appeared to be getting slightly firmer by the end of the day. The excitement figures to

CANTON, Ohio -- As the crowd of football fans bowed their heads before Browns owner Jimmy Haslam spoke, a priest delivering the invocation asked for a special blessing for new quarterback Johnny Manziel. Adidas Ultra Boost Kopen . He may need more than divine intervention. "Father, I dont think Ive ever heard a prayer like that," Haslam told the clergy man. "Im not sure what Brian Hoyer thought of that either." Speaking for the first time since the Browns landed Manziel, Texas A&Ms playmaking quarterback in the NFL draft, Haslam made it clear that Johnny Football will have to earn everything he gets and wont jump Brian Hoyer on the depth chart just because he has a Heisman Trophy, celebrity friends or fame. "Hes not the starter," Haslam said of Manziel. Haslam spoke Monday to a packed room of 500 -- most of them hardcore Cleveland fans, who wanted to know how the Browns boss felt the team did in the three-day draft. Clevelands biggest move was picking the polarizing Manziel with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round. His selection has brought a buzz to the Browns and sparked sales of season tickets and No. 2 jerseys. And while Haslam is thrilled at the pick, he said the Browns -- starting with first-year coach Mike Pettine -- have told Manziel not to expect any preferential treatment. "We were very frank with him that Youre the backup quarterback. This is a hardworking, blue-collar town. This isnt Hollywood," Haslam said. "We want you to come in here, work hard and work as hard as anybody on the team. Hes not the starter. Brian Hoyer is our starting quarterback. Johnny is the backup." Haslam called Manziel "ultra-competitive" and feels the 21-year-old will come to training camp with the right attitude. He knows Manziel wants to prove he can succeed in the pros. "I think youll find a guy thats really hard-working, a serious guy that doesnt want to be a three-year-in-the-league flash-and-out who makes a lot of money on endorsements," Haslam said. "Hes a football player. He was a little upset he went 22. He was a little upset he was the second quarterback picked. I think he comes in with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder and wants to show the people hes about winning games and not about all the other stuff, if you will." Following the speech, Haslam also denounced a report that the Browns originally submitted Lousiville quarterback Teddy Bridgewaters name on the draft card at No. 22 before changing it to Manziels. "Thats crazy. Thats nuts," Haslam told The Associated Press. Earlier, Pettine shot down the same report at the teams charity golf outing in Aurora. "Its absolutely false," Pettine said. "I heard that story too. Its beyond laughable." Haslam also tried to clear up any misconceptions that he was the one who orchestrated the pick of Manziel. Haslam complimented general manager Ray Farmer for staying "unbelievably disciplined" during the draft and said it was the GMs choice -- not his -- to move up and take Manziel. "I thought it was very important we take a quarterback this year, because Brian Hoyer -- great guy, great leader -- hasnt played that much and is coming off an injury. "So I thought it was important to take a quarterback. We picked the top-rated quarterback on our board when he was available. That was solely Rays call, not my call. Soley Rays call, not my call. OK?" Haslam was careful not to comment directly on the fluid situation involving Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon. ESPN reported on Friday that Gordon is facing a one-year ban from the league for failing another drug test. Gordon was suspended two games last season for violating the leagues substance abuse policy but still led the league in yards receiving. Haslam said Gordon is making strides, and the third-year player has the Browns support. "Josh is 22 years old, OK?" he said, "and all of us need to think back to when we were 22 or think back to when our kids were 22, OK? Josh is learning and growing and improving as a person. Hes learning how to work hard. Hes learning how to be a professional. Josh is a smart young man. "All of us have made mistakes when we were that age. Were counting on Josh being a good football player for the Browns for a long time to come. We have all spent a lot of time talking to Josh and Im not going to comment on the situation, but Ill say this, Ive been very pleased with his professional growth over the last year and the way he handles himself." Adidas Futurecraft 4d Kopen . Today, their baseball playing sons were reportedly traded for each other. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Cubs dealt minor league outfield Trevor Gretzky to the Angels for catcher Matt Scioscia. Adidas NMD R2 Dames . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/ultra-boost-sneakers.html . Gomes drove in all three runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Cleveland rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Martin Kaymer and Jordan Spieth are having a blast at The Players Championship -- one because hes playing good golf again, the other because thats all hes been doing. Kaymer followed his record-tying 63 on the Stadium Course on the TPC Sawgrass with a 3-under 69, capping off his round by hitting a pitching wedge to 3 feet on an island green with a back pin on the 17th hole. He had a one-shot lead going into the weekend as he tries to end more than two years without a victory. "Everything is coming together nicely," said Kaymer, a former PGA champion and world No. 1. Spieth, in his first big tournament since his runner-up finish at the Masters, hasnt shown any signs of a letdown. He pieced together another bogey-free round and converted pure swings into tap-in birdies on consecutive holes on the back nine that carried him to a 6-under 66. "I dont think its going to be possible to stay bogey-free for two more rounds with the greens firming up," Spieth said, not sounding at all like someone making his Players Championship debut. "Thats a nice goal to have, I think. When bogeys come, its going to be how I rebound." Kaymer was at 12-under 132. That matched the best 36-hole score on the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass in 20 years, dating to Greg Normans record-setting performance. Norman made only one bogey that week. Spieth hasnt made a bogey all week -- he has gone 51 holes without a bogey going back to the third round at Hilton Head -- though he had to make a couple of tough chips look easy to keep a clean card. The 20-year-old Texan was still on the practice range when he saw Kaymer finish at 12 under, a score that felt impossible to catch in warm, blustery weather. The grass remained soft on the golf course, however, allowing players to take aim at the flags. Some players had no choice. Adam Scott, in his first tournament as a married man, kept alive his hopes of going to No. 1 in the world this week with three birdies in his last four holes for a 67. That was a 10-shot improvement from Thursday and enabled him to make the cut on the number at even-par 144. Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn finished the second round in a tie for 25th place. Rory McIlroy shot 42 on the front nine and appeared headed home early until making birdie on the 18th hole to salvage a 74 to make the cut. Not so fortunate was Phil Mickelson. He missed his birdie attempt on No. 18 and had a 70 to miss by one. Mickelson now has missed the cut in the two biggest events of the year -- the Masters and The Players. Adidas Human Race Nederland. "I dont feel bad about the game," Mickelson said. "But mentally, Im just really soft right now." Kaymer is winless dating to the HSBC Champions in Shanghai at the end of 2011. The more good scores he sees, the more often his name is on a leaderboard, the more confidence he gains. Darren Clarke watched it for two days, referring to him as a "finely tuned engineer." Even so, the 29-year-old German is hesitant to look beyond the next day. He knows its tough to follow a record-tying round with anything remotely close. So he lowered his expectations, figuring anything around par would be suitable, and then kept his distance from the field. "Yesterday was just a very special day for me," he said. "Even though I shot 9-under par yesterday ... if people want to talk negative about it, I then shot six shots worse. But you can always go in the negative. I see very positive things that I backed up that 9-under par with another decent round." Spieth was even better. He had to scramble for par from short of the ninth green and from behind the 10th green. He hit his stride in the middle of the back nine with two shots that were nearly identical -- a 6-iron on the par-3 13th that rode the ridge down to about 4 feet, and a 6-iron from 184 yards on the 14th to 3 feet. "It was a nice break to land and roll to pin-high, because it was a very tricky pin with quite a bit of slope around the hole," he said. Spieth has said he was proud of how he played the final round of the Masters, even with a two-shot lead with 11 holes to play. His game looks every bit as solid at Sawgrass, a course he had only seen while playing a junior event. He finished second in that one, too. And thats what keep him going. Asked he if was getting bored being in contention so much, he smiled and said, "No, because I havent won one." "You should probably have to win every time in order for it to get boring," he said. "But not even Tiger gets bored." Russell Henley didnt make a par over his last six holes -- three bogeys, three birdies -- for a 71 and was in third place at 8-under 136. Sergio Garcia (71), U.S. Open champion Justin Rose (71), Gary Woodland (71), Lee Westwood (71) and Jim Furyk (68) were six shots behind. The course appeared to be getting slightly firmer by the end of the day. The excitement figures to start on the weekend. ' ' '