Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

GENEVA — The International Cycling Union "categorically rejects" Tyler Hamilton's allegations that it helped cover up a positive drug test by Lance Armstrong at the 2001 Tour de Suisse.

The UCI insisted Monday that it had "never altered or hidden the results of a positive test," and that the seven-time Tour de France winner had never been notified of a positive finding.

"The UCI is deeply shocked by the seriousness of the allegations made on the 60 Minutes program aired by U.S. television network CBS," the body said in a statement. "The allegations of Mr. Tyler Hamilton are completely unfounded."

Hamilton said in an interview that aired Sunday that his former teammate used the blood-boosting hormone EPO to prepare for his third Tour win in 2001.

Armstrong told him the UCI helped cover up a positive test at the Swiss warmup event, Hamilton said.

"The UCI can only express its indignation at this latest attempt to damage the image of cycling by a cyclist who has not hesitated to abuse the trust of all followers of cycling on several occasions in the past," the statement said.

Hamilton, who admitted to 60 Minutes that he doped during his career, twice tested positive for banned substances.

"At no time did he see fit to inform the UCI of the events he claims to have witnessed 10 years ago, and which he is now using in his attempt to harm the UCI," the cycling body said.

"The UCI can only confirm that Lance Armstrong has never been notified of a positive test result by any anti-doping laboratory. … Once again, the UCI wishes to state that no manipulation or coverup has occurred in respect of its anti-doping procedures."

The UCI said it reserves the right to take legal action against Hamilton.

If Armstrong hadn't been doping during his run of Tour de France victories, he might have been in the minority. Of the 70 top-10 finishers during his wins, 41 have tested positive for PEDs.

CBS's 60 Minutes also reported that UCI officials helped arrange a meeting involving Armstrong and the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory at Lausanne, which tested the Swiss race samples.

The UCI and former president Hein Verbruggen, whose 14-year run in office ended in 2005, denied such a meeting took place. Verbruggen told the Associated Press that Armstrong's doping controls had never been hidden.

"There has never, ever been a coverup. Not in the Tour de Suisse, not in the Tour de France," the Dutch official said in a telephone interview. "I don't know anything about suspicious tests. I was not aware of that."

HOTEL raided: Police carried out a search at the RadioShack team hotel, Giro d'Italia director Angelo Zomegnan said.

The search was conducted by officers of Italy's elite NAS police unit during Monday's rest day, Zomegnan told the Associated Press. He had no other details.

It was unclear if the search was related to the ongoing investigation into Michele Ferrari, a banned Italian physician who was once Armstrong's training adviser.

CYCLIST KILLED: Spain's Xavier Tondo died in a freak accident after he was crushed between his car and a garage door in southern Spain, a Civil Guard spokesman said.

Tondo, 32, was killed while trying to take his car out of the garage in a residential complex outside Granada, spokesman Juan Carlos Lopez said.

He said the cyclist got out of the car to try to get the garage door to open but his car rolled forward and pinned him against the door. The official said another person was in the front passenger seat at the time.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

Mike and Mike in the Morning: 7 a.m. on ESPN2. There is supposed to be an interview with one of the co-authors of the new tell-all ESPN book, which hits bookstores today.

The Greatest Game Ever Played: 8 p.m. on Golf Channel. The 2005 film with Shia LaBeouf about an amateur golfer from a working-class family taking on the reigning champion at the 1913 U.S. Open.

Rocky III: 10:30 p.m. on AMC. The most underrated and, at times, most enjoyable Rocky movie.

By Paul Hawkins, Times Correspondent
Monday, May 23, 2011

What's hot: Trout fishing remains hot. Early mornings and late afternoons have been the best times. Grass flats 2 to 3 feet deep have produced the largest trout around first light. As the sun heats things, move to the shoals in 3 to 6 feet. Artificial baits are best this time of year as pinfish will make quick work of shrimp. Suspending baits like the MirrOdine are perfect for shallow grass flats. Cottee's Cracker shad jigs in hot pink or green let you cover large areas of the deeper grass.

More targets: Tarpon are in full swing. The beaches, bridges and passes have been productive. Again, early and late are always good bets. The late afternoon tide around the new and full moon are hard to beat. Pass crabs are the bait of choice. Millions of these small brown crabs wash out with the tide, and the tarpon go wild. Dip net the crabs near the same areas that are fished.

Equipment: Don't skimp on the tackle pass fishing. Use 30- to 50-pound test line to bring your trophy boat side in short order.

On the other end of the spectrum is shallow-water sight casting with a fly rod. Those with the skill wouldn't do it any other way. The norm is 12-weight rods.

Paul Hawkins runs FlatsGuy charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 560-6762.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The Big East's TV deal with ESPN runs through the 2012-13 school year, but commissioner John Marinatto can appreciate how much his next negotiations have been helped by huge deals signed by the ACC and Pac-12 in the past year.

"I'm very excited about what the Pac-12 was able to accomplish two weeks ago, just like last year when we were here, I told you how excited we were about what the ACC was able to do," Marinatto said from the Big East's annual spring meetings. "It keeps resetting the marketplace, and it puts us, because of the assets we bring to the table, in a much better place to move forward."

The Pac-12's deal with ESPN and Fox is worth $3 billion over 12 years, or $250 million per year. The ACC's deal with ESPN went from $67 million a year to $155 million. So the Big East can improve on its six-year, $200 million deal with ESPN, which has a 60-day window of exclusive negotiating rights starting in September 2012.

"There's a distinct advantage in going last," Marinatto said. "Obviously, with the marketplace continually resetting, we sat here 12 months ago and were envious of what the ACC was able to do, because we thought that reset the marketplace. We sit here and in less than a year, the Pac-12 has reset the marketplace once again. So it's setting the stage for us, providing that we're obviously deliberate and aggressive, in order to monetize our rights in a fashion similar to what they've done."

MUCH HAS CHANGED: A year ago, Skip Holtz was one of three first-year coaches in the Big East, but now he has a full season and offseason with the Bulls and is lighter for it.

Holtz said he lost 32 pounds, a result of having a normal offseason to shed the weight he said he typically puts on during football season.

"Trying to eat right and work out," Holtz said of his diet secret. "Just the old-fashioned way, get on the cardio machines and try to work out. Losing weight is all about burning more than you eat. If you're not burning enough, you need to eat less. If you eat more, you need to burn more. I've cut everything back, trying to eat healthier."

WELCOME ABOARD: TCU coach Gary Patterson met with his future conference colleagues Monday, though the Horned Frogs won't join the Big East until 2012. He said he already sees the recruiting benefits of being in a league with an automatic berth in the BCS bowl system.

"The two things always held against us were we weren't in an (automatic) qualifying conference and getting a chance to get into a BCS game without going undefeated," he said.

NEW FORMATS: One of the challenges this week is deciding on a tournament format for basketball when TCU gives the league a rare 17-team lineup for (at least) the 2012-13 season.

Three formats are being considered — the simplest would have all 17 teams in New York, with the eighth through 17th teams playing as part of a five-game opening day, then the fifth through seventh seeds joining those five winners on the second day, then the tournament following its current format for the final three days.

The other options? The league could go back to its 12-team format, where not all the schools get to play in New York, though that seems unlikely to return. The other possibility would have the league's 16th and 17th seeds playing on campus as a play-in game.

The league also must decide on the regular-season schedule — the likely format is to simply go from three home-and-home opponents to two, maintaining the 18-game model.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

PARIS — Don't say a word. Novak Djokovic is perfect in 2011, and superstition demands silence, lest he be jinxed.

Djokovic himself insists he isn't keeping tabs on his unbeaten run, which reached 38-0 this season, and 40 in a row dating to December, thanks to a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 win over Thiemo de Bakker in the first round of the French Open on Monday.

"I'm not counting," the second-seeded Djokovic said with a smile.

"I'm not trying to think about the streak that I have," he added, "even though it's definitely something that makes me proud."

Others certainly are thinking about it. Indeed, it's the talk of the year's second Grand Slam tournament. Straight-set victories at Roland Garros by other top players such as Roger Federer, top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki or defending champion Francesca Schiavone — even 2010 semifinalist Tomas Berdych's surprising five-set loss to a French qualifier — didn't merit as much attention as Djokovic did.

The Serb, who won his second Australian Open title in January, is closing in on the Open era record for best start to a tennis season by a man, John McEnroe's 42-0 in 1984. He's also the sixth man in the Open era to win 40 matches in a row; Guillermo Vilas set the high of 46 in 1977.

But Djokovic's pals on tour aren't exactly making a big deal about it at the moment.

"In the beginning — I know him very well — I'd kind of joke, 'Hey, let someone else win.' … Now you almost stay away. It's almost like a pitcher going for a no-hitter," said the highest-seeded American, No. 10 Mardy Fish, who beat Ricardo Mello 6-2, 6-7 (11-13), 6-2, 6-4.

"I don't want to say anything about it," Tampa's Fish explained. "I don't want to be the guy that says, 'Hey, by the way, you're 38-0,' or whatever he is. 'Don't lose.' I don't want to be that guy and then have him lose."

On April 1, Djokovic went to 23-0 this season by beating Fish in the semifinals in Key Biscayne.

Djokovic defeated No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final there, part of a 7-0 mark against him and Federer in 2011. Victories over Nadal on clay at Madrid and Rome this month have many believing Djokovic could become the first man to win the Australian and French Open in the same year since Jim Courier in 1992.

Former world No. 2 Tommy Haas, playing his first match since hip surgery in February 2010, lost 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 to Marsel Ilhan.

TEMPER, TEMPER!: French player Michael Llodra likened the court to an Arab marketplace after receiving a warning from Moroccan chair umpire Mohamed El Jennati for throwing a ball at a female security guard in the stands.

Upset that the guard was distracting him, the 22nd-seeded Llodra lost his cool during the second set of his first-round loss to qualifier Steve Darcis. TV footage of the incident showed Llodra comparing the atmosphere on the court to a "souq," a commercial quarter in Arab cities.

"We are not in a souq. We are not selling carpets in a market," Llodra told the umpire after receiving his warning.

Llodra, who lost 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 3-6, 3-6, said the umpire should not have warned him for the incident and should have instead called security or told the female guard to stop moving.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

LOS ANGELES — The day after Los Angeles police arrested a man suspected in the brutal beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow, Stow's family members expressed appreciation for the Los Angeles Police Department's work on the case.

"We never gave up hope that this day would come; that the beginning of justice being served would happen," Stow's sister, Erin Collins, said outside San Francisco General Hospital, where her brother remains hospitalized.

Stow's mother described the wave of emotion that hit her when she received a call from a detective Sunday morning alerting her that police had taken a suspect into custody. "My heart just dropped," Ann Stow said. "It was a very emotional day."

Giovanni Ramirez, 31, is believed to be one of two assailants. Stow, 42, suffered brain damage in the attack.

OWNER RIPS METS: Mets owner Fred Wilpon had sharp words for some of his All-Stars in a New Yorker profile, saying SS Jose Reyes won't get the Carl Crawford-sized contract he wants, RF Carlos Beltran is no longer a top-tier player and 3B David Wright isn't a superstar.

BRAVES: CF Nate McLouth went on the disabled list with a strained muscle on his left side. … Former Rays INF Julio Lugo signed a minor-league contract.

CARDINALS: RH reliever Mitchell Boggs was demoted to Triple-A Memphis. Backup C Gerald Laird went on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right index finger, and 2B Skip Schumaker was activated.

GIANTS: 3B Pablo Sandoval, out with a fractured hamate bone, has begun fielding ground balls and taking light batting practice, MLB.com reported.

INDIANS: CF Grady Sizemore, out with a bruised right kneecap, did agility drills and took batting practice and should come off the DL this week.

NATIONALS: RHP Stephen Strasburg threw off a bullpen mound as part of his recovery from ligament replacement surgery on his pitching elbow.

RED SOX: RHPs Bobby Jenks, who has a 9.35 ERA in 11 relief appearances, and John Lackey, who has an 8.01 ERA in seven starts, are close to returning. Jenks, on the disabled list since May 5 with a right biceps strain, threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session. Lackey, out since May 16 with a right elbow strain, plans to have a bullpen session today.

REDS: Former All-Star RHP Edinson Volquez was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. INF/OF Todd Frazier was called up from Louisville.

TWINS: DH Jim Thome, out 19 games with a left oblique strain, returned to the lineup.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

STANFORD, Calif. — Virginia finally made it to a final. USC seeks a three-peat.

The top-ranked and top-seeded Cavaliers beat No. 4 Ohio State 4-2 on Monday in the semifinals of the NCAA championship to reach their first final.

"To finally reach the finals feels good," Cavs senior Michael Shabaz said. "USC has had a lot of success, but we are not worried. We have the guys who can win the match, and we're going for it."

Steve Johnson and Daniel Nguyen led No. 2 seed USC past Georgia 4-0 and into today's final.

The Florida women's semifinal against UCLA was not over at press time.

UF PLAYS FRIDAY: Florida's softball team opens its best-of-three Super Region series against Oregon at 2 p.m. Friday in Gainesville. Game 2 is noon Saturday followed by Game 3 if necessary. The winner advances to the Women's College World Series, June 2-8 in Oklahoma City.

BASKETBALL: Ed DeChellis, who led Penn State to the NCAA Tournament this year, resigned to take Navy's coaching job. … Murray State promoted assistant Steve Prohm to head coach.

FOOTBALL: Former Alabama running back Demetrius Goode signed to play his final season at North Alabama, a Division II program where he'll be able to play right away for former Florida State coach Terry Bowden.

OBITUARY: Joe Steffy, who helped pave the way for Heisman Trophy winners Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis at Army and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman in 1947, died Saturday. He was 85. In 1944, before being drafted into the service, he played for a Tennessee team that went to the Rose Bowl.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

STANFORD, Calif. — Florida will be the next team to get a chance to stop Stanford's remarkable home winning streak.

Allie Will clinched the top-ranked and second-seeded Gators' 4-0 victory over UCLA in the NCAA women's semifinals Monday, sending UF (30-1) to its second straight final. Florida's lone loss came Feb. 21 to Stanford; the rematch is at 7 tonight.

"We're playing great at every position, and mentally we are better than ever," said Will, who beat McCall Jones 7-5, 6-2.

The Cardinal (28-0), ranked second and seeded first, beat Baylor 4-1. Stanford extended its NCAA record home winning streak to 184, dating to 1999.

UF PLAYS FRIDAY: Florida's softball team opens its best-of-three Super Region series against Oregon at 2 p.m. Friday in Gainesville. Game 2 is noon Saturday followed by Game 3 if necessary. The winner advances to the Women's College World Series, June 2-8 in Oklahoma City.

BASKETBALL: Ed DeChellis, who led Penn State to the NCAA Tournament this year, resigned to take Navy's coaching job. … Murray State promoted assistant Steve Prohm to head coach.

FOOTBALL: Former Alabama running back Demetrius Goode signed to play his final season at North Alabama, a Division II program where he'll be able to play right away for former Florida State coach Terry Bowden.

OBITUARY: Joe Steffy, who helped pave the way for Heisman Trophy winners Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis at Army and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman in 1947, died Saturday. He was 85. In 1944, before being drafted into the service, he played for a Tennessee team that went to the Rose Bowl.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

MIAMI — Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 on Monday for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final and vowed to learn from the incident.

The NBA released its decision after speaking with the former Gator, saying the fine was "for using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench."

The fine is half of what Lakers star Kobe Bryant was assessed for shouting the same slur toward a referee last month. The league said the sanction against Bryant was based on what he said and whom he said it to.

"Kobe's fine included discipline for verbal abuse of a game official," NBA spokesman Mark Broussard said.

Noah has a $60 million deal through the 2015-16 season. Some of his teammates, including Taj Gibson and Luol Deng, said the fan went too far with persistent heckling.

"Honestly, I felt like jumping in the crowd and hitting him," Deng said.

Bulls center Carlos Boozer said fans have a right to say what they want to, and "unfortunately sometimes, for us, we just have to sit there and take it."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, major advocacy groups, called upon the league to sanction Noah and further educate players on the topic.

"The fan said something that was disrespectful towards me (teammates said it involved Noah's mother)," Noah said. "And I went back at him. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not like that. I'm an open-minded guy. I said the wrong thing, and I'm going to pay the consequences — deal with the consequences — like a man. I don't want to be a distraction to the team right now."

"We know what business we are in," said Heat forward LeBron James, who this month was not fined after referring to a reporter's questions as "retarded."

"Emotions get played," James said. "I don't think it was right what he said. But emotions do get said over the course of the game. We know there's going to be microphones. We know there's going to be cameras around. You just have to be cautious about what you say and just try to control your emotions as much as possible."

Blazers: General manager Rich Cho was fired after less than a year on the job. "The chemistry just wasn't there, and we didn't feel it was going to get any better moving forward," president Larry Miller said. A disagreement about disciplining All-Star guard Brandon Roy was not a factor, Miller said. Cho wanted to suspend Roy over comments he made during the playoffs about lack of playing time. Allen did not agree, and Roy was not suspended. Chad Buchanan, director of college scouting, will serve as acting GM.

timberwolves: Kurt Rambis appeared at a predraft workout of prospects in Minnesota despite not knowing if he will return as coach next season. The Timberwolves are hosting dozens of scouts, executives and coaches around the NBA over the next three days to get a look at players who will be considered in the draft next month. Rambis was a surprise appearance because president David Kahn has not said if he will be back for a third season. Rambis and Kahn were not available for interviews. Kahn said through a spokesman that no decision has been made on the coach.

Conference finals

East

Heat 2, Bulls 1

Game 1: Bulls 103, Heat 82

Game 2: Heat 85, Bulls 75

Game 3: Heat 96, Bulls 85

Tonight: at Miami, 8:30, TNT

Thursday: at Chicago, 8:30, TNT

Saturday: at Miami, 8:30, TNT *

Monday: at Chicago, 8:30, TNT *

West

Mavericks 2, Thunder 1

Game 1: Mavericks 121, Thunder 112

Game 2: Thunder 106, Mavericks 100

Game 3: Mavericks 93, Thunder 87

Monday: at Oklahoma City, late

Wednesday: at Dallas, 9, ESPN

Friday: at Oklahoma City, 9, ESPN *

Sunday: at Dallas, 9, ESPN *

* If necessary

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY — Dirk Nowitzki scored 40, Jason Kidd hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime and the Mavericks overcame a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to stun the Thunder 112-105 on Monday night and take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference final.

Dallas didn't lead until Nowitzki hit two free throws 16 seconds into overtime, needing to rally from a 99-84 deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. The Thunder never led in OT.

"I had a good rhythm going from the beginning,'' Nowitzki said.

Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer on Oklahoma City's opening possession of overtime then didn't get another shot until he missed a 3 off the front rim in the final 10 seconds with the Thunder down by five. He finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds.

"It's not over yet,'' Nowitzki said of the series, which returns to Dallas on Wednesday.

Mavs 112, Thunder 105, OT

DALLAS (112): Marion 1-5 5-6 7, Nowitzki 12-20 14-15 40, Chandler 2-4 1-1 5, Kidd 5-9 4-4 17, Stevenson 1-5 0-0 3, Terry 7-19 4-4 20, Stojakovic 2-7 0-0 4, Haywood 2-2 5-8 9, Barea 3-10 1-1 7. Totals 35-81 34-39 112.

OKLAHOMA CITY (105): Durant 9-22 9-10 29, Ibaka 8-15 2-2 18, Perkins 3-5 0-1 6, Westbrook 7-22 5-8 19, Sefolosha 6-10 0-0 12, Harden 3-5 1-2 7, Collison 5-7 2-2 12, Maynor 1-4 0-0 2, Cook 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 42-90 19-25 105.

Dallas 22 32 23 24 11— 112

Oklahoma City 31 28 22 20 4— 105

3-Point Goals—Dallas 8-25 (Kidd 3-6, Nowitzki 2-3, Terry 2-6, Stevenson 1-4, Barea 0-3, Stojakovic 0-3), Oklahoma City 2-13 (Durant 2-7, Maynor 0-1, Sefolosha 0-2, Westbrook 0-3). Fouled Out—Harden, Collison. Rebounds—Dallas 43 (Chandler 8), Oklahoma City 62 (Durant 15). Assists—Dallas 16 (Kidd 7), Oklahoma City 23 (Westbrook 8). Total Fouls—Dallas 22, Oklahoma City 29. Technicals—Chandler, Dallas defensive three second, Oklahoma City defensive three second. Flagrant Fouls—Haywood. A—18,203 (18,203).

Noah fined $50,000

MIAMI — Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final and vowed to learn from the incident.

The NBA said the fine was "for using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench."

The fine is half of what Lakers star Kobe Bryant was assessed for shouting the same slur toward a referee last month. The league said the sanction against Bryant was based on what he said and whom he said it to, and included discipline for verbal abuse of a game official.

Noah, a former Gator star, has a $60 million deal through 2015-16. Some of his teammates, including Taj Gibson and Luol Deng, said the fan went too far with persistent heckling.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, major advocacy groups, called upon the league to sanction Noah and further educate players.

"The fan said something that was disrespectful towards me (teammates said it involved Noah's mother)," Noah said. "And I went back at him. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not like that. I'm an open-minded guy. I said the wrong thing, and I'm going to pay the consequences.

"Sometimes fans say things that are overboard. But it's on us not to react. If you react, they win. And I did."

Blazers: GM Rich Cho was fired after less than a year on the job. "The chemistry just wasn't there, and we didn't feel it was going to get any better," president Larry Miller said. A disagreement about disciplining All-Star guard Brandon Roy was not a factor, Miller said. Cho wanted to suspend Roy over comments he made during the playoffs about playing time. Owner Paul Allen did not agree, and Roy was not suspended. Chad Buchanan, director of college scouting, will be acting GM.

Conference finals

East

Heat 2, Bulls 1

Game 1: Bulls 103, Heat 82

Game 2: Heat 85, Bulls 75

Game 3: Heat 96, Bulls 85

Tonight: at Miami, 8:30, TNT

Thursday: at Chicago, 8:30, TNT

Saturday: at Miami, 8:30, TNT *

Monday: at Chicago, 8:30, TNT *

West

Mavericks 3, Thunder 1

Game 1: Mavericks 121, Thunder 112

Game 2: Thunder 106, Mavericks 100

Game 3: Mavericks 93, Thunder 87

Monday: Mavericks 112, Thunder 105, OT

Wednesday: at Dallas, 9, ESPN

Friday: at Oklahoma City, 9, ESPN *

Sunday: at Dallas, 9, ESPN *

* If necessary

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

BOSTON — Lightning veteran defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron says that at this time of year, with just four teams left, few mistakes are made.

"But when there's some," Bergeron said, "teams are good at taking advantage of them."

That's held true in the Eastern Conference final, as many turnovers are turning into goals. In Game 4, three bad Lightning passes led to Bruins scores.

Tampa Bay returned the favor by forcing turnovers behind the Bruins net, taking the puck from defensemen Zdeno Chara and Tomas Kaberle.

And in Monday's Game 5, Simon Gagne gave the Lightning a quick 1-0 lead, when a two-on-one rush was sparked by a Bruins turnover at the Lightning blue line as well as Boston defenseman Andrew Ference pinching too far in.

Essentially, every mistake has been magnified.

"They've made mistakes, we've capitalized on them and vice versa," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "So we really have to pay attention to those details and really minimize those kind of mistakes. And as you saw (Saturday) in the second period, when we got a 3-0 lead, we made some really poor decisions and mistakes of maybe not bearing down or not making that situation a big enough situation."

Lightning coach Guy Boucher said his team had 10 turnovers in the first period Saturday, the most in one period this season. From defenseman Victor Hedman's bad backpass that set up Bruins center Patrice Bergeron's goal to Marc-Andre Bergeron's giveaway in the neutral zone, Boston made Tampa Bay pay.

"You play a really good team that's got some skill and if you're going to give them that many, it's going to hurt you," Boucher said.

Some of the Bruins' miscues were forced by an aggressive Lightning forecheck, and they know how to counter that.

"Quick, solid puck-moving, good passes," Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said. "If you do that, you get out of your zone pretty quick. If you don't, it plays right into their hands, and they create turnovers and chances."

Bruins center Rich Peverley said it's partly on the forwards to come back and offer support.

"We need to be good on the walls, and a few times we turned the puck over on the walls," Peverley said. "That's uncharacteristic of our team."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

BOSTON — There was a lot of talk before Monday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final about Bruins goalie Tim Thomas' so-called guarantee of a series victory, something he said was "blown out of proportion."

But what dominated conversation following Boston's 3-1 victory over the Lightning was Thomas' stick save on Steve Downie midway through the third period.

"It was unbelievable," Boston center Patrice Bergeron said. "It turned the whole game around."

It was one of many by Thomas, who put the Bruins one win away from the Stanley Cup final with 33 saves, helping kill off four power plays.

"There's no two ways about it, that's an amazing goaltender that you saw," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "He's making miracles."

Thomas' main Monday "miracle," which will likely be shown on highlights for years to come, was the save against Downie in the third. With the Bruins up 2-1, Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer's shot from the point went wide left. It took a weird carom off the back boards right to Downie, who was just to the left of the crease. Thomas, positioned at the top of the crease, desperately dove back, reaching with his stick as the puck hit his stick — and the post.

"It was just a reaction, and desperation," Thomas said. "And I'll admit, I got a little bit lucky there."

Thomas also robbed Downie of a goal earlier on a point-blank chance, and got just enough of a Blair Jones shot, which went off his shoulder and the post.

"He stood on his head tonight," wing Milan Lucic said.

Thomas said he felt a little more pressure after a quote of his took a life of its own. In Sunday's Boston Herald, Thomas was quoted as saying "We're going to win" in terms of the series, and the story quickly picked up steam. Thomas said "there was no guarantee."

"The way the question was framed was more the effect of, how do I see the rest of this series going?" Thomas said. "In my mind, I was thinking about how I visualized, of course I'm going to visualize us winning this series. I'm not going to sit here and visualize us losing.

"So that was that, but because it was so blown out of proportion, yeah there was a little more pressure. But I tried ignoring it the best I could, and tried to play the game. What matters is what you've done on the ice, and not the other stuff."

And Thomas' play Monday spoke for itself.

As Boucher said, "We're still trying to figure out the Thomas enigma."

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

VANCOUVER — Sami Salo waited 12 seasons and endured countless injuries for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.

One win from his first Cup final, the Canucks defenseman doesn't want to wait any longer.

With a 3-1 lead over San Jose in the Western Conference final, Salo knows how important it is for the Canucks to finish off the Sharks tonight. It's something they failed to do against their opponents in Game 5 at home in the first two rounds.

"We noticed from series past we have to have the killer instinct to finish the other team off," Salo said. "Otherwise it will give them momentum and too many chances."

"They say the fourth win is the toughest one to get, and that's been the case for us," said captain Henrik Sedin, adding the team has learned from the previous failures. "The other team is for sure treating it as a Game 7, and if you are not doing it yourself, it's tough to win those games."

The Canucks have already lost two defensemen to hits by San Jose's big forwards.

One of them, Christian Ehrhoff, took part in an optional practice Monday but refused to speculate on his status, saying only that he was day to day after a hit by Jamie McGinn in Game 3. Aaron Rome, also knocked out of Game 3 by McGinn, isn't expected to play.

The Sharks didn't promise to treat tonight like a Game 7, but defenseman Dan Boyle, a former Lightning standout, liked their chances of forcing one if they get the series back to San Jose for Game 6 on Thursday: "We're going there to win a game and we like our chances coming back here, so it's going to come down to seven games."

Sharks coach Todd McLellan said captain Joe Thornton will play. He was knocked out of Game 4 by Raffi Torres.

Red Wings: Defenseman Brian Rafalski has played through the pain of a bad back and knee for a while, and Canada's Sportsnet reported that he is retiring. General manager Ken Holland said he had not received such information. "I know there are tons of rumors out there," he said. "Rafi has told me he's not 100 percent sure what he's doing next year. But I haven't talked to him in a week." Rafalski, 37, has one year at $6 million left on his contract.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

DETROIT — RHP James Shields had a lot to feel good about Sunday after what he and manager Joe Maddon said was probably the best start of his career, logging a three-hit shutout while tying the team single-game strikeout record of 13.

But he felt even better during the flight to Detroit when Rick Vaughn, team VP of communications, informed him that on his final batter he'd surpassed Scott Kazmir's franchise strikeout mark with 875.

"I didn't really realize the magnitude of what went on," Shields said. "I think that's pretty special, especially being with this organization for the last 11 years. To be able to be a franchise player from Day 1, it's pretty special. These guys stuck with me for a long time, and to be able to do that really means a lot."

He felt good about how far he has come, from a 16th-round pick who spent nearly 6½ seasons in the minors and had to battle back from shoulder surgery.

"It just shows how hard I worked over the last five years," he said. "And just staying healthy. I'm proud of that, of staying healthy. And of being that guy."

Shields ended up with the ball as a memento of the record-setting strikeout (of Gaby Sanchez), though almost by happenstance since it was the final out of the game and C Kelly Shoppach flipped it to him.

But there is one thing odd about the accomplishment.

"I truly don't believe I'm a strikeout pitcher," Shields said. "I feel like I'm a ground ball pitcher. I like to go deep into games, and I'm a workhorse in that sense. In order to go deep into games, you can't really strike too many guys out. If you strike everyone out, your pitch count goes up."

Shields needed 1,0541/3 innings, over 162 games, to amass his 875 strikeouts. Kazmir got 874 in 834 innings over 145 games.

ALSO WORTH NOTING: Shields became the second AL pitcher to throw a shutout and drive in the winning run since the advent of interleague play in 1997. The other was Toronto's Kelvim Escobar vs. Cincinnati in June 2003. … Shields is the first to strike out at least 13 and walk one or none in a shutout in an interleague game and the fifth to do so in the past 10 years. … He also took over the franchise lead with his fourth shutout.

HIT MAN: OF Matt Joyce returned to Comerica Park last season for the first time since being traded by the Tigers. But this trip is more rewarding as Joyce has established himself as an (almost) everyday player and was leading the majors in hitting at .355. "Any time you have success, you want to show them what they missed out on or what they traded and what they lost," Joyce said.

GOOD HANDS PEOPLE: The Rays went into play Monday with a chance to match the 2010 Twins' record of going 48 games into a season without making multiple errors. Through Sunday, there had been 29 players who had two errors in a game.

PITCHING IN: Maddon said RHP Andy Sonnanstine is locked in to make his fourth start in place of injured RHP Jeff Niemann on Wednesday, and Maddon hopes a talk about Sonnanstine's previous success, specifically his 13-win 2008 season, helps.

"I just wanted to remind him of some things he's gotten away from, and he concurred," Maddon said. "So we'll see how it works out on Wednesday."

Niemann (lower back strain) has started playing catch. With several weeks of throwing off the mound and a couple of rehab starts in front of him, he is looking at a mid- to late-June return.

MISCELLANY: OF Justin Ruggiano was to be in the lineup in leftfield but had to be scratched due to what Maddon politely described as "gastrointestinal distress" and was replaced by Sam Fuld. … Felipe Lopez made his second career big-league start, and fourth appearance, at first base. He also was named International League player of the week for his work at Durham before being promoted.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

DETROIT — SS Elliot Johnson is expected to be sidelined at least a few days and possibly for an extended period after spraining his left knee during a slide.

With Johnson out, the Rays will be down to Sean Rodriguez playing shortstop, as Reid Brignac is on bereavement leave following the death of his grandfather and is not expected back until Friday.

Johnson was hurt on an awkward slide in the fifth, stayed in another inning and ended up at an area hospital for an MRI exam.

The good news, he said, is that "it's nothing serious," no tear or structural damage. The bad news is that there is a sprain of the capsule around the knee, and that "walking on it right now is a chore and bending it is the problem. They told me I'll probably be off of it for the next few days for sure, and after that I don't really know," he said.

FEELING GOOD: RHP James Shields had a lot to feel good about Sunday after what he and manager Joe Maddon said was probably the best start of his career, logging a three-hit shutout while tying the team single-game strikeout record of 13.

But he felt even better during the flight to Detroit when Rick Vaughn, team VP of communications, informed him that on his final batter he'd surpassed Scott Kazmir's franchise strikeout mark with 875.

"I think that's pretty special, especially being with this organization for the last 11 years,'' Shields said. "To be able to be a franchise player from Day 1, it's pretty special. These guys stuck with me for a long time, and to be able to do that really means a lot."

Shields ended up with the ball as a memento of the record-setting strikeout (of Gaby Sanchez), though almost by happenstance since it was the final out of the game and C Kelly Shoppach flipped it to him.

But there is one thing odd about the accomplishment.

"I truly don't believe I'm a strikeout pitcher," Shields said. "I feel like I'm a ground ball pitcher. I like to go deep into games, and I'm a workhorse in that sense. In order to go deep into games, you can't really strike too many guys out. If you strike everyone out, your pitch count goes up."

Shields needed 1,0541/3 innings, over 162 games, to amass his 875 strikeouts. Kazmir got 874 in 834 innings over 145 games.

ALSO WORTH NOTING: Shields became the second AL pitcher to throw a shutout and drive in the winning run since the advent of interleague play in 1997. The other was Toronto's Kelvim Escobar vs. Cincinnati in June 2003. … Shields is the first to strike out at least 13 and walk one or none in a shutout in an interleague game and the fifth to do so in the past 10 years. … He also took over the franchise lead with his fourth shutout.

GOOD HANDS PEOPLE: The Rays matched the 2010 Twins' record of going 48 games into a season without making multiple errors. There have been 30 players who have had two errors in a game.

PITCHING IN: Maddon said RHP Andy Sonnanstine is locked in to make his fourth start in place of injured RHP Jeff Niemann on Wednesday, and Maddon hopes a talk about Sonnanstine's previous success, specifically his 13-win 2008 season, helps. "I just wanted to remind him of some things he's gotten away from, and he concurred," Maddon said. "So we'll see how it works out on Wednesday."

Niemann (lower back strain) has started playing catch. With several weeks of throwing off the mound and a couple of rehab starts in front of him, he is looking at a mid- to late-June return.

MISCELLANY: OF Justin Ruggiano was to be in the lineup in leftfield but had to be scratched due to what Maddon politely described as "gastrointestinal distress" and was replaced by Sam Fuld. … Felipe Lopez made his second career big-league start, and fourth appearance, at first base.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

Phillies 10, Reds 3

PHILADELPHIA — Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez homered to back Cole Hamels, and the Phillies handed the Reds their sixth straight loss. Chase Utley returned to Philadelphia's lineup after missing 46 games with a right knee injury and went 0-for-5, the only starter without a hit. But the Phillies, who had nine runs combined in their previous six games, scored nine by the third.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

Blue Jays 7, Yankees 3

NEW YORK — J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run double in a five-run sixth and Jose Bautista homered to back Carlos Villanueva and lift the Blue Jays. Starting in place of injured former Dixie Hollins standout Jesse Litsch, Villanueva pitched a strong five innings, using a looping curveball to strike out the side to open his first start since Oct. 3, 2009, for the Brewers. Bautista crushed a Bartolo Colon pitch over the 399-foot marker in left-center in his first at-bat.

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

autos

andretti, foyt join forces for indy 500

An Andretti and a Foyt are teaming up to put Ryan Hunter-Reay back in the Indianapolis 500.

After a disastrous weekend for Michael Andretti's team, the owner and his father's old rival have reached a deal to get Hunter-Reay, the only American to win an IndyCar race since April 2008, into A.J. Foyt's No. 41 car for Sunday's race.

"We've been competitors for many years, but it's still the kind of relationship when someone is really down and out, you don't turn your back on them — at least I can't," Foyt said in a statement. "This is going back to the way racing used to be, where if people were in a lot of trouble, you tried to help each other."

Hunter-Reay will start from the back of the field.

Jarrett leads second Hall class: Ned Jarrett, who won 50 races over his career, claimed two NASCAR championships and once beat the field by 19 miles at Darlington Raceway, was inducted into NASCAR's Hall of Fame on Monday in Charlotte, N.C.

Jarrett spoke of the commitment he made to his health when plans were announced to build NASCAR's only Hall of Fame so that he'd live long enough to be inducted.

"I've worked extremely hard on my health the last several years for this purpose," said Jarrett, 78. "I wanted to live for other reasons, too, but that was a big reason I wanted to be around for a while. I am truly honored to be among this class."

He is part of the five-member second class, which includes 105-race winner David Pearson and 84-race winner Bobby Allison. Also in the class is Petty Enterprises patriarch and three-time Cup champion Lee Petty and Bud Moore, a decorated World War II veteran and two-time Cup championship team owner.

et cetera

Golf: Sergio Garcia has withdrawn from British Open qualifying because of an infected fingernail. Garcia, 31, who has played in every British Open dating to 1998, had to qualify because he has fallen to No. 73 in the world. He joined other PGA Tour players in the International Final Qualifier in Plano, Texas. … Citing back problems, Fred Couples has withdrawn from this week's Senior PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky.

Soccer: Argentina players took banned drugs before a qualifying match against Australia for the 1994 World Cup, Diego Maradona said. Maradona made the claim on Argentine television and accused FIFA vice president Julio Grondona, the head of Argentina's Football Association, of knowing about the doping. Grondona had no immediate comment. … Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry and Tony DiCicco are joining ESPN as studio analysts for this summer's Women's World Cup in Germany. Chastain and Scurry were members of the 1999 U.S. team that won the World Cup, and DiCicco was its coach. … Freddy Adu was selected to the U.S. roster for next month's Gold Cup. In their second game, the Americans take on Panama on June 11 in Tampa.

Times wires

Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011

Rangers 4, White Sox 0

ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz homered in their return to the Rangers lineup and Alexi Ogando pitched a five-hitter for his first career shutout. The sluggers were back in the Texas lineup together for the first time in almost six weeks. Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP, got his first homer of the season when he pulled a liner over the rightfield wall in the first off John Danks. Hamilton added a double in the eighth and finished 2-for-4. Cruz grounded out and struck out before his two-run blast to left in the sixth, which snapped his 0-for-16 slide.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011

BOSTON — As surprising as it might have been, Lightning coach Guy Boucher's decision to start backup G Mike Smith in Monday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final was not made in a vacuum.

Among those Boucher consulted was general manager Steve Yzerman.

"We discuss everything," Yzerman said. "And I support him 100 percent."

While Yzerman was well aware Smith would make his first career playoff start, most people on the outside (including the Bruins) didn't know until the 29-year-old led the team out for pre-game warmups.

That's a crafty bit of gamesmanship by Boucher, who made the goalie situation an intriguing question mark.

Boucher had been very cryptic in his comments about the subject ever since Smith was stellar in relief efforts of No. 1 G Dwayne Roloson in Saturday's 5-3 comeback victory over the Bruins. Roloson had been pulled from two of the previous three games (when he has had a 5.64 goals against average), but it was still thought the 41-year-old would get the nod Monday.

No clues were given during the morning skate. Typically, the goaltender who comes off the ice first is the one that starts. But while Roloson came off first, Smith was almost immediately after, and didn't do any extra work with the scratches.

When Boucher was asked in his post-practice news conference if Roloson was starting, he said, "We're preparing like usual. He's preparing like he prepared for all the other games. So we're prepared."

Asked why he would not just come out and say who was in net, Boucher repeated, "He's prepared. He's done the morning skate like usual. … We had a good talk, he knows what's coming up."

Roloson also offered little, smiling and saying, "I'm preparing like I'm playing like always."

Roloson is a big reason the Lightning is here, becoming a steadying force since his acquisition in January, and he entered this round leading the league in goals against average. But Smith stepped up in both Games 2 and 4, stopping all 29 shots he faced including 21 Saturday.

Without giving anything away Monday morning, Roloson appeared to understand the coaches' situation. "Nobody has ever questioned what our coaching staff and management of done," Roloson said. "Ever since I've been here, it's been amazing. They're all players, they've been through it, they know what the situations are. So they're going to do whatever it takes to win hockey games."

MEDICAL MATTERS: RW Steve Downie, whose head hit the glass and bounced off the ice after he was hit by Nathan Horton in the second period of Game 4, was in the lineup Monday, logging 16:56. He was called for a boarding penalty in the third period for a hit which caused Bruins D Johnny Boychuk to leave the game. Downie's status had been in question since he left Saturday's game with the injury and didn't return.

HEADS UP: Much was made about the growth of Lightning D Victor Hedman over the first two playoff rounds. And though Hedman has had a rough time the previous few games, including a bad giveaway that led to one Boston goal in Game 4 (and another that nearly led to a goal), Boucher said he does not believe Hedman has flattened out. "What I like is the fact that we didn't sit him on the bench, and we didn't bring him down even further," Boucher said. "I think (assistant coach) Dan Lacroix, taking care of the defensemen, did a very good job with him of calming him down, and he was terrific in the second and third periods and was part of the goals that we got back."

Times staff writer Damian Cristodero contributed to this report. Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.