113/4.

Keystone's Jenna Quillen won the high jump (5-0), 100-meter hurdles (16.48) and 300 hurdles (48.28). Brittany Gates was the long-jump champion with a meet-record distance of 17-1, and Emily Peters won the 100 in 13.03.

Woodridge Invitational: Sam Shaver and Abbie Lawson were two reasons why Stow tallied 126.53 points to earn the team crown. Shaver won the 100 in 12.51 and 200 in a meet-record time of 26.01. Lawson reigned in the 300 hurdles with a record clocking of 45.91, cleared a record-setting 5-2 to win the high jump and joined Ashley Pryce, Jessie Stout and Tiffany Pryce on the winning 4x400 relay (4:12.52).

Raven Green of sixth-place Buchtel set a record in the 100 hurdles (15.98), and was part of the record-setting 4x100 relay (50.34), along with Simone Green, Dana Oliver and Ashunte Dent. The pole vault mark also fell when Nicole Razsa and Nicole Waibel, both of runner-up Cuyahoga Falls, went 11-6.

 

Boys track

Bob Knoll Invitational: Host New London defeated Cloverleaf for the team title, 111-98. The Colts capitalized in the field events as Adam Podolak won the high jump (5-10), Eddie Andrews was first in the pole vault (12-0) and Chandler Laux won the triple jump (371/2).

Woodridge Invitational: Copley took the title with 120 points, followed by Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (113). Oliver Johnson was the Indians' lone champ, winning the discus with a toss of 148-7 as a number of records were shattered: CVCA's Evan Carroscia in the 110 hurdles (15.0); Chagrin Falls' 4x100 relay of Matt Iammarino, Bradley Munday, Stuart Wallace and Michael Munday (43.87); Cuyahoga Falls' Chris Harris in the 200 (22.60); CVCA's 4x400 relay of Benny Schwarz, Ryan Adams, Noah LeBay and Sherman Kortze (3:27.63); and high jumper Antonio Conte of Chagrin Falls (6-6.50).

 

Softball

Avon 11, Midview 9: The Eagles got the better of West Shore Conference foe Midview for the second time in three days. The teams combined for five home runs, with Kaylee Morton, Ally Sumser and Caitlyn Beltz going yard for Avon. Cleveland State recruit Amanda Beursken hit two homers for the Middies.

Berea 12-11, Rocky River 2-9: A four-run fifth inning propelled the visiting Braves to victory in the nightcap as Zoey Host had three hits, three runs and six RBI. Vanessa Vodan's single, double and three RBI led Berea in the opener. Host and Vodan are freshmen.

Medina 6, Hudson 1: The Battling Bees scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Madison Tata had two singles, a double and three RBI to pace Medina.

Hathaway Brown 4, Clearview 2: Two of the area's better pitchers, Logan Paul of Hathaway Brown and Clearview's Sarah Kaya, squared off. Paul, who struck out 16, also had two triples and three RBI.

 

Baseball

Walsh Jesuit 4, St. Vincent-St. Mary 0: The Warriors, ranked 14th in the Division I state poll, scored two runs in the second and fifth innings to get the nonleague shutout. Walsh got its first run on an error, Riley Minorik's double scored another and a two-run single by Ohio State recruit Nate Roman finished off the scoring.

Benedictine 5, Western Reserve Academy 2: Colin Pecoraro's single, double and two RBI paced the Bengals in the nonleague victory.

Chagrin Falls 12, Rocky River 2: Keith Orzen scored a run, drove in a run and had three hits to lead the Tigers to the nonleague rout.

Aurora 5, Olmsted Falls 1: Kirk Janoch singled in the first, second and fourth innings and drove in a run to help give Greenmen pitcher Adam Berger plenty of support in a nonleague game. Berger allowed seven hits and struck out four in the complete-game win.

St. Ignatius 1, St. Edward 0: Nick Margevicius gave up six hits and struck out five for the Wildcats, who scored in the bottom of the second inning.

Valley Forge 10-5, Lorain 1-6: Jeff Petruska led the Patriots in the first game, pitching a five-hitter and going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, an RBI and two runs scored. Demon Hisle had three of Lorain's nine hits to help avoid being swept. One of Hisle's hits was a triple, he scored twice and drove in the winning run.

 

Boys tennis

Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division Tournament: Solon beat Hudson, 57-48, for the team title, thanks to winning four of the five positions. Nam Le and Eric Goldberg lost just one set between them in earning the title at second and third singles for the Comets. Dillon O'Brien and David Shankman swept their two matches at first doubles, as did Solon teammates Rushil Shah and Anthony Rizkala at second doubles.

NOC River Division: Twinsburg edged Strongsville, 52-51, for the team championship, thanks to its lone champion at second doubles, where Pavan Peketi and Steve Whitney won.

 

Girls lacrosse

Chagrin Falls 10, Hudson 8: Three goals apiece by Kate Macklin and Lily Manchester aided the Tigers' winning effort.


Cleveland Indians' minor league report

0
0

The Columbus Clippers sweep a doubleheader in Rochester.

Class AAA: Columbus 3-3, Rochester 1-1 The Clippers swept the host Red Wings in a doubleheader, played to make up a rainout Friday. Juan Diaz hit his third home run in the nightcap. Preston Guilmet picked up his 11th save in the first game.

Class AA: Akron 4-5, Reading 3-7 Roberto Perez homered with two out in the top of the ninth to give Akron a 4-3 win, in a completion of a game that was suspended in the seventh inning Friday night by rain. That was followed by a Fightin' Phils victory. Aeros starter Will Roberts (1-2) gave up six runs (five earned) and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Class A Advanced: Lynchburg 9, Carolina 8 The Mudcats scored three in the bottom of the ninth, but came up short in a loss to Lynchburg, which pounded out 18 hits. Owen Drew (2-4) pitched the final two innings for Carolina, surrendering eight hits and four runs.

Class A: Lake County 6, Bowling Green 1 Jorge Martinez and Erik Gonzalez each slugged home runs, as the Captains won a Midwest League game in Bowling Green, Ky.

At last, an NBA team is playing defense like it means it: Bud Shaw's Sunday Sports Spin

0
0

There's something worth coveting in the Bulls-Heat series. Hint: we don't mean LeBron James, Bud Shaw writes in his Sunday Spin.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Watching the Bulls-Heat series might make Dan Gilbert pine for two things.

One is within the Cavaliers' control. The other is LeBron James.

Hoping James will return after next season is understandable. It's probably even more than a schoolgirl fantasy. It also raises the prospect of a second public humiliation, this one presumably without a TV show and Jim Gray as the question-popping proxy on behalf of James' suitors.

The Cavs pursue that at their own risk. The surer thing is specific to the Chicago Bulls, who long ago moved past modern NBA fraternization with Miami and have now entered a period of open hostilities.

We keep hearing defense is the reason the Cavs hired Mike Brown again. Fine, I guess. But no Brown team ever played defense with the kind of attitude Tom Thibodeau has instilled in his undermanned Bulls in this series. They are ornery. Stupid ornery sometimes, but chippy enough to make hockey enforcers look like figure skaters.

thibodeau-bulls-horiz-2013-ap.jpgView full sizeTom Thibodeau is the clear leader of a Bulls defense that will do almost anything to stay alive against the Heat. Can Mike Brown's Cavaliers have the same mindset? 

The Cavs never had that mean streak under Brown. Maybe that was James being the leader and wanting to be loved. And Brown considering himself fortunate that James let himself be coached. Whatever, the episode with Rasheed Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas didn't prevent another James-led hug-a-thon with the Pistons the next game.

Can you imagine the Bulls doing that? Happy talk and pre-game air hugs have left the building in this series. Friday, they were replaced by Joakim Noah over-reacting to Chris Anderson's foul of Nate Robinson and Nazr Mohammed shoving James after James shrugged him to the floor.

That's a technical on Mohammed in most games, but since James sprawled on his back, soccer-style, the refs ejected Mohammed.

Already missing Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich, the Bulls are losing their minds to their own detriment. But admirably so.

(By the way, Thibodeau somehow finished eighth in Coach of the Year voting. Does he have a reputation for running certain players into the ground? Yep. But eighth? Vinny Del Negro got half as many first place votes (1) as Thibodeau, who coached without Rose all season.)

"We're well aware of what's going on," Thibodeau said Friday. The suggestion is James is getting special treatment after calling the Bulls dirty in the March game that ended Miami's long winning streak.

"From my angle, I saw a guy flop."

So did I. But the refs had the Bulls in their sights off Chicago's Game 2 act.

The Bulls are trying to goad the Heat into losing focus, because lost focus is the only chance Chicago has to win the series. And even that chance is more slim than Barkevious Mingo.

The Bulls have no reason to contest the Heat so fiercely. Miami's bench killed the Bulls' bench Friday night. That happens when your regular bench is in your starting lineup. Thibodeau cuts his players no slack. He's not just preaching execution on defense as if these games are blackboard sessions come to life. He's getting everything they have.

It's no coincidence the Bulls stopped the Heat streak at 27 after the Cavaliers choked on a franchise-record 27-point lead at home. Not sure that game got Byron Scott fired, but it had to count against him.

The Cavs hired Brown because of his commitment to defense. The Cavs wouldn't have let such a lead slip away under Brown. Of course, they might not have had a 27-point lead under him, either.

Hopefully this second time around in Cleveland the defensive expertise will come attached to a Chicago attitude. That should be the Cavs' take-away from the Bulls-Heat series, not some far flung hope about what James might want to do a year from now.

SPINOFFS

haslam-minicamp-2013-horiz-to.jpgView full sizeOn the Berea practice field, Jimmy Haslam can enjoy the energy in front of him, without someone saying something catty about the price of fuel. 

Jimmy Haslam will speak at a trucking company seminar in Indianapolis this week. He will also answer some pre-submitted questions.

Candidly, when Haslam speaks directly to trucking company executives the word "candidly" is going to be under greater scrutiny than it ever is in Berea.

• Browns' draftee Armonty Bryant, arrested in college for selling marijuana and then again two Fridays ago for a DUI, says he made lifestyle changes. Great. Except that by definition, I'm not sure a lifestyle change can be made in a week.

Kobe Bryant has filed suit to stop his mother from selling off some of his memorabilia to an auction house that offered her a $450,000 advance. That payment is on hold. Bryant says he never gave her permission.

It goes without saying he also wishes her a Happy Mother's Day.

• Nazr Mohammed was ejected for shoving James in Friday's Game 3, won by the Heat. Some believe it was deserved. OK, but James will have to wait to get what he deserves from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

• Wrestling is set to argue its case for Olympics inclusion beyond 2016. The competition: karate, roller sports, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard and wushu.

A suggested opening line for the wrestling lobby: "You're kidding, right?"

• Major League Baseball announced the suspension of an ump. Until then, I admit I thought Fieldin Culbreth was a character in "Catcher in the Rye."

In a bad week for umpires, Culbreth's suspension was for allowing Houston's Bo Porter to bring in a new reliever without the previous reliever facing a single batter.

Not knowing the rules would also be embarrassing for the manager of a major league team. But fortunately for Porter, he manages the Astros.

• If voting for awards is so suspect that Chicago's Thibodeau can finish as low as eighth in NBA Coach of the Year balloting, I have renewed hope in pulling some votes in Men's Health "Best Abs" survey.

• Writer Chuck Klosterman of Grantland.com paints a picture of a paranoid Browns' organization after spending time in Berea leading up to the draft.

"I never witnessed this level of institutional paranoia within a universe so devoid of actual secrets," Klosterman wrote. "I don't even know what they don't want me to know."

If it's any consolation, they don't know either.

• NFL coaches and GMs will do almost anything to hide their intentions. That's not just the Browns. Most would defer saying "I do" until the second 10 years of marriage if the vows allowed for it.

• Washington owner Dan Snyder says he will not change the name "Redskins" despite protests and a lawsuit filed by Native American activists."We'll never change the name," Snyder said. "It's that simple -- NEVER -- you can use all caps."

That is, if the Caps Lock button isn't broken from writing so often that the Redskins will NEVER win a Super Bowl as long as Dan Snyder owns them.

• A female Miami Heat fan made an obscene gesture in the face of Chicago's Joakim Noah after the Bulls' center was ejected from Game 2 Wednesday. Umpire Angel Hernandez studied a replay of the incident, and said he saw a woman signaling "You're No. 1."

HE SAID IT

"You hit, you tackle, you catch, it's football." -- Barkevious Mingo on why he thinks people are overreacting when they say he looks too light.

Then he turned sideways and -- poof -- was gone.

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Sunday Edition)

"Bud:

"I think the Browns have an excellent chance of winning four games this year ... if they don't run out of gas." -- Danny Elek, Ashtabula

You can't teach height in basketball, or optimism in Cleveland.

"Bud:

"In looking at the glass half full, I noticed the Indians have the lowest drop in turnstile count at Progessive Field when they go on a road trip." -- Jim Lefkowitz, Pepper Pike

Maybe I spoke too soon.

"Bud:

"Is your photo next to Shaw's Spin enhanced?" -- Peg, Parma

All chins pictured are mine.

"Bud:

"After seeing [newspaper photos of] Barkevious Mingo running around the field barefoot, I was wondering if Braylon Edwards was his new personal consultant?" -- Rick Ray

I don't know about Edwards. I just know if taskmaster Romeo Crennel were still coach, he'd give him exactly an entire training camp to stop that this instance.

"Bud:

"WWJD? Jimmy, that is." -- Ron Corbut, Hudson

The safer question these days: what would Charles Ramsey do, bro?

"Hey Bud:

"Where will Brandon Weeden end up as a back-up next year?" -- Russ

If I had to guess, San Francisco.

"Bud:

"I apologize for not writing Sports Spin for so long. I broke a nail and Derrick Rose told me to take all the time I needed." -- Tom Hoffner, Broadview Heights

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

"Bud:

"Does the scouting combine rate draft prospects on heel-to-toe straight line walking and backward alphabet recital?" -- Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park

Repeat winners get what they deserve.

Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... about the Browns' 2013 emphasis, the Indians' defensive improvement and why the Cavs snapped up Mike Brown

0
0

How the Browns spent their off-season cash is a pretty good sign on where the front office decided the most work was needed.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The weather is warming, but sports talk is always hot, so we're talkin' ...

About the Browns...

bryant-raiders-2012-tackle-ap.jpgView full sizeFans and media may obsess on quarterbacks and offense, but the Browns have kept adding defensive pieces, such as defensive lineman Desmond Bryant (taking down Dallas' Felix Jones). 

When the new front office watched the team last season, they came to the conclusion that the Mike Holmgren version of the West Coast offense had to go. Nor did they think the Browns could ever take a major step forward with a 4-3 defense. They viewed it as somewhat antiquated in the modern NFL that stresses speed and attacking -- on offense and defense.

The decision to switch to the 3-4 came not only from new head coach Rob Chudzinski, but it was the recommendation of nearly every head coach candidate they interviewed. They talked to about eight candidates, although some of the conversations were informal and the man was not a serious candidate.

The Browns believe that other than finding the "right quarterback," the defense is the component that can make a major impact. Because they didn't like the quarterbacks in the draft, the Browns decided Brandon Weeden was worthy of another chance. The hope is veteran coordinator Norv Turner will set up an offense for Weeden from the shotgun and throw downfield -- as opposed to the short passes from under center in the old West Coast Offense.

Once the 3-4 decision was made, it was critical to find an experienced coordinator who runs the system. That led to Ray Horton, the Arizona defensive coordinator who interviewed for the Browns' head coaching job. Horton had a Steelers background as a defensive coach under Dick LeBeau, and then took over Arizona's defense and made it viable.

So it's time to follow the money, which reveals the team's priorities.

1. Consider that the two largest free-agent contracts went to outside linebacker Paul Kruger ($40 million for five years, $20 million guaranteed) and defensive lineman Desmond Bryant ($34 million over five years, $12 million guaranteed).

2. The largest offensive deals are Davone Bess ($14 million for four years, $5 million guaranteed) and Jason Campbell ($3.75 million for two years, $1 million guaranteed). The Browns re-worked Bess' contract after he was acquired in a deal with Miami.

3. Other players on offense: Kellen Davis ($715,000), David Nelson ($650,000), Gary Barnidge (three years, but only $650,000 guaranteed) and Dion Lewis (four years, but only $400,000 guaranteed).

4. Even modest defensive free agents such as Quentin Groves ($2.1 million for two years, $1 million guaranteed) and Chris Owens ($1 million for one year) received more money than anyone on offense other than Bess and Campbell.

5. Then came the draft: Six picks, the only player on offense is Garrett Gilkey, a seventh-rounder from Chadron State.

6. Judging the off-season falls on the defense. Can top pick Barkevious Mingo join forces with Jabaal Sheard, Kruger and Groves to bring pressure from the outside linebacker spots? Will Bryant add a pass-rush element to the line? Can third-rounder Leon McFadden win the starting cornerback job?

7. The Browns believe the defensive overhaul was a necessity to pull the team out of the 4-12, 5-11 rut that has been the story for the last five years. It also gives them a year to evaluate Weeden, and yes, look to the next draft for a possible quarterback.

About the Tribe...

stubbs-running-catch-2013-cc.jpgView full sizeDrew Stubbs filled in more than adequately for Michael Bourn during the Indians' winning streak, including this running grab against Oakland's Jed Lowrie last week. 

1. A year ago, the Indians ranked 12th in the American League in defensive efficiency. This season, it's No. 2, according to Baseball Prospectus. That is yet another benefit from the off-season moves.

2. It's fun to watch all the homers, but pitchers love how the team has been catching the ball. The infield makes the routine plays. Fangraphs rates Nick Swisher as the league's best defensive first baseman. When Michael Bourn is healthy, the outfield is one of the best with Michael Brantley in left and Drew Stubbs in right.

3. Before Friday, Bourn had played only 10 games before his finger injury. Stubbs moved to center with right split between Ryan Raburn and Swisher. Raburn has received high marks from various rating systems for his work. Brantley is superb in left.

4. The Tribe didn't know what to expect from Stubbs, other than he can run and is a good outfielder. But he entered the weekend hitting a respectable .264 (.697 OPS) with two homers and 10 RBI. He's ripping lefties (.335). He batted .213 last season, striking out 166 times. He's still on pace for 170 strikeouts.

5. Stubbs batted only .170 with one homer in 180 at-bats after Aug. 1 last season. He had lost confidence in Cincinnati, where he was viewed as flop after being the No. 8 pick in the 2008 draft. Cleveland has been a fresh start, with expectations no longer so high.

6. Stubbs is fast and runs hard on every ball. He recently went first to third on a ground ball. He scored from second on a sharp single to left. He is 4-of-4 in stolen bases, but his overall speed plays extremely well on this team in a variety of areas.

7. Raburn's outlandish 12-of-14 hot streak opened the eyes of most fans to his value, but the coaches have loved his defense in right. Because the Tigers kept trying to make him a second baseman, I kept thinking he was mostly an infielder. But he entered this season with 396 career games in the outfield, 189 in the infield.

8. A year ago, the Tribe had Shelley Duncan and Johnny Damon in left field, and they ranked near the bottom defensively. The same was true of Shin-Soo Choo in right, where he once was above average. In center, Brantley was slightly above average. Keeping Brantley, and then adding Bourn, Stubbs, Rayburn and Swisher has transformed the outfield.

9. Mark Reynolds is not known for his glove at third. The Tribe has started him there in five games, and he's had only seven chances. No errors. He's been solid at first and a force at home plate.

10. Recently promoted to Class AAA Columbus, Danny Salazar averaged 96 mph in his last start at Akron. He hit 99 a few times on the radar gun. Coming back from elbow surgery, Salazar was 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA at Akron in 2012. He was 2-3 with a 2.67 ERA, averaging 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings this season.

11. The Tribe believes the 23-year-old Salazar could pitch in Cleveland this season. Salazar also has a good change and decent breaking ball. At Columbus, he joins Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco as top prospects to help the rotation. They like the depth of young, power arms.

12. In his last start at Columbus, Bauer threw 6 2/3 hitless innings. But he also walked four and hit four batters. Most of the HBPs were on breaking pitches. Bauer is expected to start one of the games against New York on Monday. He was clocked at 94-96 mph with his fastball.

About the Cavaliers' quick move on Mike Brown...

gilbert-brown-cavs-2013-to.jpgView full sizeDan Gilbert and the Cavaliers didn't hesitate in rehiring Mike Brown, and Terry Pluto says he understands why. 

I begin with a list: 1. Brooklyn; 2. Charlotte; 3. Detroit; 4. Milwaukee; 5. Philadelphia; 6. Phoenix. Those six teams are currently looking for new coaches.

Here's another list: 1. Sacramento; 2. L.A. Clippers. Those two teams may be looking for head coaches. Atlanta also is a possibility as Larry Drew is in the final year of his contract.

The point? The Cavs jumped on Brown to replace Byron Scott because they believed he was not only ideal for their desire to improve the defense -- along with his desire to coach in Cleveland -- but that he would be in demand.

Think about it -- six openings, and maybe two more. Where will they find coaches?

About the NBA Draft...

Yes, the Cavs need a small forward. Yes, they have paid a lot of attention to Otto Porter, the sophomore from Georgetown. But so have a lot of other lottery teams looking for a small forward, because Porter is believed to be the only player at that position supposedly rated in the top 10.

There is some interest in teams about Sergey Karasey, a 6-7 shooting guard/small forward who played for the Russian Olympic team. But it's doubtful the Cavs will pick him so high. The worst they can pick is No. 6.

Brown wants athletes on the perimeter with long arms who can defend, rebound and score. Alonzo Gee is viewed as a backup. Porter's 7.5 rebounding average is impressive for a small forward. He has a 7-1 wingspan and NBA teams believe he'll add bulk to his 6-8, 200-pound frame. He won't be 20 until June.

Porter averaged 16.2 points, shooting 48 percent from the field and 42 percent on 3-pointers. He has a strange-looking shot -- his left elbow is out, with the ball almost shot from his forehead. But he was a very productive player in the Big East, and does a nice job moving without the ball, a rarity among many young players.

The other small forward mentioned in the top 15 is Shabazz Muhammad, who played one year at UCLA. He shot only 44 percent, averaging 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds. He's a bullish small forward (6-6, 223) who likes to post up and drive left.

Porter is compared to Tayshaun Prince and seems more of a fit for the Cavs.

Sunday, May 12 television and radio sports listings for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

0
0

Highlights include Indians game at Detroit; NHL and NBA playoffs; final round of golf's The Players Championship.


CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

AUTO RACING

7:30 a.m. Formula One, Spanish Grand Prix, NBCSN

BASEBALL

1:05 p.m. CLEVELAND INDIANS at Detroit, SportsTime Ohio; AM/1100, FM/100.7

1:30 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Washington, WGN

1:30 p.m. Toronto at Boston, TBS

1:35 p.m. AKRON AEROS at Reading, AM/1350

3:05 p.m. LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS at Bowling Green, AM/970

8 p.m. L.A. Angels at Chicago White Sox, ESPN

COLLEGE BASEBALL

1 p.m. Notre Dame at St. John's, CBSSN

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Noon Big South final, ESPNU

1 p.m. Big Ten final, Big Ten Network

CYCLING

5 p.m. Tour of California, stage 1, NBCSN

GOLF

2 p.m. PGA Tour, The Players Championship, final round, NBC

MEN'S COLLEGE LACROSSE

1 p.m. NCAA, Division I, playoffs, first round, ESPN2

NBA CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

3:30 p.m. Game 3, San Antonio at Golden State, WEWS

NHL FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFFS

4:30 p.m. Game 6, Washington at N.Y. Rangers, CNBC

7:30 p.m. Game 6, Boston at Toronto, NBCSN

10 p.m. Game 7, Detroit at Anaheim, NBCSN

HOCKEY

10:30 a.m. (same-day tape) IIHF World Championship, preliminary round, United States vs. Germany, NBCSN


Where in the world is Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar? Hey, Hoynsie!

0
0

Should Sandy Alomar have a more prominent role with the Indians? One fan believes so.

Hey, Hoynsie: Sandy Alomar has not been very visible in the dugout, on the field, on TV or in The Plain Dealer. Has his role been diminished by manager Terry Francona, or is this just a coincidental happening? -- Lee Palloto, Pa.

Hey, Lee: Alomar is Francona's bench coach. He's in the dugout helping Francona run the game. He takes the lineup to home plate every day, gives the signals from the bench during games and works with the Tribe's catchers. It's pretty much business as usual for a big-league bench coach.

Hey, Hoynsie: When Michael Bourn comes back from the disabled list, who goes to the bench; Drew Stubbs or Ryan Raburn? -- Justin Luby, Tampa

Hey, Justin: Bourn rejoined the Indians on Thursday and was activated on Friday in Detroit. Stubbs moved back to right and Raburn resumed his job as a utility player.

Hey, Hoynsie: What kind of pitching help do you think the Indians could receive for Lou Marson and Matt LaPorta? Even if they had to throw Matt Albers, would it be worth a solid No. 3 starter? -- Eric, Ashland

Hey, Eric: No, it would not.

Lots of times organizations and their fans overvalue their own players and underestimate the intelligence of the teams they're trying to make a deal with. Those teams have scouts, too.

Hey, Hoynsie: I hate the inconsistency of the strike zone. What happened to the experiment with rating the umpires with an electronic strike zone? Is it still in place at some ballparks and will it ever be used to supplement umpires' calls? -- Jim Markart, Sunnvale

Hey, Jim: The strike zones of umpires started being evaluated by computers and cameras in 2001 by the QuesTec system. QuesTec was not available in all 30 parks and was replaced in 2008 by the Pitch-f/x Zone Evaluation system, which is in every stadium. It is a system of computerized cameras used to track pitches. It is used to grade an umpire's work behind the plate and to train them.

I do not see a time when computers will replace a home plate umpire.

Hey, Hoynsie: Just wondering why Carlos Carrasco gets suspended after giving up a homer and then hitting the next batter, while Oakland's Jarrod Parker gives up two homers and hits Mark Reynolds and only gets warned. -- Bill Drummer, Wauseon

Hey, Bill: It is all based on the umpire making the call. He has the right to eject or warn a pitcher in that situation. It's not always fair, but Carrasco has to keep a cooler head than that.

mcallister-midpitch-cc-2013.jpgView full sizeZach McAllister is finding success with his newly expanded pitching repertoire. 

Hey, Hoynsie: Seems really unusual to have a pitcher develop a new pitch during the season, ala Zach McAllister throwing a split-finger fastball. When's the last time you can remember this working out? -- Joe Cepec, Dublin

Hey, Joe: I remember Rod Nichols inventing a half-knuckleball, half-splitter when he pitched for the Indians. He didn't pitch in the big leagues long, but he had a lot of fun throwing it.

Hey, Hoynsie: Much has been made of Trevor Bauer's pre-game rituals (long-toss, etc.), but does he have any post-game eccentricities? -- George Amer, Gallatin, Tenn.

Hey, George: I'm still trying to wrap my brain around his Happy Gilmore warm-up tosses between innings. I haven't started working on the postgame routine yet.

Hey, Hoynsie: The game called by plate umpire Angel Hernandez on Monday was an embarrassment for baseball. Are there any repercussions for an umpire that so clearly couldn't see the strike zone? Can and do teams file complaints? -- Mitch Schwartz, Fairfield, Calif.

Hey, Mitch: If you didn't like Angel's work on Monday, I'm guessing you really didn't like his non-call on Adam Rosales' homer that wasn't on Wednesday. Teams can and do file complaints about umpires.

Hey, Hoynsie: I haven't watched the Indians since the days of Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle and Jim Thome. Is Mark Reynolds and Nick Swisher the best 1-2 punch since the late 1990s? -- Jessie LeFlore, Mansfield

Hey, Jessie: I'll have to wait until the end of the season to answer that. Right now I'd go with a healthy Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, who performed well for several seasons. Reynolds is a free agent at the end of the season so this might be a one-and-done for him.

Hey, Hoynsie: Why can't Yan Gomes stay in the big leagues? I understand they want him to play every day in the minors to work on his catching. But while Lou Marson is a good defensive catcher with a good arm, he struggles with the bat. -- Thomas Ryan, Fostoria

Hey, Thomas: Who says Gomes won't stay ... at least for a while. Marson just started throwing again and it's conceivable the Indians could option him to Class AAA Columbus so he can play regularly. It all depends what they feel is best for both catchers.

Hey, Hoynsie: Any update on how Grady Sizemore is doing in his rehab from his many injuries? -- Richard Dudley, Spokane, Wash.

Hey, Richard: Talked to his agent, Joe Urbon, recently. Urbon said Grady's rehab is going well and that he's had no setbacks. Urbon said Grady hopes to be back playing with a team after the All-Star break. He's a free agent right now.

Hey, Hoynsie: How much hotter do you think the Indians' bats will be when Michael Bourn gets back in the lineup? -- Ryan Cottrell, Conneautville, Pa.

Hey, Ryan: They're pretty hot right now. The big thing about Bourn's return, to me, is that manager Terry Francona will be able to move Michael Brantley out of the leadoff spot and put him somewhere in the lineup where he can take advantage of his ability to drive in runs.

francona-chew-dugout-2013-cc.jpgView full sizeTerry Francona always seems to be chewing something during games. But if you want to find out what it is, don't say we didn't warn you. 

Hey, Hoynsie: The Tribe's pitching has gotten a bit better recently, but if it starts to decline once again, do you think that an Asdrubal Cabrera for Brandon Morrow trade would work? Those are perfect fits for both teams so it would make sense. -- Ryan Smith, Monroeville, Ind.

Hey, Ryan: I have a hard time giving up a two-time All-Star shortstop, who plays nearly every day, for a starter who works once every five days. That certainly doesn't mean the Indians wouldn't consider it, but right now I think something drastic would have to happen for that to become a front-burner issue.

Hey, Hoynsie: Baseball being a game of statistics, can you tell me how many pieces of bubble gum Terry Francona goes through in typical game? I myself would guess at least 30. -- P.J. Cardullias, Mentor

Hey, P.J.: Francona told me Friday that he chews between 80 and 100 pieces a game. He not only likes the taste of bubble gum, but uses it to cover up his chew of tobacco. He said he keeps removing gum and adding new pieces because he has a gag reflex that doesn't allow him to keep too many pieces in his mouth at the same time.

"It got so bad in Boston that the clubhouse guy would unwrap a whole box of gum for me before the game," said Francona. "Otherwise, I'd spend the whole game unwrapping gum."

-- Hoynsie

Can the Cleveland Browns be a surprise team this fall? Hey, Mary Kay!

0
0

Optimism and pessimism in the same mailbag? It must be the Browns.

Hey, Mary Kay: Do you think this is the year the Browns make a big leap in wins and maybe even secure a wild-card spot in the playoffs? I think that Pittsburgh is going to go downhill fast due to all their age concerns and Ben Roethlisberger's inability to maintain his health. The Ravens will have a hard time replacing all the pieces they lost. I do not see how Cincinati has been to the playoffs the past two years with Andy Dalton as their QB. If we feed the ball to Trent Richardson 20-25 times a game and have Weeden throw some deep completions we have a chance to be a nine-win team. -- Matthew Dunlap, Las Vegas

Hey, Matthew: I never expected the Browns to go 10-6 in 2007 with Derek Anderson at quarterback, so anything can happen. But in addition to their demanding AFC North slate, the Browns face a lot of good quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford. I must say that Barkevious Mingo looked the part in the two days of rookie camp open to the media this weekend. I believe the attack-minded defense will be a lot better this year and the offense should certainly be improved. Health is always a huge factor, but this crew should be able to break through the five-win barrier.

Hey, Mary Kay: Do you think it's possible that the reason the Browns traded their fourth- and fifth-round picks could be because of Jimmy Haslem's impending FBI and IRS issues? Do you think that the Browns could be penny-pinching this year on rookie salary and signing bonuses in preparation for expensive future restitution? -- John Sikon, Garfield Heights

Hey, John: I don't think Jimmy's woes had anything to do with the Browns' trades. I think it had everything to do with being poised next year to draft a franchise quarterback if they feel they need one.

Hey, Mary Kay: I work for a moving company and I'm always on the road. Normally I wear my Browns hat on jobs. The first thing people ask me is "do we have a chance this year?" So I ask you honestly. In our division, do you see us in the top two, or bottom two? -- Jessie LeFlore, Mansfield

Hey, Jessie: The Browns have enough talent to surprise some people, but right now I'd have to say bottom two. It's still one of the toughest divisions in football and their rivals had good drafts. Both sides of the ball are learning new schemes and it's still a young team. A lot depends on how quickly Brandon Weeden picks up the new offense and how well he makes that second-year leap.

Hey, Mary Kay: With Josh Cribbs having not yet been signed by anyone, can you see him coming back home on the cheap? -- Leo Smyth, Gulfport, Miss.

Hey, Leo: No. The new regime has had plenty of opportunities to re-sign him and hasn't shown interest. Cribbs is on a world tour right now and hopes to sign somewhere soon. He's visited the Jets, Raiders, Giants and Lions this week.

Hey, Mary Kay: Isn't it time to leave the QB situation alone for this year and allow Chud and Norv to develop Brandon Weeden? If it doesn't work out, then next year's draft is the time to address it. -- Charlie Cole, Sheridan, Wyo.

Hey, Charlie: That's absolutely the plan. The Browns anticipate Weeden will keep his starting job and open the season. But they'll also give Jason Campbell a good look during camp. Weeden has some catching up to do because Campbell has played in this offense.

Hey, Mary Kay: It's obvious Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati all had better drafts than Cleveland. The team is supposedly building through the draft. If you are also going to sit on over $30 million in cap space, how will the gap between those teams ever be closed if the drafts are this inferior? -- Edward Cooke, Magnolia, Del.

Hey, Edward: The Browns have overhauled their defense in one off-season by adding key free agents Paul Kruger, Desmond Bryant and Quentin Groves. They also landed their man in the draft in LSU's Barkevious Mingo, and stockpiled a few picks for next season. Only time will tell if this draft was inferior.

-- Mary Kay

Listen to Sunday Insider with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore tonight at 8 p.m.

0
0

Join cleveland.com's Glenn Moore tonight at 8 p.m. for Sunday Insider. Glenn will be joined by guests Michelle Beadle from NBC Sports and Daryl Ruiter from 92.3 The Fan.

AX021_234C_9.JPGListen to Sunday Insider with clevleand.com's Glenn Moore, tonight at 8 p.m. 
Has Ubaldo Jimenez finally turned the corner? Should Jason Campbell be given a fair chance to be the starter? Who should the Cavs target in free agency?

Join cleveland.com's Glenn Moore (@GlennMooreCLE) for another episode of Sunday Insider, tonight at 8 p.m.

Glenn will talk about the Tribe's recent winning ways, Brandon Weeden vs. Jason Campbell, Armonty Bryant and possible targets by the Cavs in the NBA Draft.

NBC's Michelle Beadle (@michelledbeadle) will join Glenn to talk about the biggest sports headlines.

92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter (@ruiterwrongfan) will also join the show to talk Browns and Indians.

You can jump in the chat room during the show to interact with Glenn and tonight's guests or call into the show. The call-in number is 440.678.7599.


// username and password used for direct login only
var directUsername = "";
var directPassword = "";
var roomPassword = "";
var roomID = "1522";
var roomName = "www.cleveland.com Room";
var privateChatCID = "";

// logoPath should be swf/png/jpg/gif, approximately 200x30
// bgPath should be swf/png/jpg/gif, size will be stretched to the full background
// bgColor if no background is desired
var logoPath = "http://www.cleveland.com/chatblazermod/images/logo.jpg";
var bgPath = "";
var bgColor = "";
var barColor = ""; // #336699
var textColor = ""; // #FFFFFF

// Size of ChatBlazer application in % or pixels
var chatWidth="480";
var chatHeight="312";

// path of chat
var flashPath="ChatBlazer8"+(mainSkin!=""?"_"+mainSkin:"")+".swf?cb=1";

function addParam(pname,pval) {
if (typeof pval!="undefined" && pval) { flashPath = flashPath + "&"+pname+"=" + encodeURIComponent(pval); }
}

addParam("lang",mainLang);
addParam("config",mainConfig);
addParam("skin",mainSkin);
addParam("username",directUsername);
addParam("password",directPassword);
addParam("roompass",roomPassword);
addParam("roomid",roomID);
addParam("roomname",roomName);
addParam("privatechatcid",privateChatCID);
addParam("logo",logoPath);
addParam("bgpath",bgPath);
addParam("bgcolor",bgColor);
addParam("barcolor",barColor);

if (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE") != -1) {
addParam("isIE","1");
}

embedFlash(flashPath,chatWidth,chatHeight,"cb8",sourceBase, "#000000");
//-->


Note: To turn off audio alerts in the chatroom, click on the round button on bottom left of the chat room, then preferences. Uncheck all audio options and save.


About the show: Sunday Insider airs live every
Sunday at 8 p.m. Hosted by cleveland.com's Glenn Moore, the show features a timely and lively discussion of the biggest sports topics of the day and gives readers a chance to interact directly with Glenn and his guests.


Viewers have to the opportunity to ask questions and post comments in a live chat room during the show. They can also email their questions during the week.


Fans who miss the live show can listen to the archive, available minutes after the completion of the show. Stay tuned for the next episode on tonight at 8 p.m..

Indians at Tigers: Get updates and post your comments

0
0

The Indians look to take two-out-of-three from Detroit by winning the series finale this afternoon.

Game 35: Indians (19-15) at Tigers (20-14)

First pitch: 1:08 p.m. at Comerica Park, Detroit.

TV/radio: :SportsTime Ohio, MLB Network; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS FM/100.7.



Starting pitchers:
RHP Zach McAllister (3-3, 2.63 ERA) vs. RHP Rick Porcello (1-2, 7.52).


Box score | MLB scoreboard


» Get updates from Paul Hoynes in the pressbox here


» You can also follow Tweets about the game and post your comments below.




A father's drive kept Cleveland Browns rookie Leon McFadden pushing toward the pros

0
0

Leon McFadden grew up the son of a former professional baseball player who rode him hard all the way to his NFL career. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Growing up the son of a professional baseball player, Browns rookie cornerback Leon McFadden had very little margin for error.

His dad, Leon McFadden Sr., who spent nine years in pro ball including three seasons with the Houston Astros from 1968-70, had an eagle eye for mistakes and caught every one McFadden ever made in every sport, from peewee on up.

"If Leon had a great game, I'd say, 'did you do anything bad today?'" recalled McFadden Sr. "That's what we need to talk about. Because if you make one boo-boo, it outweighs five touchdown catches. That's what it takes to be great."

Leon Sr., 69, was drafted by the Houston Colt .45s in 1963. He eventually reached the renamed Astros, playing 62 games as a utility player. He played in the minors until 1975 and spent a year in Japan before settling in California and starting a family. He was 47 when Leon Jr. came along, and could tell early on that he had passed on his athletic genes.

"I took him out and started teaching him baseball when he was 4-1/2 and he was quite good at it," said McFadden Sr. "He had speed, he had agility, he had a lot of things going for himself."

But one day, young Lee-Lee announced that he wanted to play basketball.

"I didn't want to tie him down," said McFadden Sr. "He was excellent in basketball. I said, 'you're not going to play baseball anymore?' But he wanted to do the travel basketball and we let him do it."

Still, McFadden Sr. could see that his son had pro potential, regardless of sport. To keep him focused, he enrolled him at an all-boys Catholic high school, St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif.

"That's why I paid for his schooling, because I needed him to go study," McFadden Sr. said. "During the week, he didn't have that interference of girls. That was for the weekends."

McFadden Sr. and his wife, Mia, attended every game McFadden and his younger sister, LaShawin, played. "We were their No. 1 fans," said McFadden Sr. "But I was also Lee's worst critic."

By high school, McFadden picked up baseball again and added football to his repertoire.

"He played varsity baseball, basketball and football all through high school," said McFadden.

But while he inherited his dad's hand-eye coordination and speed, he didn't get his 6-2 height. McFadden maxed out at just over 5-9 in college. But his dad never let size be used as a liability or excuse.

"My dad always told me, 'don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything,'" McFadden said at rookie minicamp Saturday. "My size has been questionable and that doesn't affect me at all."

The Browns' third-round pick out of San Diego State and likely starter opposite Joe Haden, McFadden showed a baseball aptitude at St. John Bosco, but his dad knew it wouldn't be sufficient to make the big leagues.

"He was a little guy who could play a little -- he hit .450 -- but I didn't think it fit him like it fit me," McFadden Sr. said. "I said 'football is going to be your knack.'"

McFadden played both ways at St. John Bosco, catching 32 passes for 522 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior wideout, with four interceptions on defense. He registered 48 tackles.

"They threw the ball to him about 160 times and he caught 150," said McFadden Sr. "He had hands to catch. And he gave up only one TD pass his whole high-school career, to Gavin Escobar [a future San Diego State teammate and current Cowboys tight end]."

McFadden settled on San Diego State after turning down offers from Brigham Young, Utah State, Idaho and Sacramento State. But when he set foot on campus at 5-9, 165 pounds, the receiver-rich Aztecs promptly converted him to cornerback.

"He was upset at first, but he realized that he could be great at cornerback," said McFadden Sr. "And Lee wants to be great."

McFadden Sr. also made sure the Aztec coaches knew what they were in for. "I walked up to [then coach Brady Hoke] and said, 'we're going to let him come to this college but I want you to understand one thing: you really don't know what you have yet.' But you will after he gets here."

It didn't take long to figure out. McFadden started five games his first season, earning Mountain West Conference All-Freshman honors. As a sophomore, he added 15 pounds and nailed down the left cornerback spot, where he started the remaining 39 games of his career.

By his senior year, McFadden recorded a career-high 61 tackles, intercepted three passes and knocked down a dozen more balls.

"He's always been a sleeper," said McFadden Sr. "People look at him and they don't pay attention to him. Then all of a sudden the thing is over and you add up his stats and they're unreal."

Father and mother attended all of their son's games -- both home and on the road, including a contest against Army in New York. It wasn't just because they enjoyed watching him play.

"A kid will tell you anything," said McFadden Sr. "They'll say, 'the coach did this or that' and we didn't need that. If he made a mistake, he had to own up to it because I saw it and he couldn't tell me any different. I wasn't going to say, 'Oh, that's OK.'"

McFadden Sr. rode his boy because he saw the seeds of greatness.

"If you see a kid that has enough talent to make it, he can't use excuses," he said. "And Lee listened to me, because he knew I knew what it took to get there. God blessed you with one chance to make it, and I didn't want him to miss it."

The McFaddens were a welcome sight outside the SDSU locker room.

"For about 10 of those boys on that team, I was like their dad," said McFadden. "And Lee is such a good kid, he was willing to share me. I tried to motivate some of the kids who were down and out."

Now that McFadden is a Brown, his dad can't wait to meet the coaches.

"I'm going to walk right up to them and tell them they don't know what they have yet," he said. "But pretty soon they will."

Cleveland Indians rally late to beat Tigers, 4-3, in 10 innings

0
0

Mark Reynolds' pinch-hit single in the 10th gave the Indians a 4-3 victory over the Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park. The victory moved the Cleveland Indians into a first-place tie with the Tigers in the AL Central.

DETROIT -- First the swing. Then the shoes.

Mark Reynolds slapped a two-out single through the left side of the infield in the 10th inning on a Sunday so cold it snowed to help the Indians beat the Tigers, 4-3, at Comerica Park and move into a first-place tie in the AL Central.

When the Indians signed Reynolds, he was supposed to hit long home runs, strike out a ton and hit .220. He has the statistics to prove it, but right now he's hitting .291 (24-for-75) with 11 homers, 32 RBI and 36 strikeouts. One more number to digest: Reynolds is hitting .389 (14-for-36) with runners in scoring position.

Now for the shoes. In honor of Mother's Day and breast cancer awareness, Reynolds came to the plate in the 10th for his only at-bat of the day wearing a pair of cotton-candy pink high-topped spikes from Under Armour.

The critics couldn't contain themselves.

  • Boxscore | Scoreboard | Standings
  • "They were flashy," said Zach McAllister, who allowed three runs, two earned, in a six-inning no-decision start.

    "They were sweet . . . for one day," said rookie Cody Allen, who earned his first big-league save because closer Chris Perez was unavailable with a stiff right shoulder.

    "You better get a hit with those things," said manager Terry Francona. "I know it's a good cause, but those are ugly."

    Asdrubal Cabrera, who made a great turn on a double play in the ninth to send the game into extra innings, opened the 10th with a double off lefty Darin Downs (0-1). He went to third on Nick Swisher's slow roller down the first-base line. After Carlos Santana was intentionally walked, Michael Bourn sent a grounder to short with Cabrera going on contact.

    Jhonny Peralta, Cabrera's old keystone partner, threw him out at the plate as Santana stopped at second. Reynolds, pinch-hitting for Chisenhall, was down in the count, 1-2, when he slapped a Downs' change-up into left field to break the 3-3 tie.

    "He threw me change, change, change," said Reynolds. "He left the third one up a little bit and I squeezed it through the hole."

    Reynolds didn't start because Francona wanted him to rest for Monday's doubleheader against the Yankees. Reynolds had a different interpretation.

    "I think Tito didn't play me because of my pink shoes," said Reynolds.

    Reynolds said he was going to give them to his mother, Tammy.

    The Indians scored two runs off Rick Porcello in the third on Jason Kipnis' double. They went scoreless for the next five innings, stranding eight runners.

    Cabrera ended the fifth by hitting into a bases-loaded double play. Michael Brantley ended the seventh with another double-play grounder with two on.

    "That was as much of a team effort as you're ever going to see," said Francona. "We left some runners out there early. But there's something to be said for just keeping playing. We just kept playing."

    The Indians, who won two straight from the Tigers after Friday's 10-4 loss, finally cashed in against Jose Valverde, Detroit's closer. Valverde entered the ninth with a 3-2 lead, but immediately found trouble when he walked Bourn, pinch-hitting for Ryan Raburn. Bourn stole second, but Valverde, featuring a two-tone goatee, retired Chisenhall and Yan Gomes.

    Pinch-hitter Jason Giambi worked a walk to get Brantley to the plate. Brantley singled to left to score Bourn with the trying run.

    "All I was trying to do was get a base hit," said Brantley. "If I get a base hit anywhere, you know Bourn is scoring. He can fly."

    Joe Smith (1-0), with the help of Cabrera's turn, pitched the ninth for the win. After a leadoff single by Andy Dirks, Torii Hunter sent a grounder to Smith, who fired to second. The throw was behind Cabrera, who had to lean back to make the catch, do a full turn on the bag, and throw to first to get Hunter.

    "That's a very athletic play," said Francona.

    Lefty Rich Hill, with Perez unavailable, retired Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez to start the 10th. Allen came on to strike out Matt Tuiasosopo for the final out.

    Brayan Pena gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead with a homer in the second. Detroit took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on Omar Infante's sacrifice fly. The run was unearned because of Chisenhall's throwing error at third.

    Hunter, Martinez make Tigers' lineup especially tough: Cleveland Indians Chatter

    0
    0

    Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez worry Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, almost as much as Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.

    Clubhouse confidential: It's not just Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder hitting consecutively in the Tigers' lineup that makes Terry Francona and every other manager in the American League nervous.

    "What makes me even more nervous . . . is that they have Torii Hunter hitting in front of them and you have Victor (Martinez), who in my opinion is the best protection hitter in baseball, hitting behind them," said Francona. "Victor switch-hits, puts the bat on the ball and hits good pitching. And he hasn't even got hot yet."

    Trouble with lefties: Lonnie Chisenhall went into Sunday's game hitting .091 (2-for-22) against lefties. In Saturday's 7-6 victory over Detroit, Francona pinch-hit Mike Aviles for Chisenhall against lefty Drew Smyly in the seventh inning, forcing Detroit's Jim Leyland to bring in righty Al Alburquerque.

    Francona believes Chisenhall will hit lefties, but it won't stop him from pinch-hitting for the third baseman.

    "Early in the season, I didn't want to pinch-hit for Lonnie," said Francona. "I didn't want guys looking over their shoulder. Now we're into season and you can start doing things off the bench."

    Stat of the day: Jason Giambi's bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning Saturday was the 24th of his career. Among active players he ranks fourth behind Derek Jeter (30), Carlos Pena (26) and Alex Rodriguez (25).

    Terry Francona setting right tone for Cleveland Indians: Bud Shaw

    0
    0

    When it comes to the annual debate on the Cleveland Indians' attendance, manager Terry Francona is taking the right approach by saying if the team continues to play well, fans will come to the ballpark.

    bud-fans.jpgView full sizeCleveland Indians' attendance is an annual topic of debate in the spring, but Terry Francona is saying all the right things when asked about the team's fan support. 

    CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Maybe it's best for everyone concerned that Monday's baseball special -- a two-for-one value meal featuring the New York Yankees -- comes with a side: a built-in excuse for sparse attendance.

    People have to work after all. End of conversation -- if only for a day -- about why the Indians easily rank last in Major League Baseball in support at the turnstiles.

    Terry Francona provided the smart take when he cited school and the weather (and that was before Sunday's intermittent hail). That's nothing novel, but it's a useful version of the customer-is-always-right.

    The alternative is to fuel an unnecessary debate by poking the fan base to get on board. That results in reviving old rants about the Dolans' spending habits. Why invite that after three 90-loss seasons in four years, let alone after an upbeat off-season, unless you have a masochistic streak or you're new to the issue?

    Francona understands there's nothing worse than millionaire players and managers spending people's limited discretionary income for them.

    Unless, of course, it's sports writers doing it while flashing their media pass at the left field gate.

    "If we get to the point where we're backing it up, and just not on a hot streak, our attendance will get better," Francona told reporters in Detroit, where the Indians took two of three from the Tigers and return home as baseball's hottest team.

    Francona could've waited for a different managing opportunity after a year with ESPN. He happily chose this one knowing it wasn't Boston, or even Cleveland in the '90s.

    The guess is he took the job with the Dolans' assurance they'd improve the roster, which they've done. And that now Francona has seen enough evidence to believe the Indians can back up this hot streak. That they're built to do it deep enough into the summer that the attendance discussion will die a natural death.

    The Indians had a similar record a year ago through April and May. We know that in 2011 they even started 30-15 and held a seven-game lead. After leading by a half game on June 23, they finished 31-61.

    The roster drove that collapse, but a two-way shortage of faith between Manny Acta and the players contributed to it. To a lesser degree, early delusions of grandeur also played a role.

    The Indians fell into the trap last year of thinking they were better than they really were after a sweep of the Tigers. Closer Chris Perez used it to call out the apathetic fringes of the fan base in part for their blind loyalty toward the Browns. Perez took the brunt of the backlash, as he should have, but he spoke for others in the organization.

    Francona's comments leave that moot point unaddressed, which is perfect since there's no good answer for it except that people love the Browns for better or worse and that each Browns' home game is an event no matter the quality of football inside.

    The added benefit to deferring the attendance conversation until later in the summer, if then, is to keep the focus in the clubhouse -- and outside, too -- on the positive aspects of a promising 2013.

    The win over the Tigers and Justin Verlander on Saturday gives the Indians a 6-1 record over previous Cy Young Award winners. You don't get bonus points for that, but it's turned this lineup into big-game hunters.

    They not only survived nearly a month without Michael Bourn in center field and at the top of the lineup. They excelled, showing the versatility and depth Acta never had at his disposal.

    Acta's dead-on comments last year about the Indians' laundry list of needs for 2013 -- left fielder, third baseman, first baseman, etc. -- omitted one other need: bench.

    It helps, most specifically, to have major league players on it.

    Mike Aviles, Ryan Raburn, Yan Gomes and Jason Giambi are another reason for Francona to believe this team can change the attendance conversation without ever addressing it.

    Francona can rest players without giving away games. He did it Sunday, giving Bourn and Mark Reynolds the day off until Reynolds entered as a pinch-hitter and delivered the game-winner in extra innings.

    After Sunday, the Indians are 9-3 in one-run games. They're 3-0 in extra innings.

    The ability to manufacture runs is a nice sidecar to the home run horsepower that wasn't here last year.

    They lead the league in home runs a season after finishing with the third fewest.

    It's early. Francona said as much.

    You need to trust your eyes before you open your wallets?

    He's saying it's all good. Just be open to the possibility his team is pretty good, too.

    On deck: Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees

    0
    0

    The Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees will play a doubleheader Monday in Progressive Field to make up two games rained out in April.

    Where: Progressive Field.

    TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM 1100-AM.

    Pitching matchups: RHP David Phelps (1-1, 5.02) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (5-2, 3.67) Monday at 12:05 p.m. and LHP Vidal Nuno (first big league start) vs. RHP Trevor Bauer (1-1, 2.70), second game of doubleheader.

    Series: The Yankees lead the Indians, 2-0, this year; New York leads, 1,082-850, overall.

    Yankees update: They outscored the Indians, 25-7, to win the first two games of a scheduled four-game series in April. The last two games, both rained out, are being made up Monday with a doubleheader. Former Indian Travis Hafner went 3-for-7 with a homer and three RBI and Robinson Cano went 7-for-10 with two homers and seven RBI. Nuno is a former Indians draft pick (48th round, 2009).

    Indians update: They've won 12 of 14 while averaging 6.2 runs per game. Masterson is 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances against the Yankees. Bauer will be making his third spot start of the season.

    Injuries: Yankees -- RHP Joba Chamberlain (right oblique), RHP Ivan Nova (right triceps), 1B Mark Teixeira (wrist), 3B Kevin Youkilis (back), CF Curtis Granderson (right forearm), 3B Alex Rodriguez (hip), LHP Cesar Cabral (left elbow), RHP Michael Pineda (right shoulder), C Francisco Cervelli (right hand) are on the disabled list. Indians -- C Lou Marson (right shoulder), RHP Brett Myers (right elbow/forearm), RHP Josh Tomlin (right elbow), RHP Frank Herrmann (right elbow) and RHP Blake Wood (right elbow) are on the disabled list. RHP Chris Perez (right shoulder) is day to day.

    Next for Tribe: Indians open a two-game interleague series in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

    Sore shoulder earns Chris Perez a day off: Cleveland Indians Insider

    0
    0

    After a difficult outing on Saturday night, Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez felt stiffness in his shoulder on Sunday when he tried to warm up and was given the day off. He says he'll be ready to go for Monday's doubleheader against New York.

    DETROIT -- Closer Chris Perez didn't do his job on a frigid Sunday at Comerica Park. No, he didn't blow a save. He never left the bullpen because of stiffness in his right shoulder.

    "I felt a little stiff in my shoulder today," said Perez. "I could have thrown today if it was an emergency. . . . If it was September and we had to win the game. But we played it safe."

    Perez saved his sixth game Saturday night in a trying ninth inning against Detroit when he allowed two hits, an unearned run and threw 22 pitches in a 7-6 victory.

    In Sunday's 4-3 victory in 10 innings, Perez said he started to throw in the bullpen in the ninth, "but I didn't feel right. Tito [manager Terry Francona] told me to play it smart and I did. I don't expect to be missing any more time.

    "I'll be available for the first game of Monday's doubleheader."

    The Indians play the Yankees in a makeup doubleheader Monday at Progressive Field starting at 12:05 p.m.

    Perez missed a big part of spring training with soreness in his right shoulder. He said the current soreness is in a different spot in the shoulder.

    "We're playing it safe, like we did in spring training, but it's not going to be that long," said Perez. "Missing a day here is a lot better than missing two months."

    After Mark Reynolds gave the Indians a 4-3 lead in the 10th with a pinch-hit single, lefty Rich Hill retired Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez. Cody Allen relieved and struck out pinch-hitter Matt Tuiasosopo for his first big-league save.

    Francona told Perez before the game Sunday: "When you get up to throw, I want an honest assessment. We're going from a night game to a day game and we've got a doubleheader on Monday.

    "To his credit, he was honest. We just figured we'd win it another way. Saturday night was a pretty taxing effort and we're coming right back 12 hours later. I just don't want this to lead to an injury."

    Now what? With set-up man Vinnie Pestano already on the disabled list and Perez's right shoulder barking, the pen continues to be in a state of flux.

    Francona went with Bryan Shaw in the seventh and eighth innings on Sunday. Joe Smith pitched the ninth and Hill and Allen finished things in the 10th.

    Relievers always like to know their roles, but right now just about anybody could appear in any role. Francona, in a way, likes that.

    "I understand them not wanting to be surprised when the phone rings in the bullpen," said Francona. "But the more flexibility you have in the bullpen, the better bullpen you have.

    "When you can use them in the spots you want to, the numbers will be better."

    Take Smith, Sunday's winner. At the start of the season, he owned the seventh inning. When Pestano went down, he moved to the eighth. Sunday, with the score tied, 3-3, he pitched the ninth and took the game into extra innings.

    "I've told Smitty that we're not going to wait around until to eighth to use him if we have a bunch of righties hitting in the seventh," said Francona. "That seems silly to me."

    Enough is enough: Why did Francona lift Ubaldo Jimenez after six innings and only 93 pitches Saturday night?

    "I didn't feel that good after the sixth inning," said Jimenez, who has won three straight starts for the first time as an Indian. "I was a little tired. It was a cold night and I had a couple of innings where I had to wait a long time. It was kind of hard to get my arm loose."

    Testing, testing: Brett Myers (right elbow) and Pestano (right elbow) threw Saturday at Progressive Field. Myers threw a bullpen session to catcher Lou Marson, who also tested his sore right shoulder.

    Pestano is scheduled to throw off the mound Monday between games of the doubleheader. Myers will accompany the team to Philadelphia, where he will throw another bullpen session during the two-game series.

    Finally: Fielder's 460-foot homer off Corey Kluber on Friday night reportedly hit Jackie Robinson's No. 42 on the brick wall behind the bleachers in right-center field at Comerica Park.


    Tiger Woods wins TPC for 78th career victory

    0
    0

    Tiger Woods shoots a final-round 70 and contender Sergio Garcia puts three balls in the water on the final two holes at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

    tpc-tiger.jpgView full sizeTiger Woods is the fourth player to win the TPC Sawgrass more than once. 

    PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods had the last word against Sergio Garcia by winning The Players Championship on Sunday.

    Woods ended a weekend of verbal sparring with Garcia by doing what he does best -- closing out tournaments, even if he let this one turn into a tense duel over the final hour at the TPC Sawgrass. Tied with Garcia with two holes to play, Woods won by finding land on the last two holes for par to close with a 2-under 70.

    If only it were that simple for the Spaniard.

    Garcia was standing on the 17th tee shot, staring across the water to an island as Woods made his par. He took aim at the flag with his wedge and hung his head when he saw the ball splash down short of the green. Then, Garcia hit another one in the water on his way to a quadruple-bogey 7. He completed his stunning collapse by hitting his tee shot into the water on the 18th and making double bogey.

    Woods was in the scoring trailer when he watched on TV as Swedish rookie David Lingmerth missed a long birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. It raced by the cup, and Lingmerth three-putted for bogey.

    "How about that?" Woods said to his caddie, Joe LaCava as he gave him a hug.

    Woods won The Players for the first time since 2001 and joined Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Steve Elkington as the only two-time winners at the TPC Sawgrass. It was his 78th career win on the PGA Tour, four short of the record held by Sam Snead.

    Final leaderboard

    Lingmerth closed with a 72 and finished two shots behind along with Kevin Streelman (67) and Jeff Maggert, who also was tied for the lead until finding the water on the 17th to make double bogey. The 49-year-old Maggert birdied the 18th for a 70.

    Garcia took 13 shots to cover the final two holes -- 6-over par -- and tumbled into a tie for eighth.

    Woods made this drama possible by hooking his tee shot into the water on the 14th hole and making a double bogey, dropping him into a four-way tie with Garcia, Maggert and Lingmerth. The final two holes came down to Garcia and Woods, most appropriate given their public sniping at each other this weekend.

    It started Saturday when Garcia complained in a TV interview that his shot from the par-5 second fairway was disrupted by cheers from the crowd around Woods, who was some 50 yards away in the trees and fired them up by taking a fairway metal out of his bag. He said Woods should have been paying attention, and it became a war of the words the next two days.

    "Not real surprising that he's complaining about something," Woods said.

    "At least I'm true to myself," Garcia retorted. "I know what I'm doing, and he can do whatever he wants."

    When they finished the storm-delayed third round Sunday morning, Garcia kept at it, saying that Woods is "not the nicest guy on tour."

    Woods had the last laugh. He had the trophy.

    Garcia, when asked if he would have changed anything about the flap with Woods, replied, "It sounds like I was the bad guy here. I was the victim."

    The real villain was the infamous 17th hole, which knocked out Garcia and Maggert.

    "When you've got water in front of the green, that's not a good time to be short of the green. You know, it was close," Maggert said. "What can I say? A wrong shot at the wrong time and you get penalized on this golf course."

    It was at the 17th hole five years ago where Garcia won The Players Championship, when Paul Goydos hit into the water in a sudden-death playoff. This time, the island green got its revenge on him. Garcia hit a wedge and felt he caught it just a little bit thin, which is usually all it takes.

    tpc-sergio.jpgView full sizeSergio Garcia after putting a second ball into the water on the 17th hole Sunday. 

    "That hole has been good to me for the most part," Garcia said. "Today, it wasn't. That's the way it is. That's the kind of hole it is. You've got to love it for what it is."

    Woods finished on 13-under 275 and earned $1.71 million, pushing his season total to over $5.8 million in just seven tournaments. This is the 12th season he has won at least four times -- that used to be the standard of a great year before he joined the PGA Tour in 1996 -- and this was the quickest he has reached four wins in a year.

    It also was the first time Woods has won on Mother's Day.

    "Sorry, Mom," he said into the camera. "I think she might have had a heart attack. I was in control of the tournament, and I just hit the worst shot I could possibly hit."

    Typical of Woods these days, there were questions about where he took the drop -- some 255 yards from the hole. NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller suggested it was a "borderline" where he took the drop. But Mark Russell, vice president of competition for the PGA Tour, said there was nothing wrong with the drop. Woods conferred with Casey Wittenberg, who said there was "no doubt" that Woods took the drop in the right spot.

    "He asked me exactly where it crossed," Wittenberg said. "I told him I thought it crossed on the corner of the bunker, right where he took his drop. And it's all good."

    Woods wound up with a double bogey, and he nearly fell out of the lead on the 15th until he saved par with an 8-foot putt. He followed with another up-and-down from the bunker on the par-5 16th for birdie. Garcia, playing in the final group behind Woods, two-putted the 16th to regain a share of the lead and then walked over to the 17th tee where it ended with two swings.

    Woods and Garcia played four tension-free holes Sunday morning to complete the third round, and they shook hands without words when they finished -- Woods with a 71, Garcia with a 72 to share the 54-hole lead with Lingmerth.

    With a three-way tie, Garcia wound up in the final group because he was first to play at the start of the third round.

    Garcia, however, continued to fuel the bad feelings between them.

    He told Sky Sports, "I'm not going to lie, he's not my favorite guy to play with. He's not the nicest guy on tour." And then he told Golf Channel, "We don't enjoy each other's company. You don't need to be a rocket engineer to figure that out."

    Woods downplayed the episode and said it didn't matter who joined him on the tee. "I'm tied for the lead, so I'm right there."

    And that's where he usually wins. Woods now is 53-4 in his PGA Tour career when he has at least a share of the lead going into the final round.

    Northeast Ohio high school sports scoreboard for Sunday, May 12, 2013.

    0
    0

    Baseball NONLEAGUE

    Baseball

    NONLEAGUE

    Extra innings

    Cleveland Hts.002 001 01-- 4 3 3

    Brush110 001 00-- 3 7 1

    CH (13-6): Houdek (W, 4-3). B: Schloss (L).

    Notable: Stanich (CH) 6 IP, 9K, 2-4, R.

    Late result

    NONLEAGUE

    Green000 004 0-- 4 5 2

    Massillon120 200 x-- 5 6 4

    G (6-17): Kortze (L, 1-3). M: (10-12): Caldwell (W, 2-3). S: Wenger. HR: Bronczek (M).

    Tennis

    Late result

    NORTHEAST OHIO CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

    Lake Division

    How they finished: 1. Brush 63; 2. Normandy 51; 3. Elyria 41; 4. Stow 40; 5. Garfield Heights 21; 6. Valley Forge 19.

    First Singles: Gossett (B) def. Byrne (N) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Second Singles: Stefan (N) def. Ronis (B) 6-2, 6-1; Third Singles: Grimes (B) def. Tolson (E) 6-1, 6-2.

    First Doubles: Bendokas/Schmidt (B) def. Maruschak/Halling (S) 6-1, 6-2; Second Doubles: Melendez/Peggs (E) def. Koch/Switalski (S) 6-2, 6-4.

    Girls lacrosse

    Late results

    Bay 17, Avon Lake 7

    B: Holmes 4, Sullivan 3, Galang 2, Kerka 2, McBride 2, Steyns 2, Drenkhan, Hardy. AL: McCann 2, Burke, Maloney, McClain, McCoy, Sliwinski.

    Goalies: B, J. Holmes (5 saves), Lowery (2); AL, Ferrell (17).

    NDCL 12, Orange 7

    Goalies: NDCL, Zbinovec (3 saves); O, Jenney (6).

     

     

    Northeast Ohio high school sports schedule for Monday, May 13, 2013.

    0
    0

    Sectional tournament schedule

    Sectional tournament

    schedule

    Baseball

    Note: Games start at 4:30 and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

    DIVISION II

    AKRON DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    Buchtel at Streetsboro

    Akron North at St. Vincent-St. Mary

    Revere at Woodridge

    Akron East at CVCA

    CANTON DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    Fairless at Coventry

    Marlington at Northwest

    Kenmore at Springfield

    JEFFERSON DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    Warrensville at Lake Catholic

    Orange at Jefferson

    Harvey at University

    Geneva at Edgewood

    Conneaut at Perry

    LORAIN DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    John Hay at Fairview

    Bay at Rocky River

    Collinwood at Padua

    Max Hayes at Padua

    STRUTHERS DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    Hubbard at Canfield

    West Branch at Struthers

    Crestwood at Lakeview

    Salem at Southeast

    Softball

    Note: Games start at 4:30 and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

    DIVISION IV

    COPLEY DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    Max Hayes at Villa Angela-St. Joseph

    East Canton at Kidron Central Christian

    Our Lady of the Elms at Mapleton

    WARREN DISTRICT

    Semifinals

    Today

    Bloomfield at Ledgemont

    Southington at Lordstown

    Cornerstone Christian at Fairport

    Badger at Warren John F. Kennedy

    Regular season

    Today's schedule

    BASEBALL

    Note: Games start at 4:30 unless noted and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

    AKRON CITY SERIES

    Akron North at Akron East, 4:15

    PATRIOT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

    Stars Division

    Black River at Buckeye

    PORTAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE

    County Division

    Garrettsville Garfield at Rootstown

    NONLEAGUE

    John Hay at Buchtel

    Open Door at Gilmour Academy

    SOFTBALL

    Note: Games start at 4:30 unless noted and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

    AKRON CITY SERIES

    Akron East at Buchtel

    Akron North at Firestone

    Kenmore at Akron Garfield

    CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

    Crossover

    Kirtland at Chagrin Falls

    LAKE EFFECT CONFERENCE

    St. John at Cornerstone Christian

    NORTHEAST OHIO CONFERENCE

    Lake Division

    Brush at Parma

    Normandy at Valley Forge

    River Division

    Mentor at Solon

    North Royalton at Strongsville

    Valley Division

    Elyria at Shaker Heights

    PATRIOT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

    Stars Division

    Black River at Buckeye

    Keystone at Wellington

    Stripes Division

    Brooklyn at Columbia

    Fairview at Clearview

    Lutheran West at Oberlin

    PORTAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE

    County Division

    Mogadore at Garrettsville Garfield

    Windham at Waterloo, 4:15

    Crossover

    Southeast at Woodridge, 4:15

    Streetsboro at Ravenna, 4:15

    Metro Division

    Coventry at Kent Roosevelt

    Field at Crestwood

    Norton at Akron Springfield, 4:15

    PRINCIPALS ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

    Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy at Tuslaw

    SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

    Berea at Olmsted Falls

    Westlake at Midpark

    SUBURBAN LEAGUE

    Cloverleaf at Tallmadge

    Green at Nordonia

    Highland at Copley

    Revere at Wadsworth

    NONLEAGUE

    Akron Manchester at Indian Valley

    Lake Center Christian School at St. Vincent-St. Mary

    Laurel at Beachwood

    Open Door at Andrews Osborne Academy

    Track

    Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division Championships at Harvey, 4

    Fairless at Manchester, 4:30

    Tuslaw at CVCA, 4:30

     

    Cleveland Indians' minor league report

    0
    0

    Akron Aeros beat Reading in 10 innings on Giovanny Urshela's double.

    Class AAA: Rochester 5, Columbus 4 The host Red Wings scored all their runs in the sixth and beat the Clippers in an International League game. Columbus reliever Scott Barnes (2-1) surrendered five runs (all earned) on four hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

    Class AA: Akron 7, Reading 6 (10) Giovanny Urshela doubled home Quincy Latimore, who had walked, in the top of the 10th inning and the Aeros defeated the Fightin' Phils in Reading, Pa. Jesus Aguilar slugged his fourth homer for Aeros.

    Class A Advanced: Lynchburg 11, Carolina 4 Mudcats starter Shawn Morimando (1-5) gave up seven runs (five earned) on seven hits and four walks in four innings, as Carolina lost to the visiting Hillcats.

    Class A: Bowling Green 8, Lake County 0 Bowling Green, Ky., batted around and scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth in a shutout of the Captains. Four Hot Rod pitchers limited the Captains to two singles.Lake County reliever Luis Morel gave up four earned runs and five hits in 31/3 innings.

    Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon steps off this Sunday

    0
    0

    About 20,000 participants are expected for the 36th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon

    What: The 36th annual race, featuring the full marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K and Kid's Run. About 20,000 participants expected.

    When: Sunday, 7 a.m. for marathon and half, 7:30 a.m. for 10K. Saturday, 5K at 8 a.m., Kid's Run at 11 a.m.

    Where: North Coast Harbor area. Finish Line Rock Party begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday between FirstEnergy Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center.

    Parking: Available at public lots throughout the city. Cleveland Muni Lot opens at 5 a.m. and cost is $5. The RTA Waterfront Line will be running early and drops near start of race.

    Road closings: Several roads in and around the city will be closed or partially closed throughout the morning.

    Expo: The Cleveland Marathon Expo is at the International Exposition Center on Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free shuttle service from downtown available. Race packets available at Expo.

    Information: Available at clevelandmarathon.com.


    Viewing all 53367 articles
    Browse latest View live




    Latest Images