The LA Lakers' hiring of former Cavs coach Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson may have turned some heads in Northeast Ohio, especially since Brown could never win a championship with LeBron James. But in a year without a big-name candidate, the Lakers could have done much worse.

Brown is 41 years old. Taking over an aging roster, he's young enough to oversee the rebuilding process whenever management deems it must begin. He can teach his defense-first mentality when the roster revamping begins.

Former Ohio State receiver Ray Small told the OSU student newspaper The Lantern that he sold Big Ten championship rings and received special deals on cars, adding to the problems the school will face in an Aug. 12 hearing before the NCAA.

According to The Lantern, Small said "everyone was doing it." Small, a Glenville High School product, was suspended multiple times during his Ohio State career (2006-2009). He has returned to school to finish his sociology degree, according to the Associated Press.

Thoughts on Tuesday night's NBA lottery:

New Browns coach Pat Shurmur got a glimpse of the fans' passion Monday night during the 31st annual Akron Browns Backers banquet at Tangier restaurant.

And he nearly had to use former coach Sam Rutigliano's cane in the process.

While Miami Heat star LeBron James experienced a cathartic moment last week after getting past the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, James' reaction  may have been a bit premature.

James' opponent in the Conference finals is the Chicago Bulls, coached by former Celtics' defensive guru Tom Thibodeau. So was it any coincidence that James hit 5 for 15 from the field and committed four turnovers in the Bulls' 103-82 victory Sunday night in Game 1?

After scoring the Miami Heat's final 10 points, including two cruical 3s that helped eliminate the Boston Celtics 97-87 Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference semifinals, LeBron James did what he should have done months ago.

He apologized for leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I sat down with Indians manager Manny Acta Wednesday afternoon in his office at Progressive Field. Here's more of what Acta had to say about the Tribe's surprising start.

Q: Does this team have a special chemistry?

With six arrests for driving under the influence in Major League Baseball since Jan. 1, including two members of the Cleveland Indians, former general manager Jim Bowden wants the sport  to crack down on offenders.

Here are the suggestions Bowden offered in a Tuesday blog on ESPN.com:

Saturday's passing of Spanish golf legend Seve Ballesteros brought to mind my first time covering the Masters in 2001.

I was blown away by how different the course looks in person than on television -- much more hilly, for one -- and vowed to walk the front and back nines when play began to see it all.

In releasing his first 2012 mock draft, Todd McShay of ESPN and Scouts Inc. called it ''one of my toughest and most uncertain assignments.'' He wrote on ESPN.com that it is more a list of players to watch this fall, especially with the draft order not set and some team's needs to be filled through free agency.

The order McShay used came from reversing the NFL power rankings that Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson came up with after the draft. That order gives the Browns the first overall pick.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. listed Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard as one of four players in rounds 2-3 who could have an early impact on their teams this season. 

Here's what Kiper said about Sheard, the Big East's Defensive Player of the Year:

The fact that Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II issued a statement regarding running back Rashard Mendenhall's tweets following the death of Osama bin Laden has raised speculation that what Mendenhall posted on Twitter might cost him his job.

On Monday, Mendenhall tweeted: "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..."

Comments about sports seem insignificant today after the news of the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Because I was catching up on some DVR shows last night and missed the 11 p.m. news, today's headlines on the front pages of the Plain Dealer and Beacon Journal took my breath away. Kind of like the impact newspapers used to have.  A big salute to the Navy SEALs, who gave the nation a huge lift, and the rest of the Armed Forces.