The Indians magic number is down to two. Two wins or two Detroit losses and the AL Central champions reside on the lakefront.
In the immortal words of Adam Sandler: "Not too shabby."

If the Browns want to use the tired old "nobody believed but the people in this room" routine, or the "we don't get any respect" line … well this might be the week. Cleveland's orange helmets got little or no love from national pundits, with most keeping them in closer to 32nd in the league than 16th (which would put them in the middle).
SI's Paul Zimmerman put them 25th in his weekly rankings , and it's my humble opinion that he knows football pretty well. Dr. Z's a crusty codger who still charts games and notices things like double-teams and dive plays. CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco, a good friend from back in our days covering Emmitt Smith in college, puts the Browns 27th. I've learned it's wise not to question Pete too vehemently.
Then consider this: Raiders are favored by three in Sunday's game.
For crying out loud, how's a team supposed to translate a win into respect with this kind of attitude permeating the national airwaves.
Me, I think the Raiders are going to win too. But I have no idea why. Because I have no idea what Browns team will appear today. This is one of the most bizarre games to predict in a long, long time.
Which should at least make things interesting.

1 — Apparently the Patriots really are mad. Note what Tom Brady had to say about the accusation that videotaping the defensive signals of opposing teams meant the Patriots were cheating. It just does not seem like a good idea to make the Patriots mad.
2 — Can someone please explain to me why Britney Spears' former bodyguard has held a press conference, and why we should care in the least? His attorney said the bodyguard will tell of nudity, among other things. After that VMA appearance I'm not sure that's what the world needs.
3 — Good crowd for game two of the Indians-Tigers series. Good atmosphere. Travis Hafner's third-inning bomb really got them going. The more Hafner hits, the better the Indians chances.
4 — I guess O.J. was in that Vegas hotel room in his never-ending search for the real killer, eh?

Some quick thoughts on a late Monday night:

1) Casey Blake hits two game-winning home runs — one in the bottom of the ninth on Friday and one in extra innings on Monday, His second homer finishes a comeback from a 5-2 deficit to beat Detroit in extra innings. Do ya get the feeling this just might be the Indians year?
2) Woke up Monday and somebody told me the Browns scored 51 points. At that point I wondered if pink elephants were mowing my lawn.
3) I think the Patriots are mad because they didn't like the way their coach was picked on last week for cheating. I don't think the NFL wants to make the Patriots any angrier. I mean, Tom Brady is lethal when he's not mad. Now look at him. All those offseason acquisitions — Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Adalius Thomas — are coming through, and the Patriots are mad to top it off and that can't be good for the rest of the league. Oh … good thing San Diego was all pumped up to get revenge for that playoff loss, eh?
4) Sure seems like this videotaping "scandal" with Bill Belichick may have tentacles that go deep. The more you read about it, the more you wonder where the commissioner's investigation will end.
5) Guess Brady Quinn was pretty important to Notre Dame's success.

I'm going to try to make sense of today's Browns-Bengals game during the game. For these "insights" go to the Beacon-Journal's Cleveland Browns blog.

Time to be nice.
And upbeat.
And positive.
And happy.
But not about the Browns, about the Cleveland Indians, who return 7-3 from a 10-game road trip.
This team played 23 games in 23 days, and won 17 of those games.
This is called peaking at the right time. Peter Gammons is clearly one of the finest baseball writers in the nation, and for those of you who don't get ESPN Insider I offer his thoughts on Cleveland today:
"Right now, the Indians have a lot going for them. They have been able to win against their rivals' best pitchers (Sabathia and Carmona went 6-1 against Johan Santana and Justin Verlander, the pitchers the Tribe had to beat). They have put '06 behind them with their response to the 23 straight games, the emergence of Asdrubal Cabrera and the promise that Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner will get hot sometime. It seemed a given that their starters would lead the league in innings and quality starts, but watching the finale in Anaheim against the team with the best home record in the game was even more reason for optimism. Seeing Aaron Laffey (16-5 between Double-A, Triple-A and the AL), rookie Jensen Lewis and arguably the best left-handed reliever on the planet, Rafael Perez (one extra-base hit by a lefty in two years with a slugging percentage under .140), handle the Angels was the kind of sign the Yankees and Red Sox have seen in Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz."
Gammons goes on to point out that the Indians are 23rd in payroll and have no significant free agents this offseason (his words).
Barring a collapse of major proportions, we'll be talking about this team in October. Which is kind of nice.
The one weird thing is that a first-place team has yet to capture the imagination of the fans. As of earlier this week, next week's series against Detroit had more than 10,000 tickets remaining for each game.
People are entitled to spend their money where they wish — perhaps on the new iPod or a new clock radio? — but this is one fine baseball team.
And yes, those are the kind of in-depth insights we seek on a daily basis.

Is there anything left to say about the Browns?
Unfortunately the bosses make me find at least 10 things every week.
So (warning: shameless plug coming) they make me do this weekly newsletter on the Browns called "First and 10" that is delivered free of charge, without coupon books, to your e-mail address every week.
If you want to sign up, and again it is free and chock full of insights and information and letters and funny stuff (could it get more shameless), go here and register and sign up.
Meanwhile, I have a couple comments on the NFL:
1) I think the Ravens got hosed last night when Todd Heap was flagged for offensive interference on a late touchdown catch. Should have been a score.
2) Interesting to hear Ladainian Tomlinson talk of the Patriots' alleged "spying" practices. LT said he think the Patriots follow the axiom that "If you're not cheating you're not trying."
3) One of the more interesting and offbeat NFL web sites can be found here.
4) Chad Johnson promised more big-time celebrations this weekend in Cleveland. Hope it's better than the Lawrence Vickers dance.
5) Spying or no, the Patriots give no reason to believe they will not run away with the AFC and Super Bowl titles.
Have a great day or evening or whatever time of the day it is in your world …

Score: Pittsburgh 31, Cleveland 7.

First down — Could the Steelers first drive of the second half been any easier. Eight plays, 71 yards, touchdown and a 24-0 lead. If it's not game over it's game as close as it possibly can be to being over.
Second down — The Steelers really didn't do much in the first half on offense. Two short fields and one big play gave them two touchdowns. You can imagine them at halftime being angry, and talking about playing better in the second half. So they start with a touchdown. This, after all, is what professional teams do.
Third down — Lo and behold Derek Anderson finds Kellen Winslow a few times and the Browns drive for a touchdown. It was a good drive. Too bad it came when the Browns were down 24-0. Then again, force a punt and score again …
Fourth down — Then again, when the Browns just miss sacking Ben Roethlisberger on a third down and Najeh Davenport spins in and out of five tacklers to get the first down, you just get the feeling it is not the Browns day. Again. On the next play Roethlisberger throws his fourth touchdown pass, Sean Jones whiffs and Pittsburgh leads 31-7. Is there a 10-run rule in football?

Pittsburgh 17, Cleveland 0

First — First chant of "Brady, Brady" — 9:51 left in the second quarter.
Second — Guess the change from Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin mattered, eh? Halfway through the second quarter Charlie Frye had been sacked five times. Frye is pulled for Derek Anderson with 6:34 left.
Third — As bad as the first half has been, and it's been very, very, very bad, if the Browns get a touchdown prior to halftime it's a 10-point game. It's not like Pittsburgh has sustained many drives.
Fourth — So much for that notion. A Steelers blitz on third down leads to a fumble and turnover to the Steelers.

Four downs (it means thoughts) from the first quarter of the Browns-Steelers at the stadium.
Score: Pittsburgh 17, Cleveland 0.

First — It's mind-boggling. Four penalties and one dropped punt on one play for the Browns after their first possession. Combine that with a three-and-out (sack by Aaron Smith, who beat Kevin Shaffer on third down ) and that's not really the way to roar into a season. How in the world can one special teams unit commit four penalties on one play?
Second — Welcome to the NFL Eric Wright. Two of Pittsburgh's first three passes were toward the rookie, with Hines Ward making a beautiful catch for Pittsburgh's first score.
Third — I don't know what has happened to Charlie Frye. He plays with very little confidence.
Fourth — After a Jamal Lewis fumble (two turnovers and one four-penalty play in the first quarter) Ben Roethlisberger finds Santonio Holmes for a 40-yard touchdown on first down last in the quarter. What a surprise. Bruce Arians goes deep on the first play. Might be time to say "game over." This comeback might be an impossible task for the Browns.