Sabathia did it again. His complete game Sunday afternoon helped give the Tribe a 5-2 win and a series split over the White Sox. Sabathia struck out nine to notch his 11th win of the season. With the game tied at two in the ninth, the Tribe exploded and plated three runs to beat the Sox. Victor Martinez hit a solo homer and Casey Blake singled home a run as Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was shuffling relievers in and out during the ninth. A bases loaded walk to Sizemore gave the Tribe the three-run cushion and Sabathia took care of business in the bottom half.

“Last year, I was pitching pretty good at the end,” he said. “I want to keep it going. I have three or four starts left, and I want to finish strong.”

New season, same old story. The offensive line for the Browns continues to be as ineffective as ever and once again proved Sunday to be an Achilles heel for this team. The Bentley injury was ages ago and can no longer be used as an excuse. The line against the Saints was basically non-existent. They couldn’t provide any running lanes for Droughns and Harrison and had Frye running for his life all day long. Will Smith is a great rusher and ate Kevin Schaffer for lunch early on, but last time I checked the Saints were among the worst teams in the league last season when it comes to run defense. You know you have problems when your quarterback outrushes your two running backs combined. Something has to change because if this is a sign of things to come, this offense is in for a long and troubled season.

A defense that was pretty stout against the run during the preseason wasn’t so against McAllister, Bush, and the Saints. The two-headed monster combined for 151 yards on the ground as the Saints’ offensive line handled the Browns defensive line with ease. The defense really clamped down and showed some toughness in the red zone but were easy to pick on between the 20s.

It is said time and time again that to be victorious a team must win the battle up front, something the Browns failed to do on both sides of the ball. The O-line has some leaks and looked as it always has in the past and the D-line was frequently being beaten off the ball. The opener was a perfect example of what happens when a team loses the line battle. As an offense, if you can’t block or protect your quarterback, it results in a minimal rushing attack and your QB running around like a chicken with his head cut off, like what happened with Frye. As a defense, if you fail to control the line of scrimmage, a team runs down your throat and controls the clock while your defense is sucking wind out on the field. Like it or not, the Browns are in the rugged and brutal AFC North, one of the toughest divisions in the league, and it is imperative that they get tougher up front.

What is it about season openers for the Browns? Since they returned to the NFL in 1999, only once have they won on opening day. The Browns were snakebitten once again as some key penalties and an inept offense played a factor in their 19-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Browns were, well, pitiful in the first half and played as bad of a half as you possibly could. Charlie Frye, who finished 16-of-27 for 1 TD and 2 INT, struggled in the first half, throwing a pick and botching a hand off to Jerome Harrison. The game was frustrating all around as the offensive line failed to open up any holes for Reuben Droughns and allowed five sacks on Frye. The plays they did make in the first half were called back because of penalties.

Trailing 9-0, the offense was finally able to kick it in gear with their first series of the second half. Frye hooked up with Kellen Winslow, Jr. for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The Saints later responded with a Drew Brees touchdown pass to make it 16-7. The Browns rallied again with a Frye touchdown run but they wouldn’t get any closer. A last ditch effort was erased as a Braylon Edwards’ dropped pass on the final drive resulted in an interception.

The Ohio State Buckeyes proved to the nation that they’re worthy of the number one ranking last night. The offense had more weapons than Texas could handle and Troy Smith showed why he’s a top Heisman candidate. Smith led the Buckeyes to a late first half touchdown that gave Ohio State the momentum they kept for the entire second half.

If Ted Ginn wasn’t beating the Longhorn defense deep, Anthony Gonzalez was open over the middle. Smith was very calm and made all the right decisions. The Buckeye defense was also a pleasant surprise. After looking shaky early, the defense settled down and didn’t give up a single point the whole second half.

A game that started out extremely ugly for the Tribe actually turned out to be rather interesting. After getting blown out of the water to start, the Indians put together a massive seventh inning to make it close but in the end the White Sox prevailed 10-8 Saturday night. The nightmare of a season for Fausto Carmona continues. Starting in an Indians uniform for the first time since April 29, Carmona allowed five runs in three innings as the Sox jumped out to a 10-1 lead after six innings. The Indians surprisingly were able to make a game of it when they put up seven on the board in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to two. Kevin Kouzmanoff highlighted the inning with a three-run homer but the Indians simply seemed to run out of gas the rest of the way.

Put him in the closer’s role, he struggles. Send him to Buffalo, he struggles. Bring him back to the Indians’ rotation, he struggles. Fausto may have a lot going through his head right now. Perhaps the organization has tried to do too much with him too soon.