Safety Mike Adams placed his hands together and looked to the sky. “Dear Lord,” he began.
The request for divine intervention came Monday in response to a reporter’s question: Where will the Browns find hope? That’s not easy for a mere mortal to answer right now.
Joshua Cribbs, who’s played better this year than any Brown except [...]

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Manny Acta knows what you’re thinking, Indians fans. Why him?
 
Why some relative unknown guy that was fired by the worst team in baseball 2½ years into his tenure, and not someone with a bigger name, say Bobby Valentine or even Don Mattingly?
 
Here’s Acta’s response: “Not everybody was a big shot when they started. I think [...]

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If timing is everything, the trade of Braylon Edwards to the bright lights of the big city is a touchdown.
 
If the deal is judged solely on getting equal value in return, it’s more like a 4-yard run up the middle. Not bad, but nothing to celebrate.
 
Coach Eric Mangini sent his top playmaker to his former [...]

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Rick Noland
The Gazette
LeBron James was “The King.” Dwight Howard was Superman.
But once again, James’ gang was nowhere to be found, while Howard’s teammates were right there with him as the Orlando Magic defeated the Cavaliers 116-114 in over-time Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Orlando now leads the best-of-seven series 3-1, meaning [...]

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Rick Noland
The Gazette
There was cold-shooting Mo Williams, having just missed two wide-open 3-pointers, relentlessly harassing Josh Smith until the Atlanta Hawks power forward finally committed a turnover.
There was 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas blocking a shot by Joe Johnson without leaving his feet.
There was Joe Smith swatting a driving attempt by Marvin Williams.
There was Delonte West blocking [...]

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Rick Noland
The Gazette
Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace took Game 4 off. Wisely, the Cavaliers elected to wait until Monday to rest.
With Cleveland now awaiting the winner of the Miami-Atlanta series, let’s clear out the notebook from the Cavaliers’ impressive first-round sweep of the Pistons.
That’s LeBron
There is some debate as to whether this was the greatest playoff series [...]

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Brian Dulik
The Gazette
Regardless of how the playoffs turn out, this has been the most enjoyable regular season in Cavaliers history, and for that, I am very thankful.
The best player in the world is part of the best basketball team ever to play on the North Coast, which is something that hoops junk-ies will always savor.
But [...]

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By RICK NOLAND
Assistant Sports Editor
The Cavaliers were an NBA-best 35-8 going into a game in Orlando on Thursday, so Professor Noland was all smiles as he handed out midseason report cards:
Daniel Gibson: Boobie has been one of the few downers in this amazing season, as he’s been unable to consistently knock down open shots. When [...]

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By BRIAN DULIK
Random thoughts from the stands at Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers continue to post victories and move up the NBA’s all-time leader board.
By winning their first 21 games at “The Q,” red-hot Cleveland now is tied for the seventh-longest home winning streak to start a season.
It’s just the fifth time since the [...]

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New Orleans coach Byron Scott constantly preaches teamwork and selfless play, but he has no problem with the spotlight shining on his best player.It helps, though, that his top talent is All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who is one of the classiest and most electric athletes in the sport.
“I might be a little bit biased, [...]

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