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.

Arent' you glad that this is what is important to our institutions of higher learning:

The Associated Press is reporting that athletic footwear and apparel
manufacturer Nike and Ohio State have signed a new $26-million
contract that will keep Buckeyes' sports teams in uniforms with
a swoosh for the next seven years.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, went into effect on Aug.
1 and expires July 31, 2014. Nike has an option to extend the
deal by three years.
As exclusive provider of footwear and apparel for Ohio
State's athletics program, Nike will provide OSU teams with
$2.34 million per year in free products, or $16.4 million over
the seven-year period.
Nike also will pay the Ohio State athletic department $1.2
million annually for the right to be Ohio State's exclusive
provider, or $8.3 million over the seven years.
There are bonus payments for football and men's and women's
basketball based upon rankings and postseason appearances.
Each year, Nike will pay Ohio State $28,000 for appearances
by the coaching staff and $22,000 for design and safety input
from the coaches.
The university also will receive royalties from Nike of at
least $200,000 annually.

No matter what happened this year, it looked like Lloyd Carr would be out at Michigan.
Now it looks more like a possibility.
So who would be called on to replace him?

Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia
Nick Saban of Alabama, I know he signed a lifetime deal but that hasn't stopped him before
Bobby Petrino of the Falcons
Jim Harbaugh of Stanford
Bill Cowher ???
Someone on the staff at Michigan? No one stands out, though.

Any other names?

The Big Ten Network has a legitimate beef with the cable industry.

The network does belong on the same tier as ESPN, ESPN2, etc. BTN will have games on its network that normally would have been on ABC or ESPN.

That is something the NFL Network can't say. The eight to 10 lives games on NFLN are just games that normally would have been played on Sundays and would not have been seen nationally. Say the Browns are on NFLN, the network is required by the NFL to put the game on a local over-the-air channel, too. So I can see NFLN being put on a sports tier only because it truly is a network for the diehard NFL fan.

Right now OSU will have, at least, two games on BTN, and if you don't have DirecTV, you aren't going to see the games. Same with the Buckeyes basketball team.

In the end, Time Warner and its brethren need to get a deal done for the fans of college sports.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told the Des Moines Register that adding a 12th team will be considered due to the new Big Ten TV Network.

The targets are mostly likely Pitt, Rutgers and Syracuse. Pitt would bring Pittsburgh and bridge the gap from Cleveland to Pittsburgh as far as drawing TV viewers. Rutgers,, in theory would bring New York City and New Jersey and possibly bridge the gap from Penn State to NYC, but that is debatable. Syracuse is the state university of New York state.

All 3 have positives and negatives, but the real problem would be the Big Ten having a championship game. Does the OSU-Michigan game go away every season or do they both get in the same division so they could play every year, but then the Big Ten would never have Ohio State and Michigan in the title game.

But when it comes to TV and money tradition usually dies. Just ask fans of the great Oklahoma-Nebraska games. That no longer is an every year occasion.

Possible divisions
East
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Penn State
Indiana
Pitt/Rutgers/Syracuse

West
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Wisconsin
Purdue

OR

North
Minnesota
Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Penn State
Northwestern

South
Ohio State
Indiana
Purdue
Iowa
Illinois
Pitt/Rutgers/Syracuse

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.

LeBron James was fouled, but the Cavs can't wait to take the last shot. Go for the throat! … Danica Patrick will win an IndyCar Series race but not this weekend's Indy 500. … The Indians, Tigers, Angels and Red Sox will be the playoff teams in the American League. … Charlie Frye will be the starting quarterback for the Browns, and Brady Quinn will sit unless Frye and Derek Anderson get hurt. … Jamal Lewis is an ancient 27 and will show it this season. … Kent State football will make a run at the MAC title game. … Jimmie Johnson will win the Coca-Cola 600 because he does just about every year. … Expect the David Beckham talk to pick up after the holiday. His arrival to MLS is two months away. … The Yankees are done, and Joe Torre will not survive the season.

Ottawa will beat Anaheim in six games to win the Stanley Cup. … David Stern had to cringe when his next two potential superstars ended up in the Northwest with the Trail Blazers and SuperSonics winning the draft lottery's top two spots. Greg Oden will go to the Blazers and Kevin Durant to the Sonics. … Will anybody see them play? … Despite all of the offseason moves, the Patriots will not win the Super Bowl. No team has bought the Super Bowl, like you can a World Series. … Barry Bonds won't break Aaron's mark until late July at the earliest. … C.C. Sabathia will sign with the Dodgers after next season for $140 million over seven seasons. … Travis Hafner will sign a contract with the Indians, something like $75 million for five years, maybe more. … USC despite having so many players back will not win the BCS title. … Tiger Woods will win the U.S. Open next month at Oakmont C.C., near Pittsburgh. … Wait until you all see the changes to that great course.

Greg Oden leaving for the NBA is no shock at all. In fact, it would be bigger news if he was staying. As for Daequan Cook and Mike Conley Jr., they should be staying at Ohio State.

I am all for these guys leaving for the money. Everyone else would, and we aren't talking about a $30,000 job either. First-round picks are guaranteed millions. I just don't see Cook as a first-rounder. Conley, if he continues to get better, could be a top 10 selection, but in this deep draft, he might be a second-rounder, which means no guarantees.

Here is what to look for in the Beacon Journal and on Ohio.com this weekend.

A Cavaliers preview section in the edition Saturday and more insight from Brian Windhorst in the Sunday paper before Game 1's tipoff at 12:30 p.m. at the Q

Patrick McManamon shows just how tough it is to hit on a pick in the top five of the NFL Draft. And everyone knows the Browns are still waiting for their first bit of luck.

Marla Ridenour examines the career of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.

Sheldon Ocker will have his usual Sunday fare: a weekly look at the Indians plus game coverage from Tampa Bay.

Tom Gaffney has an interesting feature on the winner of the Caraboolad Award, given to a top area high school coach.

Marla also will be in Columbus to see if anyone steps up to take Troy Smith's spot as quarterback of Ohio State.

Coverage of the NASCAR race Saturday night in Phoenix, too.

Enjoy.