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Browns vs. Bears: Live from the press box

Interact live with us in the press box at Cleveland Browns Stadium as he describes the action on the field and posts scoring updates, plus get updates and analysis from The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot via Twitter starting at 8 p.m.

How will Montario Hardesty do in his first and only action of the preseason? Will Colt McCoy be able to move the offense? Can the defense find a pass rush? Which bubble players will make a lasting impression to win a job?

Get answers to these questions and more during cleveland.com's live chat during the Browns vs. Bears game this Thursday at 8 p.m.  Interact with our producer Joey Morona and special guest Dennis Manoloff of The Plain Dealer in the press box at Cleveland Browns Stadium as he describes the action on the field and posts scoring updates, plus get updates and analysis from The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot via Twitter.

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Stay tuned after the game for a complete recap, photos and post-game video.

Former Browns receiver Reggie Rucker: Jim Brown more than an advisor to Randy Lerner, who should resolve dispute

Rucker on the Brown-Browns dispute: "Mike Holmgren has a right to run this organization the way he wants, but he should have made every effort not to demean or disrespect Jim's work and value in this community."

(Editor's note: Former Browns wide receiver Reggie Rucker offers a point of view on the Jim Brown-Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor debate)

Reggie Rucker

Special to The Plain Dealer

Jim Brown is my friend and I am here to support him. I've listened, I've watched and I've read just about everything regarding Jim Brown and the letter. I feel it's time for me to weigh in on this, mostly because I'm eminently more knowledgeable of all things Jim Brown than anyone in this city.

First, let me say this and say it unequivocally, Mike Holmgren did not understand Jim Brown's relationship to the team and to the city. Secondly, this is not about money. He doesn't need it.

The man is an historic figure for his accomplishments in football and his pioneering achievements in motion pictures or as Sports Illustrated so aptly described him, "one of the most significant figures of the twentieth century." Is there anyone who doesn't know this?

Here is what you don't know -- Jim Brown is the architect of a curriculum used in schools, juvenile detention facilities, prisons, churches, and boys and girls clubs that teaches the responsibility of self-determination. It is a self-empowering movement giving at-risk youth a second chance. He has personally been responsible for stopping the "gang violence way of life" for thousands all across this country. He is an acknowledged expert, very smart and wise beyond even his years. To be more succinct, his Amer-I-Can program has kept young people out of jails and cemeteries, many in this city.

The "shift blame" game is now on. Let's attack Jim Brown and focus on his past history, or whatever indiscretions that can be dug up. Are any of us that holy?

I believe the attempts to ridicule and personally attack Jim for his life-long convictions about respect and loyalty are wrong. I know only a few people who know what was said in the initial meeting between Jim and Mike Holmgren. Holmgren has a right to run this organization the way he wants, but he should have made every effort not to demean or disrespect Jim's work and value in this community. He didn't know what Jim's role was or his accomplishments in the community.

I am going to tell you.

Jim Brown served at the pleasure of the owner of this team, Randy Lerner. He believed he answered only to Lerner. If you review someone's work record for successes or failures, there should be some evidence-based support for determining the impact that individual has made in the company. So, let's start with the 2009 season when we were witnessing some of the most horrific football ever seen in Cleveland. Everyone wanted to fire Eric Mangini, including me. Jim wasn't so quick to pull the trigger and condemn Mangini. In fact as the season progressed, Jim was the only one brave enough to publicly support Mangini. He told me Mangini was a good man and a good coach.

Mike Holmgren enters the picture, reviews and interviews Mangini and Holmgren decides to keep Mangini as head coach. Well, Jim had already given us his professional opinion about Mangini. As executive advisor to the owner, he was doing his job in the best interests of the owner.

Jim was involved behind the scenes with contract holdouts, including getting Kellen Winslow to come in sooner that he would have if he had not intervened. When Braylon Edwards got into trouble and there were threats to both Edwards and the Browns organization, it was Jim Brown who had his Amer-I-Can teams provide security for Browns players and provide street intelligence to Lew Merletti, Browns chief of security, regarding those threats.

Jim received the 2009 humanitarian of the year award from Our Lady of the Wayside for his commitment and work in this community, yet another one of the roles he was supposed to play while representing the Cleveland Browns. He received the W.O. Walker award from the Call and Post newspaper for his work in Cleveland schools. This is the work that the Browns hoped he would do on their behalf. I know this because I was employed by the team at the time and was told to offer the support of the Cleveland Browns to then-Mayor Jane Campbell. I did this and subsequently the Browns sponsored the Amer-I-Can program in Cleveland Schools with a $1.6 million grant. I would also add that when funding ran out, Jim Brown spent $80,000 of his own money to keep it going.

Jim partnered with U.S. Marshall Pete Elliott and the United Pastors in Mission in the fugitive safe surrender program, which helped to get guns and bad guys off the streets of Cleveland. These are the kinds of things that were discussed when Jim was brought back here to advise the Cleveland Browns, not just in football but in areas of need in this community. Jim was a huge supporter and partner in the Municipal judges "Get on Track Program," giving young people a second chance to get their lives together.

So, Jim Brown didn't just hang out with the owner and talk to a few players. He held a very dignified position and added real value as executive advisor to the owner. His job was to give advice, not run the team. Holmgren employs men in this capacity. Gil Haskell is a senior adviser. Do you know what he does? It's not important to you what he does; it's only important to Mike Holmgren.

Finally, I once made a comment about Randy Lerner and it brought about one of the ugliest confrontations between Jim and me. I knew then that I should never say anything negative about Randy again. That was off limits. He had a fierce father-like protective covering for Randy and one knew never to challenge that. It's called loyalty.

As a member of the Browns family, I know we are all hurting on this, I can tell you that Jim is hurting more than anyone.

Randy, I call on you to step up now, put an end to this. Jim loves you; he is your friend. It is time for us to hear from the owner of the Cleveland Browns!

Sincerely,

Reggie Rucker

Cleveland Browns, 1975-81

Former Cavs guard Delonte West rejoins the Boston Celtics

(Cleveland.com)

Cleveland Browns QB Colt McCoy looking forward to action vs. Bears

Colt McCoy will gain some much-needed game experience against the Bears and the bubble players will get one last chance to impress before final cuts on Saturday.

UPDATED: 6:03 p.m.

BEREA, Ohio -- Thursday night's preseason finale against the Bears is a chance for rookie quarterback Colt McCoy to get some much-needed game experience for down the road, while players on the bubble try to impress coach Eric Mangini before the final cuts on Saturday.

The Browns must trim 22 players to reach the limit of 53 by 6 p.m. Fortunately for McCoy, he doesn't have to sweat out the cuts. Sources have told The Plain Dealer that the Browns have assured him he'll make the final roster and that this year was all about learning from the day he was drafted in the third round of Texas.

But he'll see his most extensive action of the preseason and would like to show some progress. Starter Jake Delhomme and backup Seneca Wallace will sit out, leaving McCoy and Brett Ratliff to play two quarters each. It's Ratliff whose roster spot is uncertain.

"I'm excited to play," said McCoy, the winningest QB in NCAA history. "I'm really looking forward to it. To be able to know you're going to go into a game and play a good bit of time, it's going to be fun. When you're on the field awhile, you can kind of get in synch, get in the flow. At least I hope to."

So far this preseason, McCoy has completed 15 of 26 attempts for 101 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 34.3 rating. He showed improvement Saturday in Detroit, going 10-of-14 for 76 yards, with no TDs or interceptions for a respectable 84.2 rating. But he was strip-sacked once and then made back-to-back poor decisions on the final two plays, failing to throw it out of bounds on the first play to stop the clock with 26 seconds remaining, and then throwing it out of bounds instead of the end zone on the final shot. At other times, he's thrown it into the end zone when he shouldn't.

"Colt has shown growth, I think he was 10-for-14 last game," said Mangini. "I think there were a couple decisions, again, that he needs to improve on, but he improved on the decision-making from the earlier games. We're not where we need to be, but it's been better than what it was. That's going to keep coming with time and experience."

Delhomme, who's spent much time mentoring McCoy, said the rookie has done OK considering his opportunities.

"Let's be honest, Seneca and I have gotten the majority of the snaps," said Delhomme. "He started all through high school and college and it's very difficult for a young guy when you're not getting reps. You're getting mental reps, but it's nothing like game reps and practice."

The good part, Delhomme said, is that McCoy isn't getting discouraged.

"He's still getting here early and staying late," said Delhomme. "He's going to be fine. I'm not saying that just try to soothe things over."

McCoy said he's still having fun, studying all he can and learning from the other quarterbacks.

"Improvement -- that's the mentality I have every day before I go to practice," he said. "I make sure I'm working on something that's going to make me better today than I was yesterday. Obviously I've got really high expectations for myself, so do a lot of people on this team, my coaches and probably outside of here. I'd like to go out there and play the best I can and get something going offensively that we can put on tape and be proud of."

The game also marks the preseason debut of rookie running back Montario Hardesty, whom the Browns had penciled in as a feature back this season. Hardesty (right knee) said he's ready for anything despite practicing only two full days.

"He's a kid we thought very, very highly of in the spring," said Delhomme. "He picked up the offense extremely quickly. He's very intelligent. Obviously playing in the SEC last year, you get battle-tested, especially as a running back. It'll be nice to have him out there. He can really help us."

The Browns have a lot of other tough decisions to make at running back and linebacker. Running back James Davis, who showed so much promise last year, is iffy as is Chris Jennings, who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh last season. Linebackers such as David Bowens and David Veikune are uncertain because of the surplus there.

"David's going to get plenty of opportunities to play this weekend and he's made a lot of strides," said Mangini. "He did pretty well last game. He's played both inside, outside as a rush end, and he made a couple of tackles on special teams. All of those things are positive. He'll get a lot of chances here this weekend and I expect him to do a good job."

Mangini said the game can either help or hurt the bottom-tier players.

"The other thing that comes in to play is that there's going to be quite a few guys available that aren't right now," he said. "They're not only competing on our roster, but [that of others]."

Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot preview Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears

First week of school: football blog with Padua High’s Collin Perchinske

Cavs guard Delonte West rejoins the Boston Celtics

(Cleveland.com)

Byron Scott will still coach Lakers someday

(Ocregister.com)

Face of the Buckeyes: In 10 years at Ohio State, Jim Tressel’s legacy of winning is quickly becoming legend

In less than a decade, Jim Tressel is the face of everything the Buckeyes represent

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jim Tressel had everything he wanted at Ohio State, or nearly everything.

The Buckeyes' coach possessed a national title and job security, a historic stadium filled with 105,000 fans on home fall Saturdays, a steady supply of the best high school football players in Ohio and a headlock on the rivalry with Michigan.

But Tressel didn't have lights. He wanted lights on the Buckeyes' practice field outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, the football palace named for a coaching legend.

Last July, that request took Tressel to the Toledo living room of the Harmon family, Jole and her husband Jim. The coach was accompanied by Athletic Director Gene Smith and a glossy folder of photos and proposals.

But the Harmons didn't need all that. All they needed was Jim Tressel.

"Without Jim Tressel or a man like Jim Tressel at the helm, there would not have been a donation," Jole Harmon said. "We flat out would not have done it. There isn't a maybe about it. ... Jim Tressel is a man of integrity and high morals and all those things we feel are very important.

"We love football and we love Ohio State and we love tradition, but he is developing young men, and we think that is very powerful. ... I almost get chills up my spine when I think about what he does."

Now entering his 10th season at Ohio State, Tressel has his lights, thanks to the Harmons' $5 million gift.

And the university has a coach who, in less than a decade, has gone from an unknown to an icon.

Ohio State football has always meant wins and Woody Hayes stomping the sidelines. That image will never vanish. But now, if you say Ohio State, you think Hayes, and you think that guy on the sidelines in the sweater vest.

Subtly, yet dramatically, Tressel has shaped Ohio State football in his own image. He has done it in a way that goes beyond his 8-1 record against Michigan, his five straight Big Ten titles, his seven BCS bowls or the Buckeyes' 2002 national championship that ended a 34-year title drought.

In 2010, Ohio State football is Jim Tressel football. To lots of casual sports fans around the country, Jim Tressel is Ohio State University.

That's an image the school is happy to embrace.

"He really has managed to synergize the long, proud history of Ohio State, and mainly doing it right, with the Tressel lifestyle and the Tressel value system," said Dr. John Bruno, an OSU psychology professor and the faculty representative to the athletic department. "And he did it without ruffling feathers."

Whether the reality can match the perception he has created among his supporters isn't the point. His detractors may emphasize some big-game losses or grow exasperated with his play calling.

But from Cleveland to Florida to Pasadena, Calif., everyone knows Jim Tressel's style -- conservative, consistent, comprehensive. And they know neither the coach nor the program are changing anytime soon.

"Some people are all hat and no cowboy. Jim Tressel is all cowboy and no hat," said Ohio State President Dr. E. Gordon Gee, praising his highest-paid employee. "Of all the coaches I've worked with, he is not only the best coach, he is also the best person, and that is saying a lot."

Building a legacy

Like Hayes, winning has allowed Tressel to expand his sphere of influence. It is Tressel's integration into the university as a whole that has created his own legacy in just nine years.

Tressel sees himself as a teacher, and he has become a citizen of the university beyond the bounds of a football field -- from drastically improving the academic standing of the football team, to drawing in donors to numerous university projects, to reviving the culture of Hayes -- in his own style -- for so many people,

"When I look at the assets of Ohio State University, I think one of the major assets is the reputation we have from athletics. But it goes beyond winning," said Leslie H. Wexner, founder of Limited Brands, the Columbus-based apparel company that reported more than $9 billion in earnings last year, and chair of The Ohio State University Board of Trustees. "It goes to the Jim Tressel-Woody Hayes idea of how you win, and that fact that the coach is really interested in the community, interested in broader success, interested in the life success of the athletes, and is significantly more than a lion tamer.

"He beats Michigan and he helps the university win in a broader way."

Tressel projects that image beyond campus as well. Consider Cynthia Robiskie, mother of former OSU receiver Brian Robiskie, who was ready to end her son's recruitment as soon as she saw Tressel walking up her driveway in a suit with an American flag pin in his lapel.

"I know every coach in college football on a very friendly basis," said ESPN analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, "and I can tell you he has a very distinct, very unique personality that separates him from any other coach in the country.

"He may not be flashy ... but if I was a parent, and I have four boys, I want to know about the coach, and I want to know about his strengths and his weaknesses, what he's like when it's really stressful, how does he handle his players, and to me he scores off the charts in those areas."

Somehow, in this era, Tressel has managed to turn his lack of sizzle into a focus on his substance. He sells his vision of a program to mothers and fathers, while seemingly unconcerned about whether it's viewed as cool or not. That may cost him some recruits -- but entice others.

"Some of the [coaches], they're car salesmen," OSU senior All-American candidate Cameron Heyward said. "They're trying to sell you on something that's not even real. But my mom got sold on not just football, but coach Tressel tries to connect with you spiritually, with family, academically. There's so much that goes into it."

Once on campus, Tressel "plants seeds" and believes he reaches every one of his players in one way or another. His influence can be gauged, at least in part, by the "whatnot phenomenon." Twenty-year-old athletes don't use the term "whatnot" in conversation unless they're taking something from their coach, who drops it about five times per news conference. Many Buckeyes say it on a regular basis.

"When he talks, his words are powerful and whatnot," former OSU defensive end Thaddeus Gibson said when asked specifically about his "whatnot" usage last season. "Wow. I didn't even know I did it."

"We talk among each other about how Tressel is like a mastermind," senior cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said during preseason camp. "He's like a mastermind for creating ways to help us without us even knowing.

"I think most of the guys, even if they don't know it, they take it in. A lot of guys coming in maybe even want to rebel a little bit and want to say, 'I don't care about that, all I care about is football.'

"But then you hear the senior speeches and you hear guys say things and you'd never think a guy would think like that. In the end, he molds you without you ever even knowing it."

The changes are tangible as well. According to Dr. Bruno, the faculty rep, the football team's GPA has risen in Tressel's tenure from about a 2.5 his first year to around a 3.0. From the 2003-04 season, when the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate was first tabulated, to the 2008-09 season, Ohio State's APR for football has jumped from 892 to 975, out of a 1,000-point scale.

Bruno calls the 83-point increase "remarkable."

In 2001, the Buckeyes had nine players on the Big Ten's All-Academic football team, which ranked seventh in the conference. Since 2002, the Buckeyes have led the league or tied for the league lead each season. The total of 202 All-Academic Big Ten players in nine years under Tressel is 45 more than Minnesota, the team with the second-most players on the list.

And at Ohio State's own scholar-athlete banquet each spring, which honors all athletes with a 3.0 GPA or better, Bruno said the football team's representation has nearly doubled from when Tressel first arrived, with 45 players earning the honor last spring.

"We used to have about 20 to 24, and of those, not a lot of them would attend the banquet," Bruno said. "Football was not very well-represented. Now, if you're in town for the banquet, you're there. And it's considered a point of pride for the football players."

'They listen to him'

It's not only academic. Studies show that athletics typically don't influence donations to a university as a whole, but Peter Weiler, Ohio State's vice president for development, said he has seen repeatedly what Tressel does to affect fundraising for the university overall. Stories like the Harmons' aren't unusual. The connection is often an emotional one.

"There's a big difference between a winning football program, and a winning football program that has a coach like Jim Tressel. And that does make difference," Weiler said. "People are attracted to him, they listen to him, he guides their thinking. People do give to people -- if they trust and like them and believe in what they do."

The athletic department keeps track of the community service hours each team logs, and over the past two years, the football team, obviously with a larger roster than other sports, has logged 1,442 hours of service, second only to the men's track and field team's 1,633 hours. Men's lacrosse was the only other sport with more than 1,000 hours.

"We'll see the impact of Jim Tressel 20 years from now through his football players," said Pat Chun, OSU's associate athletic director for external relations, "because he ingrained into them the wonderful things you get from giving."

The totality of The Tressel Way is why he's at Ohio State in the first place. The 15-year Youngstown State head coach was chosen to replace John Cooper in 2001 for more than his winning record and four national championships in a lower football division.

Wexner, then between stints on the OSU board of trustees, found the choice "curious," as many other fans did at the time.

David Brown, then an OSU associate athletic director who is now a regional vice president for IMG College, the company that handles Ohio State's multimedia rights, was among them.

"My first impression was, 'Couldn't we have gotten a bigger name? This is Ohio State.'" Brown said. "But after the first press conference it changed for me. I thought, 'This guy gets it.'"

That's what then-President Brit Kirwan and Athletic Director Andy Geiger saw when making the hire, said Akron's David Brennan, vice president of the board of trustees at the time. Off the field mattered as much as on it.

"I think it was the deciding factor," Brennan said. "We were very conscious of the academic stress, or lack thereof, previous to Jim. He was definitely a mark above anybody else we were looking at. And he has proven to be exactly that."

Charting a course

To be more than a football coach at Ohio State is to conjure memories of Hayes, though Tressel is the first to quash them.

"I'm not going to be there 28 years," Tressel said, "so you can't get to that level until you've paid your dues that long."

What Tressel can do is remind fans and former players of what Ohio State football was at its best. Wexner isn't alone when he says Hayes and Tressel are "cut from the same cloth."

"Look at the loyalty, the tradition, the love of the game for the true sportsmanship of it, and Woody and Jim would be almost parallel until you get to Woody's personality," said OSU legend Rex Kern, Hayes' greatest quarterback and Tressel's favorite player growing up. "Jim doesn't have that explosiveness. I know he's got it inside, but it doesn't play out the way Woody's played out.

"He's charting his own course, and history will bear that out. But I couldn't be more proud of the program and what it stands for."

So for those who want wins, Tressel has delivered. Ohio State's 94-21 record in Tressel's nine years is the second-best record for a single coach still at his school, trailing only the 101-16 mark of Texas' Mack Brown.

If the Buckeyes start the season 6-0, Tressel will reach 100 wins as a Buckeye in 121 games. Hayes reached 100 wins in 144 games, Cooper in 138.

The ride hasn't always been smooth.

Consecutive national title game losses in the 2006 and 2007 seasons are still fresh wounds in some ways. The Buckeyes have lost six straight games to teams ranked in the top five, and losses often bring calls for Tressel to hire an offensive coordinator. The 2003 accusations of impropriety leveled against the program by former star running back Maurice Clarett may never fully fade. An NCAA investigation found a $500 booster gift to quarterback Troy Smith, but no major violations.

Some criticized Tressel for not standing up more for the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry during the uncertainty of Big Ten expansion.

But Tressel isn't a rabble-rouser. In that way he isn't Woody. Ready to begin his 10th season, Tressel in many ways still sees himself as the temporary captain of the ship, along for the ride as much as steering it.

"Ohio State still has some history we don't have our fingerprints on, and it has a lot of future that we don't," Tressel said. "But right now we are the caretakers and we're trying to take care of it the best we can.

"I remember saying to my wife when we got here, 'This is going to be a lot of work, but don't worry because it would be a miracle if we'd be here 10 years.' So it's not going to be forever, but here we are 10 years, and I guess it's a miracle."

As the 22nd coach of a program playing its 121st season, Tressel can try to claim himself as a cog in the assembly line of Buckeye tradition, even if others see him as more.

He knows just where this program stands. When he referenced the Buckeyes' No. 1 ranking in the past 100 years of college football, with a .735 winning percentage that leads Notre Dame's .733, did the numbers even need to be double-checked?

"Go look back at the last 100 seasons of college football," Tressel implored. "The team with the highest winning percentage is Ohio State. I would say we're caretakers."

For nearly a decade, Tressel has taken that care in his own way -- a way that won't soon be forgotten.

Indians’ bullpen victimized again as White Sox complete sweep, 6-4

Carlos Carrasco pitches superbly in his season's debut, but bullpen can't hold lead as Indians lose to White Sox, 6-4.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This time, Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco made the Sept. 1 season's debut work for him. The payoff should have been his first major-league victory.

Instead, reliever Justin Germano gas-canned it.

Paul Konerko hit a two-out, three-run homer in the eighth inning as the White Sox defeated the Indians, 6-4 [Box score], Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field.

The White Sox (73-60) swept the three-game series, using late homers in each. Monday night, Brent Lillibridge's homer off Rafael Perez sparked a four-run 11th inning in a 10-6 victory. Tuesday night, A.J. Pierzynski's three-run shot off Frank Herrmann in the ninth delivered a 4-3 conquest.

The Indians have lost four in a row. They slipped to 8-7 against the White Sox.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and runners on first and second, Shin-Soo Choo struck out swinging against Chris Sale. Sale, a rookie lefty, earned his first major-league save. 

Carrasco, poised and confident from the outset, carried a 4-1 lead into the eighth. Alexei Ramirez hit a one-out homer, jerking a 1-0 fastball over the wall in left. After Carrasco walked Juan Pierre on four pitches, Tribe manager Manny Acta signaled for lefty Rafael Perez.

Carrasco received a loud ovation as he walked to the dugout.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen pinch-hit Carlos Quentin for Omar Vizquel. Quentin flied to right. Acta then hooked Perez for righty Germano. Pierre gambled with a steal of second on a 3-0 pitch to Rios. Rios walked on five pitches.

Konerko launched Germano's 1-1 breaking pitch onto the home-run porch. It was Konerko's 33rd homer of the season, five coming against Cleveland.

The White Sox tacked on one in the ninth against Jensen Lewis.

Carrasco, Lewis and Jordan Brown were promoted from Class AAA Columbus earlier in the day. Rosters can expand to 40 beginning Sept. 1.

Carrasco gave up three runs on six hits in 7 1 /3 innings. He walked one and struck out four. He threw 65 of 101 pitches for strikes.

On Sept. 1, 2009, Carrasco made his major-league debut in Detroit. It did not go well. He gave up nine hits -- including three homers -- and six runs in an 8-5 loss to the Tigers. Carrasco was burned on largely straight fastballs as he tried to throw hard, harder and hardest. His off-speed stuff was ineffective.

Carrasco finished the month with an 0-4 record and 8.87 ERA in five starts.

A different pitcher took the mound Wednesday. Carrasco was in control throughout, commanding a mid-90s four-seamer, low-90s two-seamer, hard slider and curve.

Rios's homer gave Chicago a 1-0 lead. The Indians tied it in the third. Jason Donald drew a leadoff walked and stole second. Chris Gimenez failed to advance him by grounding to short. Donald moved to third on Michael Brantley's grounder and scored on Asdrubal Cabrera's single to right.

The Indians took a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Jayson Nix squibbed a one-out single past the mound toward second. With Brown batting, Nix took off for second. Catcher Ramon Castro's throw was in time to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who applied the tag, but Nix's back leg knocked the ball out of the glove. Ramirez was charged with an error.

Brown rolled a single through the right side, Nix scoring easily thanks in part to a terrible throw by right fielder Andruw Jones.

The Indians scored twice in the fifth off White Sox reliever Tony Pena. Starter Freddy Garcia had exited after four innings because of a stiff lower back. One of the runs scored on Asdrubal Cabrera's double-play grounder. A Nix infield single/White Sox throwing error made it 4-1.

Oh, by the way: Manny Ramirez made his White Sox debut. It was highly uneventful. He went 1-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. He started at DH and batted fifth.

 

Steady final round earns Rob Moss Northern Ohio PGA pro tourney crown

Pepper Pike's Rob Moss won the Northern Ohio PGA section championship for the first time in his career.

WESTLAKE, Ohio -- When Rob Moss stepped onto the first tee at Lakewood Country Club for the final round of the Northern Ohio PGA's Professional Championship on Wednesday, he had no idea of what he would have to shoot in order to catch second-round leader Gary Trivisonno.

He just knew he had to be aggressive.

"With the way Gary was playing, I think we all felt the need to be aggressive because we had to be," said Pepper Pike Club pro Moss, who trailed Trivisonno by four shots heading into the final round. "Really, I just wanted to go out and shoot the lowest score I possibly could."

Moss, a three-time Ohio Open champion, dialed in the right amount of aggressiveness to win the section championship for the first time in his career with a final-round 1-under 70 for a 54-hole total of 4-under 209 under perfect conditions.

The one-stroke victory was worth $2,700 and assured Moss a spot in the 2011 PGA Professional National Championship next June at the Hershey (Pa.) Country Club. Playing in that event could lead to an appearance in the PGA Championship, which Moss played this year at Whistling Straits. The other top seven finishers at Lakewood will join Moss.

Trivisonno, seeking to become the first NOPGA player to win the Senior Pro Championship and the Pro Championship in the same season, shot a final-round 75 and was one of four players tied for second, one shot behind Moss.

That group included Mill Creek Park's Denny Miller, whose run at the title was derailed by a second-round 75, but who finished in a flurry with the day's best score of 66 and joined Trivisonno, Mitch Flemming (GolfTec) and Jaysen Hansen of the Inverness Club in Toledo at 210.

Moss, who said his game has improved dramatically since early May, got his round off to a great start with an eagle on the 379-yard, par-4 second hole. He canned his second shot from the right rough at 98 yards and later added a birdie on the 590-yard ninth when a gap wedge from 90 yards stopped six feet from the hole.

That made up for a double-bogey six in the 406-yard seventh. After that it was nine straight pars, which enabled him to emerge from a pack of eight players who were within one shot of the lead.

Bullpen gives up late lead in Tribe loss

Justin Germano allowed a go-ahead three-run home run to Paul Konerko in the eighth inning Wednesday, spoiling a fine 2010 debut from Carlos Carrasco as the Tribe dropped a 6-4 decision at Progressive Field.

Five prospects selected for AFL

Five Indians prospects will play for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League this season, with two more Tribe farmhands yet to be selected.

Mo Williams is the Man in Cleveland

(Dime Magazine)

Samuels to prove point with Cleveland Cavaliers

(Jamaica Observer)

Carrasco among three Tribe call-ups

The Indians took immediate advantage of the expanded September rosters by promoting Carlos Carrasco, Jensen Lewis and Jordan Brown from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

Justin Masterson strengthens bid as 2011 starter, but White Sox outlast Indians, 4-3

If Justin Masterson keeps pitching like he did Tuesday night, he could keep his spot in the Indians' rotation for 2011.

UPDATED: 11:21 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Last week, Justin Masterson said he felt as if he'd done enough to be considered a starter for next season. Tuesday night he pitched like it.

There is much debate about Masterson. Is he a starter or reliever? Boston reportedly tried to reacquire him just before the July 31 trade deadline to make him a set-up man again.

Tuesday night he was all starter. Hard-luck starter, true, as A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning off Frank Herrmann to give the White Sox a 4-3 victory over the Indians.

While Masterson was in the game, however, he was large and in charge. He and Chicago right-hander Edwin Jackson were a sight to behold.

Masterson took a 1-0 lead into the eighth inning. He walked Mark Kotsay to start the inning. Brent Lillbridge pinch ran and went to second on Alexei Ramirez's sacrifice bunt. Mark Teahen singled to center to make it 1-1. When Masterson walked Juan Pierre, he was done.

Jackson (3-0, 4.37) kept pitching. He struck out 11 and was one strike away from his second complete game of the season when the Indians staged a rally that almost matched Pierzynski's tie-breaking blast. Jason Donald hit a two-run single to make it 4-3 and end Jackson's night. Closer Bobby Jenks relieved and pinch-hitter Matt LaPorta singled.

The rally ended when Michael Brantley bounced back to Jenks for the final out and Jenks' 25th save. Jackson allowed three runs on seven hits. He walked one and threw 129 pitches. It's the second-most pitches he's thrown this season. He threw 149 on June 25 when he no-hit Tampa Bay while pitching for Arizona.

"I'm extremely proud of these guys," said manager Manny Acta. "We're facing a team that was in first place and is battling for the division. We've got six kids playing for the first time in the big leagues and we just continue to put up a fight."

The fight reached the final round in the ninth. Joe Smith (1-2) started the inning by walking Alex Rios. He struck out Paul Konerko, but walked Carlos Quentin. With Pierzynski waiting at the plate, and Manny Ramirez on deck to pinch hit, Acta didn't have a lefty to counter Pierzynski.

He had used Tony Sipp earlier in the game. Rafael Perez was unavailable after throwing 27 pitches in the 11th inning Monday and 41 pitches Saturday.

In came the right-handed Herrmann. Lefties are hitting .329 (24-for-73) against him and Pierzynski showed why. He hit Herrmann's 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall for a 4-1 lead. It was the fourth homer Herrmann has allowed to a left-hander this season.

"I was ahead 0-1 and tried to throw a slider in the dirt," said Herrmann. "I left it up and he made me pay."

Masterson allowed one run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked two in 102 pitches.

"It was an outstanding effort by Masterson," said Acta. "Especially with the state our bullpen is in. He really went deep and saved us."

This was one of those nights where Masterson showed that the Indians' commitment to start him this season was not in vain. He's allowed three runs in 13 2/3 innings over his last two starts. This is how he pitched against Boston on June 9 and Aug. 4. He did the same thing against the Yankees on May 30 in the Bronx and against Toronto on July 1.

"Nights like tonight keep a lot of people thinking he could be a pretty good starter," said Acta. "He hasn't had the great year, but he's had a few games like this."

Masterson is 5-12 with a 5.04 ERA.

"Going into next year, I think I'm a starter," said Masterson. "We've put together some good ones. We've shown when we repeat ourselves we can throw strikes and keep us in the ballgame."

Shelley Duncan's leadoff homer in the seventh gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead.

"The way Justin was throwing I was hoping that would be enough," said Duncan. "But Jackson was filthy. He was throwing 98 mph fastball with a filthy slider."

The Indians have walked more batters than any team in the AL. Masterson's leadoff walk in the eighth and Smith's two walks in the ninth showed how painful they can be.

"We doomed ourselves with the walks," said Acta.

The Indians ended August with a 10-18 record. They have lost 16 of their last 22 games.