The sprawling SPIRE Institute in Geneva continues to increase its big-event profile.

The facility's plush indoor track is booked with college events for five of the next six weekends. The signature events are the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 28-March 1 and the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 6-8. SPIRE also hosted the Big Ten meet last year.

Other indoor track events coming to Geneva include this weekend's SPIRE Midwest Indoor Track and Field Open, SPIRE Division II Indoor Track and Field Challenge Feb. 7-8 and SPIRE Division I Indoor Track and Field Invitational Feb. 14-15.

SPIRE's pool will also be filled with trimmed athletes. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Feb. 12-14), Atlantic 10 Conference (Feb. 19-22) and Mid-American Conference (Feb. 27-March 1) are conducting conference championships in Geneva. SPIRE's collegiate swimming cycle concludes with the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships March 12-15. The Division II meet is the same weekend as the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland.

The volume of championship events represents a good sign for SPIRE and raises the possibility of an NCAA Division I championship coming to Geneva. SPIRE's track and swimming facilities are arguably the best in the Midwest and being located directly off Interstate 90 makes it an attractive site for selection committees.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

The Indians invited three catchers, two infielders and an outfielder on Wednesday to their major-league spring training.

Let's ponder where Jake Lowery, Roberto Perez, Tony Wolters, Francisco Lindor, Joe Wendle and Tyler Naquin might play this season. No member of the sextet will land in Lake County unless it's on a rehab assignment.

Jake Lowery -- A 23-year-old catcher drafted in the fourth round in 2011, Lowery split time between High-A Carolina and Double-A Akron last season. Look for him to return to Akron, where he might spend the entire season.

Roberto Perez -- The 25-year-old catcher is the oldest player the Indians invited to camp on Wednesday. Yan Gomes will be the Opening Day catcher. Things get interesting behind Gomes. Carlos Santana started learning third base this winter. If Santana proves he can play both corner infield positions, he might not be needed behind the plate. Veteran Matt Treanor, the husband of volleyball star Misty May, adds catching depth. The Indians like Perez's defense and he ended last season at Triple-A Columbus. He should stick in camp for most of March for depth purposes.

Tony Wolters -- The Indians selected Wolters in the third round of the 2010 draft as an infielder. The glut of quality middle infielders in the system led to Wolters moving to catcher last season. Wolters spent all of 2013 at Carolina, where he might return as the everyday catcher.

Francisco Lindor -- The top prospect in the system, the 20-year-old Lindor ended last season at Akron. As long as they have Asdrubral Cabrera at shortstop, the Indians will keep Lindor in the minors. A return to Akron, where he hit .289 in 21 games, might be the best thing for Lindor's development. Look for him to end the season in Columbus -- or possibly Cleveland.

Joe Wendle -- The 2012 sixth-round draft pick from Division II West Chester (Pa.) University can play multiple infield positions and displayed power by hitting 16 homers in 106 games at Carolina last season. Lindor and Wendle cultivated in Carolina. Wendle will likely start the season in Akron, where he could combine with Lindor to give the Rubber Ducks a quacky middle infield duo. OK, we're banning ourselves from future duck references when discussing Akron. We promise.

Tyler Naquin -- The Indians' 2012 first-round draft pick has been solid but not spectacular, so look for him to return to Akron, where he appeared in 18 late-season games last season. This should be the season the Indians determine whether Naquin is a potential big-league starter or fourth outfielder.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

The Lake Erie College wrestling team should be postseason-ready by the end of the month.

Two weeks after seeing four ranked opponents at the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II National Duals, the Storm are preparing to host powerful Notre Dame College and  venerable Pitt-Johnstown. The Falcons and Mountain Cats are ranked first and 13th, respectively, in the most recent Division II poll. LEC (9-5) is ranked 16th

NDC visits LEC for a 2 p.m. dual meet Sunday. The Falcons (8-1) won the national duals and haven't lost to a Division II opponent in a dual meet since last January. Ohio State is the only team to defeat NDC this season. The Falcons took three bouts from the Buckeyes, who are ranked 11th in Division I.

Two days after facing NDC, LEC wrestles Pitt-Johnstown in Painesville. The Mountain Cats have won two NCAA Division II titles under longtime coach Pat Pecora. Next Tuesday's dual meet begins at 7 p.m.

LEC fell to 12th-ranked Mercyhurst, 24-12, last weekend. The Sorm faced seventh-ranked Kutztown, eighth-ranked Upper Iowa (twice) and 13th-ranked Ouachita Baptist at the national duals. LEC. Add it up, and LEC will have wrestled seven ranked opponents in a 17-day stretch.

The Storm have spent the entire season ranked in the Top 20, an encouraging sign with the postseason looming. The Super Region 2 Championships are March 1-2 in Tiffin. The NCAA Championships are two weeks later at Cleveland's Public Auditorium.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

Kenny Guiton threw more passes Saturday than he did in Ohio State's final four games.

Guiton attempted four passes in the first half of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif.  He completed one.

The meager numbers are irrelevant when examining Guiton. He was invited to the showcase event despite finding himself behind Braxton Miller on the Buckeyes' depth chart the past two seasons.

Guiton presents NFL scouts with a conundrum.  He completed 75 of 109 passes for 749 yards as a senior, performing admirably when Miller missed three games because of a knee injury. A case could be made that Guiton ranked among the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten, a conference devoid of impact offensive talent. But Guiton hasn't led a team for an entire season since high school.

At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Guiton looks like he would fit alongside NFL quarterbacks. His father is an assistant coach at Eisenhower (Texas) High School, which gives Guiton a desirable football background.

NFLDraftScout.com ranks Guiton as the 22nd best quarterback in the 2014 draft class. Guiton didn't help or hurt his stock Saturday because four passes isn't a substantial sample size.

It's unlikely Guiton receives an invitation to next month's NFL Scouting Combine. Matt Cassel backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinhart at USC and didn't receive an invitation to the 2005 combine. The Patriots, though, scouted USC heavily and used a seventh-round pick on the 6-foot-4 Cassel, who has appeared in 87 NFL games with the Patriots, Chiefs and Vikings.

Guiton, like Cassel, played for a big-time college program. The Ohio State brand helped Guiton land a spot in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. The brand might be enough to convince an NFL team to invite Guiton to training camp.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

Saturday is a big day for NFL draft trackers.

The East-Shrine Game begins at 4 p.m. Two hours later, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl begins. Both nationally televised games are scouting showcases. Strong performances can enhance a player's draft stock. Poor performances can cause a player's stock to plunge.

The top postseason all-star game -- the Senior Bowl -- holds a prominent spot on the football calendar. The game presents a football option between the conference title games and Super Bowl.

Most players jockeying for draft position during the next eight days competed for FBS or FCS schools. But a talented collection of small-college players are appearing in the games. Here's a list of players who competed for Division II, III or NAIA schools looking to crack draft boards.

Perhaps one of the players listed below lands with the Browns, who selected Chadron State's Garrett Gilkey and East Central's Armonty Bryant in last year's seventh round. Gilkey and Bryant both played for Division II programs.

East-West Shrine Game

John Brown, WR, Pitt State (Division II)

Pierre Desir, DB, Lindenwood (Division II)

Nate Dreiling, LB, Pitt State (Division II)

Matt Hall, OL, Belhaven College (NAIA)

Seantavius Jones, WR, Valdosta State (Division II)

Larry Webster III, DL, Bloomsburg (Division II)

Ethan Westbrooks, WR, Pitt State (Division II)

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

Martin Bayless, WR, Central Methodist (NAIA)

Brian Clarke,OL, Bloomsburg (Division II)

Brandon Dixon, DB, Northwest Missouri State (Division II)

Brian Dixon, DB, Northwest Missouri State (Division II)

Gerald Ford, WR, Valdosta State (Division II)

Howard Jones, DL, Shepherd (Division II)

Jamie Meder, DL, Ashland (Division II)

Jake Metz, DL, Shippensburg (Division II)

Donnie Owens, DL, Winston-Salem State (Division II)

Franklyn Quiteh, RB, Bloomsburg (Division II)

Dustin Vaughan, QB, West Texas A&M (Division II)

Corey Washington, WR, Newberry (Division II)

Nick Williams, DB, North Alabama (Division II)

Senior Bowl

Jeff Janis, WR, Saginaw Valley State

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheralguy

Notre Dame College could be adding a big-name assistant baseball coach.

Former Indians slugger Travis Hafner is strongly considering joining the Falcons' staff if he doesn't land a deal with a major-league team, according to multiple sources.

The Falcons started practicing Monday. As of late Tuesday night, a source said Hafner was not officially part of Len Barker's coaching staff. NDC opens the season Feb. 22 against King College in Bristol, Tenn.

Hafner would likely join the Falcons as a volunteer coach. He was considering coaching last season, but he returned to Major League Baseball after receiving a one-year contract offer from the New York Yankees. Hafner agreed to terms with the Yankees on Jan. 31, 2013.

Barker, like Hafner, also played for the Indians, and he has used his big-league ties to boost NDC's baseball profile. Former Indians catcher Ron Pruitt was a volunteer coach on Barker's staff last season.

Hafner's wife, Amy, is a cheerleading coach at NDC and he attended multiple football games last fall, so he's familiar with the growing South Euclid campus. The baseball program makes its Mountain East Conference debut this spring and will play home games at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon.

The 36-year-old Hafner has appeared in 1,183 major-league games. He played for the Indians from 2003-12 and maintains a residence in Northeast Ohio.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

YOUNGSTOWN – Norris Cole represents the perfect story for coaches selling the Horizon League to teenagers.

Lightly recruited out of Dayton, Cole flourished at Cleveland State, where he started 105 straight games and scored 1,978 career points. The Chicago Bulls used the 28^th overall pick in the 2011 draft on Cole. The Bulls then immediately shipped him to the Miami Heat.

Cole now owns two NBA championship rings. He's a regular in the Heat's star-laced rotation. He also remains a big part of Horizon League lore.

Following his team's deflating 67-66 loss to Youngstown State on Monday, Cleveland State coach Gary Waters dropped Cole's name when describing Penguin senior guard Kendrick Perry.

“He's the Norris Cole-caliber player in the league this year,” Waters said.

Perry had already left the interview room when Waters restored to a Cole reference. Here's guessing Perry grinned when informed of Waters' flattering comments. There's no bigger praise in the Horizon League than being compared to Cole.

Perry was spectacular in key moments Monday, propelling Youngstown State to one of the biggest wins in coach Jerry Slocum's nine-year tenure.

He scored 14 points in the last 6:19 of the first half and 12 points in the last 6:06 of the second half. Perry finished with a game-high 31 points as the Penguins improved to 11-8 overall and 2-2 in Horizon League play. He also played snug defense when his team needed it most.

Before sending Perry to the Thunder or Spurs, let's examine some of the differences between Cole and Perry.

Cole is 6-foot-2. Perry is 6-0. Cole is a point guard. Perry plays shooting guard. Cole forces his ways into tough spots against larger bodies. Perry accelerates and elevates – when he has space.

NBA analysts are lukewarm on Perry's future. DraftExpress rates Perry as the 46^th best senior prospect in the 2014 draft. Never mind all the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and international players who might enter the draft.

Perry is an outstanding player. He might be the best player in the Horizon League this season. He lifted his team to a huge win Monday.

But Cole joins Detroit's Willie Green (1999-2003) and Ray McCallum (2010-13) and Butler's Gordon Hayward (2008-10) and Shelvin Mack (2008-11) as one of five former Horizon League standouts to appear in an NBA game this season. His career trajectory will be difficult for Perry or any other current Horizon League player to duplicate.

– Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

Saint Vincent College is the training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The college's spot in NFL lore makes it a natural landing spot for a coach with John Carroll ties.

John Carroll associate head coach and offensive coordinator Ron Dolciato was named Saint Vincent's head coach on Friday. Dolciato spent 23 years at John Carroll, including the last 12 as offensive coordinator.

His legacy at John Carroll can be measured in many ways, so let's stick with the NFL theme. He coached two NFL offensive coordinators (San Francisco's Greg Roman and New England's Josh McDaniels), two general managers (Jacksonsville's Dave Caldwell and San Diego's Tom Telesco), and a director of player personnel (New England's Nick Caserio) at John Carroll.

One of Dolciato's former players, Tom Arth, played quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Arth became the Blue Streaks' head coach last year.

Dolciato's last season at John Carroll was one of his most memorable. The Blue Streaks went 9-2 and reached the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2013.

Saint Vincent went 0-10 last season. The college has served as the site of the Steelers' training camp since 1967. The Steelers spent four decades practicing on fields that sat idle during the fall. Saint Vincent suspended football in 1962. The program returned in 2007.

Dolciato lives in Russell Township.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com isn't like most NFL draft analysts.

For starters, Brooks, the Bills' second-round draft pick in 1994, played for five teams in five NFL seasons. When his playing career ended, he joined the Seahawks' player personnel development, where he served as a scout.

Brooks has shifted to a media position. But he still sounds and behaves like a scout. Anybody who observed Brooks in the press box of the Ohio State-Michigan game noticed a dedicated talent evaluator who had one eye on the field and another eye on his iPad.

On Thursday, Brooks joined Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps on WKRK-FM 92.3. The conversation quickly turned to the Browns' biggest need: quarterback.

Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel and Central Florida's Blake Bortles are regarded by many analysts as the top quarterbacks in the 2014 draft. Brooks rates Bridgewater over Manziel as the top quarterback in the class. Brooks attached a caveat to his hierarchy.

"If I had my druthers, I would take Teddy Bridgewater," he said. "And the only reason I would say Teddy Bridgewater over Johnny Manziel is that Teddy Bridgewater can fit into any system."
   
Brooks added that the gap between the duo isn't big.

"Right now, I would rate Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel as 1A and 1B depending on what offensive system you have," Brooks said.

Brooks said Bortles is a "notch below" the duo.

"My biggest concern with him is that I just don't see a transcendent star at the position," Brooks said.

The Browns hold the fourth overall pick. The Texans, Rams and Jaguars own the top three picks. The Texans and Jaguars are also seeking franchise quarterbacks.

Brooks said Manziel can flourish under a creative offense coordinator. The Browns are expected to start an offensive coordinator search once they hire a head coach. The organization's coaching search is in its 11th day.

Bucky Brooks' interview on WKRK-FM 92.3

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

It's time for a diversion from coaching search discussions and frost quakes. Fortunately, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the results of its most recent voting Wednesday.

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas are entering the Hall in July.  Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Jeff Kent and Mike Mussina are bracing for next year's vote. And Jack Morris is waiting for the veteran's committee to examine his case.

Maddux's selection should be symbolic to Lake County baseball fans. One of his early stops on the way to Cooperstown was Peoria, Ill., where he pitched for the 1985 Peoria Chiefs.

The Chiefs play in the Midwest League, the 16-team circuit the Lake County Captains joined in 2010. Maddux is the seventh Midwest League alum selected to the Hall of Fame, according to league historian Craig Wieczorkiewicz. The other six: Orlando Cepeda (Kokomo), Juan Marichal (Michigan City), Carlton Fisk (South Bend), Goose Goosage (Appleton), Bruce Sutter (Quincy) and Paul Molitor (Burlington).

By Minor League Baseball and Midwest League standards, Lake County is in its toddler stages of producing big-leaguers. The Captains played their first game in 2003, and there list of alums reads like a depressing tale of high draft picks and big hopes gone awry.

Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, is the top major-league performer in Captains' history. If there's a Hall of Fame for baseball's best mid-career name changes, Hernandez makes the ballot.

But grooming big-league players requires annual patience. Grooming Hall of Famers requires generational patience.

Maddux went 13-9 with a 3.19 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 27 starts for the Chiefs in 1985. He was 19 years old when he pitched in Peoria, his second of four minor-league stops.

He needed a spot to hone his deceptive pitches. Peoria represented a rung on the Cubs' developmental ladder.

Maybe Lake County becomes a similar stop on somebody's trail to Cooperstown.

Consider this a warming winter thought.  

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

Gus Malzhan's name will be trending in Northeast Ohio tonight. 

His Auburn Tigers are leading Florida State, 21-10, at halftime of the BCS National Championship game. His offense is up-tempo, innovative and easy on the eyes. His players are rapidly improving. Remember, Auburn started the season with a 31-24 win over Washington State. Nothing about the start foreshadowed a championship run alongside the South's slick brutes. 

Nothing about the circumstances surrounding Malzhan foreshadow a landing in Cleveland, either. 

Besides holding a desirable job in college football's top conference, Malzahn holds a new contract, one Auburn sweetened last month. Why would Malzahn shred the buzz he has generated in the past four months to coach the Browns? 

His offense requires an electric running back and athletic quarterback. The Browns have neither. The Browns also have an impatient owner who combined with his top football executives to fire a coach they hired last year. 

Malzahn, who was coaching high school football less than a decade ago, would be foolish to ditch comfortable, secure settings to enter the stressful environment cultivated by Jimmy Haslma, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi.

Judging by the game he's calling tonight, Malzhan is anything but foolish.   

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

Three wide receivers with college eligibility remaining entered the NFL draft Thursday.

Don't be surprised if one lands in Cleveland.

Texas A&M's Mike Evans, Penn State's Allen Robinson and Oregon State's Brandin Cooks comprise the trio. 

Evans, Johnny Manziel's top target, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 225 pounds. He's ranked the No. 2 wide receiver for the 2014 draft behind Clemson's Sammy Watkins, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

If the Browns select a quarterback with the fourth overall pick, it's unlikely Evans will be around when they use the first-round pick obtained from the Colts in the Trent Richardson trade. If the Browns or anybody else want to pair Evans with Manziel, they might need two top-15 overall picks.

The Browns could swap the pick from the Colts and Josh Gordon for a top-15 pick. Gordon is a failed drug test from a one-year suspension, but he's ultra-talented. Evans, though, has physical qualities comparable to those possessed by Gordon . A chance to build around Manziel and his top target is an intriguing thought. But trading Gordon might peeve an already skeptical fan base.

The more realistic scenario involves using the fourth overall pick on a quarterback and using the pick from the Colts for an auxiliary offensive part such as a receiver to play opposite Gordon. As of now, the Browns' second and third receivers are unreliable Greg Little and even more unreliable Davone Bess.

Robinson and Cooks are solid prospects. Robinson flourished in Bill O'Brien's pro-style attack at Penn State. Robinson, unlike Little and Bess, has no off-the-field issues. He should be a 50- to 75-catch receiver.

Cooks won the Bilentikoff Award and led FBS with 1,670 receiving yards. Cooks stands 5-foot-10, so he's diminutive by NFL standards.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy