People have been wondering for a while who this mysterious new Offensive Coordinator would be, and today it was revealed to be the enigmatic Brad Childress.

Childress was the OC in Philly from 2003-2005 (he was QB Coach there from 1999-2002), where he worked with Tom Heckert and had Pat Shurmur as one of his assistants.  Then came a bumpy ride as Head Coach in Minnesota from 2006-2010, where he amassed a 39-35 record (including 2 trips to the playoffs and coming within one ill-conceived Brett Favre interception of reaching the Super Bowl) but was fired after a 3-7 start in '10 due to unmet expectations and some locker room unrest.

Despite his rugged good looks and his resemblance to Frank Oz, Childress probably isn't best suited to be a Head Coach.  But in his 8 years as OC and HC, his offenses have averaged 15th to 16th - hardly world beating, but rarified Offensive air for Cleveland.

Naysayers will point out that Childress only called plays for 1 of those 8 seasons, but it appears that he won't be calling plays here either, so that shouldn't be a factor.  His will be a voice that has actually fielded solid offenses trying to help out a guy who hasn't.

This hire ain't gonna get anyone tingly in the bloomers, but he is experienced and he knows the fellow Coaches/Front Office well, so there should be harmony amongst all the Powers That Be as they try to take us out of this ditch.  As any Clevelander will tell you, it likely won't work anyway, but having the whole crew on the same page certainly doesn't hurt.

Thanks to a controversial drop in the end zone (by Cleveland native Lee Evans) and a botched chip shot field goal (by former Brown Billy Cundiff), the Baltimore Ravens fell to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game today, 23-20. It was all part of a heartwarming tribute to the 25th anniversary of “The Drive,” in which the franchise now known as the Ravens was painfully edged out by the same 23-20 score in a game that also sent its winner to a Super Bowl matchup with the New York Giants.

“We did what we came here to do, wooo!” shouted a predictably sanctimonious Ray Lewis after the game. “I am a scholar of this game, and that’s the kind of heartbreak this great franchise was founded on. This one was for you, Ozzie!”

Indeed, Ravens GM and former Cleveland Browns tight end Ozzie Newsome confirmed to reporters after the game that his team was paying homage to its Cleveland roots. “I actually was hoping Cundiff would make the field goal but have it erroneously called no good,” he said. “That would have been a nice twist on 1987, when that f%#@er [Denver Broncos kicker Rich Karlis] clearly pushed that overtime kick wide and they called it good anyway.”

Surprisingly, current Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner (speaking from a loge at some limey soccer match) was quick to criticize the Ravens’ kindly re-enactment of a key piece of Browns history.

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Looking to rebound from a down year once again, Fausto Carmona is dipping into his bag of tricks.

A few years ago prior to the 2010 season, Carmona, at the urging of the late Jose Lima and his pitching coach Tim Belcher, shifted over on the pitching mound. The change of where he delievered the baseball was just one detail that helped Carmona in his search for the success he had in 2007.

Now, as the 2012 season looming and Carmona running out of things to change, he's decided to change his name.

Say hello to Roberto Hernandez Heredia.

International Man of Mystery.

Dysfunctional Commander of Midges.

Master of the Sweat-ball.

Okay, great.

Surely, you know this is a joke by now. No not that Carmona is changing his name, but the introduction to this here piece. You know by now that Carmona (when do I start calling him Heredia?) was arrested in his native Dominican Republic for... not being Fausto Carmona. 

And on this note, even if is name is Roberto, can I still call him Fausto? Or do I have to call him by his proper name? The Artist Formerly Known as Fausto? Let's just convert him to the symbol we most use after he pitches in a game.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, you pitched another stinker of a game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That too could get confusing.

It's good to see the Indians getting started off on the right foot though. I mean last year was the same way with Austin Kearns forshadowing us with a DUI, a few months before star Shin-Soo Choo would get one of his own.

Let's hope 26-year-old Asdrubal Cabrera isn't really 30-year-old Francisco Martinez Pena the Fourth.

Wally Bryan, you son of a...

FootballScoop.com reported Tuesday that they are hearing the Colts plan to interview Jim Tressel for their head coaching position.

For what it's worth, this runs counter to earlier reports from sources close to Tressel that his exposure to the league as a consultant to the Colts organization during the 2011 season had left him disenchanted with the NFL, and uninterested in getting involved in coaching in the league. He had a personal friendship with Jim Caldwell, who was fired by the team this week.

Stay tuned

The Cleveland Indians signed five of their seven arbitration eligible players today, leaving just two players unsigned for the upcoming 2012 season. Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez, Joe Smith, and Jack Hannahan all agreed to terms on one-year deals, with Asdrubal Cabrera and Rafael Perez being the two without contracts.

All five players received substantial raises. Per Indians Prospect Insider's Tony Lastoria, the five that combined to make $8.068M in 2011 will make $16.11M in 2012. Shin-Soo Choo tops the list at $4.9M, a raise of just under $1M. Chris Perez will make $4.5M in 2012, slightly more than doubling the $2.225M he made in 2011. Justin Masterson gets the largest raise, agreeing to a $3.825M deal, dwarfing the $468,400 he made last season. Joe Smith will earn $1.75M in 2012, about double what he made last season. Finally, Jack Hannahan will make $1.135M, a nice bump from the $500,000 he made in 2011.

Between the aforementioned five players, Travis Hafner, Fausto Carmona, Ubaldo Jimenez, Grady Sizemore, and Derek Lowe, the Indians are on the hook for $50.31M. Besides Asdrubal Cabrera and Rafael Perez, the rest of the roster will make at or near the league minimum, which is $480,000. Roughly, the Indians will add another $6.25M in payroll with those contracts, putting the current payroll at about $56.5M, before the Cabrera and R. Perez signings. Based on estimations by MLB Trade Rumors, the Indians could have another $7M in contracts to Cabrera and R. Perez, putting the payroll just over $63.5M.

The deadline to offer arbitration was today, with hearings beginning on February 1. The Indians have not gone to arbitration with a player since 1991. 

Here is the Scout recruiting team's final Top 300  ranking for 2012.  Team Rankings - Top 300 player listing

OSU commit , defensive end Noah Spence was ranked the nation's 5th best player, and Buckeye recruits Adophus Washington (10) , running back Brionte Dunn (32), defensive tackle Tommy Schutt (48), and DE Se'Von Pittman (58) were included in the top 60. Only one other player in the top 60 is committed to a Big Ten school...that is Kyle Kalis (35) from St. Edward, going up north,  but the conference did better between 60 and 100, with about ten commits so far for OSU's rivals combined (Michigan 6 in top 100, MSU 1, Penn State 2, Northwestern 1, Wisconsin 1).

Other Buckeye commits making the list:  LB Josh Perry (108), RB Warren Ball (196), DB Najee Murray (253) and DB De'Van Bogard (292).

Michigan has six of the top 100 recruits committed so far, and their class is ranked in the top 3 or 4 by the experts at this stuff. Ohio State has climbed into the top ten and could be top five when Meyer is finished three weeks or so from now. A couple of Meyer's realistic, last-minute targets, like offensive tackle Jordan Diamond (47) , receiver DaVonte Neal (74), and linebacker Camren Williams (172)  could make the 2012 OSU class look even better....you know...on paper.