The Cleveland State mens basketball team made a major investment in their program this season by putting in some major upgrades to their locker room. Among the upgrades include:

-18 New Wooden Lockers
-Flat Screen TVs and Video Cabinet
-Padded Carpets
-Dropped Ceilings
-Increased Shower and Restroom Area
-Lighting Upgrade
-Magnetic Dry Erase Board for Diagramming Plays

The program has raised $85,000 for the new rooms which is half their goal. If you would like to contribute to the program and reward the players and future players of the rising Vikings you can call Mike Dolsak at 216-871-9714 or visit this website.

A fourth victim of Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell has been identified as 43 year old Nancy Cobbs. Cobbs was last seen in April and her family had fled a missing persons report to the police in June. Cobbs was a mother of 4 children.

In other news on the case, Sowell stated that he wanted the death penalty after being caught by police this weekend. And in a strange twist, Mayor Frank Jackson's niece said that she had a relationship with Sowell and even asked questions about the repugnent odor at the Imperial Ave residence. Sowell said that the smell was from the sauasage factory that the house was next door to.

I wasn’t planning on writing again until this weekend. My plan was to get through tonight’s circus in New York and then recap the week from the comfort of my couch on Sunday. But I’m far too angry to let this go. Don’t worry, I’ll keep the rant short.

On Tuesday, the Cavs continued the trend of starting off games like they are taking a siesta. They got routed by the hapless Wizards and quickly found themselves in an 18 point hole. This is a red flag. Mike Brown is not properly preparing his team for these games. Acting like these games don’t matter isn’t working!

Luckily they cranked up their defensive intensity and destroyed Washington over the next three quarters to get the win. Smiles all around and horseplay ensued. Seemed like old times! I thought they had turned a corner. Everyone did. Now they were going to go on a run, right?

As if the Cleveland police don’t have enough on their hands. Now they have another missing person: Mayor Frank Jackson.

Where is Frank Jackson?

I’ve covered a lot of mayors going back to Ralph Locher. I don’t know one of them that would not have had a strong public presence in a situation as the one where 11 women have been murdered. And where so much evidence points to an embarrassing lack of policy, execution and service from the city and its bureaucracy.

I don’t know any of the Mayors for more than 40 years who would not be very visible, trying to guide the city, calm the city and give it some assurance of action. I don’t know any of them who wouldn’t be consoling the residents, trying to reassure them in every way, every day that the Mayor has concerned for them, for what has happened and for a just resolution.

This Mayor is absent without leave. He can’t hide behind, “What is, is.”

It won’t fly. Not this time.

The city’s police department has been seen as embarrassingly inept or worse, seriously unconcerned. This is his police department. They represent him.

The absence of the mayor is unforgivable.

Tim Belcher, a former first overall draft choice and Buckeye State native, has been selected as the new pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians. Belcher won 146 games games in his 14 years in the big leagues. He starred at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and was selected with the first pick in the draft by the Minnesota Twins in 1983.

The 48 year old has spent the last eight seasons in the Indians organization as special assistant of baseball operations. His new post will be a challenging one. The Indians had the 2nd worst pitching in all of baseball last season with an ERA over 5 and the team lacks a true number one pitcher after trading away CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee the past two seasons.

Former Cleveland State men's basketball players J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson will each get an opportunity to play professionally this winter in the NBA Development League after each had their rights claimed this week.

Jackson will play for the Erie Bayhawks after his rights were assigned to the team, which is affiliated with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors, while Bullock was tabbed as a sixth round pick (96th selection) by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in Thursday's NBA Development League Draft.

Bullock, a 6-5, 240-pound forward from Flint, Mich., earned first team All-Horizon League honors in each of his final two seasons. Bullock, who is one of three players to lead the team in scoring in four straight seasons, finished his Viking basketball career by ranking fourth in CSU history with 1,800 points. He played in a school-record 130 games, also holding records for career starts (124) and consecutive starts (106), and is the only player to score more than 1,500 points and grab more than 750 rebounds in a career.

Well, it's that time of year again. You know, sunset before 6:00 PM, the neighbors' leaves piling up in your front yard, atrocious Cleveland football... And how much is there really to look forward to when just over the horizon lies crowded shopping malls and snowfall? The thought of the latter gives me the same chills I get when I see a picture of Anthony Sowell. Is that an exaggerated statement? Not if you've lived in Cleveland all your life. But this cold, bleak city does, however, have at least one good thing to offer this time of year: the heavenly splendor that is Great Lakes Brewing Company's Christmas Ale.

Adidas terminated its $3 million endorsement contract with the University of Central Florida's athletic department after one of Michael Jordan's sons played in a game for the school wearing the Nike shoes named after his father. Marcus Jordan, a freshman guard at UCF, said he would only wear Nike Air Jordan shoes in deference to his father.

Everyone on the team except Marcus, 18, wore Adidas shoes in the UCF Knights' 84-65 win over St. Leo University in an exhibition game Thursday night.

Adidas spokeswoman Andrea Corso said:

"The University of Central Florida has chosen not to deliver on their contractual commitment to Adidas. As a result, we have chosen not to continue our relationship with them moving forward."

The school was operating under a tentative contract with Adidas that ran through 2015 and was valued at $3 million. The Germany-based company supplied the UCF's sports teams with shoes, apparel and equipment.

UCF spokesman Leigh Torbin responded:

"We are disappointed to learn that Adidas has chosen to discontinue its relationship with UCF Athletics. Once we receive official notice, we will be able to further respond."

Alcoa announced today that it wll rebuild and enhance the forging press at its Cleveland plant. The company will put $110 million into the project.

“This could not have happened without the support of our employees, community leaders and leadership of United Auto Workers Local 1050,” said William F. Christopher, Alcoa executive vice president and president of Alcoa Engineered Products and Solutions. “When this project is completed, Cleveland Works will be the home of the most advanced, productive large forging presses in the world.”

State leaders applauded the news as well. Governor Ted Strickland stated: