Second Thoughts

LeBron's banner gets an upgrade

There will be an updated mural of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James coming to downtown Cleveland
this week. The mural, which will occupy a 10-story space at Sherwin Williams headquarters across from
Quicken Loans Arena, includes a gold patch of the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the back of James’ uniform.
There will be an updated mural of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James coming to downtown Cleveland this week. The mural, which will occupy a 10-story space at Sherwin Williams headquarters across from Quicken Loans Arena, includes a gold patch of the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the back of James’ uniform.

The colossal LeBron James banner soaring over downtown Cleveland is getting a small -- but significant -- upgrade.

The iconic, 10-story mural is being removed this week and replaced with a new one that includes a gold patch of the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the back of James' uniform to represent the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the NBA title last season, ending Cleveland's 52-year championship drought.

The new banner is expected to be installed by Friday. The Cavs open their season against the New York Knicks on Oct. 25, when the players will receive their championship rings and a title banner will be unveiled in the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena.

James' likeness towers over the city, and the black-and-white image of the superstar, his muscular arms outstretched, has become a tourist stop and symbol of civic pride.

Sherwin-Williams considered temporarily removing the giant James banner this summer during the Republican National Convention but changed its mind after a public backlash. The company ended up making a $150,000 donation to the LeBron James Family Foundation.

An original banner of James was taken down after he signed with the Miami Heat in 2010. The new one was installed in October 2014, a few months after the three-time champion re-signed with Cleveland.

The upgrade comes as the Cleveland Indians are in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Indians are trying to end a World Series drought dating to 1948.

Don't waste beer

The man suspected of throwing a beer can at Baltimore Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim during a playoff game in Toronto is no longer employed at the media company for which he previously worked.

Ken Pagan was charged with mischief for allegedly throwing the can in the seventh inning of the American League wild card game Oct. 4 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

A Postmedia spokesman said Monday that Pagan, a 41-year-old copy editor, had left the news organization. Georgia Sourtzis wouldn't elaborate on the circumstances of Pagan's departure, but the company had said earlier that it was conducting an internal investigation following the beer-tossing incident.

Toronto police detective Pat Alberga has said security camera footage inside the stadium helped identify the suspect.

A police photo was widely distributed on social media earlier this month. Pagan later turned himself in to police.

Not so fast

The New Orleans Saints beat Cam Newton's Carolina Panthers 41-38 on Sunday afternoon at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Newton was also defeated by a Saints fan off the field.

Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cut the New Orleans' lead to 31-30. Newton gave the ball to a young fan wearing a Panthers jersey with Newton's No. 1. However, after Newton jogged away from the fan, the fan removed the Panthers jersey and revealed a Saints jersey.

According to the The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, the Fox TV broadcast did not show Newton giving the ball to the fan.

Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune was attempting to contact the fan Monday afternoon to figure out his motive for the Newton ball.

"The kid who got the ball from Cam Newton just took off his Newton jersey and had a Saints jersey underneath," Dabe tweeted Sunday. "That's some trickery."

SPORTS QUIZ

What round did the Seattle Seahawks select CB Richard Sherman in the 2011 NFL Draft?

ANSWER

Seattle selected Sherman from Stanford with the 154th pick in the fifth round.

Sports on 10/18/2016

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