OHIO SPORTS

Breaking News, Scores, Results and Updates on Ohio Sports Teams

The only problem is Albert Belle is suing for copyright infringement.

Shaquille O'Neal, a vision in pink if that's possible, says a friend suggested a new nickname to correspond to his latest place of employment: The Big Freeze.

Not only is that nickname a little too borrowed in this town -- "Mr. Freeze" fit Albert Belle well both for the time he took a bat to the clubhouse thermostat and also for his arctic personality. But it could backfire if O'Neal occupies the lane like an iceberg and LeBron James keeps running into him.

Continue reading "Shaq's 'Big Freeze' moniker is already taken" »

A confession: I used to cover a fair amount of tennis.

It was a short train ride from Philadelphia, where I worked long ago, to New York for the U.S. Open. It made for a nice week leading up to the opening of the 76ers training camp. I would write about the Open from the round of 16 through the finals.

This was at the very end of the Forest Hills venue, when it was quirkily coverted to a clay surface, and at the beginning of the raucous madhouse that is the facility near the Mets' stadium. It was the tennis boom years. World Team Tennis had started. Many of the Sixers played the game recreationally, and Julius Erving had his own celebrity tournament in Las Vegas. Dr. J covered the net like a tarp covers the baseball infield.

Continue reading "Tennis' boom years burned out" »

CLEVELAND -- The Indians officially added right-handed reliever Winston Abreu to the major-league roster today. Veteran reliever Matt Herges was designated for assignment.

Abreu, 32, was acquired Thursday from Tampa Bay for minor-league pitcher John Meloan and cash. He has spent the majority of the season at Class AAA Durham.

After the Indians' 15-3 victory over Oakland on Friday, Herges said he had been designated. He went 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 21 appearances since joining the Indians in early May.

(AP) -- The Cleveland Indians might not be playing with much confidence these days. Facing the Oakland Athletics could change that - at least for a short time.

Coming off one of their most productive offensive games of the season, the Indians look for a sixth straight victory over the visiting A's on Saturday night.

Shin-Soo Choo had four hits, including two homers, and drove in seven as Cleveland (32-49) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 15-3 win in Friday's opener. It was the most runs scored by the Indians since a 22-4 victory at Yankee Stadium on April 18, and just their fourth triumph in 18 games since last winning two in a row on June 11-12.

Continue reading "Indians continue series with A's tonight" »

WIMBLEDON, England -- Serena Williams fell to her knees on the grass, eyes closed, arms raised, and threw back her head. After six years, it was her turn to hold up the Venus Rosewater Dish again. In the fourth all-Williams final at Wimbledon, Serena beat her sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Saturday for her third title and 11th Grand Slam championship. "It feels so amazing," Serena said. "I'm so blessed. I feel like I shouldn't be holding the trophy. I can't believe I'm holding it. It's named for Venus and she always wins. It hasn't settled in that I won yet." Continue reading "Serena Williams defeats sister Venus at Wimbledon" »

TV: 9 a.m. WKYC Channel 3

Wimbledon, England - By the time Venus and Serena Williams prepared for another Wimbledon final, they'd grown weary of people asking them how they prepared for another Wimbledon final.
"Please," Venus said. "Humor us with something a little more creative."
Through two weeks of the Williamses as their meeting seemed to loom imminently over the proceedings - until Elena Dementieva gamely threw in doubt and a match point that Serena weathered in the semifinal - inquirers remained curious about their singular situation as two women's singles finalists who also happen to adore each another and cohabit here.
Sibling rivalry doesn't really come into play when it comes to choosing the better room.
"I always defer. She picks first," said Venus, noting that back home in Florida their rooms are the same size.
"It makes me happy. You know, I want her to pick."

Continue reading "Venus and Serena Williams square off - again - in Wimbledon final" »

Shin-Soo Choo, one of the few not to blame for the mess in which the Indians find themselves, brought a little something extra to the batter's box Friday night.

Choo went 4-for-5 with two homers and a career-high seven RBI as the Tribe overwhelmed the Athletics, 15-3, in a clash of the non-titans at Progressive Field.

The Indians had not scored 15-plus runs since defeating the Yankees, 22-4, in the Bronx on April 18.

Another last-place club proved to be what the Indians needed to pump oxygen into their lungs. The Tribe (32-49) resides in the AL Central basement. Oakland (33-45) occupies the cellar in the West.

The Indians snapped a five-game skid, during which they scored 13 runs. They led, 13-3, through five innings Friday.

Continue reading "Choo provides the fireworks as Tribe celebrates with win" »

Updated at 11:42 p.m.

CLEVELAND -- For reasons both obvious and nebulous, Cleveland never has been a magnet for NBA free agents, and the Cavaliers have been reminded of it the first week of free agency.

In exploring the reasons why top free-agent choices Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza went elsewhere, it became clear that -- even this year, with LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal on the roster -- the Cavs often have an uphill battle recruiting free agents.

That was a lesson learned back in 2005 when the Cavs had the most salary-cap space, still an NBA-record $28 million, and had to move down their preferred list and then guaranteed either extra money or extra years to land players. Then there's the weather during the season and the Ohio state income tax, which can mean the difference of hundreds of thousands over the course of a contract.

Continue reading "Even with LeBron and Shaq, Cavaliers still having trouble getting NBA free agents to come to Cleveland" »

Among the Indians' myriad of problems this season is the inability to control the running game.

Entering Friday, Tribe catchers Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach had combined to throw out just 12 of 78 runners attempting to steal -- a "success" rate of 15.4 percent. The team total, which includes caught-stealings credited to pitchers, was 13-of-79.

Martinez, with 39 starts at catcher, went 4-for-37 through Thursday. Shoppach, with 41 starts at catcher, was 8-for-41.

"Our pitching staff can do a better job, and Vic and Shoppy can do better, too," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "Usually, it's a group effort."

Continue reading "Catchers' success rate takes a dip" »

CLEVELAND -- After tonight's game, the Indians were expected to announce the addition of right-handed reliever Winston Abreu to the major-league roster.
Manager Eric Wedge did not comment on who was coming or going, but in the clubhouse, reliever Matt Herges was shaking hands.
"I got designated (for assignment),'' Herges said. "I'm not here anymore. I don't really know what my options are at this point. I'm not sure if the Indians would even want me down there (the minors).''
Herges, one of the game's nicest people, went 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 21 appearances.
"I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this place,'' he said. "I will never not say quality things about this organization. This is baseball. This is the business of baseball. I get it.''
The Tribe acquired Abreu, 32, from Tampa Bay on Thursday. They sent the Rays right-hander John Meloan from Class AAA Columbus and cash.

CLEVELAND -- Shin-Soo Choo, one of the few not to blame for the mess in which the Indians find themselves, brought a little something extra to the batter's box tonight. Choo went 4-for-5 with two homers and a career-high seven RBI as the Tribe overwhelmed the Athletics, 15-3, in a clash of the non-titans at Progressive Field. The Indians had not scored 15-plus since defeating the Yankees, 22-4, in the Bronx on April 18. Another last-place club proved to be what the Indians needed to pump oxygen into the lungs. The Tribe (32-49) resides in the A.L. Central basement. Oakland (33-44) occupies the cellar in the West. The home team had its moments, but the visitors did a much better job of showing what is required to be bad. The Indians snapped a five-game skid, during which they scored 13. They led, 13-3, through five innings Friday. Every Indian in the starting lineup notched at least one hit except for catcher Victor Martinez, who went 0-for-5. Martinez is in a 4-for-42 slide, dropping his average to .308. Choo's night began with a harmless grounder to second leading off the second. He had an RBI single in the third, a two-run double in the fourth and three-run homer in the fifth. Choo ruined his chance at the cycle by sending Michael Wuertz's pitch over the wall in right leading off the seventh. It accounted for the final margin. As the crowd let loose with "Chooooooooooooooo!'' the right fielder popped out of the dugout and waved his helmet. The seven RBI are the most by an Indian since Grady Sizemore's seven on Aug. 21, 2008, against Kansas City. Casey Blake drove in that many for Cleveland earlier last year. Choo also stole his 13th base in 13 attempts. Choo and Toronto's Vernon Wells (12-for-12) are the only major leaguers with 10-plus steals who have not been caught. Choo, who scored a career-high four, is batting .301 with 12 homers and 53 RBI in 79 games. Other Indians with banner nights at the plate included Asdrubal Cabrera, Grady Sizemore and Ben Francisco. Cabrera was 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Sizemore reached base five times, going 2-for-2 with three walks. Sizemore scored three. Francisco went 3-for-4 with a walk.

CLEVELAND -- The Indians led the Athletics, 14-3, through six innings tonight at Progressive Field.

Runs aplenty: The Tribe scored four in the fourth, five in the fifth and one in the sixth to build the 11-run advantage.

Cab fare: Asdrubal Cabrera had an RBI double, Shin-Soo Choo a two-run double and Jhonny Peralta an RBI single in the fourth.

Piling on: Cabrera's two-run double in the fifth made it 10-3. Later in the inning, Choo hit a three-run homer off former Indian Craig Breslow.

Huff and stuff: Indians left-hander David Huff gave up the three runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Extra-base magic: The Indians had five doubles and two homers as part of their 13 hits.

For LeBron James, the journey to repeat as the NBA's Most Valuable Player begins Monday morning.

That's when the Cavs star will meet assistant coach Chris Jent at the team's practice facility in Independence.

"LeBron is driven to win a championship," said Jent. "Most people have no idea how hard he works. He wanted to start last week, but I told him to rest his body. Let's start after July 4th."

James will begin his day by meeting assistant trainer Mike Mancias. Sometimes, they lift weights. Sometimes, it's yoga. It always involves some stretching.

Continue reading "James' offseason: Stretch, lift, shoot" »

One of the advantages of playing soccer in the AC Milan Continental Cup is to compete against youths from out of state and out of the country.

Only 30 of the 134 teams are from Northeast Ohio. So guess what was perhaps the most competitive game Friday? A U-16 boys game between two area premier clubs - the Internationals and the Cleveland Futbol Club - who can play each other virtually anytime. It was a rare local team versus local team clash.

But that's exactly why this game was more visibly competitive than other games played at Lost Nation Park in Willoughby. It was a game neither team wanted to lose, although the Internationals did emerge with a 1-0 victory on Ian Stalkers's second half goal on a breakaway.

Continue reading "Continental Cup soccer features Northeast Ohio squads" »

CLEVELAND -- The Indians led the Athletics, 4-2, through three innings tonight at Progressive Field.

Oakland generosity: The Indians scored three runs on one hit in the third to take a 4-2 lead.
Ben Francisco led off with a grounder to third baseman Bobby Crosby, who threw wildly to first. With one out, Grady Sizemore walked. With two outs, Shin-Soo Choo singled to drive in Francisco. After Travis Hafner walked, Jhonny Peralta hit a slow roller to third. Crosby's throw pulled first baseman Nomar Garciaparra off the bag and Garciaparra lost the handle when Peralta banged into him. Crosby was charged with the error that allowed Sizemore and Choo to score. All three runs were unearned.

Quick hit: Oakland second baseman Adam Kennedy led off the game with a double and scored on a one-out grounder to short by Matt Holliday. Asdrubal Cabrera made a fine play to throw out Holliday.

Doubling up: Consecutive doubles by Kurt Suzuki and Garciaparra to open the second gave Oakland a 2-0 lead. Indians left-hander David Huff bowed his neck and struck out Jack Cust, Ryan Sweeney and Crosby.

Pronk gets one back: Hafner homered to right-center in the second to pull the Indians within 2-1. Hafner, who has nine homers, started his fourth consecutive team game for the first time since April.

It's been a tough first three months of the season for both the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians. Although neither team is likely to make a playoff push over the final three months, the Athletics are at least starting to show some signs of life.

Oakland looks for its third win in four games when it opens a nine-game road trip Friday night against the Indians, who try to avoid their sixth consecutive loss.

The A's (33-44) arrive in Cleveland after taking two of three home games against AL Central-leading Detroit, including a 5-1 victory Wednesday. Oakland, which had lost five straight games before the Tigers series, has scored 25 runs in its last five games after totaling 12 in its previous five.

Continue reading "Indians look to break losing slide against A's" »

Brian Rolle was a star of the spring for the Buckeyes. For two years, the linebacker from Immokalee, Fla., stayed in the background at Ohio State, popping up with some big plays on special teams, but otherwise biding his time with veterans like James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman in front of him. A little undersized at 5-foot-11, but with big-hit ability, it was hard to get a read on him as a person and a player.

Here's a read. This guy could be a star of the fall as well.

At Jim Cordle's charity bowling event last Friday, about 40 Buckeyes showed up to mingle with fans and raise $18,000 for the Special Olympics. Most of the Buckeyes had obvious ties to Cordle, as either fellows seniors or fellow linemen. Then there was Rolle, an out-of-state linebacker who smiled the whole night and enthusiastically interacted with the fans more than any player besides Cordle.

He likes to bowl and hang out, so what? From where I stood, Rolle looked an awful lot like a leader. And from what his teammates saw during spring ball, he looks an awful lot like a difference maker. So in that middle linebacker competition that many assumed was between Austin Spitler and Etienne Sabino, keep your eye on Rolle when practice starts in August.

Here's our conversation from Friday.

Continue reading "An Ohio State interview: Linebacker Brian Rolle" »

Updated at 9:35 p.m.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- There was some laughter and fun Thursday afternoon at Shaquille O'Neal's official introduction to Cleveland. With Shaq, there always is. But there also was plenty of business.

Wearing a black suit with a pink shirt and pink tie, O'Neal wanted to make two points as he spoke to media, team personnel, children from St. Martin de Porres school, and season-ticket and suite holders. One was his intention to help the Cavaliers and his friend, LeBron James, win a championship next season. The other is he's still hoping to land a two-year contract extension.

He made both points with his brand of humor but firmness.

"My motto is simple," O'Neal said. "Win a ring for the King [James]."

Continue reading "Shaquille O'Neal hints that his fun with the Cleveland Cavaliers could last beyond the 2009-10 season" »

MIAMI -- A judge refused to release surveillance video Thursday depicting the moment a car driven by Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in a drunk-driving crash.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy said the privacy interests of the family of victim Mario Reyes outweighed the public's right to view the video. Several news organizations made public records requests seeking release of the video.

"This is akin to autopsy photographs," Murphy said at a hearing, adding the video would remain sealed "for the foreseeable future as far as I'm concerned."

Continue reading "Florida judge won't release video of Donte Stallworth crash" »

Today is the official halfway mark of the season for the Indians. Not everyone picked them to win the AL Central, but it's hard to believe anyone predicted they would be this bad.

The Indians are 31-49, owners of the second-worst record in the big leagues. After going 9-18 in June, they started July at 0-1 and will open a three-game series tonight against Oakland at Progressive Field.

Three questions face the Indians as they approach their 81st game.

No. 1: Can manager Eric Wedge get through this season without being fired?

No. 2: Will they trade No. 1 starter Cliff Lee?

No. 3: Will they trade catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez?

General Manager Mark Shapiro and team President Paul Dolan remain supportive of Wedge. They do not believe he's solely to blame for the state of the team, but as the losses mount there is a growing concern about how much Wedge and his coaches are getting out of the available talent. The Indians have lost 14 of their past 17 games, dropping from six games out of first place to 13.

Continue reading "Eric Wedge, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez: Should they stay or should they go?" »

The dominoes starting falling in the NBA on Day Two of free agency. Some of the players the Cavaliers had significant interest in appear to be headed other places but they are still very much in the free-agent game.

According to a league source, the Cavaliers have begun homing in on Toronto Raptors free-agent guard Anthony Parker after both Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza appeared set to go to other teams.

Another source said the Cavs also have spoken to another Raptors free agent, former All-Star Shawn Marion, though it was not clear late Thursday if the two sides had gotten serious. Both players are unrestricted free agents.

Artest, who was one of the Cavs' top choices, told CBSSports.com Thursday that he was going to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the Cavs. He reportedly will get the Lakers' mid-level exception for three years, a deal that could be worth $18 million. The Cavs could have offered the same, but Artest, who has a home in L.A., preferred to go to the West Coast.

A few hours later, ESPN.com reported Trevor Ariza had essentially flipped spots with Artest and decided to commit to signing with the Houston Rockets for their mid-level exception. The Cavs had pitched themselves to Ariza on the first day of free agency as well.

The Rockets, Lakers and Cavs all had the same amount of money to spend.

Continue reading "Top choices slipping away; Cavs chase Anthony Parker, Shawn Marion" »

WIMBLEDON, England -- Richard Williams refuses to watch his daughters Venus and Serena play each other. Says he simply can't bear to see it, no matter the setting, no matter the stage.

So once again, the patriarch of the greatest sister act in tennis history is heading home to the United States before the Wimbledon final. That's because the women's singles championship at the All England Club is Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams for the second year in a row and fourth time overall.

The way the sisters won in Thursday's semifinals could hardly have been more different.

"Serena nearly gave me a heart attack," Richard Williams said. "Venus played as if she had someplace to go, and she was in a major-league hurry to get a great dinner."

Continue reading "Serena, Venus meet in finals for 4th time: Wimbledon" »

To grunt or not to grunt? That is the question.

Neither Hamlet nor William Shakespeare had an opinion on the outrageous shrieking coming out of the mouths of women tennis players at Wimbledon and elsewhere these days, but everybody else does.

Most of them have heard enough.

Martina Navratilova recently called the grunting cheating. Chris Evert didn't go quite that far.

"Grunting is one thing, but the shrill sound that you hear with players nowadays, and especially as they get louder when they hit a winner, that's the thing that I observe as a player," Evert told reporters in Australia on Monday. "It comes before they hit the shot. That's the first thing you hear, and you are kind of like thrown off guard as a player, and then before you know it, the ball gets past you.

"It is distracting when you are hearing this, and I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players. The next time you watch say a Maria Sharapova . . . the grunting is consistent, but [it's] all of a sudden when she has a set up to hit a winner. I don't understand, they say you've got to blow air out when you hit the ball. Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn't grunt."

Continue reading "What's up with all the grunting at Wimbledon?" »

NORTH CANTON -- Delegates from about 40 countries began arriving here Wednesday to attend the 12th annual International Federation of American Football Congress, a four-day meeting to discuss the organization's business, which could include the site of the next Junior World Championship.

The next JWC tournament is not scheduled until 2012, and plans call for the games to be played every two years. A site for the 2012 event has not been picked, but it is known delegates from around the world will bid to lure the event to their country.

IFAF spokesman Michael Preston said the delegation is the largest in the history of the organization, exceeding last year's total of 28 when it was held in Seville, Spain, during the European Junior Championship, which qualified Germany, Sweden and France to this year's tournament.

Preston said issues such as future events and possible new members are among the items discussed.

On the town: About 500 people -- players, coaches and administrators -- involved in the JWC took in the gala Independence Day fireworks show and concert by the Canton Symphony Orchestra that takes place annually at the foot of the steps of the McKinley Monument on Thursday.

Quote of the Day: "How could we not?" -- Medina offensive tackle Brian Smith (Walsh Jesuit) when asked if most of the kids were having a good time.

When: Tonight through Sunday.

Where: Progressive Field.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio tonight and Sunday, WKYC Ch. 3 Saturday; WTAM AM/1100.

Series: This will be the first meeting of the season between the A's and Indians. A's lead, 237-210, overall.

Pitching matchups: LHP David Huff (3-3, 6.26) vs. RHP Trevor Cahill (5-6, 4.23) at 7:05 tonight; RHP Carl Pavano (6-7, 5.56) vs. RHP Vin Mazzaro (2-3, 2.95) at 7:05 p.m. Saturday; LHP Cliff Lee (4-7, 3.39) vs. LHP Brett Anderson (4-7, 5.45) at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.

Indians update: They have lost five straight and 14 of their past 17 games. Who's hot: Travis Hafner (12-for-36) and Jhonny Peralta (15-for-50). Who's not: Luis Valbuena (1-for-26) and Grady Sizemore (10-for-48).

A's update: They have lost seven of their past 10 and nine of their past 15, but took two out of three from Detroit before heading east to play the Tribe. Ryan Sweeney, who hit .700 (7-for-10) against the Tribe last year, hit .357 (15-for-42) in June. Jack Cust hit .180 (18-for-100) in June with six homers and 13 RBI.

Injuries: Indians -- LHP Aaron Laffey (right oblique), RHP Anthony Reyes (right elbow), LHP Scott Lewis (left forearm), RHP Jake Westbrook (right elbow) and RHP Rafael Betancourt (right groin) are on the disabled list. A's -- 3B Eric Chavez (back), RHP Joey Devine (right elbow), RHP Dan Giese (right elbow), RHP Justin Duchscherer (right elbow) and LHP Josh Outman (left elbow) are on the DL.

Next for Indians: Tribe opens a three-game series Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Make room for one more.

Nineteen of the 25 pitchers who have played for the Indians this season have made at least one relief appearance. No. 26 arrives soon, and he'll be a reliever, as well.

The Indians on Thursday acquired right-hander Winston Abreu from Tampa Bay. They sent the Rays right-hander John Meloan from Class AAA Columbus and cash.

Abreu, 32, is expected to join the Indians over the weekend in Cleveland. A player will be dropped to make room for him.

The Indians have been trying to rebuild one of the worst bullpens in baseball on the fly. The results have not been encouraging.

Since June 27, they have added Jose Veras from the Yankees, Chris Perez from the Cardinals and Abreu from the Rays. They enter tonight's game against Oakland with a 13-man pitching staff, including eight relievers.

Continue reading "Cleveland Indians add yet another bullpen pitcher, acquiring Winston Abreu from Tampa Bay: Indians Insider" »