East Cleveland, OH — Great teachers matter. In East Cleveland, we’re fortunate to have teachers like Linda Williams.

Patch has partnered with T-Mobile to recognize teachers and show them how much they’re valued and appreciated.

This submission comes from Pamela Hamby who nominated Linda Williams of East Cleveland.

How do you know the teacher?

She is the Technical Advisor/Mentor for me and other Intervention Specialists (Special Education Teachers)

What does this person teach?

Special Education Support for Special Education teachers/Intervention Specialists

Why do you believe the teacher should be recognized or honored?

She is compassionate, understanding, has a focus on students with disabilities and provides support and technical knowledge to the Intervention Specialists to ensure that we provide the best service to students; she is a team player and collaborator.

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about the teacher?

She is exceptional in understanding the needs of students with disabilities and the laws governing the education and rights of students with disabilities.

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Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward was back on the practice field Wednesday after missing the last two weeks while being in concussion protocol, via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Ward went into concussion protocol back on Aug. 12 after a hit in practice.

“Yeah, he’s doing well,” said head coach Kevin Stefanski. “As you know, he’s progressing. Certain benchmarks you need to hit and that type of thing, but he is doing well.”

Ward has suffered five known concussions since being entering the NFL.

The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by Cleveland with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

It didn’t take long for Ward to establish himself as one of the top cornerbacks in football, as he made the Pro Bowl during his rookie campaign after finishing with 53 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries and 11 passes defended.

Overall, Ward has made three Pro Bowl appearances, most recently earning a trip last season.

The Macedonia, Oh. native is a critical member of the Browns’ defense, which ranked No. 1 in the NFL in 2023. Cleveland also specifically finished first in passing defense last year.

Ward being back in practice is obviously significant for the Browns, especially considering they will be facing one of the league’s best wide receivers in CeeDee Lamb when they battle the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 on Sept. 8.

Hopefully, Ward will be healthy enough to take the field for the season opener.

The Los Angeles Angels have had several issues during this season, but starting pitching has been a decade-long issue.

Entering Tuesday, the Angels ranked 28th in the majors with a 4.85 earned run average.

Right-hander José Soriano and left-hander Tyler Anderson have been the two successful pitchers in the rotation which raises the question of what general manager Perry Minasian will do for next season now that he has a new two-year contract extension.

“We’re going to look at everything,” Minasian said. “It’s obviously an area we need to improve. We’re going to need internal improvement, no matter what. You’re not going to replace an entire rotation.”

Soriano and his 3.42 ERA has been an unexpectedly positive development for the Angels this season, while Anderson is pitching better than he has in seven of his eight previous seasons.

The 25-year-old Soriano is in his first season as a full-time starter and has used his sinker to his advantage.

“It’s his bread and butter,” Washington said in July after a 5-1 win over Seattle. “He has other pitches to equalize things, like his splitter and curveball, but the sinker is his pitch. He got 10 ground balls, so it was an outstanding outing for him.”

Anderson has provided much-needed stability in the rotation and has been incredibly valuable for the organization through its struggles.

“It’s very valuable,” manager Ron Washington said after Sunday’s 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. “And he’s been doing it all year. I must say, up until today, I think our pitching has been holding their own. It’s just, we haven’t been able to support them with runs. Today, [our relievers] gave up some runs, but up until today, I mean, they’ve been keeping us in ballgames and giving us a chance.”

In Anderson’s 26th start of the season, the two earned runs allowed brought his ERA to 3.41 over 158.1 innings — the seventh-highest innings total in the AL.

The Angels will be without left-hander Patrick Sandoval (torn flexor tendon and UCL) and right-hander Chase Silseth (elbow surgery) until next season while Soriano (right arm fatigue) isn’t expected back until September.

The rotation begins with Anderson and Soriano next year and could be filled in with several free agents. Right-hander Corbin Burnes (Baltimore) headlines the class. Left-handers Max Fried (Atlanta) and Blake Snell (San Francisco), who has an opt-out clause, could also be available.

Shane Bieber (Cleveland) represents a bounceback candidate. He could be an intriguing play for Minasian, who signed Zach Plesac to a minor-league contract last winter under the same premise.

Meanwhile, the most sought-after pitcher on the trade market is expected to be Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet.