Leadoff with Lee 8.20.14

-Who is JT? Not the one who sings on Jay-Z's song "Holy Grail", in Justin Timberlake. But Ohio State might sip from the cup till it runneth over in JT Barrett. This redshirt freshman from Texas was the number one dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2013. This 4 start quarterback will be the head signal caller for the Bucks this season. Before his season ending injury in high school, he racked up 569 yards rushing, 784 yards passing and scored 13 touchdowns in 5 1/2 games for Rider high school. The consensus has been that Barrett is a cross between Kenny Guiton and Braxton Miller. Barrett's 40 time is in mid 4.6 second range. While he may not have a rocket arm like Miller, he can pick up the leadership role needed on this young team. Most fans are scared of his inexpirence at the college level, but remember, since he is a redshirt he already has one year of practice under his belt. It's going to be on the upperclassmen to help build his confidence up and rally behind someone who hasn't seen live game action literally since high school. Stay calm Buckeye fans, Urban Meyer knows what he is doing.

-Browns head coach Mike Pettine was not ready to announce who would be his starting quarterback at home versus the St. Louis Rams. Pettine simply stated, "I am not prepared to name a starter at this time". If I had to take a wild guess, Hoyer will start game 3 of the preseason this coming Saturday. But today and Thursdays practices will determine who the starter will be on this short week. Also I will predict if Hoyer gets the start Saturday, Manziel will start the last preseason game.

-Josh Gordon's appeal judgement should come down by Friday. Isn't this the end of the 1-3 week timeframe?

-Monday night's preseason game for the Browns against the Redskins was the second highest rated preseason game in ESPN history.

-ESPN and the Mid-American conference (MAC) agreed to a exclusive 13 year rights agreement that will end following the 2026-2027 season. The deal will include football, men's college basketball, Olympic sporting events and multiple mid-week college football games during the month of November.

-Over the weekend Tiger Woods pulled out of the Ryder cup and will shut it down until December to rehab his back. Tiger isn't expected to return to play until the first week of December when he'll play in his own tournament, the World Challenge at Isleworth, in Orlando Florida.

-After being down 5-0 at the end of the first, the Tribe rallied to a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. Indians starter Trevor Bauer got off to a rough start, pitching 4.2 innings and giving up 4 hits, 5 runs and earning 4 strikeouts. The Indians then used 7 different pitchers to close the deal with Kyle Crockett getting the win for the good guys, and Cody Allen getting his 16th save of the season. The series continues today at 8:05 in Minnesota.

Leadoff with Lee 8.19.14

-Don't let the 24-23 score fool you, the game wasn't really that close. Neither Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel proved they deserved to be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. It seemed as if the rotating quarterbacks couldn't get into a rythem or build chemistry with the wideouts. Throws were high, low, behind and even hit their receivers hands for incomplete passes. Penalties also killed the Browns which I'm sure Mike Pettine isn't happy about. It also seemed as if Manziel didn't recognize blitz formations. He needs to change the protection, call an audible and/or know who is his "HOT" receiver. The defense looked decent with a great goal line stand. Joe Haden had a nice 37 yard interception as well. The Browns will have a short week as they play Saturday at home, against the St. Louis Rams.

-Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller re-injured his surgically repaired right shoulder in practice yesterday. His availability for the upcoming season is in question. Miller will have an MRI today to see if any additional damage was done to his shoulder or if it simply needs more rest. J.T. Barrett seems to be the front runner for Braxton's spot if he's unavailable for the Buckeyes first game August 30 at Navy. Cleveland Glenville's own Cardale Jones will be his backup. Both are freshman and participated in OSU's spring practice. It is unknown if Miller will apply for a medical redshirt if he is unavailable this season.

-The preseason AP poll was released and Ohio State ranked 5th. In the coaches poll released a few weeks ago, they ranked 6th.

-Four Notre Dame football players have been suspended and are being investigated for academic fraud. Notre Dame said in a statement that receiver DaVaris Daniels, defensive back KeiVarae Russell, defensive lineman Ishaq Williams and linebacker Kendall Moore submitted papers and homework written for them by others. No timetable has been placed on when the investigation will be complete.

-Shawn Marion officially agreed to the veterans league minimum ($1.4 million) to play with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Marion played for the Dallas Mavericks last season, averaging 10.4ppg and 6.5 rebounds. The 6'7", 36-year-old Marion will come off the bench to play small and power forward, making him very versitile.

-Kell Brook defeated Akron native "Showtime" Shawn Porter to become the new IBF Welterweight Champion. Brook won 117-111 and 116-112 on the American judge score cards and 114-114 and 115-113 on the English judge score cards. Porter expects a rematch, saying "Anytime, any place, I'm gonna take him".