The Plain Dealer is reporting that the Cavs are close to naming Mike Brown as their new head coach. The 35-year-old Brown is a very well-respected assistant with the Pacers. It’s surpising that they would settle on a coach before selecting a GM, though the feedback on Brown from other coaches and GMs in the league seems positive.

The pitching continues to carry the Tribe as the Indians cruise to a 4-1 victory over the hapless A’s. Cliff Lee tossed six shutout innings and the bullpen slammed the door shut. Bob Wickman injured his back, but he says his arm is fine and he shouldn’t be out long.

So much for being tough with Kellen Winslow. ESPN is reporting that the Browns will only require Winslow to repay $2 to $3 million of bonus money the team has already given last year’s first-round pick. Winslow also is due a $2 million bonus on July 15, but he’s not seeing a dime of that.

Add it up, and that’s $4 or $5 million, which qualifies as a slap on the wrist for Winslow considering his high-speed hobby could’ve cost him about $10 million in bonuses.

Sorry, but I don’t understand Dan Gilbert’s fascination with Larry Brown. Yes, the man knows basketball, but he has a terrible track record when it comes to staying with a franchise, and his talents seem to lie in coaching. He does not have a track record as a GM. Any coach hired by the Cavs would be constantly looking over their shoulders, knowing that Brown could decide to step in and coach the team himself if he doesn’t like what he sees.

Then you have the LeBron James issue. Unless LeBron has made it absolutely clear to Gilbert that he has NO PROBLEM whatsoever with Brown, Gilbert is playing with fire by risking this relationship.

Finally, it appears that Gilbert might be a little star-struck. It’s one thing to be a rich man, but for so many people that’s not enough. They are intoxicated by fame and celebrity. That might explain why Usher is an investor, and why Gilbert seems obsessed with big-name candidates like Phil Jackson and Larry Brown. He needs to hire stable professionals to run this team and then get out of the way. Instead, it looks like he wants to make a big splash by bringing in a big star. He already has the biggest star out there with Lebron, and if he isn’t careful he just might lose him.

The Tribe is finally learning how to win. They clawed back to get a 3-2 victory over the Twins in extra innings. Again, they relied on excellent pitching. The offense will need to pick things up, however, now that Kevin Millwood might have to go on the DL with a groin injury.

It wasn’t pretty but the Indians took game one of their four-game series with the Twins Monday night, 2-1. The struggling Scott Elarton shut the Twins out on four hits in his 5.1 innings of work but the offense very nearly gave this one away too. Tied 1-1 with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, Victor Martinez hit a shot to straight-away center that resulted in the game-winning sacrifice fly. Bob Wickman did his best to blow the game in the ninth, putting runners on second and third before getting a groundout to end the game.

They’ve still got a ton of work to do, but tonight’s win was the Tribe’s third in a row and sent their record to 20-23. The White Sox have a hefty lead over the rest of the division but there’s still plenty of baseball to be played.

One day after flipping off Reds fan in the ninth inning against the Indians, former Cleveland pitcher Danny Graves has been designated for assignment by Cincinnati. Graves, the Reds’ full-time closer for six of the past seven years, allowed five runs in one-third of an inning Sunday and, after getting pulled by manager Dave Miley and walking off the field Sunday, he yelled at and flipped off a Reds fan sitting next to the dugout who’d started heckling him.

Graves has been awful this year (10 saves with a 7.36 ERA and a .357 BAA), but the Indians should be the first team looking to sign him. I wouldn’t let him close — we’ve already got a shaky closer — but I think he’d be a great middle/late inning guy to add, someone who could go from the fifth to the eigth if you needed him to, or someone who could give you one good inning. Let’s not forget that he used to be a starter for the Reds, albeit not a terribly good one, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if Wedge needed to stretch him out to three or four innings every once in a while.

Graves is an experienced arm who can help in several different roles and, with his Cleveland connection, you’ve got to think he’d at least be mildly interested in joining the Indians’ bullpen.

The Kellen Winslow debacle now becomes a big test for Randy Lerner. Mr. Lerner has won some respect lately with the fans for finally bringing in professionals like Phil Savage and Romeo Crennell to run the football operations, but the fans still remember Lerner’s boneheaded decision to let Butch Davis quit on the team and still pocket the remaining $12 million on his contract. Then, Lerner goes and raises ticket prices in the offseason following six years of pathetic performances on the field.

With this backdrop, Lerner needs to make some tough decisions on Winslow. Fans demanding his release are not thinking straight, but that sentiment demonstrates the intense frustration felt by Cleveland fans. There needs to be consequences for Winslow’s irresponsible behavior. The fans will settle for nothing less. Further, if the Browns want to give Winslow the opportunity to earn back some of the bonus money, it has to be tied to a commitment by Winslow to extend his contract if he comes back healthy. Lerner needs to be tough but fair. If he handles this well, he’ll build temendous good will in the community. If he blows it by letting Winslow off the hook like he did with Butch Davis, he risks losing the respect of the fans for years to come.

With today’s 9-2 victory over the slumping Reds, the Tribe was able to win the series and get back on track. Cliff Lee was solid again today, and following C.C.’s big day yesterday, the pitching continues to keep the Tribe competitive. The bullpen has been nothing short of brilliant. Let’s hope the offense can become more consistent.

The PD reports that injured outfielder Juan Gonzalez will start his rehab assignment in Buffalo Monday, with the Indians looking at activating him within two weeks. Let’s see what he’s got left.

The question is, who goes down? Coco Crisp’s injury made Jody Gerut’s return a much easier move but now Shapiro needs to figure out who’s getting bumped for Gonzalez. The longer Aaron Boone struggles, the louder the argument becomes to send him down.

Also, in case you missed it, the Indians shuttled Jason Davis back to Triple-A and called up reliever Matt Miller. The club wants Davis to get some time as a starter and, if he strings together a couple good outings, don’t be surprised to see Davis come back up and take Scott Elarton’s job. Elarton’s been awful and his days in the rotation have to be numbered.

My opinion’s a little divided on Davis. On the one hand, he’s got a great arm, without question, and you’d love to see him turn that potential into consistent production as a starter. On the other hand, though, he has all the tools to be an excellent closer, and lord knows Bob Wickman ain’t going to be around much longer. Whatever they ultimately decide, the Indians need to leave Davis alone, in one role or another.