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Jim McDowell, agent for Casey Blake, says the Indians have not been as persistent in their pursuit of the free agent third baseman as have the Twins and Dodgers.

The Indians, however, say Blake is still an option to fill their vacancy at third base.

"We've made progress with both the Dodgers and Twins," McDowell told FOXSports.com. "They've been more persistent and more involved.

"I've had pretty regular conversations with the Indians, but I wouldn't say they've been as persistent as the Twins and Dodgers."

Chris Antonetti, the Indians' vice president of baseball operations, has been negotiating with McDowell. Antonetti wouldn't comment, but it's believed the stumbling block has been McDowell's request for a three-year deal. The Indians would prefer a shorter contract.

McDowell indicated that the Twins and Dodgers could be leaning toward three-year offers for Blake.

Continue reading "Twins, Dodgers moving to lead positions in chase for ex-Indian Casey Blake" »

Ben Wallace is now a free agent, at least when it comes to shoes.

Last year when he was a member of the Chicago Bulls, Wallace launched a partnership for a signature shoe and clothing line with Steve & Barry's. Like Stephon Marbury, Wallace joined up with the discount sporting goods retailer to offer low-priced shoes and apparel. One of 11 children, Wallace grew up in a family where money was tight and was pleased he could be part of an effort to offer low-cost shoes.

Like with Marbury, though, the good intentions did not work out.

"Things didn't happen the way they said they would," Wallace said. "They didn't produce all the pieces they said they would."

Last week, Steve & Barry's announced it was liquidating its 173 remaining stores nationwide five months after it initially declared bankruptcy. Wallace became frustrated with the company earlier this year but has continued to wear his signature shoes, called the Big Ben, which had retailed for $14.98.

Continue reading "Cavaliers Insider: Wallace rejects shoe deal with troubled company" »

They come from off the beaten tracks. None reside on the roads to Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA or Ohio State.

One has to travel to Davidson, St. Mary's, Virginia Commonwealth, Gonzaga and even Kent State to find some of the best college basketball guards in the nation this season.

Davidson's Stephen Curry; St. Mary's Patty Mills, VCU's Eric Maynor, Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo and Kent's Al Fisher are all "off-track" guards who have led their teams to the NCAA Tournament and are connected by at least one thing: big-play ability.

Thursday night in Kent, NBA scouts will be at the M.A.C. Center to watch Mills and Fisher in a rare head-to-head guard battle early in the season.

Continue reading "They're well guarded: KSU's Fisher, St. Mary's Mills among nation's best in backcourt" »

UPDATED: 6:10 p.m.

BEREA -- Acknowledging he's under fire, Browns General Manager Phil Savage said Wednesday he's operating "business as usual" until he and the coaching staff come under review by owner Randy Lerner after the season.

"I feel like, 'hey, I've got four years left on a contract.' I'd love to be able to finish that out," Savage said. "[Lerner] said last week everything's under review. I'm an open book. I can walk with my head held high.

"I think we've done a lot of positive things here. The football operations part is stronger than it's ever been. Training room, video, equipment, scouting staff, we've got a system in place. There's a lot of things in place now that weren't when I got here.

"Is the job finished? No. I would be disappointed if I were not able to finish it out. So I'd like to do that. Only time will tell."

The Browns are 24-36 in their fourth year under the management team of Savage and coach Romeo Crennel. They will play their final four games with third-string quarterback Ken Dorsey in place of injured Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.

The Browns were 25-40 with one playoff appearance the previous four years under the Butch Davis regime.

Continue reading "Browns GM Savage feeling the heat, but defends his work rebuilding the franchise" »

Plain Dealer reporters Mary Kay Cabot and Tony Grossi preview Sunday's Browns game against the Titans.

There is an interesting story in The Columbus Dispatch that claims Columbus is truly the center of the state and a championship city.

Cincinnati and Cleveland can bow down.

It claims since Ohio State won the national college football championship in 2002, and since the Crew won the (kick ball) MLS Cup, that Columbus now wears the crown when it comes to championships in this state.

Continue reading "Columbus claims No. 1 when it comes to championships" »

Whose side are you on?

Since the Cavaliers host the New York Knicks (and the media throng from New York) tonight, it seems fitting to discuss the Charles Barkley/LeBron James recent feud.

Last week, Barkley said that James disrespected his team buy getting involved in the talk of "James to New York in 2010," when he becomes a free agent. James responded by calling Barkley stupid.

Continue reading "LeBron James and Charles Barkley feud" »

Let's just assume that the Browns will not win another game this season. And if that holds true, the Browns will finish 4-12 and more than likely, with the seventh-worst record in the NFL.

So that would mean the Browns could get the seventh selection in the NFL Draft. So with the seventh pick, here are three players that could be available. The Browns have several needs to fill, either at cornerback, running back or wide receiver.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Whom should they draft?" »

Browns

With nothing to lose, the Browns should become creative.

Browns quarterback Ken Dorsey is in an all too familiar role.

Dorsey can't do much worse.

Here are five things the Titans know about the Browns.

Take a look at this anti-Browns game.

Continue reading "Quick hits: Ohio sports news roundup" »

Got an Ohio State question? Send it in. Submit your question to cleveland.com/heydoug, and Plain Dealer Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesmerises will choose some to answer here in the sports section. All of Doug's answers are archived online.

Q: Hey, Doug: Who was redshirted for the Buckeyes this season? - Chris Bien, North Kingsville, Ohio

A: Hey, Chris: Unlike last season, when it happened to Ross Homan, Lawrence Wilson and Curtis Terry, there were no obvious redshirts among older players forced out by injury. In Ohio State's 19-player freshman class, 10 played: quarterback Terrelle Pryor, offensive linemen Mike Brewster, Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts, receivers DeVier Posey and Lamaar Thomas, linebackers Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat, defensive lineman Keith Wells and defensive end Nathan Williams.

Continue reading "Hey, Doug! Your Ohio State questions answered" »

Tom Glasenapp, the Browns' public address announcer from the Kardiac Kids through the Kosar era, couldn't help himself.

Rookie linebacker Tom Cousineau was a former student in Glasenapp's English class at St. Edward High School. The announcer's favoritism washed over old Municipal Stadium a bit too loud and clear with each "tackle by Cooos-i-noooo!" when the hotline rang.

It was loge 8, the owner's box, and former Browns public relations director Nate Wallack said, "You're not his personal cheerleader. Calm it down."

"Maybe I was going a little nuts," chuckled Glasenapp, who worked as the stadium announcer from 1979 until he read that sad farewell message at the final home game before the team moved in 1995. "So I calmed it down."

To 73,000 fans inside Browns Stadium, that faceless voice booming from the P.A. booth is football's mystery man behind the curtain -- calling out the action, reading promotions and otherwise informing the home crowd.

Continue reading "Manning the microphone at Browns Stadium a big voice, small profile post" »

Cleveland State dished out a lesson in frustration on Tuesday night at the Wolstein Center.

Just ask Valparaiso coach Homer Drew after the Vikings flustered his Crusaders at every turn to win the Horizon League opener in stifling fashion, 66-42. When CSU wasn't solving the visitors' zone defense by going to senior forward J'Nathan Bullock for 29 points, the Vikings were forcing 22 turnovers that turned into 31 even easier points.

You would have to nitpick to find much wrong with this CSU effort.

"I felt our guys were focused, especially on the defensive end," said CSU coach Gary Waters, whose 5-2 club won its fourth straight. "In the first half we held them to 20 percent [shooting] and that tells you these guys were ready to play defense."

With Bullock connecting along the baseline on a variety of jumpers for 16 points, the Vikings built a 31-14 advantage after 20 minutes. The Crusaders (2-4), who dropped their fourth straight, missed from near and far as they went 5-for-25 from the field, 1-for-9 on 3-pointers.

Continue reading "Defensive domination powers Vikings to romp in Horizon opener, 66-42" »

If the Indians sign a Type A free agent this winter, they will not lose their No.1 draft pick as compensation. They can thank their otherwise disappointing 81-81 finish last season for that.

The teams with the 15 worst records from last season are guaranteed to keep their No.1 pick in the June draft regardless of what free agents they sign. The Indians just made the cutoff in the 15th spot. The Nationals will have two picks in the first 15 because they didn't sign their No.1 pick from last season.

If the Indians did sign a Type A player, they'd lose their No.2 pick. The team that lost the player would also receive a compensation pick between the first and second round.

The compensation picture came into focus Monday when teams had to offer their free agents salary arbitration. It was an eye-opening experience for the Indians, who will head to the winter meetings Sunday in Las Vegas needing a closer and an infielder.

Type A closers Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes were offered arbitration by their old clubs, the Angels and Rockies. Rodriguez and Fuentes have until Sunday to accept the offer. If they do, they're bound to their old teams for at least one year.

Continue reading "Disappointment of 2008 providing a discount for Tribe's free-agent browsing" »

CLEVELAND -- What constitutes a home-court advantage?

For coach Mike Brown, it was the clanging cowbells in Sacramento.

For forward Ben Wallace, it was the aura of intimidation in Madison Square Garden.

For veteran Lorenzen Wright, it was the guy holding up signs behind the bench in Philadelphia.

A home-court advantage is whatever distracts an opponent and makes it tough for a visiting team to win.

In Cleveland, there are no cowbells or signs, but a sense of intimidation may be growing. When the Cavaliers host the New York Knicks Wednesday night, they have a chance to run their record at The Q to 10-0, which would be the best start in franchise history. (The 1976-77 and 1991-92 teams started 9-0.)

Continue reading "For the Cavaliers, The Q earning an A for the passion from hometown fans" »

Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has chosen to have his right index finger repaired in Birmingham, Ala., by hand surgeon Dr. Thomas Hunt.

Quinn's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning and he will probably stay through Thursday for a follow-up exam.

The surgery, said a source, would repair a bone chip that detached from the tip of Quinn's right index finger and also implant a tiny pin to the extensor tendon on the finger.

Some doctors said Quinn could have just immobilized the finger in a splint for at least six weeks, but he chose surgery to assure the injury heals correctly. Without surgery, there was a chance the fingertip could heal crookedly and Quinn could be beset by arthritis in the last finger joint.

In a statement, the Browns said Quinn should make a full recovery in six to 10 weeks. He will wear a splint and undergo some physical therapy after the tendon heals.

Continue reading "Quinn prepares for Wednesday finger surgery; Browns add ex-Buc QB Gradkowski" »

Much can be learned from a man's dreams. The sun around which the Cavaliers orbit, LeBron James, wanted to be like Mike, and so wears Michael Jordan's No. 23.

The previous generation wanted to hover like Dr. J.

After a turnover, point guards in the generation before that had to answer the taunting question, "Who do you think you are? Cousy?"

Ben Wallace, "Big Ben," patrolman of the paint, doom-toller for the unwary, wanted to be ... who?

"As a kid, I wanted to be L.T.," he said.

That would be of the NFL's L.T.

The connection is evident. Lawrence Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Famer at outside linebacker, brought such mayhem to offensive schemes that it became foolish to try to block him on blitzes with a running back. Teams actually stationed an extra tackle in the backfield, and L.T. still came screaming in like something with a smokestack, iron wheels and fire box.

Continue reading "Season on the rebound: Cavaliers' Ben Wallace regains his irresistable force on the boards" »

So we know that coach Romeo Crennel and quarterback Derek Anderson are the poster children when it comes to all what is wrong with the Browns.

Crennel certainly has had his issues and Anderson (please no booing) did not exactly help his cause when given several opportunities.

Continue reading "Who should take the blame for the Browns woes?" »