– The Cavs and Wizards continue their war of words; good thing for the Cavs, the Wizards have shown little bite on the court.

– The Browns received passing grades from most sites around the sporting world for their draft.

– Kyle Busch nearly wrecked like he usually has at Talladega, but he kept his car clean enough to end his day in Victory Lane. If continues his hot runs, folks at Joe Gibbs Racing will be asking, "Tony, who?"

– The Indians seem to be rounding into shape, thanks to slow starts throughout the division. C.C. definitely is rounding into form, too bad he ran into the Yankees ace Sunday.

– We are continuing are move into the Internet waters more each day. We are attempting to add more standings items to the teams pages and video from our reporters. The first one of note is Marla Ridenour's take on the NFL Draft. You can find that here.

– Patrick McManamon's blog is back, offering a lot of insight into the area pro teams. He has been with the Cavs since the playoffs began; take a look here.

Big names make big news and make big money.

That I understand.

The NBA is where it is, or, at least, where it was, because of Magic and Bird. The NHL got its big lift when Mario Lemieux was winning Cups and Wayne Gretzky was playing in the L.A. market. Baseball is doing better than it has, because the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are playing well. The NFL does well … well … because Las Vegas exists.

This brings me to auto racing. I have read several times, now that Danica Patrick has won the IRL is going to grow. Or, once Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins, NASCAR will be back.

So, yes, Patrick winning helps the IndyCar Series. And yes, when Earnhardt Jr. breaks his slump, NASCAR will be in the headlines.

The point of this post, though, is: Neither of the sports will die if these drivers fail.

IRL is the strongest it has been since it began, particularly now the open-wheel racing merged this season. The Indy 500 this year will again have a great field like it did in its heyday.

NASCAR TV ratings still blow away everything expect the NFL and Tiger in the lead in major golf events, and its stands are filled at nearly every track.

So, go ahead and praises these drivers or scorn them for not winning, just don't say that their series are depending on them.

Because you would be wrong.

I think this shows just how far NASCAR has come with its safety precautions. Michael McDowell, a rookie driver, crashes during qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway, near Dallas.

The Cavaliers are doing the right thing. They should not give into the demands of Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic. … The Indians bullpen is the reason they are where they are, and it will be what decides if they win the World Series or not. … Jamal Lewis being healthy is the difference between 8 wins and 5 or 6 wins for the Browns.

Will any team be undefeated in college football come November? … The Big Ten Network has been a dud. … By the way, that will be the only way to watch the OSU-Kent State game Saturday. … I don't think you will miss much.

Roger Clemens, Cooperstown is calling. It is time to trigger your five-year wait. … Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies and Josh Byrnes of the Diamondbacks; both GMs, also both former members of the Tribe front office. … No wonder the Pirates hired Neal Huntington as GM; the Tribe knows how to grow great front office folks.

Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon? I am pulling for Gordon. … Mike Tirico is everywhere.

… The Browns offense finds its groove and destroys the Bengals defense.

The Bengals offense continues to expose the Browns defense.

It added up to a surprising win for the Browns. It also adds up to another season where high expectations will meet an early ending to a season for the Bengals. Everyone falls in love with offense but defense is the key. The Bengals remind me of the Chargers of the 80s. Lots of Hall of Fame offensive players but no rings to show for it.

… Clint Bowyer wins his first race of the season and is in fourth place in the Race for the Nextel Cup. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for first. This will be a battle of attrition.

… Maybe this time O.J. Simpson is guilty.

… Then again …

… Is it better for the Indians to have the Tigers in the playoffs or the Yankees or does it matter. If the Tigers make the playoffs then the Indians will play the Angels in the first round. Otherwise, they are going to Boston or hosting the Yankees. I like their chances better against the Angels.

… Ohio State looks in good shape to play a New Year's Day bowl but I am still not sure if they will win the Big Ten. Penn State and Wisconsin are interesting, and Michigan can't be counted out.

… So will Charlie Weis get the same treatment as Ty Willingham and get fired after what is going to be a horrible third season? Probably not. But it is a valid point.

… I have to like Kent State over Akron in the game at the Rubber Bowl on Saturday. The Zips just seem to lack a strong enough defense to slow down the Flashes. If KSU does win, they are setting up a season that could end in a bowl game.

… Brady who?

… Tiger Woods wins FedExCup. No surprise.

… My guess is that the Bill Belichick video scandal isn't over yet.

… Less than a month until Cavs open training camp.

NASCAR teams, car makers, drivers and numbers have been switching as fast as GM Phil Savage changes his mind on how to handle the Browns quarterbacks.

But for the diehards, Jayski.com has put a page together that shows where everyone sits and is expected to sit come the Daytona 500 in February. Here it is.

The latest changes have IRL champion Dario Franchitti joining Chip Gannassi Racing in the No. 40 car.

Mark Martin and youngster Aric Almirola sharing time in the No. 8 DEI car.

Casey Mears going to the No. 5 car for Hendricks.

What number and sponsor that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have next season is expected to be announced by the end of the month.

Things to watch this weekend:

– How bad is Travis Hafner's knee and is this the time when the Tribe breaks away from the pack by handling the Yankees?

– Does John Daly make a move and return to the center stage in golf or is it only Tiger's world at the PGA Championship?

– Anyone want to play quarterback? UA and the Browns are looking but so far haven't found what they are looking for.

– Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. break from his Anna Kournikova drought — lots of endorsements, no wins and maybe no Chase for the Cup?

– I must admit that I am surprised how easy the Tigers and Indians have allowed the races to tighten in the American League. With the resent poor play by the AL Central leaders, the Mariners and Yankees are now only a half behind the Tigers for the wild card. And don't forget the Twins, who are just 4 1/2 behind the Tribe. Should make September interesting but it didn't have to be this way for either the Indians or Tigers.

– The Browns can point to good signs at camp, including big back Jamal Lewis seeming to have something to prove. But with Orpheus Roye getting hurt, Ryan Tucker getting suspended, Brady Quinn causing bad PR league-wide, something doesn't smell right, and I am not talking about the Stadium.

– Dario Franchitti's crash at Michigan International Speedway shows just how well all racing cars are built these days. Take a look at ESPN for the video.

– Dale Earnhardt Jr. draws the most fans to the race track and to the souvenir shop but right now, he would not be in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. It is kind of like the NBA not getting as much attention whent the Knicks, Celtics and Lakers all are not in the playoffs.

– Mike Tomlin won his first game with the Steelers on Sunday in Canton. He won't remind many of Bill Cowher, but astute observers might see a little Chuck Noll in the rookie head coach.

– Ohio State football is No. 10 in the coaches' poll behind Wisconsin and Michigan in the Big Ten. Seems about right for a team that doesn't know who will be quarterback.

– Tiger Woods … really, whatelse can you say? Maybe it is time for a statue next to the historic water tower at Firestone.

A look back at the weekend and what is ahead:

The Indians can't seem to get their hitting machine rolling. It is now the end of June and Travis Hafner still is not hitting. That is the bad news. The good news is the Tigers are only 2 games ahead and the Indians lead the wild-card race.

Juan Pablo Montoya won the Nextel Cup race in Sonoma, Calif. It was his first win, but more important for NASCAR, it was a minority driver who won the race. With Lewis Hamilton, a black man, winning twice in Formula One, NASCAR has been getting more questions about its minority program. Montoya's win shows NASCAR is making progress.

Does anybody really care to hear about Kobe Bryant every day? Enough already ESPN.

All indications are that Brady Quinn is going to need a lot of work to be of any good to the Browns this season. Now we see why most didn't think he was a high first-round prospect.

The Cavaliers have a lot of value with veteran contracts that are going to expire after next season. In today's NBA, those can be more valuable than gaining a real player.

Ohio State football is being talked about as being the fourth best team in the Big Ten this season behind Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State. I just don't see Penn State being better than the Buckeyes. The other two should be, but the Badgers will be like the Buckeyes, going with an inexperienced quarterback.

Greg Oden and Kevin Durant or should I say Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. I think Oden will go first, but the NBA, despite the players being on the West Coast, has to be happy that these two will be playing against each other in the same division for years to come.

As for the draft, I think the Cavs will pass on trading into the proceedings.

Paul Tracy, the Canadian driver, continues to race well in Cleveland. Kudos to Tracy.

Wimbledon gets started today …. wake me when it's over. Speaking of Wimbledon, when it was great in the 80s and 90s, we couldn't watch the early rounds because it was on HBO. Now that it is on ESPN, I see no reason to watch.

It doesn't register on most sports fans' radars, but it was good to see the United States win the Gold Cup this weekend, beating Mexico 2-1. It bodes well for Bob Bradley's plan for the National Team.

Well, this is the time of the year when baseball becomes the focus.

The NBA and NHL are over. The draft looks to be pretty quiet on the home fronts.

Golf doesn't get back on the radar scene until the British Open and Bridgestone until later in July.

NASCAR has had the Dale Jr. saga end. Only the Pepsi 400 is a big race in July.

The Browns and the NFL are on vacation until the end of July.

So really, it is baseball time. Time to talk Tribe chances of trade, who makes the all-star game and, as always, Barry Bonds.

Enjoy the lull in the schedule.