The deck is often stacked against Salazar's opposition, whether it's on the baseball diamond or at the card table.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Danny Salazar sat at one of four round tables in the Indians' clubhouse. With a smug grin on his face, he shuffled a deck of cards.

He removed the top two cards in the deck -- a seven of spades and an eight of clubs -- and flashed them at the two others sitting at the table. He split the deck in half, and placed the seven in the middle of one set and the eight in the middle of the other.

The Indians right-hander combined the two sets before splitting the deck into three parts. He stacked the three on top of each other, shuffled the deck and pulled out two cards: the seven of spades and the eight of clubs.

The deck is often stacked against Salazar's opposition, whether it's on the baseball diamond or at the card table.

"He's a magician," said left fielder Michael Brantley. "He loves doing card tricks, messing with people with cards. He's very good at it. It kind of drives you nuts a little bit with how he does it."

Opposing hitters can relate.

Salazar, 24, fashioned a 3.12 ERA in 10 big league starts last season. His output earned him the start in the American League Wild Card game, just three months after he made his major league debut.

The Indians used caution when dispatching Salazar to the mound in 2013. He finished the season having tossed 145 innings, up from 87 2/3 in 2012 and 14 2/3 in 2011. Salazar underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2010.

The club has been tentative with the flamethrower ever since. The Indians have yet to reveal when Salazar will make his spring debut. Instead, manager Terry Francona said he must complete one or two more batting practice sessions before he can advance to live game action.

"He's actually done really well," Francona said. "Sometimes it's just being a week later. It's not the end of the world and it sets up the whole year, giving a guy a good base, rather than for the sake of the schedule having a guy say he can throw the first spring training game. I never quite understood that.

"We want him to pitch with the tank full."

Salazar first discovered his interest in magic five years ago. Ever since, he watches instructional videos online in his free time. He enjoys practicing on his teammates in the clubhouse.

"It's an illusion," Salazar said. "You think about it like, 'Damn. How did he do that?'"

Was last season's performance on the mound simply an illusion? The numbers say no. He dazzled from the first time he toed the rubber in Cleveland, for a Thursday matinee against the Blue Jays in mid-July.

He tossed and turned in bed the night before and was so tired the morning of his debut that he fell back asleep after his alarm clock went off. He arrived at Progressive Field shortly before first pitch, but still carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with seven strikeouts over six frames.

"We all know he has a great arm," Brantley said. "He's very mature for a young age. He has all above-average pitches and he's still learning how to use them. That's just exciting. He's only going to get better and I look forward to playing behind him -- and not against him."

Salazar is often subdued, mellow and at ease. He said his adrenaline helped fuel the fire necessary to heave 100-mph heaters at the Rays in the Wild Card game, but he contended that he wasn't nervous.

The outing -- for which Salazar suffered the loss -- offered a glimpse of his future. Francona has raved about Dominican Republic native at every opportunity since October.

Despite his lack of experience, Salazar was ensured a spot in the Indians' starting rotation for 2014. The departures of Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir leave Salazar and the rest of the returning starters with little room for error.

Salazar keeps quiet. So when he was asked to perform a card trick in the Indians clubhouse last week, a small gathering of players and reporters surrounded the table and marveled at the magic. Brantley whispered to pitcher Josh Tomlin throughout the trick, as the two veterans tried to solve Salazar's sneaky methods.

"I don't do [tricks] with him," Brantley said, "because I get frustrated if I don't find out how he did it. He won't teach you how to do it, either."

The bewilderment and perplexity triggers Salazar's patented smug grin.

"It's just a little something there, a little something I can see that you can't see," he said. "But once you figure it out, you're like, 'Ahh, come on. That's easy.'"

Will hitters figure him out this season? Or does Salazar have a trick up his sleeve to conquer the imminent learning curve?

Jalin Marshall and Corey Smith are players who could get the ball after redshirting last season, while J.T. Barrett will get a chance to throw the ball and Evan Lisle is part of a major battle on the offensive line.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State opens spring football practice with the first of 15 sessions starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday. That will be followed by an interview with Urban Meyer, who is coming off a minor medical procedure over the weekend.

The day won't include quarterback Braxton Miller, who will be sitting out after shoulder surgery.

Here are five Buckeyes on the offensive side of the ball who will be on the field and on the spot over the next 15 practices.

• Five Ohio State defensive players on the spot

• Jalin Marshall, H-back/receiver, R-Fr.: A five-star recruit in the Class of 2013, Marshall was a high school quarterback in Middletown, Ohio, before making the switch to receiver at Ohio State. And he was often mentioned in the same breath at Dontre Wilson.

After a concussion in preseason practice sidelined him, Marshall was redshirted, and the Buckeyes brought in more speed behind him, with players like Curtis Samuel, who will also take part in spring ball, in the Class of 2014.

But don’t forget about Marshall.

Whether he lines up at receiver or H-back, Marshall had a full season to absorb a position switch and now could flash the speed, smarts and football skills that made him such a coveted recruit.

• J.T. Barrett, QB, R-Fr.: Braxton Miller won’t take a snap this spring. That means there’s more for everyone else. And this will serve as a preview of what spring will be like in 2015 when Miller is preparing for the NFL Draft.

Barrett, a Texas native, was the first quarterback recruited to Ohio State by Urban Meyer. He tore his ACL his senior year in high school and was limited at the start of his college football career. But now he should be ready to roll.

After serving as the scout team quarterback a year ago, he’ll have a chance to show what he can do. As Kenny Guiton proved last season, the backup quarterback behind Miller, who has an injury history, may be one of the 10 most important positions on the team.

And the battle to be the No. 2 QB now will foreshadow the battle to start in 2015. Many assume Barrett is in position to win both of those jobs, but the coaches have made the point that Glenville grad and redshirt sophomore Cardale Jones can’t be counted out.

This is a real battle. And while Miller will be the starter in the fall once his shoulder heals, this battle also really matters.

• Corey Smith, WR, Jr.: Evan Spencer, one of the two returning starters at receiver along with Devin Smith, will miss spring practice while recovering from a leg injury. The graduation of leading receiver Philly Brown already had opened a spot, so this just adds more opportunities for receivers fighting for playing time.

Smith, a junior college transfer who went to high school at Akron Buchtel, could fight to the top of the list.

His high school coach, Ricky Powers, said Smith had “so much talent, it’s scary,” when he committed to Ohio State in January of 2013.

He didn’t get to show it in games last year, but he could be starting in September.

• Evan Lisle, OT, R-Fr.: With four offensive line jobs open, there will be battles everywhere. Lisle, one of two offensive linemen from the Class of 2013, should fight for the right tackle job with veteran Darryl Baldwin. The winner of the battle now may have to hold off true freshmen like Jamarco Jones and Demetrius Knox in the fall. But true freshmen don’t often start on the offensive line.

Redshirt freshmen can. And these offensive line jobs will be staked out now. There’s more to figure out in this position group than anywhere else on the field. So line coach Ed Warinner will have a lot of work to do, and players like Lisle, Baldwin, Kyle Dodson, Antonio Underwood will have a lot on the line.

• Jeff Heuerman, TE, Sr.: No one is taking Heuerman’s job. He isn’t fighting to start. He’s done that for two years. But the Buckeyes will be seeing who steps up to lead this group through the spring. With quarterback Braxton Miller and receiver Evan Spencer sidelined, the only senior starters on offense who will be out there for the first day of practice are Heuerman and receiver Devin Smith.

Heuerman may never catch a ton of passes, but he has the build and skills to be a high-round NFL pick with a strong senior season.

First, he’ll have to rally the troops. Leadership was a major topic for Urban Meyer last year. If players like Heuerman and Smith on offense and Michael Bennett, Doran Grant and Curtis Grant on defense fill their senior roles, Meyer may not have to talk about it so much this year.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There is plenty of the high school sports coverage to come today, including several girls basketball regional semifinal games and more.  See everything you can expect to see throughout the day, listed below. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There is plenty of the high school sports coverage to come today, including several girls basketball regional semifinal games and more. 

See everything you can expect to see throughout the day, listed below. 

Boys basketball

Check out The Fastbreak boys basketball game of the week live audio webcast, hosted by Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe. 

You will have the opportunity to ask questions in the comments for weekly boys basketball Full Court Press Podcast, hosted by Bill Landis. 

Girls basketball 

Be sure to leave your questions in the comments for weekly girls basketball Pick-and-Roll podcast, hosted by Mark Kern and Stephanie Kuzydym. 

Regional semifinals

In Division I, Solon will take on Canton McKinley at Canton at 6:15 p.m. and Mark Kern will be covering the action while Stephanie Kuzydym takes pictures and videos of the action and player reactions, to be posted online as well. 

Kuzydym will then cover Division I Twinsburg facing off against North Canton Hoover at Canton at 8 p.m. while Kern takes over taking pictures and video. 

Bill Landis will cover Division I Wadsworth vs. Berea-Midpark at North Royalton at 7 p.m. and will take his own pictures and video. 

Nubyjas Wilborn will be watching as Division I Magnificat plays Toledo Notre Academy at Norwalk at 7 p.m. and providing all of the coverage. 

Nate Cline will provide coverage as Division II Holy Name faces West Branch at Barberton at 6:15 p.m.

Lexi Pluym will be covering Division II St. Vincent-St. Mary as the team takes on Geneva at Barberton at 8 p.m. 

Hockey

You can ask questions in the comments for this week's hockey podcast featuring interviews with Lake Catholic coach Ryan Okicki and St. Ignatius coach Pat O'Rourke. They'll be talking with Robert Rozboril about Friday's state semifinal game in Columbus. 

Also, look for a post scouting the state hockey tournament and the teams involved, complete with a poll. 

February Timeline

Look for our monthly timeline of key news, results and more that took place during February across Northeast Ohio. 

General

There will be live box scores and recaps for boys and girls basketball games taking place tonight as well as posts with scores from games happening across the state. 

Remember to also look for our High School Sports Question of the Day. 

Monday's coverage:

Boys basketball Northeast Lakes All-District teams released for 2014

Girls basketball Northeast Lakes All-District teams released for 2014

Eight observations from the 2014 OHSAA state wrestling tournament

Ten things to watch in boys basketball district semifinals 2014 (video)

Northeast Ohio's top wrestlers look back on the 2014 state tournament

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With February in the rearview mirror, Northeast Ohio Media Group's high school sports team is taking a look back at the month to bring you the high school heroes that made headlines on cleveland.com. Watch for a similar High School Yearbook post like this at the end of each month throughout 2014, and a complete year-in-review...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With February in the rearview mirror, Northeast Ohio Media Group's high school sports team is taking a look back at the month to bring you the high school heroes that made headlines on cleveland.com.

Watch for a similar High School Yearbook post like this at the end of each month throughout 2014, and a complete year-in-review post in December.

Coming tomorrow, readers have an opportunity to vote in cleveland.com's Who Won the Month poll. Each month, readers can vote on which high school sports happening was the biggest of the month. At year's end, the winners square off to see Who Won the Year.

Let's take a look at February's headlines:

Feb. 1:Padua wrestling wins 3rd straight North Coast League title, the 14th in school history; meanwhile, Brunswick wrestlers defend their Northeast Ohio Conference Tournament title.

Feb. 3: Mentor QB/WR Conner Krizancic flips football commitment to Minnesota two days prior to National Signing Day.

Feb. 5: On National Signing Day, 16 football players from Cleveland Heights announce they will play in college. Over at Shaker Heights, five players arrive at the cleveland.com offices and fax National Letters of Intent to their respective schools. (See more Signing Day videos here)

Shaker Hts. HS football team faxes letters of intent from the NEOMG/cleveland.com office. pic.twitter.com/1KTwGFvARB

— Denise Polverine (@denisep) February 5, 2014

Feb. 5: Strongsville football coach Russ Jacques resigns after 20 seasons with the Mustangs.

Northeast Ohio is going to miss Coach Russ Jacques. Great coach and friend. He help a number of us coaches become what we are today. #legend

— Coach Triv (@CoachTriv) February 6, 2014

Best to veteran coach Russ Jacques, who is no longer coaching the Mustangs at Strongsville. Good man. classy guy. @FOX8FNTD

— john telich (@JohnTelich8) February 6, 2014

Feb. 7: No. 14 East Tech boys basketball hangs on for a 66-57 victory against No. 12 Glenville in the Senate championship. On the girls side, East Tech held off Glenville 68-40 to claim the crown. Cleveland school officials also retired the jersey of South High legend Chet Mason.

Feb. 8:Brecksville-Broadview Heights wrestling finishes second to Massillon Perry in the state wrestling dual team tournament. 

Feb. 8: No. 1 St. Edward boys basketball survives against No. 7 St. Ignatius in overtime. 

Feb. 9: Baron Cup tournament titles went to West Geauga in Division III, Western Reserve Academy in Division II and Rocky River in Division I.

Feb. 9: St. Ignatius hockey wins the inaugural Cleveland Cup tournament by knocking off University School in the final.

Feb. 9: Basketball coaches met to select seeds and locations for the first blended district tournaments at locations including Solon, Euclid, Brecksville and Midview. 

Feb. 10: Bay football coach Ryan Gorius steps down after four seasons

Feb. 11:Brecksville-Broadview Heights wrestling holds off St. Edward to win the cleveland.com wrestling Top 10 poll title.

Feb. 11: No. 2 Shaker Heights upsets No. 1 St. Edward in boys basketball as Esa Ahmad returns from a gash on his forehead and leads the Raiders to victory. Meanwhile, Marcus Bagley scores 47 points for Cleveland Heights in a 98-93 win at Shaw.

Dude was warrior like tonight! Cut over eye couldn't see the second half but lead shaker to win http://t.co/8ef9lwcYz5

— Ibrahim (Ibby) Ahmad (@dibdable) February 12, 2014

Feb. 12: Four deaf girls basketball players at Max Hayes find creative ways to communicate on court 

Feb. 12:Mariah McGhee's 43 points lead Villa Angela-St. Joseph girls basketball past Central Catholic. And Ashanti Abshaw's school-record 38 points help Cleveland Heights girls basketball stun No. 15 Eastlake North. Meanwhile, Kelsey Rice gets her 500th career assist for Tallmadge in a win against Cloverleaf.

Feb. 13:Lakewood boys basketball team looking to build off 1st conference title in 40 years.

Feb. 13:Bill Fishleigh was selected as new Amherst football coach, while Ron Viscounte was removed as football coach at Copley High School.

Feb. 15:Hathaway Brown girls basketball sets notable state record in playoff victory over Martin Luther King Jr.

Feb. 15: Hudson's boys and girls swimming teams win Northeast District Division I championships.

Feb. 17: High school basketball video: See archive from NEOMG's playoff party at Harry Buffalo.

Feb. 18: Solon Comets secure the No. 1 spot in final cleveland.com girls basketball Top 25 poll 

Feb. 19:University School’s Noah Sterling wins Division II boys state diving championship, while Nordonia’s Stephen Romanik repeats as Division I boys champ.

Feb. 21:Ryan Badowski's late-game shot gives No. 25 Brunswick boys basketball a 51-50 upset against No.1 Shaker Heights.

Feb. 21: Hawken girls swimming sends retiring coach Jerry Holtrey out with 16th straight state title.

Feb. 22:Brecksville-Broadview Heights wrestling wins first district team title, ends St. Edward’s 17-year reign.

Feb. 22: Hudson's Ross Palazzo repeats as two-time Divison I state swimming champion.

Feb. 25:St. Edward finishes No. 1 in final cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25 poll.

Feb. 26:Holy Name winter sports teams highlight school's 100-year anniversary.

Feb. 27: More than 170 local wrestlers made it to Columbus for the 77th annual OHSAA wrestling tournament. Check out links to coverage from Day 1 and Day 2 (and even though Day 3 happened in March, here's a sneak peek.)

Feb. 28: Fairport bowler Casey Cohagan places 2nd at OHSAA Division II state tournament, but the Skippers fall in the team tournament.

Feb. 28: Lake Catholic hockey wins Kent District final against University School in triple overtime.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore.

Terry Pluto tackles your questions today at noon.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports.

Pluto will talk with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore the Browns and Alex Mack, LeBron in town on Saturday and Tribe spring training.

You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Pluto's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in MP3 format.

Home games have not been easy games for the Akron Zips or Kent State Golden Flashes this season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Home can be bittersweet in the Mid-American Conference this season and Akron and Kent State are evidence of that.

One would think that ending the season with three straight at home would be the perfect tonic for the Akron Zips to secure the No. 4 seed for next week's Mid-American Conference Tournament. But if nothing else has been learned this season in the MAC, home games by no means make victory easier.

The Zips are actually better than most in the MAC with just two home losses in conference play, albeit stingers to Toledo and Ohio University. Akron goes into its 7 p.m. game tonight in Rhodes Arena against Buffalo (18-8, 12-4) alone in fourth place, but trying to hold off OU and Eastern Michigan. Both teams are one game back, and can point to having six and seven home losses respectively on the season as reasons for their situation.

The battle with the Bulls, who are tied for first place and fighting for the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament, is the second of the season with UB taking the first game in a 96-90 thriller over Akron in regulation. That game was the last 6-7 sophomore Jake Kretzer has played in as he took a loose ball elbow to the chin late in that contest and has suffered with a concussion ever since.

Since scoring 90 points in that game, the Zips have not put up more than 61 points in the three games since. And while Akron has only been an average 3-point shooting team (34.1 percent) on the season, without Kretzer and fellow sharpshooter Reggie McAdams (mononucleosis) the Zips have made 5-of-21, 7-of-20 and 7-of-15 with the latter effort coming as point guard Nyles Evans, recruited as another 3-point perimeter scorer, is coming out of his season-long slump.

While Kretzer will not be available again tonight, there is a chance McAdams could be cleared to go.

One player sure to be on hand is Akron's Demetrius Treadwell, who has held the Zips together throughout a trying season. He is averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, with 10 double-doubles in conference play. In the last game vs. Buffalo he had 21 points and seven rebounds.

But the 6-7, 225-pound Treadwell will be going against the likely MAC Player of the Year in Buffalo's Javon McCrea who is averaging 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Like Treadwell, McCrea has posted 10 double-doubles in conference games this season.

But the 6-7, 250-pound McCrea had a pair of monster efforts in back-to-back games with 19 points and 14 rebounds on the road at Ball State, then 25 points and 20 rebounds on the road at Central Michigan. He had 20 points and 13 rebounds in the first game against Akron.

Kent State (16-13, 7-9) is also at home tonight in a critical game with Miami (11-16, 7-9) as both teams are trying to land that last slot to host a home game in the MAC Tournament. The Golden Flashes have lost six games at home this season, including four in MAC play to Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, OU and Buffalo.

Considering the Flashes end the season on the road at Akron on Friday, this game becomes critical. KSU is coming off a solid road upset over the Bobcats (75-61), which offers hope it can finish strong at home.

Kent could still use some quality play down the stretch from senior Darren Goodson, who has not scored double figures in his last five games. Miami, however, has won three of its seven MAC games this season on the road.

The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer joins Chris Fedor on Cavs Insider today at 11 a.m.

Talk Cavs with Mary Schmitt Boyer today at 11 a.m. Allison Carey/The Plain Dealer 

Good news for the Browns: The Steelers are not in good shape.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Despite all of the transition the Cleveland Browns have gone and are going through, another team in the AFC North is also in the middle of growing pains.

The once mighty Pittsburgh Steelers have not made the playoffs in the past two seasons. It's something the Steelers have not experienced since they were idle in January three seasons from 1998 to 2000 under Bill Cowher, writes reporter Greg Bedard on The MMQB.

“It’s huge for our franchise,” general manager Kevin Colbert said of this offseason at the scouting combine. “You go 8-8 in back-to-back years, it’s a huge disappointment, not only to our fans but to the organization. We feel it every day. But we have to fight through it, and hopefully we’re not talking about that next year.”

To break the cycle in 2014, Colbert is going to have to navigate another tricky offseason. No team has restructured more contracts in the past three years than the Steelers, adds Bedard.

While that provides more room under the salary cap in the short term, it pushes more money out into the future—which is fine if the players you restructure are on the field and productive, but that hasn’t always been the case with the Steelers, and it has dented them a little. They were squeezed by the flat cap since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement and had to part ways with several starters last offseason. While it didn’t hurt the final record, that’s hardly a comfort when you go 8-8.

The Browns are in good shape when it comes to the salary cap, but the Steelers are about $6 million over.

Bedard writes how the Steelers' offense is in good shape. But the defense needs work. The Steelers did help themselves with a transition tag on outside linebacker Jason Worilds.

More Browns and NFL links

The Cleveland Browns did not talk to Johnny Manziel at the NFL Combine (Cleveland.com).

Alex Mack will become the highest-paid center if he plays under the transition tag (Cleveland.com).

The Browns can pursue Jairus Byrd after Bills don't franchise him (Cleveland.com).

Browns use transition tag on Mack but no franchise tag on T.J. Ward (Cleveland.com).

Quarterback Brian Hoyer is happy to give back (The News-Herald).

Coach Mike Pettine hopes transition tag leads to long-term deal with Mack (Ohio.com).

The Browns are in a favorable position to make up ground in their division (ESPNCleveland).

Here is the NFL forecast for all 32 teams (NFL.com).

Is the best fit for T.J. Ward with the Philadelphia Eagles (Yahoo.com)?

The NFL will explore 43-yard extra points during the preseason (CBSSports.com).

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Catholic and St. Ignatius hockey teams are each set to face off in the state semifinals at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Friday.  Both coach Ryan Okicki of Lake Catholic and Pat O'Rourke of St. Ignatius have agreed to take part in a podcast discussing the upcoming matchup. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Catholic and St. Ignatius hockey teams are each set to face off in the state semifinals at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Friday. 

Both coach Ryan Okicki of Lake Catholic and Pat O'Rourke of St. Ignatius have agreed to take part in a podcast discussing the upcoming matchup. 

The Cougars earned a trip to the state tournament with a 5-4 victory against University School in triple overtime in the Kent District final while the Wildcats defeated Holy Name, 4-2, in the Brooklyn District final. 

Leave any questions you have for the coaches about the upcoming matchup in the comments section of this post. The podcast will be be posted on Thursday morning. 

Contact high school sports reporter Robert Rozboril by email (rrozboril@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@rrozboril). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Got questions about the Buckeyes? Send them in! Ohio State beat reporter Doug Lesmerises will answer your football and basketball questions every week on cleveland.com in his Hey, Doug! column (Yes, it's back!)

Hey, Doug, answer my question!

Got questions about the Buckeyes? Send them in!

Ohio State beat reporter Doug Lesmerises will answer your football and basketball questions every week on cleveland.com in his Hey, Doug! column (Yes, it's back!)

What are the Buckeyes national championship chances in 2014? How will Thad Matta's team fare should they make it to the NCAA Tournament?

Submit whatever's on your mind in Hey, Doug! using this form. Questions must be received by Thursday at noon to be considered for that weekend's column.

Got a question about another team?

Send a Browns question now to Mary Kay Cabot »

Send a Cavaliers question now to Mary Schmitt Boyer »

Send an Indians question now to Paul Hoynes »

West Virginia safety Darwin Cook, a Shaw High School graduate, continues to fight the odds in his pursuit of NFL dreams.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Darwin Cook found himself in familiar territory when he was not among the over 300 participants during last week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Getting overlooked has been Cook's theme ever since he donned the pads in high school. He went from an academically ineligible player to the dean's list, and from an undersized defensive end to an all-conference strong safety out of West Virginia.

So not getting an invitation may have been routine, but it was an emotional blow.

"Sure, I'm disappointed because I didn't get invited," said Cook, a graduate of Shaw High School. "I had to shrug it off and go on with my life."

That's exactly what Cook has done since standing on the sidelines during his sophomore year in high school because he was ineligible to play. Not being able to participate couldn't sway Cook from the game. He had to remain close.

"I was like Rudy standing there on the sidelines," Cook said. "Guys on the team would look and wonder, 'who is this kid?' I couldn't play, but I was there. I finally got my chance my junior year and coach put me in at defensive end. Coach felt like I needed to be close to the ball."

Close indeed.

In two seasons Cook collected 99 tackles, 20 sacks and caused six fumbles on defense, which generated the interest from several schools. Cook remained as a defensive end his senior year, but he also saw time at wide receiver. All it took was a video of his performances for West Virginia to offer Cook a scholarship.

His days as a too short and too small defensive end was over, and a new position emerged.

"As a defensive end, I didn't know much about the game," said the 5-11, 205 pound Cook. "I had to learn how to backpedal and I got better year by year. The more I learned, the more I loved the game."

Cook developed into a vicious hitter. Last season he finished among conference leaders in tackles, interceptions and caused fumbles. He was also voted All-Big 12 second team by the coaches. Cook also received national attention with a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown during West Virginia's victory over Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl.

Cook has certainly done more things on the field but that play remains associated with him. It became somewhat of a burden because Cook wanted to be known for more than just one particular play. He has since learned to accept it.

"I made a big play, and what else do you want a safety to do? And if that's what people want to remember me for, that's OK."

Cook developed such a reputation as a ferocious tackler that he is known as the "Cookie Monster."

"Yes, he loves to hit," said WVU linebacker William Clarke. "I remember the Oklahoma game where he came downhill and fired into the running back who stumbled back for about three yards."

Playing football on the next level is the latest challenge for Cook. Scouts rank Cook 14th among NFL prospects. He's projected to only make an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.

Cook is training at Fit Speed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in preparation for the draft,

"I'm sure everything depends on how well I do at my pro day on March 21," Cook said. "I've been ranked from the No. 5 safety to the No. 14 safety, so I have no idea what teams are thinking. I have to do what I have to do, and hopefully everything will handle itself."

Browns continue to have one of the lowest average ticket prices in the NFL.

CLEVELAND – The Browns announced Tuesday they are not raising season-ticket prices for the 2014 campaign.

It marks the sixth straight year season subscriptions will remain flat. The club hasn’t won more than five games per season in that stretch with their last winning season (10-6) coming in 2007.

In a media release, the Browns state they are one of the few NFL teams not to spike season ticket prices since 2009. Ten other teams already have announced increases for the upcoming season.

They also state season-ticket deposits are up by 100 percent over last year’s totals at this time. Their average ticket price of $54.20 was the league’s second cheapest in 2013, according to figures supplied to the Browns by the NFL. The Team Marketing Report actually listed the Browns as having the cheapest seats.

Renovations to FirstEnergy Stadium have altered about 15 percent of season-ticket accounts, according to the release, with 10 percent affected in a material manner.

“We gave first rights to those season-ticket members based on (Personal Seat Licenses) and longest tenure,” according to the release. “We’ve worked diligently to create a customized plan for each individual, and we’ll continue to work with them on that process.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Competitive balance is going to a vote of high school principals for the fourth consecutive spring. The Ohio High School Athletic Association on Tuesday announced its latest proposal aimed at leveling the playing field between private and public schools. Various measures have failed by narrow margins each of the past three years.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Competitive balance is going to a vote of high school principals for the fourth consecutive spring.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association on Tuesday announced its latest proposal aimed at leveling the playing field between private and public schools. Various measures have failed by narrow margins each of the past three years.

Here is the news release from the OHSAA. Check back to this post for an article on the issue, including reaction.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved a Competitive Balance proposal that makes modifications on how schools are placed in tournaments in team sports. The plan, recommended to the Board from the 27-member OHSAA Competitive Balance Committee, is similar to the proposal that member schools voted upon last spring.

In addition to the size of a school’s enrollment, new modifying factors may be applied to students on each roster on a sport-by-sport basis that are based on where the student’s parents reside and/or the educational system history of the student. All schools will be subject to the new competitive balance formula, which will be applied to students in the sports of football, soccer and volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball and softball in the spring. This year’s referendum voting by the 825 high school principals will take place between May 1 and 15. If approved, it is anticipated the proposal will become effective for the 2016-17 school year.

“I’m extremely pleased with the plan that the committee has recommended and the Board has approved,” said OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross.  “While the proposal is similar to last year’s, the modified version is the result of a compilation of input from our superintendents, principals, athletic administrators and coaches. I’m most proud that we were able to work together and come up with a solution that will create a better system than we currently have because it looks at how schools secure the enrollment of their students participating in interscholastic athletics.”

If passed, the new proposal will require schools to submit to the OHSAA their team rosters of student-athletes in grades 9 through 12 and to further provide more information about each student. Students in public schools will be subject to modifying factors if their parents do not reside in the district or the student has not been continuously enrolled in the district since seventh grade, and students in non-public schools will be subject to the same modifying factors if they did not attend that school’s designated “feeder” school(s) continuously since seventh grade or have not been continuously enrolled in the same system of education.

“I believe the Competitive Balance Committee has met its charge in that this proposal is not only reliable but also can be clearly applied and fairly administered for all member schools,” Ross said, “with the ultimate objective being to promote competitive equity and ensuring that student-athletes will continue to learn life lessons in an education-based setting.

“The Board and Competitive Balance Committee are committed to continuing to study this issue, working on ways to improve the formula. As we’ve said in the past, this proposal, should it pass, is a starting point and any data and feedback gathered after the plan is rolled out will only help strengthen what changes can take place in the future. Any proposed formula changes in the future will also continue to be voted upon by the membership.”

As has been done in the past, the OHSAA staff will provide further details of the proposal, along with the other referendum issues, and answer questions during the annual OHSAA Town Hall Meetings (formerly known as Athletic Discussion Meetings) in April. Besides the four face-to-face meetings, plans are being finalized to also discuss the proposal during on-line meetings.

On Cavs Insider, cleveland.com's Dan Labbe is joined by The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer to talk about the Cavs and Zydrunas Ilgauskas retirement ceremony

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Does Zydrunas Ilgauskas deserve to have his jersey retired? What needs to happen to spark a LeBron James return to Cleveland?

The Indians look to continue their winning ways as they host the White Sox in Goodyear. Get updates from our team of reporters and columnists in Arizona throughout the day.

GOODYEAR, Arizona -- The Indians look to continue their winning ways as they host the White Sox today at Goodyear Ballpark. Zack McAllister gets the start for the Tribe. First pitch is 3:05 p.m.

Come back to cleveland.com/tribe throughout the day as cleveland.com/Plain Dealer team of Paul Hoynes, Terry Pluto, Chuck Crow and yours truly bring you wall-to-wall Tribe coverage.  

6:30 a.m.

Danny Salazar isn't just a strong-armed pitcher, he's also a master of card tricks. Check out my story as I look at his hobby and watch him use it to entertain teammates.

In case you missed it on Monday:

• Spring training photo galleries from Chuck Crow

• Vinnie Pestano all smiles after clean inning

• Chatter: Jeff Francoeur, Elliot Johnson swing the bats

• Indians beat Texas, 6-5, behind three hits by Elliot Johnson

• Francona hopes Axford can close like he picks the Oscars

Zach McAllister fell behind in the count too much Tuesday to use his slider, but it gave him a chance to throw his fastball insider to right-handers. It pays to be flexible as a pitcher.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Pitchers have to be flexible. If the situation to throw one pitch doesn’t present itself, they better have another pitch ready.

Zach McAllister made his second Cactus League start Tuesday when the Indians beat the White Sox, 5-4, at Goodyear Ballpark. He’s been working on his slider this spring because his cut fastball was too inconsistent.

But in his two innings of work, he didn’t throw one slider.

“I didn’t get myself in a position to work on it,” said McAllister. “I was pitching to a lot of righties and I fell behind in the count and there wasn’t a place to use it.”

Exit slider, enter fastball on the inside part of the plate.

“This wasn’t as good as my first outing,” said McAllister, who pitched two scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and one strikeout. “But I was pitching into righties the whole time. I was happy about that.”

The Indians want McAllister to work the inside part of the plate more this year. It’s one of his objectives this spring.

“I want to try and pitch into righties a little bit better and put guys away with something other than a fastball,” said McAllister.

McAllister went 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA in 24 starts last season. He struck out 101 and walked 49 in 134 1/3 innings.

“He looks like he worked really hard this winter,” said manager Terry Francona. “He’s pitching at a nice velocity and can still reach back and get a little extra. His arm strength is tremendous.”

Last year Lefties hit .249 (70-for281) and righties .267 (64-for-240) against McAllister. It’s one of the reason the Indians want him to pitch inside to right-handers.

“He did a really good job against left-handers, but you’ve got to stop some of those right-handers from extending their arms,” said Francona. “When he does that, it opens the plate for everyone else.”

Three’s the charm: McAllister isn’t competing for a job, but Josh Tomlin is. He followed McAllister with three innings of work. He gave up a two-run double to Jose Abreu in the third, but shut down Chicago after that.

“Josh was down and crisp and it looked like he could have gone longer,” said Francona. “It’s apparent how hard these guys have worked. We’re going to have some decisions down the road.”

Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Aaron Harang are competing for spot in the rotation.

Sign ‘em up: The Indians signed Austin Adams, Lonnie Chisenhall, T.J. House, Colt Hynes, Corey Kluber, Cheng-Chang Lee and Bryan Shaw.

These are players who do not have enough service time to qualify for arbitration. They must be signed by the MLB deadline of March 11 or the club can renew their contracts own discretion.

Players who have yet to sign deals include Cody Allen, Scott Barnes, Carlos Carrasco, Preston Guilmet, Frank Herrmann, McAllister, Bryan Price, Danny Salazar, Yan Gomes, David Adams, Jesus Aguilar, Erik Gonzalez, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez and Justin Sellers.

Father-son-chat: Nick Francona, who works for the Angels, visited with his father while taking in Tuesday’s B game between the Tribe and Angels.

One of Nick’s duties will be to handle the Angels replay monitor in the clubhouse during the season.

Killer Bs: The Indians beat the Angels, 3-2, in the B game with three runs in the eighth innings as minor leaguers Giovanny Urshela, Tim Fedroff and Bryson Myles drove in runs.

Sellers, acquired from the Dodgers on Sunday for cash, started at third base and went 0-for-2. Ramirez, recovering from a broken left thumb, made his spring debut. He started at second base went 1-for-3. Bryan LeHair, recovering from left wrist surgery, played first base, but did not bat.

Tyler Cloyd started for the Tribe and pitched two scoreless innings. House followed with three scoreless and Cody Allen relieved and pitched a scoreless sixth. Mike Zagurski allowed two runs on four hits in the seventh.

Finally: David Cooper cleared waivers and rejoined the Indians on Tuesday as a non-roster player. Cooper was designated for assignment when the Indians traded for Sellers . . .Counting the regular season last year, the Indians have beaten the White Sox 15 straight times. They went 17-2 against Chicago last year . . .Shaun Marcum is scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Wednesday and Saturday as he continues to recover from TOS, thoracic outlet syndrome.

Urban Meyer liked how safeties Tyvis Powell, Vonn Bell and Cam Burrows looked, while he thought top corner Doran Grant was more aggressive.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Wondering how co-defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Chris Ash worked together? Well, to start, they wore the same style of shorts Tuesday at Ohio State's first spring football practice, red with a black stripe.

As for working on the field, they seemed to share the load, both clearly running the entire defense much of the time as compared to assistants Kerry Coombs and Larry Johnson, who just worked with their position groups. During one drill, the full 11-man defensive units were running from a sideline huddle onto the field for a play. Fickell was with them on the sideline, telling them what to do. And when they ran out, Ash was standing at the football to greet them.

During other full defense drills, Ash was typically back behind the defense getting a read, Fickell was in the middle of the defense around the linebackers and Coombs was on the back end checking from the secondary position.

If you had watched and not known who the defensive coordinator was and just guessed who held the job, you probably would have said the two guys in the red shorts with a black stripe shared it.

Additionally, the change in how the secondary worked together was obvious. The move this season has Ash overseeing the entire secondary, with Coombs assisting him. Coombs said last month that the secondary would get the same message from both coaches, as opposed to one coach working with the corners and the other with the safeties as in the past.

The group was together a lot Tuesday, and when it was, Ash took the lead.

"Finish the right way," he shouted to defensive backs running a coverage drill back to the side of the field, "to the sideline with your chin over your right shoulder."

During another drill, the defensive backs backpedaled into coverage, then attacked a receiver on the route, coming up not to just simulate the tackle but to strip the ball.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Check out the high school sports coverage planned for Wednesday, March 5, 2014 on cleveland.com. Home court advantage No high school basketball court is created the same. Really - court sizes vary all over, as the state and national associations have no set court size. Reporter Stephanie Kuzydym looks at court sizes and why there is...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Check out the high school sports coverage planned for Wednesday, March 5, 2014 on cleveland.com.

Home court advantage
No high school basketball court is created the same. Really - court sizes vary all over, as the state and national associations have no set court size. Reporter Stephanie Kuzydym looks at court sizes and why there is no regulation, and the 94x50 size being the one of the future, to the chagrin of many coaches.

Who Won February?
Who Won The Month continues with a look back at winners from February. Each month we poll readers on the top moments in Northeast Ohio high school sports. Today we launch story and poll for Who Won February. The 12 month winners along with at-large picks go to a bracketed contest to ultimately decide Who Won 2014.

Inland All-District teams announced
The 2014 Northeast Inland All-District boys and girls basketball teams are set to be released at 6:30 p.m. Check back for results and photos of the players and coaches honored by a panel of area sportswriters.

Girls hoops spotlight
Check out our weekly girls basketball off-the-court video profile featuring Cuyahoga Heights’ Jenna Stegmaier.

Where we'll be:
Get updates and a full recap from boys and girls tournament basketball action across the area. Mark Kern will be at Cuyahoga Falls to see Beachwood take on Pymatuning Valley in a regional semifinal. Tim Bielik will take in round three of the Berea-Midpark vs. Olmsted Falls rivalry from Midview. Bill Landis will be at the Division I district semifinal between Westlake and Brunswick from Brecksville. And Lexi Pluym will cover the Division I district semifinal at Solon between Shaker Heights and Bedford.

Ohio State lost its leading rusher and receiver from last year, but now Urban Meyer will turn to youthful prospects he personally recruited for production. Speed and athleticism is a common denominator with those players.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The biggest fundamental issue Urban Meyer found with Ohio State’s roster when he took over the program was a lack of speed and playmaking ability at the skill positions.

After three recruiting class, Meyer doesn’t have that issue anymore.

Now it is about developing it.

Though Ohio State said goodbye to Carlos Hyde and Philly Brown – its leading rusher and receiver a year ago – the Buckeyes have a wealth of talented, yet youthful, playmakers hoping to step in this spring.

Here is a player-by-player breakdown of what I saw from the sideline during Ohio State’s first spring practice.

• Dontre Wilson, So. H-Back – During fall camp the speedster was the talk of the team, the type of player that had game-changing speed that Ohio State couldn't live without. But Wilson's freshman season came and went, and all he had to show for it was the "Decoy of the Year" award. But if his first spring practice means anything, he'll be the focal point of the Buckeyes' offense next year. Why? Wilson was all over the field, catching passes – both long and short – and seemed to be at the center of what the Buckeyes were doing offensively. Last year he showed flashes of speed and playmkaing ability, but in this practice he was consistently involved. Expect him to take a real step forward this spring.

• Ezekiel Elliott, So. RB – As a freshman last season, Elliott showed signs of big play ability during mop up time. But with Hyde now out of the picture, Elliott is primed to take over the Buckeyes' starting running back spot. And Elliott showed why Meyer fell in love with him during the recruiting process. With an explosiveness not often seen from backs his size, Elliott's versatility made him the ideal fit in the offense. He was bursting through holes up the middle and catching passes out of the backfield. It's hard to gauge running backs in a padless practice, but his explosiveness came across clearly.

• Jalin Marshall, Fr. WR – Marshall was a five-star prospect who came to Ohio State last year with the same notoriety as Wilson. However, Marshall, a high school quarterback, took a redshirt year to learn the wide receiver position. And in his first spring practice, Marshall took a ton of reps with the second team, but looked like he has been playing wide receiver his whole life. I didn't see him drop a single pass, and he was a consistent target the entire practice. He flew under the radar last season after being a big time recruit. He could now resurface as a redshirt freshman. 

• Corey Smith, Jr. WR – Smith has been somewhat forgotten about since he transferred to Ohio State from junior college, but he had perhaps the most productive day of any wide receiver. Smith caught a few long bombs from Cardale Jones on the sideline, and has the size and experience to set himself apart from the three players listed above. Smith's age makes him a veteran of sorts, and he certainly turned heads. 

• Michael Thomas, So. WR – With Brown gone, Ohio State has to find answers at wide receiver fast. Thomas repped with the first team during practice, and his 6-foot-3 height gives him size the Buckeyes haven't utilized at the wide receiver position under Meyer. Thomas hasn't been hyped much, but by the time spring practice is over he could be considered one of Ohio State's starting wideouts heading into fall camp. 

• Jeff Greene, Jr. WR – There were a few instances where Greene jumped over a defensive back and pulled down a pass. He's a wildcard, because he is the biggest wide receiver and perhaps the most experienced outside of Devin Smith. A transfer from Georgia Tech, Greene could be the most game-ready wide receiver that hasn't seen time on the field for Ohio State. And at 6-foot-5, his size was definitely felt. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – February is done. It's time to decide who won. Today, we continue our "Who Won the Month?" feature, in which we ask our readers to measure the winners in a new way.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – February is done. It's time to decide who won.

Today, we continue our "Who Won the Month?" feature, in which we ask our readers to measure the winners in a new way.

Each month we'll compile a list of candidates from the teams, athletes, events and other happenings that shaped the high school sports landscape over the previous 30-odd days. Then, we'll ask you to vote in a poll for the one you think was the most significant.

The poll will be open for one week of voting. Watch for a post on March 12 announcing the month's winner.

The top vote getter each month will be entered into a year-end competition to determine who won the year.

Rootstown wrestler Travis Linton won January.

Here's a look at February's contenders, followed by this month's poll:

Brecksville-Broadview Heights gymnastics saw its 10-year winning streak end at 777 events earlier this season, but the Bees kept alive the streak that matters most, winning their 11^th consecutive state title Feb. 28. It was the 14^th state title overall for the program.

Brecksville Broadview Heights wrestling again ran away with the Southwestern Conference tournament in February, its ninth consecutive title. The Bees kept rolling through February, reaching the Division I state dual team tournament finals. They also won the school's first district team title.

Hawken girls swimming sent coach Jerry Holtrey into retirement with a 16^th consecutive state championship. It was Holtrey's 24^th state title as girls coach.

Hudson swimmer Ross Palazzo won the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke at the Division I state swim meet. It was the second consecutive title in both events for Palazzo.

Lakewood boys basketball won its first conference title in 40 years, clinching the West Shore Conference with a Feb. 6 win over Elyria Catholic. The Rangers ended the month with a 20-3 record.

National signing day, which is actually the first day of a signing period that lasts until April, dominated the week of February.  It started with Mentor quarterback Conner Krizancic switching his commitment from Cincinnati to Minnesota and didn't end until more than 70 Division I football recruits had signed. That included 16 from Cleveland Heights alone.

Nordonia diver Stephen Romanik defended his Division I boys diving state title with a career-best score. The Ohio State recruit finished his high school career with four state medals.

St. Ignatius ice hockey won the inaugural Cleveland Cup, the championship tournament for the newly-formed Great Lakes Hockey League. The Wildcats, the No. 1 seed in the Brooklyn district tournament, used a double-overtime win over Rocky River to reach the finals.

Twinsburg girls basketball player Baleigh Reid was one of the hottest players in Northeast Ohio throughout February. She scored 28 and 35 points in upset wins over Stow and Mentor as the Tigers advanced to the regional semifinals.

Contact high school sports reporter Scott Patsko by email (spatsko@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@ScottPatsko). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.