• Preseason loss to Giants a wake-up call, Browns acknowledge
Reality check. Wake-up call. Bucket of cold water in the face.

• Cleveland Indians' Franklin Gutierrez hits homer to lift Indians
Franklin Gutierrez was waiting all season for this at-bat. All-Star closer Joakim Soria spent the same amount of time trying to avoid them.

• 2008 Beijing Olympics should end any doubts about Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, says The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston
Always that rarest of play ers, one better than the hype, LeBron James is now the best basketball player in the world.

• A clipboard in Brady's near future
B rady Quinn will start Saturday in Detroit.

• Aeros defeat Defenders, 9-6
The Akron Aeros beat back a bottom-of-the-ninth comeback attempt by the Defenders in Norwich, Conn., to win, 9-6, in a Class AA Eastern League game.

• Amateur results
Softball

• Bears' France will play for Spartans
North Royalton senior Dan France has made an oral commitment to play football at Michigan State University.

• BlueClaws 8, Captains 5
Captains' left fielder Juan Valdes hit a three-run homer, his first home run of the season, but Lake County allowed three runs in the top of the ninth and lost to the visiting Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws in Class A South Atlantic League action.

• Glenville valedictorian Bryant Browning takes his brains to the field for Buckeyes
Columbus- Ohio State offensive linemen who don't know where to go, what to do or when to do it can turn into Buckeye blobs in a hurry. That's why it's a good idea to check out the big brain on Bryant.

• Caribbean cruiser amazes himself
Beijing -- Usain Bolt sits at the podium and starts to answer a question and then stops, suddenly, transfixed.

• FOUR THINGS I THINK ABOUT THE SEASON . . .
1. Girls soccer is so strong in Northeast Ohio this fall that Strongsville and Walsh Jesuit both are legiti mate contenders for the No. 1 ranking -- in the na tion. Both teams have grade A players and deep benches.

• GIRLS SOCCER PREVIEW
%%head%%PLAYERS TO WATCH%%endhead%%

• Gridiron Hero: Who will be the area's best?
It's time to rock out with the biggest stars of the 2008 high school football season.

• Hahn, Beal fall at Pinehurst
They say that par is a good score in tournament golf, but it wasn't good enough for Kent State sophomore John Hahn on Wednesday during a playoff for one of 64 spots in the match play portion of the 108th U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort and Country Club.

• High school football players from St. Ignatius and Glenville share what's on their minds all week long as they get ready for Saturday's showdown between The Plain Dealer's top two teams.
We're definitely into the routine of a game week. We're doing the normal things we do once the games begin, running the scout team offense against the first-team defense and the scout team defense against the first-team offense.

• Cleveland Indians getting into spirit of the Olympics
The big screen TV in the middle of the Indians' locker room is rarely off. This month it's been dom inated by the Summer Olympics.

• Long list of starters to sit Saturday against Detroit
Add running back Jamal Lewis and linebacker Willie McGinest to the long list of Browns players who will sit out the "Great Lakes Classic" Saturday in Detroit.

• Miss Ohio Stakes field set with eight entries
Ohio's premier 2-year-old fillies are heading to the Thistledown starting gate Saturday for the 40th edition of the $50,000 Miss Ohio Stakes. Eight horses are en tered in the six-furlong test.

• Nothing for sure when Tribe gets healthy
This year's Indians, chock full of unmet expectations, have created a number of unanswered questions about next year's team.

• Oberlin OT Thornton commits to Illinois
Oberlin senior offensive tackle Hugh Thornton has orally committed to play for the University of Illinois.

• Recreation calendar
Aspiring Athletes/The Buckeyes scout is holding a showcase for high school baseball players who are 2009-2010 graduates of high school.

• Seven on Gibbs crew suspended
NASCAR's latest attempt to reel in the rule-breakers aimed at an unfamiliar target: the normally squeaky-clean Joe Gibbs Racing.

• Sports Briefs
Colleges

• TEAMS TO WATCH
Bay: Has 13 seniors, led by midfielders Megan Griffiths, Kate Ludwig and Brittany Wenzel, and an athletic goalie in Megan Altieri.