In roughly two and a half months, the Cleveland Gladiators will be back on the...turf?...coming off of nearly a two-year haitus after the AFL folded completely. Now playing under arena football's most recent incarnation the AF-1, the team is set to open their season against the Arizona Rattlers April 3rd. The Gladiators' last go-'round resulted in a National Conference Championship loss to John "Slippery When Wet" Bongiovi's Philadelphia Soul, who later went on to defeat Sabercats to win the AFL Championship Title. Sadly, this was the closest Cleveland had been to a national championship since the Cavs were swept by the Spurs in 2007.

The Cleveland Gladiators announced today that they have released their 2010 Arena Football One season schedule. The Gladiators will open the 2010 regular season on Saturday, April 3, when they host the Arizona Rattlers at Quicken Loans Arena at 7:00 p.m.

The 16-game schedule features eight home and eight road games. The Gladiators will be members of the National Conference’s Midwest Division, playing home-and-home games against the Chicago Rush, Iowa Barnstormers and Milwaukee Iron.

In addition to the three divisional games, the Gladiators will welcome Arizona, Oklahoma City, Spokane, Tulsa and Utah to The Q.

The Gladiators road schedule outside of the division includes trips Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Spokane and Tulsa.

“Our schedule looks very competitive and we are excited to get started,” Gladiators head coach Steve Thonn said. “It is road-heavy in the beginning but we finish with three straight home games that will give us some momentum as we make a push for the playoffs.”

The Gladiators home schedule will be played on seven Saturday nights and one Friday night. All Saturday games will begin at 7:00 p.m. while the lone Friday contest versus Utah scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

04/03/2010 07:00 PM Arizona Rattlers

Browns General Manager Tom Heckert, President Mike Holmgren, Head Coach Eric Mangini and Executive Vice President – Business Operations Bryan Wiedmeier press conference 1-12-10

(Opening statement)

The Tribe added 14 year veteran infielder Mark Grudzielanek today in a free agent deal. Grudzielanek has compiled a career average of .290 with 391 doubles, 36 triples, 90 homers and 629 RBIs in his career playing for the Expos, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, and Royals. The 39 year old is a native of Milwuakee and will likely be a utility infielder on the club if he makes the team with his minor league contract. Last season in 86 games with Kansas City, the veteran hit .299 with 3 homers and 24 RBI.

(Opening statement)- “We have the thing going tomorrow where Eric (Mangini) will be there as well as Bryan (Wiedmeier) and Tom (Heckert). What we wanted to do was if you had any questions before tomorrow we can kind of get that out of the way a little bit.”

(On if Heckert will have control of the 53-man roster)- “Yes, he’s going to set up the 53-man roster, but I would temper that just a little bit. He and I are going to be in close communication on that. That will be his responsibility.”

(On what he believes are Heckert’s strengths)- “If you look at his resume first of all, he has got tremendous experience in the league. I think he has a tremendous work ethic. He is very, very bright. He’s been successful. He’s done a great job in both Miami and Philadelphia. Lastly, his personality is one [where] he’s a great team player and very impressive guy. I think when you get a chance to talk to him and meet with him you’ll see that as well.”

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers was named the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 4th through 10th. It is the third time this season that James has received the award.

James topped the league in scoring (33.0 ppg), and ranked third in the Eastern Conference in assists (7.7 apg). He also added 7.7 rebounds and lead the Cavs to a 2-1 record. On January 10, James also scored 41 points and had 10 rebounds, marking his fifth game of at least 40 points and his 12th double-double of the season.

Here is a run-down of James' performance for the week:

Jan. 6 vs. Washington: Totaled 23 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks in a 121-98 a win over the Wizards.

Jan. 8, @ Denver: Scored 35 points, handed out seven assists and collected six rebounds in a 99-97 loss to the Nuggets.

Jan. 10 @ Portland: Earned his 12th double-double of the season with 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 106-94 win over the Trail Blazers

Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the same time period.

My favorite Cleveland Indians player in my late teenage years was Albert Belle. I had been a fan of his since long before he was a star with the Indians, as at that time I followed college baseball closely and managed to see some games of his at LSU. At LSU, he had the same type of personality issues that he had when he made it to the Major Leagues, but his tenacity and power were something to admire. He won over Indians fans with his big bat and his ominisous glare but when he left for Chicago in free agency, where the White Sox offered him a contract worth substainally more money, the town treated him like a villian from a horror movie. It always irked me because I had seen another side of Belle that didn't get too much ink. I worked as an usher the last season the Indians played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and Belle was always the last one signing autographs after games. While his personality never was the most affable, not only would he sign autographs until the last person was there, he would also be the top contributer to the Indians charities on an annual basis. I never understood why the fans turned their back on him (most likely because he and the media had an oil and vinegar relationship) but I'm interested to see what happens when (if) LeBron James departs in free agency this season.

Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar has had a rough ride in recent years. After a nasty divorce from his wife, his dire financial situation came to light and the former Brown was forced to file for bankruptcy. Court documents now show that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Raymond B. Ray in Fort Lauderdale changed his bankruptcy case to a liquidation, or Chapter 7.

The order was issued on Wendesday, and says that a court appointed trustee will sell Kosar's assets and then distribute the proceeds to his creditors. In court documents Kosar had listed $9.2 million in assets and $18.9 million in debt.

Kosar initially fild for bankruptcy protection in June. According to the filing, he owed $1.5 million to the Cleveland Browns, $3 million to his ex-wife, and $9 million to a bank for bad real estate deals. He also had to repay a loan of $725,000 to the owner of the arena football team the Cleveland Gladiators.

Kosar divorced in 2007. In 2009, his steakhouse went out of business. In 2010 he will lose all his assets, but perhaps it will give him a fresh start.

Kosar played for the Browns from 1985 to 1993, and then also played for Dallas and Miami before retiring in 1996.

I don't blame Josh Cribbs for running out of patience with the Browns' foot-dragging. He plays the most dangerous position in sports, with the possible exception of Alpine skiing.

Kick, returners don't last long because they are involved in the most violent collisions in the game -- ball carrier and tackler running head-on at full speed. Only on kick returns do you see this.

The secret to Cribbs' success is his start. He doesn't hesitate as some kick returners do, looking for an opening, cautiously dancing. His first step is straight ahead at full speed. It's a game of chicken. The faint-hearted need not apply.

This is what I think. The Browns expected him to get hurt, which is the reason they misled him, deceived him, lied to him, until that time came. After that, he wouldn't matter. Cart him off and cancel the remaining years of his contract. They had no intention of sweetening his contract. For Pete's sake, they had 18 months to re-work his deal. The organization is insenstive. It is non-caring.