Reiseplan » career record, striking out 36 batters in 37.2 innings.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns coach Hue Jackson defended inviting ousted Baylor coach Art Briles to work with his team.Briles was fired by the school in May amid a sexual assault scandal involving several former football players. He attended Clevelands practice on Wednesday at the request of Jackson, who also had Briles as a guest during training camp and asked him back.He is a tremendous offensive-minded football coach, Jackson said following Wednesdays practice. Im always looking at different ways of doing things and preparing things. What happened at Baylor is at Baylor.Briles wore Browns coaching gear on the field and spent most of his time with the teams quarterbacks during the portion of the workout open to reporters. He did not speak to the media.Jackson said he understood why there might be questions regarding his willingness to bring in Briles.I think everybody deserves an opportunity to kind of do what they do, Jackson said. I respect everybodys feelings and I dont condone anything or not, but that is not for me to judge. The opportunity to pick his brain and to have him be around and talk to him and get to know him outside of all of that in a different capacity was what was important to me.Jackson made it clear Briles is his guest and will not be here for a long time. When he visited Cleveland earlier this summer, Briles spent time talking with several of his former players who are now Browns: quarterback Robert Griffin III, rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman, offensive lineman Spencer Drango and wide receiver Josh Gordon, who recently entered a rehab facility days before his NFL suspension expired.The 60-year-old Briles was suspended in May after a law firm released a 13-page report that accused Baylor coaches and staff of interfering with investigations into sexual assault complaints against some players, and even impeding potential criminal proceedings.Jackson did not discuss Briles past but believes he will get a chance to resurrect his career. Clevelands coach discussed bringing in Briles with the teams management group before extending his invitation.We have all been kind of knocked down before. I have, too, Jackson said. I have been unfairly judged before and judged correctly, too. I try not to do that with people. I try to take people for face value and who they are and what they are. I just know I have met him and have talked to him extensively, and I think whatever has happened at Baylor, I am not condoning or him being here says that we condone anything. I have talked this through with our upper management because I asked is it OK for him to be here with me as my guest, and I got the OK.It was a good conversation with our people here and I think they understood where I was coming from. I dont want to make it seem like, well, Im trying to extend the olive branch. Im trying to learn some other things that I think are good, but also getting to know somebody on a whole different level, which I think is a good thing, not a bad thing.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Baltimore Orioles find themselves in a precarious position as they come to the Rays for a three-game series, three games back of the division lead and tied with Detroit for the American Leagues second wild card, so if it wasnt obvious, every win counts from here out.Win games. Its real simple, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said after a 5-2 loss to the Yankees on Sunday. We have to win games regardless of how we get there. I dont care how it looks or how it happens. We need to have more runs than them after nine innings, or 10 or 11 or 12 and so on. Its a pretty simple equation right now.Baltimore (74-62) faces the Rays (58-77) seven times in their next 13 games, so Tampa Bay can again play a major spoiler role, as they did this weekend in taking two of three games from division-leading Toronto.Tough one today. Came up a little short obviously, said Rays manager Kevin Cash after a 5-3 loss to Toronto, missing out on a potential sweep. There were probably a couple more opportunities we didnt get.Mondays opener -- a Labor Day 1:10 p.m. first pitch -- pits Baltimore RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-11, 6.46 ERA) against Rays RHP Matt Andriese (6-6, 4.19 ERA).Andriese opened the year 6-0 but has struggled since rejoining the rotation after the trade deadline -- the Rays are committed to keeping him in what is now a six-maan rotation, but hes 0-6 with a 5.dddddddddddd47 ERA in his last 14 appearances, including seven starts.In his last start, he reset career highs for runs (7) and hits (10) allowed, including seven extra-base hits in a loss to Boston. For his career against the Orioles, hes 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA.Whats worse, Jimenez has a strong history against the Rays, with a 2.87 ERA and 4-2 career record, striking out 36 batters in 37.2 innings. In his only outing against Tampa Bay this year, he took a tough-luck loss in a 3-1 loss in April.The Rays are relegated to spoiler status in a division they long since stopped being competitive in. Baltimore is in a different mode, struggling to stay close enough to take advantage of remaining head-to-head series against the Blue Jays and Red Sox.Whether were playing here or in Tampa or in Detroit or in Boston, were always playing people, Showalter said of the target on his teams back. Theres never a time theyre not engaged. Tampa is in a spot, you can see how theyre playing right now. Detroits right there and of course Bostons there. Thats why you do all the things that we do to be a part of this. Enjoy the competition and enjoy the fruits of the players labor to get this chance. ' ' '