cleveland.com's Glenn Moore talked NFL Draft, Browns, Indians and Cavs during the first episode of Sunday Insider on cleveland.com. This show's guest was The Plain Dealer's Tom Reed.

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Clik here to view.What grade would you give the Browns' draft? cleveland.com's Glenn Moore talked about this and more during this week's Sunday Insider episode. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan) 

What grade would you give the Browns draft? Did the Cavs make the right move in bringing back Mike Brown as their head coach? When will the Tribe start playing consistent baseball?

Most graders gave the Browns a C, with a couple of highly respected sites -- Sporting News and Sports Illustrated -- dinging them with D's. However, two analysts from Fox Sports liked what the Browns did, one giving them a B and the other a B-plus.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- National experts weighed in on the Browns' draft Sunday, and the general consensus was that CEO Joe Banner and General Manager Mike Lombardi were very average in their inaugural selection meeting together here in Cleveland.

Most graders gave the Browns a C, with a couple of highly respected sites -- Sporting News and Sports Illustrated -- dinging them with D's. However, two analysts from Fox Sports liked what the Browns did, one giving them a B and the other a B-plus.

Most of the analysts seemed to like the first-round selection of Barkevious Mingo but some were puzzled by the pick considering the Browns signed pass rushers Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant in free agency. Many didn't see the wisdom in the Browns surrendering fourth- and fifth-round picks this year for third- and fourth-rounders in 2014.

But third-round pick Leon McFadden, the cornerback out of San Diego State, was a popular choice among the pundits.

A look at the national grades and some of the comments:

Chris Burke, SI.com

Grade: D-plus

Burke described it as "bit of an unusal draft for the Browns, who landed an impact defender in OLB Barkevious Mingo at No. 6 and then picked just once more (CB Leon McFadden) in the next 167 selections." He noted the two selections for 2014 and feels the gamble on Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft paid off. "Strictly in terms of the 2013 draft, though, there's not much to go on here -- slightly disappointing for a team hoping to make big strides," he wrote.

Dane Brugler, CBS Sports

Grade: C

Brugler, who accurately predicted the Browns would select Mingo in his draft day mock, wrote: "I understand the passion to attack the quarterback, but I wonder why the Browns elected to pay for Paul Kruger if they were going to draft Barkevious Mingo at No. 6 overall. Where does that put Jabaal Sheard, who was one of the team's better players a year ago? I love cornerback Leon McFadden's athleticism as well, but he's just 5-10. Frankly, I thought the Browns got their best value in the seventh round with intriguing developmental pass rusher Armonty Bryant and Garrett Gilkey, a developmental offensive lineman who impressed me at the Senior Bowl. Adding picks for the 2014 Draft helps what otherwise I thought was one of the least impressive draft classes."

Mel Kiper, ESPN

Grade: C-plus

Kiper has his doubts about Mingo, which hurt the Browns' grade.

"I don't know if it's a good thing, per se, but the guy who will impact the Browns most in 2013 might not be the player they took at No. 6 overall," he wrote. "At No. 68 overall, they took Leon McFadden, a much-needed CB who knows how to operate on an island. As I look at the depth chart, I don't see a reason why McFadden can't break camp as the starter across from Joe Haden. That's not a small deal because it also maximizes Buster Skrine, who will be able to spend more time in the slot, where he's much better."

Consistent with his pre-draft evaluation, Kiper felt Mingo should've had more than 4.5 sacks last season despite drawing double teams and being asked to contain mobile quarterbacks instead of attack them at times.

He described Mingo as "a player I'm at once infatuated with as a talent, but skeptical of because of what I considered production that didn't match up with his talent. Now, Mingo adds depth at outside linebacker, but he's going to need some developmental work because he played with his hand on the ground at LSU. After that, there isn't a lot here that you'll see in 2013. Jamoris Slaughter could provide depth at safety. The lack of a second-round pick really hurt the Browns, who could have used a higher-rated guard -- though I do think Garrett Gilkey has the chance to start eventually -- and I thought would have been wise to add another inside linebacker. But Josh Gordon is developing and Davone Bess should provide Brandon Weeden with another solid target in the passing game. The hope is Mingo becomes a star, and McFadden can perform early. The good news is, both could happen."

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

Grade: D

Iyer was puzzled by a couple of Browns' decisions, including not taking a quarterback and selecting a cornerback whom he feels is more of an inside guy than a starter opposite Joe Haden.

"For a young team with multiple issues, it's odd the Browns worked their way down to just five picks," he wrote. "LSU first-rounder Barkevious Mingo is a high-risk, high-reward edge pass rusher for their 3-4. They needed a corner for the outside, yet took one, San Diego State's Leon McFadden, better suited for the slot. The biggest head-scratcher was the fact Cleveland officials, not all in on Brandon Weeden, didn't at least take a chance on one of the quarterback prospects after most of them slid.

Peter Prisco, CBS Sports

Grade: C

Prisco's favorite pick was McFadden, whom he deemed a bit undersized "but a solid cover corner who fits a need."

He also questioned the Mingo pick.

"They had two outside rushers and had some other bigger needs. He's a good player, but not a great fit."

He granted Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter, who's coming off the torn Achilles tendon, his "third-day gem" status, acknowledging that he's a risk, but worth it if he can bounce back.

"In his first draft as general manager, I just didn't get the wow factor from Mike Lombardi," Prisco wrote. "I like Mingo, but I thought they had other needs. They did add receiver Davone Bess in a trade (with Miami) for very little.

Evan Silva, Yahoo Sports

Grade: C

Silva excluded Gordon from his evaluation, but included Bess. In exchange for Bess, the Browns moved down seven spots in the fourth round and gave Miami a fifth-rounder for a seventh. He did like the idea of stockpiling picks for next season.

"Mingo was the most naturally explosive edge presence in this draft," he wrote. "McFadden may be stretched covering outside receivers in the NFL, but projects as an upgrade on Buster Skrine at nickel back. Bryant has some upside as a small-school project. Slaughter can be a core special teamer if his Achilles' is right. Lombardi's first draft haul underwhelms on paper, but the Browns can capitalize on his forward-minded thinking next year."

Floyd Engel, Fox Sports

Grade: B

Of all the experts, Engel was the most complimentary of Lombardi and his first draft after five years as an NFL Network analyst.

"There is little not to love about what Mike Lombardi did, even the Barkevious Mingo gamble, which is the best part of this draft for them. They have a GM, a real-deal GM."

Alex Marvez, Fox Sports

Grade: C-minus

Marvez wasn't overly impressed with the Browns' "wait 'til next year" strategy in the middle rounds.

"Outside linebacker Mingo provides some bark to Cleveland's Dawg Pound, but the Browns added only one more player (San Diego State cornerback Leon McFadden) before Round Six," he wrote. "On the positive side, they secured extra third- and fourth-round choices in next year's draft through trades and have already started reaping the dividends of using its 2013 second-round pick in last year's supplemental draft on budding wide receiver Josh Gordon."

Peter Schrager, Fox Sports

Grade: B-plus

Schrager gave the Browns a higher grade than anyone else, particularly for parlaying the fourth- and fifth-rounders into third- and fourth-rounders in 2014.

"You can only do so much when you don't have a second-round pick, and I think Cleveland brass is awfully happy with Gordon, essentially their second-round pick," he said. "Mingo will complement Paul Kruger well in Ray Horton's 3-4. This was a productive draft for the long term."

Mike Aviles drives in five runs and Corey Kluber pitches seven innings as the Cleveland Indians beat Kansas City, 10-3, for a split of their day-night doubleheader.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Corey Kluber made it through the first inning Sunday night against the Royals and that was big. Then he pitched six more innings and that was bigger.

The Indians, behind Kluber's good pitching, earned a split in a day-night doubleheader against Kansas City with a 10-3 victory in the nightcap. They lost the first game, 9-0.

Kluber made his first big-league start against the Royals on Aug. 2. Oh, the things they did to him in the first inning, scoring six runs on six hits, including two homers and a triple. It was a different story Sunday as Kluber faced only four Royals instead of the 10 they sent against him last year.

More importantly, none of them scored.

"I remember that game, but I wasn't really thinking about it," said Kluber, pitching for the first time since April 20. "I'd like to have that game back, but it doesn't really affect what I'm doing now."

After scoring two runs in the first 18 innings of this series, the Indians' wayward offense decided to show up for work. Carlos Santana and Mike Aviles each drove in a run in the first to give Kluber a 2-0 lead. The two runs were as many as the Indians had scored in their previous 21 innings.

Santana finished with six hits and Asdrubal Cabrera five in the doubleheader. Aviles, facing the team that signed him for $1,000 bonus in 2003, drove in a career high five runs. Aviles' three-run homer in the third off left-hander Will Smith (0-1, 9.00) gave the Indians a 5-0 lead.

Smith, called up from Class AAA Omaha for the start, was 2-1 against the Tribe last year.

"It was fun to do it here," said Aviles, second on the team with 11 RBI despite playing just 13 games. "I came up with Kansas City and I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Kansas City. It's a great place and a great town."

Kluber (2-0, 2.25) went seven innings. He allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out six. After being rained out of starts against the Yankees and White Sox, Kluber, using a fastball clocked between 88 mph and 93 mph, beat the Royals in perfect conditions. It was 73 degrees for the first pitch.

"I didn't even check the forecast," said Kluber with a laugh. "I just assumed it would be raining."

Manager Terry Francona liked the way Kluber settled into the game, using his fastball and cutter inside.

"Early on he was up in the strike zone, but he reeled it in and got into the flow of the game," said Francona. "He pitched in, he used all his pitches, and he was aggressive in, especially moving guys off the plate.

"Considering how much he's been bounced around, for him to do what he did was very impressive."

In the first game, Jeremy Guthrie, Tim Collins and Luke Hochevar combined on an eight-hitter for the Royals. It marked the 14th time in 22 games this season that the Indians have scored three or fewer runs.

Guthrie, the Indians' No.1 pick in 2002, is 8-0 since Aug. 8 with the Royals. In that span, he's made 16 straight starts without a loss to set a club record.

Justin Masterson (4-2) struck out a season-high nine batters, but he was picked apart by the Royals' hitters. He allowed seven runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The seven runs were as many as Masterson allowed in his first five starts of the season. His ERA jumped from 1.85 to 3.12.

"I threw some good pitches and I threw some bad ones," said Masterson.

The Indians are 4-4 on this three-city, nine-game trip. It was supposed to be a 10-game trip, but one game was rained out in Chicago.

When asked about the Indians' offensive problems, Francona said: "I understand that, but it doesn't change how we'd approach this game. Whatever happened in the first two weeks of the season happened. Whatever happened in the first game (Sunday), we've got to come out and find a way to win the second game."

The Royals hurt Masterson with two outs in the second and fourth innings.

Masterson started the second with consecutive strikeouts, but walked Mike Moustakas, who came into the game hitting .152. Jeff Francouer and Jarrod Dyson followed with consecutive doubles for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, Masterson again got two quick outs before walking Moustakas a second time. Francoeur followed by bouncing an infield single off the plate and Dyson singled for a 3-0 lead.

"I think there was a force field around the strike zone for Moustakas' first two at-bats," said Masterson. "I couldn't put it there. I have no clue why. It's unbelievable."

The Philadelphia Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel will be at Progressive Field for a two-game series against the Cleveland Indians.

Where: Progressive Field.

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

Pitching matchups: RHP Roy Halladay (2-2, 5.08) vs. RHP Zach McAllister (1-3, 3.52) Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. and LHP Cliff Lee (2-1, 3.03) vs. RHP Trevor Bauer (0-1, 5.40) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Season series: The Indians and Phillies have not played each other since 2010. Phillies lead series, 6-3.

Phillies update: Led by former Tribe manager Charlie Manuel, they're coming off a three-game sweep of the Mets. Manuel is the Phillies' winningest manager ever at 738-583. Ryan Howard has 10 RBI in his past five games.

Indians update: They entered the last game of this nine-game trip with a 4-4 record. A feast-or-famine offense has produced 14 games of three or fewer runs and six games of six or more runs. Manager Terry Francona got his managerial start with the Phillies, going 289-363 in four years.

Injuries: Phillies -- P John Lannan (left knee) and OF Delmon Young (right ankle) are on the disabled list. CF Ben Revere (quadriceps) is day to day. Indians -- C Lou Marson (right shoulder), RHP Brett Myers (right elbow/forearm), CF Michael Bourn (right index finger), RHP Josh Tomlin (right elbow), RHP Frank Herrmann (right elbow) and RHP Blake Wood (right elbow) are on the disabled list.

Next: Twins visit for a three-game series starting Friday.

Buckeyes coaches believe Miller, who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting last season, has potential to get much better. Former Buckeye Simon was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round. More Buckeyes story links.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Spring football ended earlier this month and the Ohio State Buckeyes' 2013 season won't begin until Aug. 31 against Buffalo's Bulls in Columbus.

The in-between time of year doesn't mean there's nothing going on.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Ohio State coverage includes Doug Lesmerises' story that the Buckeyes will play three prime-time games during the 2013 season; Lesmerises' story that the Big Ten has announced a new alignment for the East and West divisions. and that teams will play nine-game Big Ten schedules; Rich Exner's breakdown of Big Ten teams' records in various eras. On Saturday, Lesmerises wrote that Ohio State had three players selected in the NFL draft, and that the 22 players drafted from Big Ten teams is the fewest in 19 years.

Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season as a sophomore.

Brandon Castel, referring to Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman and coach Urban Meyer, writes for the-ozone.net about Miller's improvement and potential for further growth:

Herman believes Miller can actually be better than everyone thinks. Both Herman and Meyer have admitted Miller probably wasn’t ready to play as a freshman two years ago, but interim head coach Luke Fickell didn’t have many other options at the time.

He was trying to win football games in the wake of a scandal that cost legendary head coach Jim Tressel his job in Columbus, and Braxton Miller’s development as a quarterback was lost somewhere in the shuffle.

“If Braxton was a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 when we got here, he finished (last) season around a four,” Herman said of the junior out of Huber Heights, Ohio.

“By the end of spring ball he was around a six, but the cool thing with him is he could be about a 12.”

Buckeyes story links

The comparison of former Buckeyes linebacker-defensive lineman John Simon -- picked by Baltimore in the fourth round of the NFL draft -- and former Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson is a good one, says Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. (By Aaron Wilson, Baltimore Sun)

Yes, it's very early for this, but Ohio State is ranked first in a new college football top 25 for 2013. (By Mark Schlabach, ESPN.com)

Cornerback Tyvis Powell is among the Buckeyes' defensive players who made strong impressions during the spring practice season. (By Austin Ward, ESPN.com Buckeye Nation)

Running back Rod Smith improved his chances this spring to win the job as top backup to Carlos Hyde. (By Austin Ward, ESPN.com Buckeye Nation)

Some significant changes are being made in Big Ten football. (By Tim May, Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio State players didn't fare as well in the NFL draft as hoped, though three were selected and at least seven have been brought on by NFL teams as un-drafted free agents. (By Bill Rabinowitz, Columbus Dispatch)

Some Buckeyes not selected in the draft join NFL teams as un-drafted free agents. (By Brandon Castel, the-ozone.net)

Ohio State's big defensive tackle, Johnathan Hankins, a Giants draft pick, should help improve New York's run defense. (By Tom Rock, Newsday)

Reid Fragel's willingness to move from tight end to offensive tackle when Urban Meyer became the Buckeyes coach pays off for him as a Cincinnati Bengals draft pick. (By Kevin Goheen, FoxSportsOhio.com)

Competitive Balance III and a liberalized transfer rule change are the two big issues up for vote in the coming weeks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a big week in high school sports, and it has nothing to do with our ability to finally wear shorts and T-shirts while lounging in lawn chairs at tennis matches and softball games, among other events of the day.

Here's what's cooking:

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Clik here to view.View full sizeThe Berea-Midpark Titans won't have to worry about moving up or down if a new competitive balance referendum passes. BMHS will be Northeast Ohio's largest school when it merges this fall with an OHSAA boys enrollment figure of 1,145 for three grades. Berea-Midpark Schools

Competitive Balance III and transfers

Referendum ballots that could dramatically change the prep sports landscape are in the mail today, on their way to high school principals to vote on two key proposals – the latest competitive balance bylaw and a liberalized transfer rule.

The vote takes place from Wednesday to May 15 and a simple majority is needed to pass each measure.

Competitive Balance III – this is the third consecutive year the issue is on the May ballot – replacing a planned vote on the separation of public and private schools in the playoffs. The latter referendum was withdrawn by its author, Triway Superintendent Dave Rice, in favor of the current proposal, much to the dismay of the many supporters of separate playoffs.

The new proposal utilizes a multiplier on a sport-by-sport basis for football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball and possibly team wrestling. Student-athletes who reside outside a school's district or attendance zone would be subject to the multiplier.

Private schools are assigned to the districts or attendance zone in which they are located (Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Collinwood, for example).

The new "athletic count" presumably would bump up to a higher division many private schools and public schools with open enrollment.

The most controversial aspect of the proposal is it offers no relief to Division I schools, and could in fact make Division I even more stout because some Division II powers will move up.

A factor that could defeat the proposal is the absence of data on exactly how this will reshape divisions. Administrators have demonstrated a reluctance to vote yes in those circumstances (see Competitive Balance I in 2011).

OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross is asking them to take a "leap of faith" and trust its competitive balance committee to produce a fair formula.

Competitive balance overshadows what otherwise would be a headline-grabbing transfer rule change that, if passed, allows all transfers to play after sitting out half a season of a sport he or she played at their previous school. It will decrease the number of court cases the OHSAA loses, and vastly increase the number of athletes who switch schools with relative ease.

Concussion law and AEDs

Stepping away from controversy and into the realm of good things happening on behalf of student-athletes, Ohio's "Return to Play" (HB 143) law went into effect last Friday. It is designed to keep athletes who show concussion-like symptoms from returning to play the same day. Ohio is the 44th state with such a law for high school athletes, but it is ahead of the curve in that it also includes organized youth sports.

The law requires coaches and officials to take a free, online training course to familiarize themselves with concussion symptoms. They are required to remove an athlete who exhibits such symptoms and are prevented from allowing them to return to action the same day. The athlete must receive written clearance to participate from a medical professional.

The OHSAA has had most of the protocols in place for two years. The state law adds forms that must be distributed to parents and the requirements that officials be trained.

"This can save a kid's life or avoid very debilitating injuries if someone does what they are supposed to do on the front end," Ross said.

According to the OHSAA, the number of athletes removed from competition after exhibiting concussion symptoms increased 85 percent last fall, rising from 143 for fall athletes in 2011 to 269 in 2012. Increased awareness likely played a role in the increase.

Likely coming next, at least from the OHSAA, is a requirement that high school administrators, coaches and officials have access to, and training for, automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Ross took it a step further.

"I want our people to practice after school how to deal with emergencies," he said. "That involves AEDs and concussions. We will probably take the lead on that."

Hudson and McKinley moving down?

The OHSAA just released its three-grade enrollment figures that will be used to classify teams by division for the next two school years. Schools have until May 6 to appeal.

Division assignments will be released later in the month, but that hasn't stopped amateur statisticians from speculating the cutoff for the new football Division I will be 641, which seems a bit high. The OHSAA said last year, before enrollment figures were determined, it expected the number to be closer to 600.

If it is 641, that means some surprising new members of Division II could include Riverside (637), Hudson (631) and Canton McKinley (612) to go along with already anticipated Division II drop-downs Glenville (453), Brecksville (572), Massillon (547), Boardman (564), Brush (560) and Willoughby South (607).

The new football Division I is limited to the top 10 percent of teams in terms of enrollment, or about 72 schools, while the other six divisions will be equally divided with about 108 schools.

The largest school in the state is Mason with 1,266 boys in three grades.

The new enrollment king of Northeast Ohio? The Berea-Midpark Titans. Berea and Midpark merge this fall and BMHS checks in with a combined enrollment figure of 1,145. Next biggest in the area: St. Ignatius (1,086), Mentor (1,031) and Brunswick (1,017).

The Indians look to win their second straight over the Royals in the season finale in Kansas City tonight.

Game 23: Indians (9-13) vs. Royals (13-9)

First pitch: 8:10 p.m. at Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City

TV/radio: STO; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS FM 100.7.

Box score | MLB scoreboard

» Get updates from Paul Hoynes in the pressbox here

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MENTOR, Ohio - Mentor junior wide receiver Brandon Fritts made an oral commitment to North Carolina on Monday, pledging to reunite with quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who graduated from Mentor and enrolled at UNC in January. Fritts (6-foot-4, 215) visited UNC two weeks ago with his father, Bob, and said he found "a perfect fit.'' He was recruited to play...

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Mentor junior Brandon Fritts decided not to await more scholarship offers once he visited North Carolina. - (Special to The Plain Dealer)

MENTOR, Ohio - Mentor junior wide receiver Brandon Fritts made an oral commitment to North Carolina on Monday, pledging to reunite with quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who graduated from Mentor and enrolled at UNC in January.

Fritts (6-foot-4, 215) visited UNC two weeks ago with his father, Bob, and said he found "a perfect fit.'' He was recruited to play a tight end/wideout hybrid in the Tar Heels' spread offense.

Fritts also had offers from Minnesota, Akron, Ohio University, Bowling Green and Toledo. He decided not to wait for more offers. He made unofficial visits to Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pitt and West Virginia.

Fritts said Trubisky did not have undue influence on him, and he laughed at the notion of a Mentor-to-UNC pipeline beginning.

"I thought it was the perfect place for me. It's a beautiful campus. Their offense is a spread offense like us, and I think I fit perfectly.

"(Trubisky) really didn't influence my decision too much to come. He supported me all the way and he was being a good friend, not putting too much pressure on me and answering my questions.''

Fritts distinguished himself last fall as a physical, agile receiver who made tough catches in big situations. During the regular season, he caught 42 passes for 759 yards (18.1-yard average) and 10 touchdowns. He is rated three stars by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

In a memorable, triple-overtime regional final against St. Ignatius, Fritts caught eight passes for 102 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.

Fritts also was a starting forward on Mentor's state champion basketball team this winter, and he is the brother of 2012 Ohio Mr. Basketball Justin Fritts.

He is undecided on a major.

Carlos Santana ranks in the top 10 in the AL in eight offensive categories.

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Clik here to view.View full sizeThe Indians' Carlos Santana raised his batting average 43 points Sunday (.345 to .388) by going 6-for-9 in a doubleheader in Kansas City. John Sleezer, Kansas City Star

Clubhouse confidential: Carlos Santana is off to a hot start and it's hard to miss because of the numbers he's accumulating.

Santana entered Monday night's game against the Royals leading the AL in hitting at .388 and ranked in the top 10 in the following offensive categories: on-base percentage (second, .453), slugging percentage (second, .687), road batting average (first, .426), runners in scoring position average (third, .533), daytime average (first .625), average vs. righties (.eighth, .351) and average vs. lefties (second, .433).

Asked if his swing looked the same now as it did in spring training, manager Terry Francona laughed and said: "We didn't see a whole lot of him in spring training. He was gone for a long time."

Santana during spring training played in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, which won the tournament.

More numbers: Santana has a 1.140 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) in April. It's the ninth highest April for the Indians since 1921, according to team research. Al Rosen (1.287 in 1952), David Justice (1.256 in 1997) and Sandy Alomar Jr. (1.212 in 1997) own the top three spots.

Stat of the day: Santana entered Sunday's doubleheader against Kansas City -- the first day-night double dip ever at Kauffman Stadium -- hitting .345 (20-for-58) and exited hitting .388 (26-for-67) after going 6-for-9.

Mike Aviles, Sunday night's hero for the Cleveland Indians, was back on the bench Monday and that's all right with him.

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Clik here to view.View full sizeThe Indians' Mike Aviles clobbers a three-run homer Sunday night against the Royals in Kansas City, Mo. Reed Hoffman, AP

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mike Aviles hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high five runs Sunday night to help the Indians split a day-night doubleheader against Kansas City with a 10-3 victory in the nightcap.

Monday night, he was on the bench. Manager Terry Francona could have started him at second base, where Jason Kipnis entered the game hitting .180 (11-for-61) with three RBI. He could have started him at third, where Lonnie Chisenhall is hitting .234 (15-for-64) with two homers and nine RBI.

Aviles has played in 13 of the Tribe's 22 games and is hitting .250 (15-for-45) with two homers. His 11 RBI are second on the team to Mark Reynolds' 19.

After Sunday night's victory, Aviles was asked if he would be disappointed if he wasn't in Monday's lineup.

"In all honesty, no," said Aviles. "We have a lot of good players on this team. It's [Francona's] decision to put who he feels gives us the best chance to win that day. Whether it's me today, tomorrow, the next day or me in two weeks.

"It doesn't matter. I'm on board with whatever he does. That's how we're going to win games, mixing and matching and everybody playing together."

When Francona talked about Aviles before Monday night's game, it was clear he liked him in his current role. Aviles has started three games at second, four at third and three at shortstop.

"He's got 45 at-bats, so he's played a lot," said Francona. "I'm happy with the at-bats he's gotten. That's what a guy like Mike Aviles can do. When you can play him, you can move him around and he has the ability to hit more than a single."

In spring training, Francona talked about using Aviles in right and left field, but he didn't get much time there. Aviles played in the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico, which made it to the final before losing to the Dominican Republic.

"We're going to have to work into him playing the outfield a little more. Right now, we're a little more comfortable with Ryan Raburn out there."

Back again: Right-hander Trevor Bauer did not make his scheduled start Monday night for Class AAA Columbus because he'll be starting Wednesday against former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee and the Phillies at Progressive Field.

Bauer was scheduled to face Pawtucket, Boston's Class AAA team, Monday. He is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three starts for the Clippers. He's struck out 24, walked six and allowed five earned runs on 15 hits in 18 innings.

The opposition is hitting .242 against him and he has a 1.17 WHIP (walks and hits per nine innings).

Bauer, the third overall draft pick in 2011, has already made one start for the Tribe this season. On April 6, he allowed three runs on two hits in five innings of a 6-0 loss to the Rays.

Bauer walked the first four batters he faced that day and ended the game with seven walks. He threw 105 pitches, 59 for strikes.

Testing, testing: Closer Chris Perez had X-rays on his right thumb Monday after being hit there Sunday by a Jeff Francouer bouncer in the ninth inning of the nightcap.

"The tip of the thumb is still numb," said Perez before Monday's game. "I'm going out to play catch and see how it feels. But I should be fine."

The X-rays were negative.

Francona said he'd wait until after Perez played catch to determine if he could use him in a save situation Monday.

Slowly, but surely: Michael Bourn is considering going on a rehab assignment to play a couple of games once the spike wound on his right index finger allows him to swing a bat and throw a baseball more aggressively than he's doing right now.

Bourn is scheduled to come off the disabled list today.

Finally: Left-hander Scott Barnes was optioned to Columbus on Monday. Barnes was the Indians' 26th man for Sunday's doubleheader. He pitched in the first game and gave up a two-run homer to Alex Gordon.

Members of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Browns issued statements of support for NBA player Jason Collins.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Players and executives with area pro teams voiced their support for Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, who announced in Sports Illustrated that he's gay -- the first active athlete in men's professional team sports to do so.

Said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant: "We strive as an organization to foster and maintain an environment and culture that is accepting, respectful and supportive in every way. Jason Collins' efforts help establish a deeper understanding and reinforcement of why this is so important."

Cavs forward Luke Walton has known Collins for years.

"I have known and competed against Jason and his family since high school, where they beat us twice in the finals of the Southern California state tournament," Walton said. "His Stanford teams won PAC 10 championships during the same era that our Arizona team did, and now I have been competing against him for 10 years in the NBA. He has always been a great competitor and a gracious winner. He comes from a great family and if coming out has given him peace of mind and happiness, then I'm proud of him for doing it. Everybody deserves to be happy. In the world we live in and the spotlight that is on professional athletes this must have taken a lot of courage, which speaks to the type of person he is."

Said Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson: "I think it's a cool move. I respect him for having courage to stand up and live his truth. Too many people put on these masks of who they believe society wants them to be and live unhappy, makeshift lives. I think it's great when people stand up. Of course, there will be haters and those who ridicule his decision but I support him and wish him nothing but the best. It's most definitely a hateful world that preys on things it doesn't understand. So this is still only the beginning for him."

Added Cavaliers forward Omri Casspi: "Very important moment for the NBA and sports. I got much respect for him. I hope people will show the same respect."

Former Cav Shaquille O'Neal tweeted: "Character is found in those who lead. I am so proud of my friend, Jason Collins, for showing all of us what leadership looks like. #way2go"

Former Browns linebacker Scott Fujita has been a long-time supporter of gay marriage and gay rights.

"This is obviously a huge moment in the sports world and beyond," he said. "I'm pleased to see such an overwhelmingly positive reaction to this news, because it just shows that we're becoming more accepting everyday. But more than anything else, I'm happy for Jason. I'm not a gay, closeted athlete, so I can't pretend to know what that must have felt like for him. But I imagine this is freeing for him, and hopefully he's encouraged by the millions of people who are voicing their support. What Jason wrote was beautiful on multiple levels. It's not a reaction to some rumor and it's not some unwanted outing. It's his message, and it was delivered under his control and on his terms. The fact that he holds all the power makes it that much more meaningful, as far as I'm concerned."

Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson retweeted Collins and added, "I respect & support."

Indians players had similar reactions.

Nick Swisher tweeted, "I will always support people for being who they are. Happy for @jasoncollins34 that he can lead an honest life.''

Pitcher Justin Masterson said: "I'm sure he feels good about it. . . . I just think there is a lot more stress on it than there should be. If you come out and say you're straight, fine. If you come out and say you're gay, fine. If you come out and say bi-sexual, fine. Now let's go play ball.

"I don't want you to hide who you are."

Said reliever Vinnie Pestano: "He's first player to come out and say he's gay and be a free agent. Now the next question is, who will be the team to sign him? That will be the next step for this whole ordeal. It takes a lot of courage. Some guys do it after they retire. This takes a lot of courage when you're still very much part of the sport. I'm sure this will be a huge relief for him. He can be himself."

Infielder Mike Aviles said: "Jason Collins has a lot more courage than probably anybody else around right now. I'm sure there are people who want to come out and they're just afraid of the negativity of it. For him to still be in the league and going into free agency, I tip my cap. At the end of the day, you have to be who you are. Obviously, him being gay doesn't affect him being a basketball player. He's a good basketball player. To me, if you're real with people and you let them know who are you shouldn't have problems with anything."

Added veteran Jason Giambi: "I applaud Jason Collins. I take my cap off to him. I bet it's been weighing on his soul for a long time. I'm happy that he's happy. Life is tough enough. If that's what makes him happy, I'm excited for it."

Indians manager Terry Francona said he hadn't heard about Collins. But as for baseball being ready for a gay player, he said: "If you have an Indians unform on and you can hit or you can pitch, that's what we care about. If you do that, and you behave yourself, that's what's important to me.

"I don't think it's any of my business to be anything but respectful of the way people want to live their life."

Plain Dealer reporters Paul Hoynes, Tom Reed and Mary Kay Cabot contributed to this report.

After a 15-month stint in a juvenile detention facility, Davone Bess, traded to the Cleveland Browns during the draft, stayed out of trouble and eventually reached the NFL.

BEREA, Ohio -- Receiver Davone Bess' route to the Cleveland Browns wasn't as precise as the ones he's known for running on the football field.

It featured a painful 15-month detour to a juvenile detention center after a mistake that nearly cost him his football career.

But Bess, who grew up in a crime-ridden section of Oakland, Calif. never had it easy. Born to a 15-year old single mom who struggled to provide for her two sons, he witnessed the shooting of a family member when he was 10 years old.

"I watched my uncle [Clark Robinson] get killed right in front of me at a block party for his birthday. Some guy jumped the fence and shot him on my auntie's porch," Bess told the South Florida Sun Sentinel when he first signed with the Dolphins in 2008. "I knew life isn't promised to anybody and that it and football can be taken away at any time."

Still, Bess mostly stayed out of trouble by immersing himself in football, basketball and baseball at Skyline High. Oregon State took notice, and offered him a full ride. His college future looked bright, and dreams of a pro career took root.

But a couple of weeks after graduating from Skyline High, Bess allowed some friends to hop into his car with stolen weapons and other goods. Bess was arrested and sentenced to 15 months in the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility.

Worst of all, Oregon State rescinded his scholarship.

While while in juvy, Bess played on a 7-on-7 football team that scrimmaged other detention centers. A friend of his high school coach was working as a graduate assistant at Hawaii at the time, and sent the raw footage to June Jones.

Jones liked what he saw, and when Bess' sentence was up, he enrolled at Hawaii to get his career back on track. There, coached by Jones, he had three 1,000-yard seasons and a school-record 41 touchdown catches.

After his junior year, Bess was informed by the NFL Draft Advisory board that he'd most likely be a third-round pick if he came out early, and he jumped at the chance. But a disappointing 40 time at the Combine underwhelmed scouts, and Bess went undrafted. The Dolphins, who were watching Bess and called him during the draft, signed him as an undrafted free agent. He wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away.

Fifteen months in a cold, hard cell behind bars will do that to a young man.

Bess surprised plenty of folks by making the 53-man roster, and hung on for five seasons in Miami, mostly as a slot receiver with an uncanny knack for converting third downs. That's why the news that the Dolphins were trading him on Friday to the Browns came with a rush of emotions. The Dolphins, like Hawaii, were the only team to give him a chance, and now they were letting him go.

"My initial reaction was it was bittersweet," Bess said on a conference call Monday. "Obviously being down here in Miami since my rookie year, having developed a relationship with the organization, the fans and kind of embracing my opportunity was something special here. But all good things, they say, must come to an end. To jump ship to Cleveland was a great opportunity, a great stepping-stone for myself in my career. I'm thankful for the future and I'm looking forward to being a Brown."

Bess, who caught 61 passes for 778 yards and one TD last season, didn't deny a report in the Palm Beach Post that some Dolphins coaches were less than thrilled that he sat out the final three games of the season with a back injury. But doesn't know if it contributed to his exit.

"To be honest, I have no idea," he said. "I kind of left that in last season. It was a touchy situation, but we let bygones be bygones. We squashed it, you know? We moved forward and that's the end of that."

Bess, 27, said he is a willing mentor for young receivers Josh Gordon and Greg Little, who arrived on the Browns' doorstep with some baggage of their own.

"Obviously they have a bunch of young guys there who had pretty good seasons last year," said Bess. "[They're] young, hungry, intelligent, athletically, physically, mentally. (I want) to come in and just share my knowledge and be able to help out a group not only from a physical, playmaking standpoint."

After his ordeal as a 17-year-old, Bess will never take this opportunity for granted.

"First and foremost, there's not a day that goes by that I don't remember those times," he said. "Being undrafted and having to prove myself numerous amounts of times. Those heartaches, those tough times, those experiences in my cell molded me into the man I am today. At the time, being a young adolescent, I didn't understand it, but being older now, I'm so thankful of those moments, you know? My whole thing was going back, not only into the inner city, but abroad or wherever and teaching everybody that there is a best route."

In an effort to give back, Bess has established "The Bess Route Foundation," which is dedicated to shaping positive lifestyles for underpriveleged children and providing funds for families in need.

"That was the motto for my foundation is choosing the best route in life, and that route is the positive way," he said. "We're all going to have tough times, we're all going to have experiences, we're all going to have obstacles we got to overcome, but one thing we can always change is our mind and our attitude, and that's kinda been my motto and I'm just keeping it that way. And it's been the driving and the key to my success."

Roberts let go: On Black Monday for NFL Scouts, it's already been made clear to one member of the Browns' personnel staff that he won't be back.

The contract of Senior national scout Pat Roberts has expired and it's unlikely to be renewed.

It's not uncommon for teams with new regimes to fire members of the holdover staff. Other scouts and personnel executives hired by previous general managers Tom Heckert and Phil Savage are expected to be let go.

The top two men in the department under Heckert, Director of Player Personnel Jon Sandusky and Director of College Scouting John Spytek, are both under contract through next season, but it wouldn't be surprising if they're asked to leave.

With GM Mike Lombardi heading the department and Ray Farmer hired as his assistant, it's likely they'll bring in some of their own people and shake up the department.

Roberts, who was hired by Savage in 2005, served as the senior national scout the past three seasons. He was also the Browns' director of college scouting in 2009 after spending the previous four seasons as a national scout. Last week, college area scout Bob Welton left to take a job with Tennessee as their director of player personnel.

Justice to visit: Former Eagles and Colts free agent offensive tackle Winston Justice (6-6, 317) will visit the Browns on Wednesday, ESPN reported. He was with the Steelers Monday, the source said. Browns CEO Joe Banner had a hand in drafting Justice, 28, with the Eagles in 2006, when he was the 39th overall pick out of USC. Justice gave up four sacks in his first game, but settled down and became the Eagles starting right tackle in 2009. Last off-season, he was traded to the Colts and started 12 games. Justice would most likely provide depth behind 2012 second-rounder Mitchell Schwartz. . . . The Rams offered the Browns the same deal to move down to No. 16 as they did the Bills at No. 8, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The Browns could've picked up the No. 46 overall pick and an extra seventh-round choice. The also would've swapped third-round picks. Instead, they chose to stay at No. 6 and select LSU pass-rusher Barkevious Mingo.

Today's schedule BASEBALL

Today's schedule

BASEBALL

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

Akron City Series

Akron East at Firestone

Kenmore at Akron North, 4:15

Chagrin Valley Conference

Chagrin Division

Kenston at Chagrin Falls

Metro Division

Richmond Heights at Beachwood

Valley Division

Berkshire at Kirtland

Cardinal at Fairport Harding

Norhteast Ohio Conference

Lake Division

Brush at Garfield Heights

River Division

Brunswick at North Royalton

Nonleague

Akron Ellet at Buchtel

Bay at Amherst

Cornerstone Christian 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

Buchtel at Akron Garfield

Ellet at Akron North

Kenmore at Firestone

Lake Ridge Academy at Berea

Chagrin Valley Conference

Crossover

Berkshire at Cuyahoga Heights

Lake Effect Conference

St. Martin de Porres at Andrews Osborne Academy

North Coast League

Blue Division

Archbishop Hoban at Beaumont

Padua at Lake Catholic, 5

Walsh Jesuit at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 5

White Division

Cleveland Central Catholic at Villa Angela-St. Joseph

Holy Name at St. Peter Chanel

Trinity at Warren John F. Kennedy, 5

Portage Trail Conference

County Division

East Canton at Windham, 4:15

Garrettsville Garfield at Woodridge

Metro Division

Crestwood at Akron Springfield

Field at Norton

Crossover

Mogadore at Southeast

Senate Athletic League

East Tech vs. John Hay at Gordon, 4

Lincoln West at John Marshall, 4

Max Hayes at John Marshall, 4

Suburban League

Cloverleaf at Highland

Copley at Wadsworth

Coventry at Streetsboro

Green at Revere

Nordonia at Tallmadge

Nonleague

Akron Manchester at Tuslaw

Hathaway Brown at Avon

Lake Center Christian School at Cornerstone Christian

Lutheran West at Open Door, 4

Marion Harding at Black River

Orange at Bedford

Our Lady of the Elms at Chippewa

Westlake at Keystone

TRACK

Aurora at Chagrin Falls, 4

Beachwood at Harvey, TBA

Berkshire at Wickliffe, 4

Coventry Triangular (Coventry, Crestwood, Ravenna), 4:30

Cloverleaf at Copley, 4

Garfield Heights at Normandy, 4

Green at Tallmadge, 4

Hawken Meet (Cornerstone Christian, Hawken, Richmond Heights), 4:30

Highland at Wadsworth, 4

Lake Catholic at Trinity, 4:30

Laurel Triangular (Laurel, Open Door, WRA)

Norton Triangular (Norton, Springfield, Streetsboro)

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Triangular (Cleveland Central Catholic, NDCL, VASJ), 4:15

Potopsky Invitational at Independence (Cardinal, Cuyahoga Heights, Independence, Lutheran West), 4

Revere at Nordonia, 4

SVSM at Akron North

Lake Catholic at Trinity, 4

St. Edward Triangular (Lincoln West, St. Edward, Warren Harding), 4

Southeast at Rootstown

Timken at Manchester

Waterloo at Mogadore

Woodridge Triangular (East Canton, Garrettsville Garfield, Woodridge), 4:30

Baseball CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

Baseball

CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

Chagrin Division

Aurora210 000 1--4 8 2

Perry000 001 0--1 1 2

A (13-3): Czerwinski (W, 4-0). P (7-9): u/a.

Notable: Thomas (A) 2-2B

Metro Division

Hawken000 000 1--1 2 2

Cuyahoga Hts.000 000 0--0 1 1

H (6-12, 2-5): Hughes (W, 1-3). CH (6-6, 1-5): Lowther (L, 2-2).

Notable: Hughes CG, 6K.

Valley Division

Newbury000 001 0--1 2 3

Harvey104 301 x--9 8 1

N (4-11, 0-7): Kania (L, 1-5). H (2-12, 1-6): Dickison (W, 2-6).

Notable: Rice (H) 3-3, 3 RBI, 2B, BB.

LAKE ERIE LEAGUE

Euclid000 110 0--2 5 0

Cleveland Hts.000 010 0--1 7 1

E (11-5): Kohler (W, 2-0). CH (6-4): Houdek (L, 2-2). S: Fuller (E)

Notable: Golden (E) RBI

NORTH COAST LEAGUE

Blue Divion

Hoban001 100 0--2 8 1

Benedictine000 001 0--1 6 3

AH (1-7, 6-1): Pero (W). B (8-9, 2-5): Piascik (L, 2-3). S: Kline.

Notable: Pero 1-2, SF, GWRBI, 5.1 IP.

PATRIOT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Crossover

Brooklyn100 00 -- 1 5 3

Buckeye231 32 --11 12 0

Br (4-7, 3-4): Martin (L, 3-2). Bu (11-5, 7-0): Friel (W, 4-1).

Notable: Bruenig (Bu) 2-4, 2-2B, 2 RBI.

Clearview001 000 0--1 4 3

Firelands102 300 x--6 10 3

C (9-6, 7-3): Anderson (L, 0-1). F (8-10, 6-3): Helton (W, 3-2).

Notable: Sklarek (F) 2B, RBI.

PREMIER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Lakeside000 000 1--1 2 0

Will. South012 000 x--3 4 1

L: Tuttle (L). WS: Moorehead (W).

Notable: Lett (WS) RBI.

University020 430 3--12 9 0

Madison000 000 0-- 0 1 3

US: Cercelle (W). M: Brainard (L).

Notable: Domonkos (US) 2 RBI.

WEST SHORE CONFERENCE

Extra innings

Bay100 001 000 002-- 4 6 2

Lakewood200 000 000 000-- 2 9 1

B (3-12): Peters (W, 1-3). L (13-3): Foran (L, 2-2).

Notable: Peters (L) 5 IP, 0 ER

Extra innings

Lakewood102 010 04--8 10 1

Bay002 020 00--4 5 3

L (14-3): Fuller (W, 3-0). B (3-13): MacAskill (L, 0-2). HR: L, Naida

Notable: Naida (L) 3-5

Midview101 000 0--2 1 0

Elyria Catholic000 000 0--0 1 2

M (9-5, 3-2): Lauer (W). EC (6-7, 2-3): Tomshack (L, 1-2).

Notable: Frye (M) RBI.

Vermilion000 001 4--5 7 1

Rocky River001 000 0--1 5 2

V (11-7): Koutsopoulos (W, 3-1). RR (3-10): Kadlec (L, 0-1).

Notable: Buchanon (V) 2-3, 2 RBI.

OHSBCA POLL

The second weekly Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association poll for 2013 by OHSAA divisions with first-place votes and total points (first-place votes in parentheses):

SchoolPoints

DIVISION I

1. Mason (16) 211

2. Arch. Moeller (3) 186

3. Centerville (2) 164

4. Brecksville (6)151

5. Perrysburg (1) 133

6. St. Francis DeSales 111

7. Thom. Worthington 107

8.Hudson (1)99

9. Olentangy Orange (1) 84

10. Norwalk 61

Other area teams receiving points: 13. Mentor 33, 15. Walsh Jesuit, 22, 17. Nordonia 19, 18. Amherst 16, 20. Brunswick 11, Strongsville 3.

DIVISION II

1. Defiance (22) 256

2. Gallia Ac. (4) 221

3. Tippecanoe 194

4. Lexington (2) 176

5. Dover (1) 174

6. Wauseon 113

7. Bellevue 99

8. Canton South 98

9. Miami Trace 64

10. Wapakoneta 40

DIVISION III

1. Cin. Hills Christ. Ac. (4) 193

2. Coldwater (1) 175

3. Ursuline 153

4. Carlisle (5) 152

5. Ontario (3) 147

6. Wheelersburg (5) 142

7. Independence (3)140

8. Fredericktown 130

9. New London (1) 97

10. Canton C.C. 47

10. Waynesville (1) 47

Other area team receiving points: 18. Keystone 15.

DIVISION IV

1. Toronto (10) 225

2. Newark Catholic (3) 197

3. Southern (2) 175

4. Minster 159

5. St. Henry (1) 147

6. Springfield (1)128

7. Seneca East 119

8. Tuscarawas C.C. 78

9. McKinley 47

10. Fisher Catholic 42

Other area team receiving points: Mogadore 3, Fairport 1.

Softball

LAKE ERIE LEAGUE

Bedford053 011 4--14 15 4

Lorain221 221 1--11 13 2

B: Minute (W). L: Ford (L).

Notable: Jones (B) 2-1B, 3B.

NORTH COAST LEAGUE

Chanel000 050 0-- 5 6 2

Holy Name134 033 x--14 20 2

SPC (6-4, 7-3): Vansho (L). HN (11-2, 7-0): Rini (W, 5-1). HR: Blake (HN)

Notable: Knaus (HN) 3-4, 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI

VASJ102 00-- 3 4 3

Cle. Cent. Cath.811 3x--13 11 1

VASJ: Huminsky (L). CCC (5-10, 1-7): Guidaitis (W, 2-1).

Notable: Guidaitis 5 IP, 7K.

SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

Brecksville201 002 0--5 13 1

Avon Lake102 000 0--3 7 1

B (13-3, 5-1): Geringer (W, 5-0). AL (13-1, 5-1): Wennerberg (L, 10-1).

Notable: Schentur (B) 3-1B, 2 RBI, 2R, SB.

North Olmsted000 003 0--3 5 1

Amherst220 300 x--7 10 0

NO (5-12, 0-7): Larue (L, 2-6). A (8-5, 3-3): Beetler (W, 5-3). HR: A: Jones, Beetler; Helderman (NO).

Notable: Jones (A) 3-3, 2 RBI.

NONLEAGUE

Eastlake001 000 0--1 5 2

Geneva030 000 x--3 5 1

EN (5-8, 1-5): Kiel (L, 3-7). G (7-0): Pitcher (W).

Notable: Pitcher CG, 7K, RBI.

OHSSCA POLL

The second weekly Ohio High School Softball Coaches Association poll for 2013 by OHSAA divisions with first-place votes and total points (first-place votes in parentheses):

SchoolPoints

DIVISION I

1. North Canton Hoover (7) 100

2. Olentangy Liberty (2) 86

3. Lebanon (1) 80

4. Holland Springfield (1) 69

5. Brecksville54

6. Worth. Kilbourne 48

7. Gahanna Lincoln (1) 38

8. Avon Lake37

9. Delaware Hayes 35

10. Oregon Clay 33

DIVISION II

1. River Valley (4) 79

2. Greenville (3) 75

3. Keystone69

4. Kenton Ridge 47

4. Licking Valley 47

6. Lima Bath (2) 43

7. Walsh Jesuit (1)32

8. Tippecanoe 27

9. Heb. Lakewood 26

10. Springfield (1)16

DIVISION III

1. Bloom Carroll (6) 78

2. Johnstown Northridge 50

3. Archbold (1) 49

4. Newscomerstown 43

5. Minford 36

6. Eastern Brown (1) 34

7. Milan Edison 13

8. Warren Champion 12

9. Fort Frye 10

10 North Union 8

DIVISION IV

1. Vienna Mathews (3) 75

1. Berlin West. Reserve (1) 75

3. Covington (2) 73

4. Strasburg Franklin (3) 64

5. Portsmouth Notre Dame 47

6. Convoy Crestview (2) 43

7. Sycamore Mohawk 39

8. New Riegel 37

9. Houston 16

10. Jackson Milton 15

Boys tennis

Avon 5, Padua 0

Singles: Mostardi (A) d Grimmer 6-0 6-0; Robbins (A) d. Puller 6-0 6-0; Burger (A) d. McIntire 6-1 7-5

Doubles: Nicklaus/Badt (A) d. Goss/Brachna 6-0 6-1; Avon by forfeit.

Beachwood 5, CVCA 0

Singles: Gill d. Knowles 6-2,6-1; Machtay d. Andrews 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Dubin d. Punka 6-0 ,6-0.

Doubles: Romanoff/Mulholland d. Holloway/Petrinecll 6-2, 6-0; Spector/Rodriquez d. Dietrich/Mellott 6-1,6-1.

Brush 5, Garfield 0

Singles: Gossett d. Shiply 6-0, 6-2; Ronis d. Gerchak 6-0, 6-0; Grimes d. Sara 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles: Bendokas/Schmidt d. Lucas/Roesch 6-3, 6-2; Toomey/Farmer d. Dorado/Zarrelli 6-0, 6-1.

Copley 5, Highland 0

Singles: Pennington d. Smykal 7-6, (9-7), 6-3; Ong d. Hutchings 6-2, 6-0; Du d. Hadler 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles: A. Aten/G. Aten d. Gsellman/Kelly 6-3, 6-2; M. Adyema/N. Adyema d. Luth/Joyce 6-1, 6-1

Elyria 5, Valley Forge 0

Singles: Emilio d. Dehrman 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Behmer d. Blachard 6-0, 6-0; Tolson d. Kovalevic 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: McCormick/Flowers d. Lynch/Rivera 6-1, 6-2; Melendez/Peggs d. Murphy/Cicerella 6-3, 6-0.

Fairview 4, Rocky River 1

Singles: DeRosa d. Baxley 6-0, 6-0; Cajka d. Roth 7-5, 6-3; Jones d. Thorp 7-6(3), 6-3.

Doubles: Arnold/M. Hom d. Berry/Seffernick 6-3, 6-1; Harrington/Shafqat (R) d. Janca/G. Hom 6-0, 6-2.

Green 4, Nordonia 1

Singles: Saunders d. DiSiena 6-2, 6-2; J. Kent (N) d. Fehr 7-6, 2-6, 6-2; Jasso d. Zalar 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: Lampner/Bacher d. M. Kent/Borovicka 6-4, 6-1; Moresea/Hammes d. Lee/Luczywo 6-0, 6-1.

Harvey 3, Crestwood 2

Singles: Geiger (C) d. Thies 6-1, 6-1; Gonzalez (H) d. Tyler 6-4, 6-2; Vaughan (C) d. Pacheco 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Orosz/Turner (H) d. Monroe//Roth 2-6, 6-3, 6-4: Negrete/Brown (H) d. Hanzlik/Agle 6-1, 6-4.

Lakewood 3, Lake Ridge 2

Singles: Mayer (LR) d. Richardson 6-3, 6-3; Brinich(L) d. Peckham 7-5, 6-7, 6-1; Syed (LR) d. Mezin 6-4, 1-6, 7-6.

Doubles: Figueiredo/Northrop(L) d. Lin/Alhadad 7-5, 6-3; Carlson/Levis(L) d. Reese/Dempsey 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Mayfield 3, North Royalton 2

Singles: Fukamachi (M) d. Anand 6-0, 6-0; Dalessandro (M) d. Peterjohn 6-3, 6-3; Soster (N) d. Curtin 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles: Faddoul/Elliott (M) d. Marsh/Patel 7-6, 6-2; Clegg/Hajovsky (N) d. Gladkiy/Gagliardo 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.

Medina 4, Mentor 1

Singles: Liebler (Men) d. Sackett 6-0, 6-0; Varney (Men) d. Gheno 6-1, 6-0; Yoder (Men) d. Mowery 6-0, 6-1

Doubles: Bachir/Martinez (Men) d. Sparacia/Miller 6-2, 6-2; Lezan/Clark (Med) d. King/Pazgan/Lorenzo 6-1, 6-4.

Norton 3, Ravenna 2

Singles: Caynor (N) def Stennett 6-2, 6-1; M. Jevric (N) def VanHoose 6-4, 6-2; Baker (R) def Hlas 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles: May/Ra. Roland (N) def Chrin/Zapolsky 6-0, 6-2; Jalbert/Lohr (R) def Ri. Roland/J. Jevric 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Revere 4, Wadsworth 1

Singles: Hendrickson (R) def. Salem 6-0, 6-1; Carano (R) def. Corbett 6-0, 6-0; Harris (R) def. Croghan 7-5, 6-0.

Doubles: Jin/Kumar (R) def. Hanna/Ferguson 7-6(3), 6-3; Berlin/McDevitt (W) def. Gersman/Hansen 6-0, 7-5.

Solon 4, Hudson 1

Singles: Boslet(H) d. Yang 6-1,6-4; Le (S) d. Polifrone 6-3,6-4; Goldberg (S) d. Wolowiecki 6-3,6-4.

Doubles: Shankman/Obrien (S) d. Kemper/Basu 6-3,6-2; Shah/Rizkala (S) d. Tiemann/Graham 6-1,7-5

Twinsburg 5, Brunswick 0

Singles: Doherty d. Kurela 6-2 6-1; Liflyandchick d. Canterbury 6-4 2-6 6-4; Bartulovic d. Schudwitz 6-0 6-0

Doubles: Khoncarly/Whitney d. Boyer Carpenter 6-2 6-2; Herd/Krishnan 6-3 6-1

University 4, Gilmour 1

Singles: Noall (G) d Stroup 7-6, 7-6; Gillinov d Hurt 6-0, 6-0; Babcox won by default.

Doubles: Hribar/Cha d. Zhang/Shapiro 6-0, 6-1; Hara/Shome d. Younker/Marusic 6-1, 6-0.

Westlake 5, Kenston 0

Singles: Michelich d. Banning 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; Craven d. Bauck 6-0, 6-1; K. Shah d. Nash 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).

Doubles: Wang/Dinchman d. Berry/Martin 6-0, 6-1; Kharche/Am. Shah d. Hoffmann/Hogan 6-4, 6-2.

Willoughby South 5, Lakeside 0

Singles: Anzalone d. Stowell 6-0, 6-0; Grieg d. Downs 7-6(2), 6-4; Higgins d. Cimorelli 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: Adams/Gardner d. Campbell/Applebee 6-3, 7-5; Fauceglia/Chakraborty d. Morrison/ Blair 6-2, 6-0.

OTCA POLL

The second weekly Ohio Tennis Coaches Association polls for 2013 by OHSAA divisions with first-place votes and total points.

DIVISION I

1. Mason (13) 130

2. Cinti Sycamore 117

3. Upper Arlington 94

4. Cinti St. Xavier 79

5. Copley63

6. Springborto 56

7. Toledo St. John Jesuit 47

8. Walsh Jesuit33

9. New Albany 20

10. St. Ignatius19

11. Bellbrook 9

DIVISION II

1. Cinti Country Day (12) 129

2. Gahanna Columbus Ac. (1) 103

3. Cinti Seven Hills 99

4. Lexington 79

5. Cinti Indian Hill 62

6. Cinti Hills Christian 45

7. Bexley 40

8. Hawken32

9. University School30

10. Kettering Alter 27

11. Dayton Oakwood 8

Boys lacrosse

Benedictine 12, NDCL 3

B (5-2): Cancellirre 3, Judy 3, Kleindienst 3, Roscace 2, D. Robinson, M. Yormick. NDCL: Forte 2, Cooney.

Goalies: B, Musarra (10 saves), Manaco (2); NDCL, Takacs (13).

Girls lacrosse

Bay 13, NDCL 12

B: Steyns 3, Faile 3, Lowery 2, Galang 2, Hardy, Holmes, Rezek. CVCA: Joyce 4, Glasier 4, Stacho, Schneeberger, Susinskas, Dicillo.

Goalies: B, Grubaugh (5 saves), Finley (5); NDCL, Zbinovec (12).

Chagrin Falls 16, Western Reserve Ac. 9

CF (9-2): Fung 5, Mackin 3, Manchester 3, Owen 2, Fullmer, Magyaros, Vento. WRA (6-2): Carter 4, Waldeck 3, Polack 2.

Goalies: CF, Wilson (15 saves); WRA, Wyman (6)

Jackson 14, Kent Roosevelt 4

J (9-2): Giulitto 3, Puterbaugh 3, Litman 2, McCormick 2, Thomas 2, Manos, Stachel. KR: Aberegg 2, Mackanos 2.

Goalies: J, Current (10 saves); Thomas (5); KR, Flannery (9).

Magnificat 9, Hathaway Brown 8

M: Doyle 3, Zavoda 2, Kilbane-Meyers 2, Cintron, Roth. HB: Benjamin 2, Hayside, Strang, Warner, Nook, Brockett, Radigan.

Goalies: M, Stafford (12 saves); HB, Dumas (9).

Rugby

BOYS

Late result

Highland 34, Avon Lake 26

GIRLS

Late result

Lady Buzzards 24, Marysville 0

Brecksville-Broadview Heights scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning for a 5-3 Southwestern Conference softball victory against Avon Lake. Monday's win avenged a loss earlier in the season for the Bees (13-3, 5-1) and also puts them in a first-place tie. It's the first loss of the year for Avon Lake (13-1, 5-1).

Brecksville-Broadview Heights scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning for a 5-3 Southwestern Conference softball victory against Avon Lake.

Monday's win avenged a loss earlier in the season for the Bees (13-3, 5-1) and also puts them in a first-place tie. It's the first loss of the year for Avon Lake (13-1, 5-1).

Mary Schentur accounted for three Brecksville hits and two RBI, while Paige Collins finished with a single, triple and three RBI for Avon Lake.

Amherst 7, North Olmsted 3: Home runs by Lexie Jones and winning pitcher Zoe Beetler led the Comets to the SWC victory.

Holy Name 14, St. Peter Chanel 5: Becca Knaus' three hits included a triple, three RBI and three runs scored, as the Green Wave remained unbeaten in the North Coast League White Division.

Baseball

Midview 2, Elyria Catholic 0: The Middies won the West Shore Conference pitchers' duel with runs in the first and third innings. Eric Lauer earned the win by allowing one hit and two walks, while striking out nine. Losing pitcher Chris Tomack, the victim of two Panther errors, also hurled a one-hitter, with three walks, two hit batters and nine strikeouts. Gordon Frye got the lone hit and drove in a run for Midview. Elyria Catholic's hit came from Joey Begany.

Hawken 1, Cuyahoga Heights 0: A Redskins throwing error in the top of the seventh inning allowed pinch runner Andrew Holmes to score the winning run for Hawken in the Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division game.

Archbishop Hoban 2, Benedictine 1: Drew Pero's run-scoring single in the top of the fourth inning was the difference for the Knights in the North Coast League Blue Division win.

Aurora 4, Perry 1: The Greenmen prevailed in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division game, thanks to Jake Czerwinski, who pitched a one-hitter, with one walk and three strikeouts. Tyler Thomas' two doubles paced Aurora's eight-hit offense.

Boys tennis

Lakewood 3, Lake Ridge 2: The Rangers handed Lake Ridge its first loss of the season, with Chris Brinich's three-set win at second singles the deciding match.

Norton 3, Ravenna 2: The Panthers remained in the Portage Trail Conference title chase as Brandon Caynor and Milan Jevric won in straight sets in first and second singles, and Kyle May and Randy Roland did likewise at first doubles.

Mayfield 3, North Royalton 2: Shouta Fukamachi and Cody Dalessandro captured their first and second singles matches in straight sets, as did the first-doubles team of Alex Faddoul and Dean Elliott, to lead the Wildcats to the Northeast Ohio Conference win.

Girls lacrosse

Magnificat 9, Hathaway Brown 8: Kelsey Doyle tallied a hat trick, while Jillian Zavoda and Joanna Kilbane-Meyers scored two goals apiece, to give the Blue Streaks the win.

Cleveland Browns radio voice Jim Donovan of WKYC Channel 3 and Mount Union football coach Larry Kehres will be among those honored at the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation's Scholar-Athlete Awards banquet on May 7.

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Clik here to view.View full sizeMount Union football coach Larry Kehres will be honored at the annual Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete Awards banquet on May 7. Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal 

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam will be among the featured guests May 7 at the 25th annual Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation's Scholar-Athlete Awards banquet.

The event will take place at LaCentre Banquet Facility in Westlake, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and a dinner at 6:30.

The event will honor a number of other local and national figures as well.

Stephen Perry, NFL Pro Hall of Fame president, will receive the 2013 Distinguished American Award.

WKYC Channel 3's Jim Donovan will take home the Dino Lucarelli Award.

Meyer (Ohio State) and Larry Kehres (Mount Union) will receive the Lee Tressel College Coach of the Year awards, which will be presented by Lee's son, Jim Tressel.

Also, former Plain Dealer sportswriter Eddie Dwyer will be awarded the Dick Zunt Ohio Sportswriter of the Year Award.

Tickets are $50 apiece or $500 for a table of 10. For more information, call 440-788-7472 or email neonff@nacda.com.

NE Ohio NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet

Postgraduate Award Winners

Akron: Nolan Proctor. Ashland: Donnie Dottei. Baldwin Wallace: Brian Ellis. Case Western Reserve: Adam Watson (Mentor). John Carroll: Mike Micca. Mount Union: Nick Driskill. Notre Dame College: Robert Hanson (Parma). Oberlin: David Kalgren. Wooster: Dana Obery (South Euclid). Youngstown State: Nick DeKraker.

High School Scholar-Athlete Winners

Aurora: Zachary Smierciak. Avon: Alex Kelly. Avon Lake: John Lancione. Bay: Andy Barbour; Jacob Peters. Benedictine: Daniel Piascik. Brecksville-Broadview Heights: Mike Tyler. Cleveland Heights: Marcus McShepard. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy: Antonio Carroscia. Hawken: Mark Murgiano. Hudson: Adam Coberly; Ben Gedeon. Kirtland: Scott Eilerman. Loudonville: Austin Cary. Minerva: Jake Riley. Norton: Matt McGlone. Pymatuning Valley: Grant Nowakowski. Revere: Jason Tretter. St. Edward: Ryan Fallon, Anthony Young. St. Ignatius: David Katusha, Kevin Kavalec, Tim McVey. St. Vincent-St. Mary: Joe Weber. Streetsboro: Dorian Williams. Tallmadge: Jacob Wood. University School: Curtis Black. Massillon: Kyle Kempt. Westlake: Logan Paul.

Ron Stoops Assistant Coach of the Year

Scott Barwidi, Nordonia.

Inspiration Award

Jamie Finnerty, Valley Forge.

Lake County Captains sweep doubleheader.

Class AAA: Pawtucket 5, Columbus 1 Toru Murata (0-1, 6.00) gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings of the Clippers' loss to the host Red Sox. Columbus RF Jeremy Hermida (.244) had three hits.

Class AA: Altoona 2, Akron 0 Aeros starter Brett Brach (1-2, 3.12) allowed one run on two hits in six innings of work in visiting Akron's loss to the Curve. The Aeros had nine hits, including three by 2B Jose Ramirez (.277).

Class A Advanced: Carolina at Potomac, ppd. Monday's rainout will be made up today as part of a doubleheader.

Class A: Lake County 7-4, Kane County 6-2 The Captains' Jeremy Lucas (.167) hit a walk-off single to cap a five-run seventh inning as Lake County won the first game of a doubleheader. Captains 3B Leonardo Castillo (.212) hit a three-run homer earlier in the inning. In the nightcap, Lake County 1B Joe Sever (.224) had three hits and three RBI and Josh Martin (2-2, 4.05) threw 2 innings of scoreless relief to secure the sweep.

Indians host the Philadelphia Phillies. NHL playoffs begin and NBA's continue.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

BASEBALL

11:30 a.m. Buffalo at Rochester, MLB Network

6:30 p.m. AKRON AEROS at Altoona, AM/1350

6:30 p.m. Kane County at LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS, AM/1330

7:05 p.m. Philadelphia at CLEVELAND INDIANS, SportsTime Ohio; AM/1100; FM/100.7

8 p.m. Cincinnati at St. Louis, MLB Network

NBA FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFFS

8 p.m. Golden State at Denver, TNT

10:30 p.m. Memphis at L.A. Clippers, TNT

NHL FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFFS

8 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago, NBCSN

8 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis, CNBC

10:30 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim, NBCSN

WOMEN'S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS

8 p.m. NCAA championships, ESPNU

Ubaldo Jimenez gets his first win of the season and Ryan Raburn homers twice as the Cleveland Indians end a long trip with a 9-0 win over Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The feast-or-famine Indians feasted Monday night at the expense of the Royals. On a scale of baseball importance that was secondary to the fact that for the first time this season the starting rotation produced consecutive victories.

Ubaldo Jimenez, making his first start in a week, threw seven strong innings in the Indians' 9-0 victory at Kauffman Stadium. The Tribe returns home with a 5-4 record on this trip through Houston, Chicago and Kansas City.

In winning his first game of the season, Jimenez took control well before Indians hitters slammed Wade Davis (2-3, 5.55) with a six-run fifth inning. The victory was Jimenez's first since Aug. 9, a stretch of 13 starts, as he combined on a three-hitter with Nick Hagadone and Cody Allen.

Last year, Jimenez (1-2, 7.13) led the AL in losses with 17. After the All-Star break, he went 1-10 with a 6.99 ERA.

"You're always looking to be encouraged, but I think we flew past encouraged and got excited," said manager Terry Francona. "Ubaldo had life on his fastball. He had all his off-speed pitches working.

"The hitters had to respect everything he threw. You saw some rollover groundballs to first, some awkward swings, [hitters were] late on the fastball. There was just so much to like."

Jimenez's problem from last year carried over to this year despite a decent spring. He seemed to get his legs under him April 21 against Houston when he retired 14 straight, but was hooked after just 65 pitches and didn't get credit for the 5-4 victory.

Monday night he was better, taking a one-hit shutout into the eighth. Jimenez has only pitched eight innings once since the Indians acquired him on July 31, 2011, from the Rockies. A leadoff double in the eighth by Mike Moustakas and a single by Jeff Francouer prevented him from making it Monday as Hagadone relieved to preserve the shutout.

"That felt really good out there," said Jimenez. "Those extra couple days really helped my arm. I was able to throw everything for a strike."

Jimenez struck out four, walked two and allowed three hits. He threw 67 percent (69-for-103) of his pitches for strikes.

"In the bullpen, my fastball was really running," said Jimenez. "We felt we had to take advantage of that."

Jimenez was hitting 93 to 95 mph. This was only the second time in 47 starts with the Indians that Jimenez has thrown seven scoreless innings. The previous time came May 6 against Texas.

The Indians' offense started and ended with two power strokes that have been long silent. Jason Kipnis gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead with a first-inning homer off Davis. It was his first homer since Sept. 13, a stretch of 129 at-bats.

The Tribe's scoring ended with Ryan Raburn's leadoff homer in the eighth. For Rayburn, who went 4-for-4 with four RBI, it was his second homer of the night. Raburn's first homer, a three-run drive in the fifth, was his first since May 15, a stretch of 153 at-bats.

"Sure I remember my last one," said Raburn. "It was against Jake Peavy, but last year was a bad year. I battled through injuries and a slow start. I'm just trying to have fun because there's going to be good days and bad.

"It's easy to have fun with these guys."

Michael Brantley started the fifth-inning rally with his second consecutive double. After Davis walked Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera doubled Brantley home with Kipnis stopping at third. The rally began to fizzle when Nick Swisher grounded out to short, but Mark Reynolds blooped a single into right to score Kipnis for a 4-0 lead. Carlos Santana, who entered the game leading the AL with a .388 batting average, doubled to make it 5-0.

After a brief conference on the mound, the decision was made to let Davis face Raburn. The decision backfired on the AL Central-leading Royals.

Davis allowed eight runs on 12 hits in 6 innings. Yes, the Indians were feasting again.

The Indians have been held to three or fewer runs in 14 of their 24 games. In seven games, however, they've scored six or more runs. In the past two games, they've ate well, scoring 19 runs.

Corey Kluber went seven innings to win Sunday's nightcap, 10-3, over the Royals. Combined with Jimenez's outing Monday, it's the first time Indians starters have won consecutive games this season. Before this series, Justin Masterson and Zach McAllister were the only starters with victories.

"This NBA draft reminds me of the 2013 NFL draft ... not very deep. Big chance on missing on early picks. Hated D. Waiters pick last year. But kid proved me wrong! Still would have rather had small forward from UNC, Harrison Barners, starting small forward for Golden State in playoffs. Guess we take Otto Porter, Georgetown, small forward?" - rsactjb

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Clik here to view.One cleveland.com reader says this year's NBA Draft isn't deep with talent, which means Cavs GM Chris Grant can't miss with his early picks. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) 

"This NBA draft reminds me of the 2013 NFL draft ... not very deep. Big chance on missing on early picks. Hated Dion Waiters pick last year. But kid proved me wrong! Still would have rather had small forward from UNC, Harrison Barners, starting small forward for Golden State in playoffs. Guess we take Otto Porter, Georgetown, small forward?"