By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Sunday, May 29, 2011

He is standing in a hallway, no more than 10 yards away from the visitors locker room at TD Garden in Boston. The clock nearby shows 11:20 p.m., no more than 40 minutes after the end of Friday night's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final.

And yet Guy Boucher is already talking as if his team, as if the 2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning, is forever out of his reach.

"It hurts because what you feel you lost the most is a family that is very special. Because you know what's going to happen now," Boucher said. "It's going to be, 'How many guys come back?' And, 'Who's heading where?'

"That's the nature of the NHL."

And it is the nature of success.

When a team is going poorly, you can't wait for the offseason to arrive so you can begin chasing hope with a new roster. And when a team is going well, the offseason is that frightening interlude when contracts and salary caps conspire against you.

In this case, Boucher has reason to be wary.

The Lightning may have generated tremendous momentum under new owner Jeff Vinik, but there is little doubt that this roster will change in the coming months.

Now there is certainly a chance the changes will be positive, but the odds are less appealing when you're dealing with a more successful team.

Tampa Bay, for instance, has a half-dozen or more key free agents and another handful of restricted free agents. And that doesn't even include age creeping into the conversation.

So is it true the Lightning had some space to maneuver under the salary cap? Yes. And is it also true the team's accountants were ecstatic over the additional revenues that eight home playoff games at the St. Pete Times Forum generated? Yes.

Even so, Boucher is probably reading the tea leaves correctly when he anticipates some changing of nameplates in the locker room.

For example, both of his goaltenders (Dwayne Roloson and Mike Smith), his best defenseman (Eric Brewer) and two of his better forwards (Simon Gagne and Sean Bergenheim) are free agents. Not to mention his leading goal scorer (Steven Stamkos) and another of his top-six defensemen (Mike Lundin) are restricted free agents.

What does it all mean?

That general manager Steve Yzerman's second summer on the job might be more challenging than his first.

A year ago, subtractions were not a concern in Tampa Bay. Free agents left, and no one cried. Yzerman dealt defensemen with bloated contracts, and everyone cheered.

This time, it will be different. Gagne will probably move on. Brewer will be an expensive re-sign. Bergenheim's bargaining power increased dramatically in the postseason.

So where, exactly, does Yzerman begin?

I imagine getting Stamkos signed is the top priority. He is 21 and has averaged 48 goals over the last two seasons. That puts him in rare company in NHL history.

He might not command the $9 million a season that Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are making, but somewhere in the $7 million range is probable.

Figuring out the goaltender is also high on the list. Roloson was a huge part of Tampa Bay's postseason success, but he will turn 42 early next season.

Do you sign him and hope Cedrick Desjardins is still your goaltender for the future even with his shoulder injury? Do you go outside the organization and look for another goaltender? Or are you convinced Smith has finally turned the corner and go with him?

Once you figure out those two decisions and have some cost-certainty with Stamkos and the goaltender, then the other pieces start falling in place.

The good news is Yzerman showed a knack for matching talent and value in contracts in his first summer as GM. (Dan Ellis being the obvious mulligan.) In a one-week stretch, he signed Marty St. Louis to an extension, re-signed restricted free agents Lundin and Teddy Purcell, dumped Andrej Meszaros' contract and signed Pavel Kubina and Brett Clark.

Later, he added Dominic Moore and Bergenheim for bargain deals, traded for Gagne and re-signed restricted free agents Steve Downie and Nate Thompson.

That type of creativity will be required again. It is hard to see how all of Tampa Bay's free agents will fit under the payroll umbrella, so Yzerman will be forced to pick and choose and then supplement from outside the organization.

It's not comforting to think about losing players from a team that accomplished so much in 2010-11, but it's better than at least one alternative.

Not caring whether the players stay or go.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

Cubs 3, Pirates 2

CHICAGO — Aramis Ramirez ended a 155 at-bat home run drought and Ryan Dempster pitched six solid innings for the Cubs in a rain-delayed game. Ramirez's line drive solo shot in the second broke the second-longest homer drought of his career. He went 170 at-bats between homers from Aug. 2, 1998, until April 21, 2000.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, May 29, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — Evan Longoria's role as the Rays leadoff man may be short-lived, but he is hoping the lessons learned in the past two games will be lasting.

Longoria, who was stuck in a 6-for-45 slump with one RBI in 12 games before moving to the top of the order, has since gone 4-for-7 (.571) with a home run, double, three runs and three walks.

After reaching base seven times in the past two games against the Indians, Longoria told manager Joe Maddon it was exhausting being the catalyst.

"I told him, you've got to be in shape to lead off," Longoria said. "It's definitely a different role, something I've never experienced.

"I feel like I'm doing a good job of just seeing more pitches and getting into spots where I can actually swing the bat at a pitch I can handle. I felt like when I was in the third and fourth spot I was kind of pressing and swinging at pitches that I really can't do anything with, and now I'm getting a little deeper in counts and giving myself an opportunity to have success."

With the Rays facing Rangers LHP Derek Holland tonight, Longoria could be moved back to a more familiar spot in the middle of the order. Maddon was noncommittal after Sunday's 7-0 win over the Indians.

"I'm going to sleep on it," Maddon said.

Meanwhile, Longoria believes the experience will help him become a more patient hitter wherever he is in the lineup.

"That's really the biggest thing, that if and when I do go back to the third or fourth slot, I need to realize I'm going to get maybe one or two pitches an at-bat and other than that, guys are going to try and make pitches and get you out … understanding I can't hit every pitch and taking that mind-set back there," he said.

COBB LIKELY TO START TUESDAY: The Rays are expected to recall RHP Alex Cobb from Triple-A Durham to start Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

Cobb was scratched from his scheduled start for the Bulls on Sunday. The Rays will have to make a corresponding move to make room on the roster.

Apparently, the Rays plan a return to the bullpen for RHP Andy Sonnanstine, who became the fifth starter when Jeff Niemann went on the disabled list May 6 with a lower back strain. The Rays lost all three games Sonnanstine started in place of Niemann, who still is at least several weeks from rejoining the team.

Cobb, 23, made a spot start against the Angels May 1, working 41/3 innings and allowing four runs, four hits and four walks. The Rays believed Cobb was tipping his pitches.

There are several candidates in the bullpen to be sent down. Chief among them may be RHP Brandon Gomes (0-0, 2.89 ERA), who took over Sonnanstine's long relief role and has made nine appearances since being recalled from Durham May 3.

Meanwhile, Niemann will have a 45-pitch simulated game today and could rejoin the club after three or four rehab assignments.

KOTCHMAN INJURED: Rays 1B Casey Kotchman left the game after the fourth inning with a right ankle sprain he sustained sliding into second in an unsuccessful attempt to stretch a single. He is day to day.

Kotchman, the former Seminole High star, is not expected to start today and will be replaced at first by Felipe Lopez.

"I hate to lose him. It's not only about his offense, but his defense," Maddon said.

MISCELLANY: RF Matt Joyce went hitless for the only the second time in his past 13 games. … Rays pitchers have recorded 26 starts of seven innings or more this season, tied with the White Sox for the second most in the majors. … The Rays recorded two shutouts in a series for the third time in club history.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

MIAMI — Mike Miller will play in these NBA Finals with a heavy heart, amid concerns about a tiny heart.

The Heat forward said Sunday that his newborn daughter, Jaelyn, had been released from a Broward hospital Saturday. She spent the initial days of her life in intensive care because of a ventricular septal defect, in this case, Miller said, "four holes in her heart, which were causing problems with her breathing."

Miller left his daughter's side to fly with the team for Thursday's Eastern Conference final-clinching win against the Bulls in Chicago, but otherwise the schedule has allowed him to fulfill his Heat obligations without putting distance between himself and his family.

Hospital visits are set for Tuesday and Thursday, with the Heat hosting Games 1 and 2 against the Mavericks those nights.

"She goes back Tuesday, actually has doctors' appointments all week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," the former Florida standout said. "We'll find out how everything is going then and hopefully keep her out."

And for now, there is waiting.

"They started her on some meds," he said. "Her breathing got a little better. It's still not where we want it. But we're going to find out this week and figure out in the next hopefully month or two if she'll need surgery or not."

Miller, who also has two young sons, said his teammates have been supportive: "They've been great. Obviously, there's guys that understand what's going on as an athlete, when you have something else going on, because everyone's kind of been through … something personal when they're playing."

Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, James Jones and Miller were held out of the contact portions of Sunday's practice but will practice fully today, coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Nowitzki: Title or bust

DALLAS — Reaching the NBA Finals no longer qualifies as a big deal to Dirk Nowitzki.

The Mavericks star, who turns 33 on June 19 has been there before, losing to the Heat in 2006. He was the league's MVP in 2007. He carried Germany's flag into the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics.

As he has made clear in the past six weeks, all that matters is winning a championship.

"There is no second-place finish in this league," he said. "You get nothing for losing the Finals."

And one thing he doesn't want to talk about is his status among the league hierarchy.

"That's all media talk to me," he said. "That's all something we can talk about in 10, 15 years, when my career is over. Right now, I'm chasing my dream. We came so close five years ago. It took a long time to get back to this stage. We obviously want to win. We'll see what happens in these next two weeks, I guess."

NBA Finals

Heat vs. Mavericks

Tuesday: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28

Thursday: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28

Sunday: at Dallas, 8, Ch. 28

June 7: at Dallas, 9, Ch. 28

June 9: at Dallas, 9, Ch. 28 *

June 12: at Miami, 8, Ch. 28 *

June 14: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28 *

* If necessary

Sunday, May 29, 2011

PARIS — His 43rd consecutive victory complete, Novak Djokovic ripped off his white baseball cap, looked up at his parents, coach and supporters in the stands, then let out a yell.

It was the sort of visceral reaction one might expect after a taut, tense contest, not the rather routine 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 result the second-seeded Djokovic assembled Sunday against No. 13 Richard Gasquet in the fourth round of the French Open.

"I didn't expect it to be easy, that's for sure," Djokovic said. "Maybe the scoreline says differently, but I really … had to work."

Each match has extra meaning for Djokovic, whose overall winning streak is the third longest since the Open era began in 1968 (Guillermo Vilas had 46, Ivan Lendl had 44). At 41-0 in 2011, he's one shy of John McEnroe's opening 42-0 in 1984.

"As soon as he hits a return, he grabs you by the throat," said Gasquet, who was supported by a partisan crowd. "To beat him, you need to produce the perfect match and not make any mistakes."

Roger Federer's opponents know that feeling, too. The 16-time major champion moved a step closer to a semifinal showdown against Djokovic by overwhelming No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 7-5, reaching the quarterfinals at a record 28th Grand Slam event in a row.

Federer next faces No. 7 David Ferrer or No. 9 Gael Monfils, whose match was suspended in the fourth set because of darkness. Djokovic meets 49th-ranked Fabio Fognini, who set aside a left thigh injury that left him nearly immobile and erased five match points to beat Albert Montanes 11-9 in the fifth set.

Chaos continues in the women's draw. No. 3 Vera Zvonareva, runnerup at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year, lost the last five games and was defeated 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2 by No. 14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Zvonareva's exit followed those of No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, and No. 2 Kim Clijsters in the second, making this the first French Open, and only third Grand Slam tournament, in the Open era with none of the top three seeded women in the quarterfinals.

The past two French Open champions remain: 2010's Francesca Schiavone got past 10th-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4; and 2009's Svetlanta Kuznetsova was a 6-7 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2 winner over No. 28 Daniela Hantuchova.

"We will see," said the fifth-seeded Schiavone, who reprised her celebratory routine from a year ago and kissed the clay after winning. "For sure it's interesting, but in (women's) tennis now, it's really, really open."

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

Soccer

FIFA Suspends Execs in Voting Bribery Scandal

ZURICH — FIFA suspended senior executives Mohamed bin Hammam and Jack Warner because of bribery allegations while exonerating president Sepp Blatter in the gravest corruption crisis facing soccer's governing body.

Blatter now is in line to be re-elected unopposed to a fourth term Wednesday. His only challenger, Bin Hammam, withdrew his candidacy hours before being excluded from all soccer activities by FIFA's ethics committee.

The panel said there was sufficient evidence to further investigate allegations that bin Hammam and Warner offered $40,000 to delegates at a Caribbean soccer association meeting.

The payments were allegedly made to secure votes for bin Hammam, a Qatari who heads Asia's soccer confederation, in his campaign to unseat Blatter. The evidence was compiled by U.S. executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

Bin Hammam and Warner, a FIFA vice president from Trinidad, will face a full FIFA inquiry. If found guilty, they could be expelled from FIFA and banned for life from all soccer matters. Two officials from the Caribbean Football Union, Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, were also suspended over the bribery allegations.

Bin Hammam has denied wrongdoing. Warner called his hearing "biased" and an abuse of process.

Blazer, a FIFA executive committee member and general secretary of the CONCACAF regional body, told the Associated Press more proof will emerge to back up the file of evidence he submitted.

"This was a conspiracy right from the start between the two of them," said Blazer, dismissing bin Hammam's suggestions that Blatter orchestrated the scandal as "absolute foolishness."

Blazer said he expects more Caribbean football leaders to admit they were offered cash bribes.

More Soccer

Barcelona parade follows violence

Barcelona players rode through the Catalan capital in an open-top bus Sunday, showing off the Champions League trophy they won by beating Manchester United 3-1 in the final.

Thousands of fans greeted the players as the bus wound its way through the city hours after street parties turned violent early Sunday. At least 18 people were hospitalized and more than 80 arrested after revelers attacked officers with bottles, flares and other objects, and destroyed park benches and bus stops.

More than 90,000 fans packed Nou Camp stadium, with coach Pep Guardiola carrying the trophy onto the field.

Lionel Messi, who scored at Wembley on Saturday, told the crowd: "Hopefully, there will be many more to come. Long live Barca and long live Catalunya."

Italian Cup: Samuel Eto'o scored twice to lift Inter Milan over Palermo 3-1 in the league final.

Et cetera

CYcling: Spain's Alberto Contador captured his second Giro d'Italia title in Milan, putting himself in line to become the first cyclist to win the Giro, Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta in the same year. Contador beat Michele Scarponi by more than six minutes.

Horses: Pocket Cowboys led all the way in the Kingston and Gitchee Goomie rallied to win the Mount Vernon in $100,000 stakes for New York-breds on the turf at Belmont Park.

NHL: The Oilers re-signed forward Ryan Jones, 26, to a two-year deal. Jones, who had 18 goals and seven assists this past season, could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Times wires

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

IRVING, Texas — Walking down the 18th fairway during a playoff and realizing he was about to get his first PGA Tour victory, Keegan Bradley got emotional thinking about a cowbell.

The one that is in the World Golf Hall of Fame. The one his grandmother rang after every win by his famous aunt, LPGA Tour great Pat Bradley, whose 31 victories included six majors.

"It was like pull it together, don't start thinking about the cowbell," Keegan Bradley said. "The cowbell in my family is an iconic thing."

Bradley settled himself and won the Byron Nelson Championship, parring the first hole of a playoff with Ryan Palmer on Sunday. Bradley sank a 2-foot par putt at the 419-yard 18th hole in the playoff, while Palmer's approach went into the water before a 13-foot bogey putt.

Bradley, a PGA Tour rookie who never won on the Nationwide Tour, got his first professional victory nine days before his 25th birthday. He looked forward to talking to his aunt.

"She is a lot calmer on the golf course than she is watching me. I'm sure she was by the TV going crazy," Bradley said. "I talk to her regularly through text messages and phone calls about tournaments and what it's like to come down near the end. … This is the closest thing we ever had in common in terms of playing."

About an hour before the playoff, Bradley finished his closing round of 2-under 68 with a par at No. 18, dropping into a squat and hopping a few times in frustration when his 10-foot birdie chance slid by the hole.

Palmer (72) and Bradley finished at 3-under 277, the highest winning score on the PGA Tour this year and the highest in relation to par in a non-major since 1999. It was the fifth playoff in six weeks and 10th overall.

Palmer forced the extra hole with a 6-foot putt at No. 18 for the second birdie there all day.

Amateur Jordan Spieth, 17, had a rough finish, closing with two double-bogeys and two bogeys for a 7-over 77 and 6 over for the tournament.

"I was humbled by this back nine," said the future Texas Longhorn. "I'm focused on college now. Had I won today, who knows, but I'm focused now on the next step."

CHAMPIONS: Tom Watson summoned up some of his old major magic, holing a 3-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat David Eger in the Senior PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky. Watson, 61, who was down a shot with four holes left in regulation, became the oldest player to win a major since the seniors tour was created in 1980. Watson closed with 2-under 70 to finish at 10-under 278 and capture his 14th career major, six since turning 50.

EUROPEAN: Luke Donald won a duel for No. 1 with a playoff victory over fellow Englishman Lee Westwood at the BMW PGA Championship in Virginia Water, England. Donald's approach shot on No. 18, the first playoff hole, landed a few feet from the hole. Westwood, who went in as the world No. 1, sent his shot into a water hazard. Westwood shot 3-under 68 in regulation and Donald shot 70 to both finish at 6-under 278.

LPGA: Mariajo Uribe shot 6-under 66 to beat Lindsey Wright by a stroke in the 36-hole Brazil Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Uribe had seven birdies and a bogey to finish at 9-under 135 in the 30-player exhibition event.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

MILWAUKEE — Giants C Buster Posey is out for the season after having surgery Sunday to repair three torn ligaments in his ankle sustained in a collision at home plate last week.

"He's not going to be back this season," head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said in a conference call. "He will have another surgery somewhere in the eight- to 10-week mark to take out some of that hardware that the doctors put in. That's already determined. … Add that to rehab time, and I don't see him making it back this season."

Groeschner said Posey had two screws inserted into his lower leg to stabilize the ankle over a surgery that lasted about 90 minutes early Sunday morning.

"We're very pleased with how his ankle came back together. He had that fractured fibula as well," Groeschner said. "After re-X-raying the fracture, we felt like we didn't really need to do anything with that, which was nice."

The 2010 NL rookie of the year from FSU broke a bone in his lower left leg and injured the ankle in a collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins on Wednesday. Groeschner said the team is optimistic Posey will be ready for opening day next season, but he has a long road ahead.

"I think it's a good prognosis," Groeschner said. "He just had a very devastating injury, he just had surgery and he still has a long rehab process to go. We're optimistic and we'll see how he does at the end of the summer, where he's at."

In other Giants news, 3B Pablo Sandoval, who went on the disabled list in late April with a fractured hamate bone, is expected to take batting practice today and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment soon.

BAILEY BACK: The Athletics activated RH reliever Andrew Bailey from the disabled list and used the two-time All-Star for one inning but plan to ease him back into the closer's role. Bailey had been out since March 30 with a strained right forearm.

UMP OUT: Three umpires worked the game between the Phillies and Mets because Wally Bell was not at Citi Field. No reason was given for Bell's absence when the announcement was made a few minutes before gametime. Spokesmen for both teams said they did not know why Bell was not there.

BRAVES: RHP Cory Gearrin was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett and OF Wilkin Ramirez was optioned to Gwinnett a day after six pitchers were used in a 12-inning game.

CARDINALS: LF Matt Holliday missed a sixth straight start with continued discomfort in his left quadriceps muscle.

CUBS: OF Reed Johnson went on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury, C Geovany Soto was activated from the disabled list, OF Brad Snyder was called up from Triple-A Iowa and C Welington Castillo was optioned to Iowa.

MARLINS: SS Hanley Ramirez was removed from the game against the Dodgers in the second inning because of stiffness in his lower back.

NATIONALS: 3B Jerry Hairston was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for making contact with umpire Ed Hickox during Friday's game against the Padres. Hairston appealed and was in the lineup.

ORIOLES: Starter Brad Bergesen was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk less than 24 hours after the right-hander picked up his third loss in four games and fell to 1-6 with a 5.36 ERA. RHP Chris Tillman also was demoted. … CF Adam Jones left the game against the A's in the fourth with a sore right shoulder.

REDS: One day after tweeting he was "wasting space" in the bullpen, RHP Sam LeCure was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm.

ROCKIES: INF Chris Nelson was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs, and veteran INF Alfredo Amezaga was designated for assignment.

WHITE SOX: RH reliever Tony Pena went on the 15-day disabled list with elbow tendinitis, and RHP Lucas Harrell was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

MONACO — Sebastian Vettel won the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday for his fifth victory in six races this season, holding off Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

The race featured almost as many twists and turns as Monaco's famed street circuit.

"It was unbelievable. The race (Sunday) was pretty entertaining," said Vettel, the defending Formula One champion. "The roulette button must have stopped last night and kept on spinning."

The German leads Lewis Hamilton by 58 points, Red Bull teammate Mark Webber by 64, Button by 67 and Alonso by 74.

Vettel gambled by staying on the same set of soft tires, turning the last 15 laps into a battle of wits, with Alonso and Button on his tail. It appeared the move was going to backfire before a crash on Lap 72 resulted in a red flag that brought a suspension just as he was about to be caught.

Vettel was able to change tires before the race resumed, making the last few laps a procession.

"I saw the only chance to win this race was to try and stay out," said Vettel, who started from the pole for the fifth time.

Meanwhile, Mexican driver Sergio Perez remained in the hospital as a precaution after sustaining a concussion and sprained thigh from a crash during qualifying Saturday. He was to have a scan today, his Sauber team said.

East Bay Raceway: Jeff Rodgers led from the start to pick up his fifth straight feature win in Street Stock racing late Saturday in Gibsonton.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — His first shot at winning the Indianapolis 500 gone with a last-lap miscue for the ages, JR Hildebrand sat at the podium and calmly explained how he threw away the biggest race of his life.

There were no tears. No sullen, mumbled answers. No angry fists slamming the table in frustration.

Instead, the 23-year-old's words were even. His tone tinged with disappointment but not devastation. He smiled, or tried to.

When asked how he could be so composed, Hildebrand just shrugged.

"I'm pretending pretty well, I guess," he said with a wry grin.

Racing with a discipline and savvy that belied his youth, Hildebrand drove beyond his years for nearly three hours Sunday. He avoided the kind of trouble that befell his more experienced competitors and put himself in position to become the ninth rookie winner in the race's 100 history by deftly stretching his gas mileage over the final 30-plus laps.

But one nudge of the steering wheel changed everything. Just a few hundred yards from the finish, Hildebrand's No. 4 Panther Racing Honda slammed into the wall after attempting to pass Charlie Kimball's lapped car on the outside.

He finished second to Dan Wheldon and understands what he lost. If given the chance to do it again, he would play it safer.

"I felt like I just made a mistake, and it (hurt) our boys," Hildebrand said. "I guess that's why rookies don't win the Indianapolis 500 a whole lot."

Hildebrand promises he'll be back. He's been a full-time IndyCar driver for all of two months, driving the same No. 4 that Wheldon left last year when his contract with Panther expired.

The last lap humbled him. He's not going to let it define him.

"On the stats it will show that I finished second in my rookie year and all this kind of stuff, but we had better than that (Sunday)," Hildebrand said. "It's just tough."

After all, this is the same guy who put off a chance to go to Massachusetts Institute of Technology after graduating from high school so he could give this racing thing a shot.

Panther Racing co-owner John Barnes doesn't want his young driver going anywhere.

"I'm sure he's down," Barnes said. "He (doesn't) need to be down. He has nothing to be ashamed about or upset about."

Afterward, Hildebrand was more concerned about how his gaffe affected his team rather than his career path: "It's just a bummer."

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, May 29, 2011

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Tom Jones looks back at the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports.

Best coverage

ABC's coverage of the Indianapolis 500 set the gold standard for the weekend, especially the last half-hour of the race. Analysts were spot-on in deciphering how much fuel each driver had left and which cars had the best chance to win. Even when Danica Patrick held the lead with fewer than 10 laps left, ABC's crew pointed out that her chances of winning were slim at best because she would have to pit before the race was over. By looking at lap speeds and previous pit stops, the ABC crew kept viewers well informed as to who was still in the hunt and who wasn't, regardless of where they were running at that moment.

Then, like any good production team, ABC seemed to expect the unexpected and was totally prepared when JR Hildebrand's last-turn crash gave the 500 to Dan Wheldon. A good day for ABC.

Most disappointing coverage

Fox's coverage of Saturday's UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United was a mixed bag. The actual match was solid, especially with veteran announcers Martin Tyler and Alan Smith calling the action. But everything else was so watered down that it was an insult to soccer fans.

The pregame show with host Curt Menefee and analysts Eric Wynalda and Brad Friedel was a mess. All three appeared uncomfortable, although Wynalda and Friedel were better at halftime. The first feature revealed Fox's attitude toward the event as Fox NFL analyst Michael Strahan had a taped piece on the difference between football and futbol. Really? The biggest soccer match in the world and you're still telling Americans how soccer works? It wasn't funny, informative or entertaining.

Later, American soccer star Donovan Landon had a feature on the world's best player, Barcelona's Lionel Messi. All viewers learned was, well, he's the world's best player.

The whole thing was Soccer For Dummies.

It's always best for networks to cater to the avid fan because the casual fan will catch up. But the worst thing a network can do is insult the diehards by gearing its coverage to people who probably aren't watching anyway.

I'm not a soccer fan and I found Fox's coverage embarrassingly simplified. It's a shame because soccer fans deserved better and, based on how it covers every other sport, Fox was certainly capable of delivering better.

Classiest interviews

Three interviews over the weekend showed the world of sports is still full of classy figures.

First, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, top, was respectful of his good friend, Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis, bottom, moments after the Bruins eliminated the Lightning. He told Versus' Pierre McGuire how much he loved St. Louis and how difficult it was to play against his close friend. Even Lightning fans had to feel good for Thomas, who has more than paid his dues to reach the Stanley Cup final.

Then there was the Lightning's Guy Boucher, who was nothing but insightful and cooperative with the media throughout the playoffs. The second question after his Lightning was eliminated Friday night was from some pinhead reporter from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, who had the gall to ask Boucher how the Bruins matched up against Vancouver. Remember, this is like 10 minutes after the most devastating loss of his NHL career and no one would've blamed Boucher for snapping at the reporter for such a lousy and disrespectful question. Instead, Boucher answered the question in detail.

Finally, 23-year-old Indianapolis 500 rookie JR Hildebrand was seconds away from winning the race when he drove his car into the wall on the final turn. Yet he articulately answered every question thrown at him after the race.

Best analysis

One of the things that makes Rays TV announcers Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson so good is they occasionally drive off-road to tackle a topical subject. On Saturday, it was Major League Baseball's use of maple bats. A broken bat nearly struck Rays pitcher David Price in the head on Friday. Sun Sports dialed up the replays of the play while Staats and Anderson lambasted MLB for allowing the use of maple bats.

"Nothing will get done,'' Anderson said, "until a David Price gets impaled on the mound.''

Strong stuff. Good stuff.

Worst double standard

Two years ago, Rangers and former Lightning coach John Tortorella was suspended for one playoff game for squirting water on a Capitals fan and then throwing a water bottle into the stands. At the time, NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said, "While it is a difficult decision to suspend a coach at this point in a playoff series, it has been made clear to all of our players, coaches and other bench personnel that the National Hockey League cannot — and will not — tolerate any physical contact with fans."

Reportedly, the Bruins' Nathan Horton, right, also hurled a water bottle into the stands at the St. Pete Times Forum after Game 6 on Wednesday. He was fined (believed to be $2,500), but not suspended. I'm not sure either Tortorella or Horton deserved to miss a key playoff game, but why the double standard? It also has to sting the Lightning a bit knowing that Horton scored the only goal in Boston's 1-0 victory in Game 7. Having said all that, Boston was the better team in Game 7 and deserved to win.

Best feature

NBC's Jimmy Roberts had an outstanding piece on senior golfer Ken Green during Saturday's broadcast of the Senior PGA Championship. Green continues to play despite his right leg being amputated from the knee down after a horrific traffic accident two years ago that claimed the lives of his girlfriend and brother. Roberts looked at Green gutting his way through 30 holes on Friday only to miss the cut.

Said Roberts in conclusion: "This story isn't new but it sort of redefines the whole concept of battling adversity and makes you wonder just how much can one man take."

Three things that popped into my head

1. Doesn't it seem strange that there is no Lightning game to get ready for until October?

2. Speaking of the Lightning, who knows how it would have done against Vancouver in the Stanley Cup final, but maybe losing a classic 1-0 game to Boston in the East final was not the worst way for the season to end. Could Lightning fans be any prouder?

3. It doesn't matter who is playing and what they are playing for, if NBC's John McEnroe and Mary Carillo are calling a tennis match, I'll stop to watch.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, May 29, 2011

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

HOOVER, Ala. — Alex Panteliodis, a star at Tampa's Alonso High, pitched 51/3 innings in his first start against an SEC team to help Florida win the conference title 5-0 over Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Panteliodis, Greg Larson, Nick Maronde and Austin Maddox combined to allow nine hits as the Gators (45-16) won their first SEC tournament since 1991 and sixth overall. It was the first shutout in a final since Vanderbilt beat Auburn 13-0 in 1980.

"It all started on the mound for us, and Alex did a great job," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "If we had to go to the bullpen early in the game, we were probably going to find ourselves in some trouble."

Facing a team that entered scoring an SEC-high 6.9 runs per game, Panteliodis allowed five hits and one walk and struck out five.

"I got in some jams, but the team helped me through it," the junior lefty said. "(O'Sullivan) told me to take my time and make the pitches and if they hit it to let them hit it and let the defense do its job."

The Commodores, who have been in the final four of the past six years but won just once, went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position before Riley Reynolds' two-out single in the ninth.

More Florida: Pitcher Brian Johnson, who sustained a concussion Saturday when hit in the head by a ball thrown by catcher Mike Zunino, was in the dugout Sunday. The sophomore, who went to a nearby hospital for tests that showed no fractures, bruises or bleeding, had a big bump on the back of his head. He is day to day.

FSU falls: Tournament MVP Steven Proscia hit a tiebreaking three-run homer to lead Virginia past Florida State 7-2 in the ACC final in Durham, N.C. Hunter Scantling retired 12 in a row for the Seminoles (42-17), then hit John Barr with two outs in the sixth. John Hicks singled, and Proscia homered over the 32-foot leftfield wall 305 feet away. The Cavs' three titles have come in Durham, beating the Seminoles in the final each time. "We ain't had no luck up here," FSU coach Mike Martin said. "But we'll be back if we're invited."

Big East: Working on three days' rest, Joe DiRocco allowed one run and six hits over six innings to lift Seton Hall past St. John's 4-2 in the final at Clearwater's Bright House Field. DiRocco was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, going 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA.

Softball: Florida will open the double-elimination World Series in Oklahoma City against Missouri at 9:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2). The Gators (52-10) advanced Saturday by completing a two-game sweep of Oregon in the Super Regional. Missouri (52-8) swept Washington. Thursday's other matchups: Cal-Alabama, Baylor-Oklahoma State and Oklahoma-Arizona State.

Women's tennis: After splitting the first two sets of her semifinal against Stanford's Stacey Tan in Stanford, Calif., Florida's Lauren Embree retired because of blisters on her feet.

Men's tennis: Florida's Sekou Bangoura and Alexandre Lacroix lost 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to Stanford's Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher in the semifinals in Stanford, Calif.

Women's lacrosse: Shannon Smith scored four goals, including the winner with 4:36 left, to lift Northwestern past Maryland 8-7 in the national title game in Stony Brook, N.Y. It's the sixth title in seven seasons for the Wildcats. The Terps beat them 13-11 in last season's final.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Wheldon was zipping toward the final corner of the Indianapolis 500, surely figuring the best he could do was another runnerup finish.

Then he came upon rookie JR Hildebrand's car, all smashed up and sliding along the wall.

Hildebrand had made the ultimate mistake with his last turn, and Wheldon made an improbable turn into Victory Lane.

"It's obviously unfortunate, but that's Indianapolis," said Wheldon, 32, who won Indy in 2005 and finished second the past two years. "That's why it's the greatest spectacle in racing. You never now what's going to happen."

This might have been the wildest one ever.

In his first event of the year, the St. Petersburg resident captured the ultimate IndyCar prize. But the 100th anniversary of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" will be remembered more for the guy who let it slip away Sunday.

Leading by almost four seconds and needing to make it around the 2½-mile track one more time, Hildebrand cruised through the first three turns.

The fourth one got him. He went too high, lost control and slammed into the outside wall. Wheldon sped past, while Hildebrand's battered machine skidded across the line 2.1 seconds behind, still hugging the concrete barrier.

"It's a helpless feeling," Hildebrand said.

The 23-year-old Californian got into trouble when he approached another rookie, Charlie Kimball, going much slower as they closed in on the last corner. Instead of backing off, the leader moved to the outside to make the pass — a decision that sent him slamming into the wall to a collective gasp from the crowd of 250,000.

While Wheldon celebrated his second Indy 500 win, series officials reviewed the video to see if Wheldon passed the wrecked machine before the caution lights went on. He clearly did, and Hildebrand's team said it wouldn't protest the result.

Not bad, considering Wheldon doesn't have a full-time job.

"I just felt a lot of relief. It's an incredible feeling," Wheldon said. "I never gave up."

After losing his ride from last season — with Hildebrand's Panther Racing, no less — Wheldon had plenty of time to hang out with his wife and two children, while dealing with the burden of his mother being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He longed to get back behind the wheel, and when May rolled around, he had a one-off deal with retired driver Bryan Herta's fledgling team. They came up with a winning combination, which might lead to a bigger gig.

For now, though, there are no guarantees.

"I think my contract expires at midnight," Wheldon said, managing a smile.

The 200-lap race was dominated much of the day by Chip Ganassi's top two drivers, defending champ Dario Franchitti and 2008 winner Scott Dixon.

From the middle of the front row, Dixon blew by pole-sitter Alex Tagliani before they even got to the start-finish line, diving into the first turn with the lead.

On Lap 147, Tagliani lost it coming out of the fourth turn and banged into the wall.

And after a series of late pit stops, things got interesting. Graham Rahal spent time up front. Then Danica Patrick claimed the lead but stopped for fuel with nine laps to go and finished 10th. "Every time I come here, it's more and more depressing when I don't win the race," she said.

Meanwhile, Belgium driver Bertrand Baguette had already gotten past Patrick, but he didn't have enough fuel, either.

Finally, the lead belonged to Hildebrand. All he had to do was make it to the end. He came up one turn short.

Wheldon never led a lap until the last one, the first time that's happened since Joe Dawson won the second Indy 500 in 1912.

"I was trying to go as hard as I could. I kept pushing," Wheldon said. "It's such a dream ride. I didn't want to give up. It's my only race of the year."

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

Braves 2, Reds 1

ATLANTA — Jair Jurrjens outpitched Johnny Cueto and Martin Prado hit a two-run homer for the Braves. Prado also helped on defense by throwing out Paul Janish at the plate in the eighth to protect the lead. Janish tried to score from second on Brandon Phillips' single to left. Prado's throw got to the plate first, but Janish appeared to slide home safely as catcher David Ross applied a high tag. Janish and manager Dusty Baker argued with home plate umpire Dan Iassogna. The Reds lost two of three in the series to cap a 2-8 road trip.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

Tigers 3, Red Sox 0

Game 2

DETROIT — Justin Verlander took a shutout into the eighth inning to help the Tigers earn a doubleheader split. Verlander threw a career-high 132 pitches, matching the most by a Detroit pitcher since Felipe Lira threw 135 on Aug. 11, 1996. The Tigers needed Verlander's strong start after wasting several opportunities to pounce on a wild Josh Beckett, who earned his first loss since his season debut April 5 and walked a season-high five for the Red Sox.

Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011

CONCORD, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. closed out a day of wild finishes Sunday by running out of gas a half-lap short of snapping his nearly three-year losing streak, now at 105 races.

Kevin Harvick sailed by Earnhardt coming out of the final turn in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Earnhardt was comfortably out front in the closing laps of NASCAR's longest race of the year. Earnhardt knew stretching his gas to the finish was going to be tough, but crew chief Steve Letarte ordered him to go for broke.

It capped a frantic few minutes of strategy as nearly five hours of Sprint Cup racing came down to fuel mileage and a final two-lap sprint to the finish.

The crew chief begged Earnhardt to not worry about gas and chase down Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne over the final 20 laps. But Letarte reversed course when Kahne closed in on Biffle, and Matt Kenseth, who was running fourth, stopped for gas.

Figuring Biffle and Kahne would run out racing each other for the win, he urged Earnhardt to sit tight and try to exploit their misfortune. It might have worked, too, if Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson's engine didn't fail four laps from the finish.

Biffle had to stop for gas under caution, and Kahne and Earnhardt lined up side-by-side for the final restart.

Earnhardt, on the bottom, got a great jump as Kahne was hit from behind by Brad Keselowski. It caused cars to stack up in the middle of the pack, and debris was strewn everywhere. But the caution call from NASCAR never came, and Earnhardt needed only to get to the white flag to seal his win.

He got to the flag just fine. But because the yellow never waved, he had to race and couldn't make it to the finish.

Earnhardt ran out on the back straightaway, coasted through the final turn, and Harvick cruised by for his third win of the season.

"I just do what my dang crew chief says, and I believe that was the right call because if we would have pitted, I don't know where we would have finished," Earnhardt said. "We weren't supposed to make it. We played our hand. I tried to save a ton of gas, as much as I could. I'm disappointed we didn't win. To come so close. But if we had won that race, it would have been a gift."

Earnhardt faded to seventh, and his losing streak hit 105 races. Earnhardt apologized to his fans — many of whom were jumping up and down in anticipation mere seconds from the finish.

Earlier, rookie JR Hildebrand crashed coming out of the final turn to lose the Indianapolis 500 to St. Petersburg resident Dan Wheldon. Earnhardt and Hildebrand are sponsored by the National Guard, and the finishes of the two big races spoiled what would have been a celebratory Memorial Day for the military.

David Ragan, meanwhile, finished second. Joey Logano was third, and Kurt Busch was fourth. AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose were fifth and sixth, and Regan Smith was eighth. Zephyrhills native David Reutimann and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top 10.

The finishing order wasn't really indicative of how drivers managed the 600-mile race.

Biffle and Kenseth probably had the best cars, but Biffle would up 13th and Kenseth was 14th because of the fuel issues. Kahne, who came back from a pit road speeding penalty to have a shot at the win, wound up 22nd.

Kyle Busch led 55 laps but had two late spins and finished 32nd.

It was so topsy-turvy that it opened the door for drivers who struggled mightily most of the race, including Harvick.

But he somehow worked his way toward the front and put himself in position to take the win 500 yards from the finish.

"We were lucky," Harvick said from Victory Lane. "It's nothing against the race track; I just don't like racing here. It just doesn't fit what I do. I griped and griped and griped all day long about how terrible it was. I just had a bad attitude."

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 30, 2011

TAMPA — C Steven Stamkos sees no reason a new deal with the Lightning will not get done.

Neither does GM Steve Yzerman nor agent Mark Guy.

"Both sides have a good relationship," Guy said Monday. "Steven likes Tampa Bay and he likes the environment. I don't see any reason why once we get down to it, we won't get something done."

No talks were held during the playoffs.

"I wanted to wait till the end and not focus on that," Stamkos said. "My focus was on this team and to do whatever I could to help this team win. We have a lot of time to get things done."

Stamkos, 21, had a league-best 96 goals the past two seasons, including 45 last season

His expiring three-year, entry-level contract paid a base salary of $875,000. It is expected 2008's No. 1 overall draft choice will sign for about $7 million a season.

Asked if there was a reason a deal would not get done, Stamkos said, "No. ... We're only going to get better as a team. I would love to be part of it."

"He's one of the great young players in the game, so we'll do everything we can to get it done," Yzerman said, and added, "It will get done at some point."

NOT GOOD ENOUGH: Injured W Sean Bergenheim who missed the final two games of the East final, said it seemed as if he tried a different treatment every hour to try to play in Game 7. Bergenheim would not divulge the injury but did not deny a groin problem.

"We did everything we could to get me back there," he said. "It just wasn't good enough."

Bergenheim, who had nine playoff goals and is a potential unrestricted free agent, said he wants to return to Tampa Bay.

"It's a very good organization," he said." It's a great thing for a player to be a part of."

ON THE MEND: D Pavel Kubina, who missed the final 10 playoff games due to concussion symptoms, said he made "huge progress" in the last week — light workouts Friday and Saturday — and believes there was a chance he could have played sometime during the Stanley Cup final had the Lightning made it that far.

ODDS AND ENDS: AHL Norfolk owner Ken Young acknowledged "brief" discussions with the Lightning about ending their affiliation deal, but said he fully expects the teams to finish out their five-year contract that runs through next season. Speculation had Tampa Bay teaming with a northeast team (Syracuse, perhaps?) to cut down on travel. ... LW Simon Gagne wants to keep the entire roster intact. "I'd like to see everyone come back and have another shot at this." ... G Mike Smith and wife Brigitte are expecting their first child, a boy, on July 15. No names yet but Smith said it will be "something spicy."

Times staff writer Joe Smith contributed to this report.

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 30, 2011

TAMPA — Let's start with this:

"Without being specific," Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said, "we will increase our payroll."

Now let's go to this:

When it comes to goaltenders Dwayne Roloson and Mike Smith, Yzerman said, "I'd like to explore the opportunity of bringing them both back."

The declarations Monday were the most intriguing from a day when players cleaned out their lockers at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Center Steven Stamkos saying he sees no impediment to a new deal was notable, too, though no one really expects otherwise.

Surely there were not many who during the season expected a Roloson/Smith redux.

Roloson, sure, for stabilizing a goaltending black hole after his Jan. 1 acquisition from the Islanders. Smith, though, said he believed he might have been out of the league for good after his demotion to AHL Norfolk.

But Smith returned and in 10 games since Dec. 15 went 6-2-1 with a 1.53 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. And Norfolk's Cedrick Desjardins, expected to be Tampa Bay's 2011-12 backup, had surgery on his right shoulder to repair what is believed a torn labrum and will be sidelined until October.

Still, Smith earned his shot.

"He handled it as well as anybody handled a situation like that," Yzerman said. "It speaks to his maturity and character. I believe he's a better goalie after going through it."

"I'm totally open to the discussion," said Smith, a potential unrestricted free agent who will have to take a pay cut from the $2.4 million he made last season. "My wife and myself love Tampa, and I love playing here."

So does Roloson, a free agent who will be 42 next season but said "physically, I feel great."

"I'd love to come back," he added. "The organization, from top to bottom, the ownership, coaching staff, players, it's great, so if there's an opportunity to come back, I'd love to."

"I'm sure if you asked the majority of players, they're all going to say they'd love to stay," coach Guy Boucher said. "The reality is there is an economic side. Every player is looking out for their team but are also looking out for their families."

So as Yzerman tries to sign Stamkos, defenseman Eric Brewer and forwards Sean Bergenheim, Teddy Purcell and, perhaps, Simon Gagne while also trying to add appropriate free agents, the extra payroll money from owner Jeff Vinik will be welcome.

"It's great," captain Vinny Lecavalier said. "They want to make this team better and want to win and are committed. You can tell Steve and Mr. Vinik how passionate they are about this team, and that's going to make our team go to the next level."

How much Tampa Bay goes over last season's $55 million cap hit remains to be seen.

The league salary cap is expected to rise as high as $63.5 million from $59.4 million, and the team already has $38.37 million in actual salary committed to 11 players and buyouts of Vinny Prospal and Todd Fedoruk.

"You've got to figure out how to spend your dollars," Yzerman said. "But a team that got to Game 7 of the (East final) is a good team. We have to figure out how to get better. It's going to be a challenge just to stay the same."

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 30, 2011

NBA Finals Classic: 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic. A replay of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals between the Lakers and Knicks.

Prime 9: 2 p.m. on MLB Network. A look at the nine best shortstops in major-league history.

Mavs at Heat: 9 p.m. on Ch. 28. Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals. The Doctor is taking the Heat in six.