Customers waiting hours for 23-cent pizzas in Ohio

CLEVELAND (AP) -- People waited as long as 2 1/2 hours yesterday for cheap pizza as Papa John's made good on its apology to Cleveland Cavaliers fans.

Eighty-six stores in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Youngstown sold large, one-topping pizzas for 23 cents.

Near Cleveland, people stood wrapped in blankets outside a store in Westlake and the line was two blocks long in University Heights. Police stood nearby to make sure people didn't get unruly.

The Louisville, Ky.-based company agreed to the deal after a franchisee in Washington, D.C., made T-shirts calling star LeBron James a "crybaby."

The shirts referred to James' complaints about hard fouls during a playoff series with the Washington Wizards.

The 23-cent price of a pizza is an homage to James' jersey number.

Police said a regional manager asked for assistance closing its Columbus stores. In Akron, one location gave rain checks good for one week.

Cleveland's Wallace blames allergies for him leaving game

BOSTON (AP) -- Cleveland Cavaliers forward Ben Wallace learned about springtime in Boston the hard way last night when allergies forced him to leave the Celtics' 89-73 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Wallace, the team's third-leading rebounder, left the game in the first quarter with what was originally called "dizziness" and never returned. He said he expects to play Game 3 in Cleveland tomorrow night.

Wallace says he got lightheaded and his head started spinning.

During pregame introductions, fireworks were set off on the court and smoke remained in the opening minutes, slowly lifting to the ceiling.

Boston seemed to take advantage of Wallace's absence inside, taking the ball to the basket more when it recovered from an early 21-9 deficit.

Pierce, Allen lead Celtics to Game 2 victory

BOSTON (AP) -- Paul Pierce scored 19 points to help Boston beat Cleveland 89-73 last night and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Ray Allen broke out of a seven-quarter scoring drought to add 16 points for Boston. Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

LeBron James missed his first three tries and finished with 21 points on 6-for-24 shooting. In the last loss, he went 2-for-18 from the field and missed his last six shots, including a layup to tie the game with 8.5 seconds left.

The Cavaliers shot 35.6 percent Thursday, hitting just 11.8 percent in the second quarter as Boston turned an eight-point deficit into a nine-point lead.

Game 3 is tomorrow night in Cleveland.

Pirates trade for OF Michaels

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired outfielder Jason Michaels and cash from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named.

Michaels was designated for assignment Tuesday after hitting .207 with no home runs and nine RBIs in 21 games this season.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington says Michaels would bring a veteran presence to the clubhouse.

Michaels is a career .277 hitter with 37 homers and 203 RBIs in 632 games. The 32-year-old was in his third season with Cleveland after being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1998 and making his debut with them in 2001.

Huntington indicated the Indians would pay a large portion of the remaining $1,680,055 Michaels is owed from his $2.15 million salary.

Bengals sign WR Maurice Purify

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Bengals have signed rookie Maurice Purify from Nebraska.

The team announced yesterday that the wide receiver has a two-year contract. Terms were not released.

The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Purify is a college free agent who participated in Cincinnati's rookie minicamp earlier this month on a tryout basis.

Giambi, Yankees play home run derby against Cleveland

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jason Giambi and the sluggish New York Yankees have suddenly turned sluggerish.

The Yankees played home run derby yesterday in a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Giambi, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit all knocked pitches out of Yankee Stadium.

Mike Mussina won his fourth straight start and earned his 255th career victory, holding on for five innings. Joba Chamberlain pitched an easy eighth and Mariano Rivera closed for his ninth save.

Cleveland was trying to sweep the Yankees in a series of three or more games for the first time in nearly two decades.

The Indians had won five straight on the road. For the second straight game, slumping star Travis Hafner was benched. Manager Eric Wedge is trying to find a way to get him to relax.

Browns LB McGinest to retire after '08 season

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Browns linebacker Willie McGinest says the 2008 season will be his last.

McGinest told SI.com that he wants to finish his career on one last playoff run.

McGinest played 12 seasons and won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. He signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Browns in 2006.

In two seasons with Cleveland, McGinest hasn't been the pass-rushing threat that he was with the Patriots. He has seven sacks and 107 tackles in 27 games for the Browns.

He had 78 sacks with New England, set the record for most postseason sacks with 16 and the single-game playoff record with 4.5 in a 2006 wild-card win over Jacksonville.