With a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, closer Fausto Carmona struck out the first two batters. So, he had recovered from his blown save a few night earlier, right? Wrong. Carmona walked the bases loaded, two coming from hit batters, and gave up a Mark Loretta double off the Green Monster to end it as the Red Sox won in dramatic fashion again, 6-5.

The Tribe, much like night before, scored early and went up 3-0 in the first. Jeremy Sowers was able to stretch his scoreless streak to 22 innings before he gave up two in the fifth. Three of the Sowers’ five strikeouts in the game were by slugger David Ortiz. After a Manny Ramirez and Wily Mo Pena home run gave the Red Sox the lead in the sixth, Travis Hafner responded with a two-run shot in the eighth to put the Indians on top. What looked to be a rare series victory for the Tribe ended in disaster once again.

With the contract negotiations with Drew Gooden at a standstill, the Cavaliers have met with unrestricted free-agent forward Reggie Evans and may also plan a meeting with Lorenzen Wright.

According to an NBA executive, the Cavs met Tuesday with free-agent forward Reggie Evans at an undisclosed location outside of Cleveland.

Contract talks with Gooden, a restricted free agent, have been stalled for several weeks. Even though the Cavs still want to re-sign him, the stalemate has them evaluating all options.

Evans, who averaged 5.9 points and 7.5 rebounds last season, has been playing a waiting game with the Denver Nuggets, who have been looking to re-sign him.

Perhaps the threat of signing another forward will push the Gooden talks along. I would be in favor of bringing Drew back but it would have to be at the right price. Currently, he is carrying quite an expensive price tag. His agent is looking in the $9 and $10 million range and it’s up to the Cavaliers whether they want to dish out that kind of cash for Drew. In the meantime, they are doing what they can to see what else is out there.

Injured center LeCharles Bentley met with the media Wednesday for the first time since tearing his patella tendon which quickly ended his season. Bentley was living a dream by having the chance to play football for his hometown team. After suffering a season-ending injury, you would think that would destroy a player like Bentley. Just the opposite. LeCharles declared the injury as a “blessing” and he will end up being a better person because of it.

“There is zero doubt in my mind that I will make a complete recovery and be able to play again,” Bentley said. “I know this is going to end up being a blessing for me. I’m going to end up being a better player having gone through this process. I’m really excited about it.”

“After going through this process, I know that I’ll be mentally tougher.”

While some players have taken more than a year to recover from a patella tendon injury, Bentely sounded pretty confident that he’ll be back for the start of the 2007 season. In the meantime, he will do what he can off the field to help the Browns out.

“I’ll be the best cheerleader in the league,” he said. “I’ll be the best cheerleader the team has because I know we don’t have any cheerleaders. I’m not saying I’ll wear a skirt, but I’ll be there for the guys.”

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to see some of the things the offensive line might not see during the game. I’ll be another set of eyes.”

Just having Bentley’s presence back on the field again is a huge boost to the Browns and the players. Sure, he won’t be suiting up on the field this season, but having him on the sidelines will surely pump up the players. Bentley is a smart guy and will almost be another coach for the team.