Four Indians prospects appear on Baseball America's annual top 100 rankings that were released today.  3B Lonnie Chisenhall leads the way at #25, followed by RHP Alex White at 47, 2B Jason Kipnis at 54 and LHP Drew Pomeranz at 61.  Chisenhall is the #2 3B in all of minor league baseball according to BA, trailing only Kansas City's Mike Moustakas who came in at #9 overall on the list.  As you'll no doubt remember, I had Kipnis #1 overall on my Indians prospect list, followed by Chisenhall at #2, Pomeranz at #3 and White at #5. 

Speaking of the Royals, they have acquired quite an impressive collection of talent in their minor league system.  No fewer than nine Royals made the list, including a remarkable three in the top ten.  The White Sox had two in the top 100, and the Twins matched the Tribe's four (barely--their 4th player was #100 on the list).  So if The Plan v2.0 results in contention by 2013, we'll likely be battling the Royals for the division crown.  We're quite a ways from there of course, but what a wild, wonderful world that would be. 

Normally I'm not a big fan of ESPN's Pat Forde- he's a little too arch for my tastes- but he does bring up an interesting and not-very-commented on trend in his latest: the decline of Mid-American Conference basketball. The MAC sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament three times in the late '90s and from 1995-2003 had seven teams advance to the second round and beyond.

No more. From Forde:

"From 2000 to '05, the MAC average was No. 11 in Sagarin's ratings. From 2006 to the present, that rank is No. 16. And this season, it's all the way down to 18 -- just behind the Summit League and just ahead of the Big West (not to be confused in the slightest with the Big East)."

Meanwhile the MAC hasn't sent multiple squads to the Big Dance since 1999, when Wally World's Miami Red Hawks and Gary Waters's first Kent champion repped the league twice over. Forde goes on to some thumbnail reasons for the league's decline:

"Maybe the general population decline in the industrial centers of the upper Midwest has had an impact on recruiting. Maybe schools have felt the budgetary crunch of playing football at the highest classification and it has affected the basketball bottom line. Maybe there are too many aging facilities, mismanaged athletic departments and uninspiring coaches."

I've long felt that the MAC should drop down to the FBS level in football and put more resources in becoming a top mid-major along the lines of the Missouri Valley, which left I-A football a quarter-century ago. Whatever the reason, the league that once boasted Earl Boykins, Wally Szczerbiak, Antonio Gates, Chris Kamen has struggled lately on the national stage. Here's hoping that Ohio U's breakthrough against Georgetown in last season's Tournament was a harbinger of better times for the league Dick Vitale used to call "the most underrated in America."

After spending 12 years with the Cleveland Browns, kicker Phil Dawson was uncertain about his 13th season with the organization. Dawson finished last year making 23 of his 28 field goal attempts, and after the Browns 41-9 shellacking from Pittsburgh, Dawson said he was leaving his options open, "even returning to the Browns."

Unsatisfied with his contract the last few years, Dawson wanted to reevaluate his situation during the offseason, "For me, it's really going to be what's best for my family. I've earned the right to have that choice [of where to play] and I'm going to take advantage of it. I'll seek my wife's input. We'll get together, my boys are even getting old enough I'll see what they have to say about it,” He later added, “Whenever that time comes, we'll make the best decision for us."

Unfortunately no one was around to remind Dawson that he is just a kicker.

All kidding aside, the Browns new coaching staff responded by putting the franchise tag on Dawson. His contract will rise from $1 million to somewhere around $3.5 million. Any other team can match the Browns offer, but those teams would have to forfeit two first-round picks to Cleveland (under the current collective bargaining agreement).

Having already completed their charity work for the year by hiring Brian Daboll, the Miami Dolphins felt compelled to sign up another former Browns assistant in the form of Brian Cox.  Cox was the Browns' Defensive Line Coach in 2009-2010.  I can't really speak to his abilities as a Coach, but Training Camp exposure to Cox showed him to be very creative in the language arts, using many colorful words to loudly describe players and their abilities (or lack thereof).

As you will no doubt recall, Cox began his playing career in Miami, playing his first 5 seasons (all 12 of them) for the Dolphins.  Miami fans (all 12 of them) remember him fondly for his aggressive play and non-verbal communication with Bills fans.

I tried to reach Cox for comment, but, surprisingly, he is no longer taking my calls.  To be honest, I'm not sure the Brian Cox I've been calling is even him.

Cox has no relation to Robocop actor Ronny Cox or adult star Nikki Coxx.

With Valparaiso losing Monday night in overtime at Wisconsin-Green Bay, 81-80, Cleveland State once again controls its own destiny for the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the Horizon League tournament.

That's if CSU (23-6, 12-4 Horizon League) can win its final two home games against Wisconsin-Milwaukee (16-12, 11-5) Thursday and Green Bay (12-16, 7-9) Saturday.

If they do that, then CSU will win the regular season championship outright and they will host the Horizon League tournament next week at the Wolstein Center, where they are 14-1 on the season. The Vikings would only be two home games away from playing in the NCAA Tournament.

With the loss, Valpo (20-9, 11-5) drops down to third-place, a game back of CSU. Butler (20-9, 12-5) moves up to second-place, a half-game back of the Vikings.

CSU sweeps POTW awards: In other CSU news, the Vikings swept the Horizon League's men's and women's basketball Players of the Week awards for the second consecutive week.

Norris Cole picked up the the men's honor and Shawnita Garland the women's honor.

It's Cole's fifth POTW of the season, tying a Horizon League record, and seventh of his career. It's Garland's first career POTW.

Cole averaged 25.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists a game last week.

In two wins last week, Garland averaged 27.5 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals a game.

Mid-Major poll: CSU dropped down one spot to No. 10 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

As Cleveland fans, we all have strong feelings toward Lebron James. Going back to his douchision (see what I did there?) -- he not only turned his back on a team he swore he’d take to the promise land, he simultaneously took a massive, leaky dump on the city we love. He murdered Cleveland that night. We all saw it on television. We are all witnesses.

It’s pointless to go back and recap the carnage because most of us are trying to move past that infamous debacle. It’s hard enough letting it go when we have the constant reminder every time our Cavs step on the floor without him. It’s hard to let it go because we see Miami highlights on ESPN -- watching Lebron do things in a Heat uniform that used to dazzle the home crowd at the Q. His departure left an ironic, physical presence that gusts between the buildings and through the streets of downtown Cleveland like the breeze off Lake Erie.

As Cleveland fans, we’re trying to move on. That’s why Josh Cribbs’ recent tweet seemed like a sucker punch to many of us.

During the NBA All-Star game, Cribbs was sitting near court-side via tickets he received as a gift from Dan Gilbert. Cribbs then took this picture of Lebron and titled it “My Boy.” The picture created a bit of backlash for Cribbs as many fans felt it was disrespectful. Others believe the criticism Cribbs received is over the top, and he should be aloud to befriend whoever he wants.

What’s your take? Should Cribbs have posted the picture, or are angry fans just overreacting? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

After suffering their second loss of the season to Purdue Sunday afternoon, the Buckeyes maintained their position in both polls this week. Ohio State checks in as the No. 2 team in this week’s AP poll behind Duke and is the No. 3 team behind Duke and Kansas in the Coaches poll.

For some reason, the coaches ranked Kansas ahead of Ohio State despite the 16 point beat down they received at the hands of unranked Kansas State last Monday. It’s hard to complain about poll position when Ohio State didn’t take a step back in the rankings despite their loss, I just don’t understand why the coaches gave Kansas the upper hand when Ohio State lost to a much stronger opponent in Purdue.

The Buckeyes were able to keep their position in the polls mainly because of the upsets Texas, Pitt and Kansas suffered last week. Duke jumped to the top of both polls after their 22 point beat down of Georgia Tech on Sunday Night, giving them a great chance to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes are still in good shape for a top seed in the tourney as well, but they need to finish the season strong after suffering two losses in their last three games.

In his latest mock draft, Todd McShay of ESPN projects the Browns to select Alabama's Marcell Dareus with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Dareus is a 6-3, 309 pound defensive tackle who ranks second best at his position behind Auburn's Nick Fairley.

McShay, along with many other draft experts, anticipate the Browns to beef up a defensive line that recently lost Shaun Rodgers and Kenyon Coleman. Todd McShay offered his thoughts on the situation in a conference call yesterday afternoon.

"First off, let me point out that my last name has two capital letters -- which makes me exponentially better than you right off the bat." He later added these thoughts on Dareus, "He's strong, a lot stronger than people think ... has great awareness. He's not as big or athletic as Fairley, but he might be a more complete player when he's 100 percent. He can play the 3-4 or a 4-3 for teams going back and forth ... like Cleveland that want to do different things up front."

When someone pointed out Cleveland's desperate need for a game-changing wide receiver, McShay nodded solemnly, "The Browns have a lot of needs. You can look at a variety of position groups like the defensive line, the wide receiver core, the linebackers... Kiper and I were watching film on the Browns' receivers last week and noticed that often times, Robiskie and Massaquoi would line up on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage, run quick slants to the middle of the field, then see who could punch the other in the dick first instead of running their routes." After a quick chuckle, McShay added, "Although the entertainment value is high with their existing core, the production is sorely lacking."

McShay then redirected the conversation back to Dareus, "[He] has a little durability concern, and he had the two-game suspension," referring to the suspension Dareus earned for receiving improper benefits from an agent. "A few pro-scouts attended his pre-combine workouts and noticed that his girlfriend, who was also in attendance, was wearing an "I Heart Bieber" t-shirt -- so questions about his decision making ability have risen. I mean, if the guy is dating a Bieber fan, who's to say he won't take a gun into a nightclub and shoot himself in the leg?

"We also noticed him eating a few skittles after his workout, forcing many to question his commitment to fitness." McShay wrapped up the conference call with this, "All this to say, I'm obnoxiously and offensively overpaid for what I do, and although my work impacts nothing on draft day and will actually be proven completely useless by the team's actual selections, I'll continue to do this pointless process year in and year out. God forbid I actually do something that contributes to anything, ever."

*Quotes from McShay only slightly adjusted based on writers impression of the conference call...

Things just got a whole lot more interesting in Motown this summer:

Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has been arrested on drunken driving charges in Florida.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office says the 27-year-old's car engine was smoking alongside a road late Wednesday when a deputy spotted the vehicle.

According to the arrest report, Cabrera smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and took a swig from a bottle of scotch in front of a deputy.

Police say Cabrera repeatedly refused to cooperate, saying, "Do you know who I am, you don't know anything about my problems."

Yes, you read that bolded part correctly.

Lest you forget, this is the same Miggy Cabrera that was out drinking the night before the final game of the 2009 season who was then arrested in a domestic dispute with his wife.

Not sure how this all plays out (or how the people in Detroit will react to this), but the travails of Miggy could have a HUGE impact on the 2010 season for the Tigers, even after doling out $90.25M in contracts.  Regardless of those players added (or retained), the engine of the Tiger offense is Cabrera and without him (or with him battling his problem), the Tigers offense in 2010 may find themselves stuck in neutral.

After losing 71-67 to Wisconsin on the road Saturday afternoon, the previously top ranked Buckeyes fell to the No. 3 spot in this week's Coaches Poll. The Buckeyes were hopped by once beaten Kansas and a three loss Texas team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. The AP poll, which I assume is backed more by common sense, has Ohio State at the No. 2 spot behind Kansas and ahead of Texas. 

The drop was expected after Ohio State's trip to Madison produced Ohio State's only loss of the season. A hostile trip turned disrespectful when fans stormed the court after Wisconsin's victory when Jared Sullinger was spat on by a Badger fan. After Wisconsin's football team gave the Ohio State squad its only loss of the season, it's hard to feel anything but hate for stupid Wisconsin and their stupid fans, their stupid football team, their stupid basketball team, their stupid coaches, their stupid mascot, their stupid band, their stupid state, their stupid economy, their stupid Governer Scott Walker, their stupid mass production of cheese, the stupid lake serving as a border connecting them to stupid Michigan, their stupid state motto 'Forward', their stupid state population of 5,654,774 according to a 2009 estimate, their stupid state fossil "Trilobite" and their stupid law prohibiting people from throwing rocks at train-cars.