Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Twins 4, Tigers 1
MINNEAPOLIS — Scott Baker pitched five scoreless innings and the bullpen came through with four solid innings to help the Twins snap an 11-game losing streak to the Tigers. Baker had missed his previous two starts with a strained elbow. Danny Valencia homered and former Ray Delmon Young added a two-run double for Minnesota, which had not beaten the Tigers since Sept. 1.
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 23, 2011
O.J. Simpson announcing on Monday Night Football.
Cookie-cutter stadiums such as Three Rivers, Riverfront and the Vet.
Basketball's short shorts.
The Leeman Bennett years … and the Sam Wyche years … and the Richard Williamson year.
Having only one national baseball game on television per week.
The short pants worn by the Chicago White Sox.
The long pants worn by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jump balls in college basketball.
Marge Schott.
The Senior Professional Baseball League.
Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and the rest of "those guys.''
The NCAA Tournament's third-place game.
Rock-hard Astroturf.
Pong.
Bucco Bruce.
Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
World Team Tennis.
Turning a baseball game on television and having to wait until the end of the inning to see what the score is.
Alvin Harper.
Waiting until Sunday morning's paper to see if your alma mater won its football game the day before.
Segregation.
The Indy 500 on tape delay.
Those yellow uniforms of the San Diego Padres.
Watching sports on a 19-inch (at best) black-and-white television.
The days when the best food at the ballpark was a hot dog that had been sitting in warm water for two hours.
Wooden tennis rackets.
Wooden drivers.
Kevin Kennedy.
The Ickey Shuffle.
Having only six minutes of sports highlights on television each day.
The Bills winning the AFC championship every year then lousing up the Super Bowl.
Vince Naimoli.
The Bad News Bears TV show.
North Carolina's four-corner offense.
The XFL.
Double-knit, pullover baseball uniforms, especially that sun-burnt rainbow worn by the Astros.
The two-line offsides pass in hockey.
The Tampa Bay Windjammers, Tampa Bay Mutiny, Tampa Bay Thrillers, St. Pete Parrots and every other minor-league team that seemed to last two weeks and draw 427 people.
John Rocker.
"Three yards and a cloud of dust … "
The Ron Zook "era."
The Robert McCullum weekly TV show.
Cold Pizza.
Pat Burrell.
American Gladiators.
Olympic boycotts.
NFL champion vs. college all-stars football game.
Joe Morgan on Sunday Night Baseball.
Scooter, the cartoon character on Fox's baseball coverage.
Jesse "The Body'' Ventura as Bucs radio analyst.
Vince Naimoli. (Yeah, we already mentioned him, but we really don't miss him.)
A few weeks ago, we gave you all the things we miss from the old days of sports, things such as Evel Knievel, the St. Pete Cards and The White Shadow television show. Readers offered up what they missed, such as twi-night doubleheaders, the Tampa Bay Bandits and the "Bo Knows'' commercials. But the old days weren't all they were cracked up to be. There was plenty of bad stuff, too. So today we look back at all the things we do not miss in sports.
By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 23, 2011
HOOVER, Ala. — When Mike Slive took over as SEC commissioner in 2002, it was an institution battered by the reputation of a rogue league with a win-at-all-costs attitude.
At the time, the NCAA had found SEC football programs guilty of nine major infractions during the previous 12 years, more than twice the number of any other major conference. Every SEC school had been accused of major rules infractions in various sports at least once since 1990.
Slive, a former attorney and district judge who was once part of a law firm that advised schools on problems with the NCAA, vowed to clean up the league. He set the lofty goal of having no programs under NCAA sanctions in five years.
After achieving that briefly in 2008, the SEC has again found itself with multiple teams ensnared in NCAA controversy.
Yet as he begins his 10th academic year at the helm of the SEC, Slive is not deterred.
"I know what you all thought when I said in five years nobody would be on probation, but in 2008 we were right there," Slive said last week at SEC media days. "Then we've had some setbacks. One of the things, and we're not happy about this, but one of the things that has been learned that I know is different from when we came is we are going to have issues. There are going to be problems. But how you handle it is important."
Slive does not shy away from his league's problems, but said the SEC is not alone, and that reality isn't always as bad as the perception. He added that NCAA investigations and sanctions on schools across America have provided a negative perception of big-time college sports that "casts a shadow over the extraordinary student-athletes throughout the country" and demands change.
A day before his annual media days speech on Wednesday, the NCAA placed LSU on one-year probation for major violations in recruiting a junior college football player. Tennessee and Auburn are waiting on verdicts from pending investigations.
Normally this time of year, with more than 1,000 reporters attending media days in Hoover, Ala., Slive would have touted the accomplishments of the SEC over the past year.
The league had either the national champion or runnerup in 10 sports in 2010-11. Fourteen student-athletes earned NCAA post-graduate scholarships, the second-highest total of Division I-A conferences, and three earned the Elite 88 award, for the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average in an NCAA championships event. SEC schools have won the past five BCS national championships.
But Slive skipped all of that.
"We don't have the luxury of acting as if it's business as usual," he said. "As NCAA president Mark Emmert has observed, the events giving rise to these headlines indicate that intercollegiate athletics has lost the benefit of the doubt."
For those he governs, Slive has not. His most lasting achievement might be the 15-year, multi-billion dollar television contract he negotiated with CBS and ESPN in 2008 — at the time unprecedented in college athletics.
But league coaches and officials say he's also passionate about academic reform and pushing the "student" part of student-athlete.
"I think he's got some wonderful ideas and some tremendous input in the direction of college football," said Alabama coach Nick Saban, who has been a head coach in the league 10 years. "I also think that he listens to the input we have as coaches and carries that to our administrators so that we are represented as a group. We certainly appreciate that. I think his accomplishments in this league have been very, very positive in terms of the progress we've made in the SEC throughout his tenure here. I think any intention he has of anything that he does is for the betterment of our league and college football."
At 71, Slive has a contract that runs through July 2012, and has said he has no timetable for stepping down. But last week he spoke about new proposals for more reform in college athletics that suggested a sense of urgency.
Among them:
• Redefine benefits available to student athletes, including extending the six-year window for athletes to finish their degree under scholarship and multi-year scholarships for athletes (currently they are one-year renewable).
• Strengthen academic eligibility requirements for incoming freshmen and two-year transfers.
• An increase of the requirements for initial eligibility from a 2.0 GPA to 2.5 in 16 core classes and the restoration of partial qualifiers. Athletes who meet the old criteria but fall short of new standards could enroll on scholarship and practice but not compete during their first year.
• Changes in or "modernizing" recruiting rules, which would include removing restrictions on coaches using phone calls, text messaging and social media to contact recruits.
SEC coaches had mixed emotions about some of the proposed changes, but said they ultimately believe Slive is looking out for athletes' best interests.
"I put a lot of trust in Commissioner Slive," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said.
The presidents at Mississippi State, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida will represent the SEC at an NCAA-sponsored retreat in August where many of those issues are expected to be addressed. Slive said he hopes his proposals and other ideas will "establish what might be called a national agenda for change."
And once again, Slive plans to be at the forefront.
Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
WALTON ON THE HILL, England — Mark Calcavecchia surrendered a three-shot cushion to end the third round of the Senior British Open tied for the lead with fellow American Russ Cochran and South Africa's David Frost.
Calcavecchia, who has been in a three-way share of the lead after every round this tournament, was at 10 under with six holes left Saturday before imploding. A triple-bogey 7 at No. 13 was followed by bogey at 16, although the 1989 British Open champ made birdie at 18.
Calcavecchia, trying to become the fourth player to capture the British Open double, shot par 72 to finish at 7-under 209. The stumble by the former University of Florida standout gave a bunched-up field renewed hope in the Champions Tour's third major of the year.
"(Saturday) was exactly what's been happening to me all year," said Calcavecchia, winless in 2011. "I drive it great for a while, and then I just lose it. That's what I was worried about — and then it happens to me. I have to figure it out by (today).
"I lose faith in myself. I could hit 20 perfect drives in a row and then hit one dead left and one dead right. … I can't regroup."
Frost shot bogey-free 66, while Cochran's 67 included double-bogey 6 on No. 14.
American Corey Pavin (69) and England's Barry Lane (69) were a shot behind. Three-time winner Tom Watson (69) was three strokes back.
Lee Rinker (74) and part-time Dunedin resident Rod Spittle (75), who shared the overnight lead, struggled but are two of 12 players within three shots.
PGA: Bo Van Pelt birdied four of his last five holes to shoot 5-under 65 and finish with a one-stroke lead at 5-under 205 after three rounds of the Canadian Open in Vancouver. Canadian Adam Hadwin (68) missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 to finish alone in second.
LPGA: Japan's Ai Miyazato took a two-stroke lead after shooting 5-under 67 in the third round of the Evian Masters in Evian-les-Bains, France. Miyazato made five birdies to close at 13-under 203. Stacy Lewis (69) and Angela Stanford (69), Japan's Miki Saiki (70) and South Korea's Ran Hong (67) were at 11 under. Seminole's Brittany Lincicome (72) was tied for 21st at 5 under.
U.S. Junior Amateur: Jordan Spieth, 17, of Dallas beat Chelso Barrett, 16, of Keene, N.H., 6 and 5 in the 36-hole final in Bremerton, Wash., to join Tiger Woods (1991-93) as the only multiple winners of the event. "Any time you can be compared to any of Tiger's golf accomplishments is very special," said Spieth, who won in 2009.
European: Sweden's Alexander Noren shot a course-record 9-under 63 to extend his lead to 11 after the third round of the Nordea Masters in Stockholm. He made seven birdies and an eagle in closing at 20-under 196. Bubba Watson (69) was in second.
By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Saturday, July 23, 2011
ST. PETERSBURG
For a few, this stadium business is personal. For someone such as Rick Gilkes, how could it be otherwise?
Long before the Rays arrived, before the current mayor was elected, before ESPN had reason to care, Gilkes was working in the building later to be known as Tropicana Field.
He was a welder climbing a ladder between the first and second levels when his foot slipped and he fell about 18 feet onto some equipment. His back was broken, he was hospitalized for a couple of weeks and there was concern he might never walk again.
When he goes to Rays games these days — and he tries to make it to at least a dozen a year — he will sometimes freak out friends by pointing to the spot down the first-base line and recounting the moment he fell in 1988.
So don't tell Rick Gilkes this isn't personal.
• • •
It is a strange thing to be emotionally attached to a building so reviled. Yet for a significant number of people, Tropicana Field is more than the slum of MLB ballparks.
Maybe it has to do with civic pride. Or memories of the long and frustrating pursuit of a big-league franchise. Or the perception of St. Petersburg as Tampa's lesser relation.
Whatever the reason, there tends to be a visceral reaction whenever the worthiness of Tropicana Field or the devotion of Tampa Bay fans is called into question.
"Even when Major League Baseball said you couldn't have a team, we said, 'To hell with you,' and built the stadium anyway," Gilkes said. "There's definitely an emotional attachment involved. We finally had something in the community that other people around the country had heard of."
For St. Petersburg, this is it. When it began building it a quarter-century ago, this stadium, and the big-league team it sought, were supposed to be the solution to the perception of St. Petersburg as a place with beaches, green benches and a ton of old people.
Yet all these years later, the stadium is being called an embarrassment. And baseball fans in the market are being criticized for supposedly lacking passion.
It sounds personal. It feels personal.
But, really, it's not.
It's strictly business.
• • •
Big-league franchises want you. Care about you. Will court you.
But they don't necessarily depend on you, the individual ticket buyer.
More and more, franchises build their revenue around corporate spending. Sponsorships. Signage. Luxury suites. Blocks and blocks of season tickets.
That's where the big money is. That's where the steady income resides.
"It is a shame that this discussion has transformed itself into a discussion about attendance and fan-bashing when the real issue is that baseball is a business, like any other business, that needs to make as much as it can," said St. Petersburg business leader Bob Carter, who was involved in the pursuit of baseball in the 1980s.
"I appreciate that from the Rays' standpoint. There aren't loads of corporations in this market, it's true. I just wish the dialogue focused on what we can do to make it better. Because it's a money issue, and not a reflection of the character of the community."
It's difficult to get baseball officials to reveal exact figures, but the perception is that corporate buyers make up more than 50 percent of season ticket sales in most markets. In some markets, the figures could run as high as 66 percent of the sales.
In Tampa Bay, the number is closer to 33 percent.
"As some of the larger markets have opened new stadiums, you'll notice the seating capacity is getting smaller and smaller," said author Maury Brown of bizofbaseball.com. "That's because they're targeting the corporate base and more expensive seating."
The Rays have never released season ticket data, but some estimates can be drawn from bits and pieces of information gathered over the years.
As best as I can tell, the Rays have a season ticket base of around 6,000. The ratio would appear to be about 4,000 bought by the general public and 2,000 sold to companies. That ratio should be reversed, which means if the Rays have sold 4,000 season tickets to the average fan, they should be selling upward of 8,000 to corporations.
And that means they have a major discrepancy, which is not necessarily the fault of the guy at the end of your cul-de-sac.
The problem is the makeup of the market. There is a limited number of corporate headquarters here for the Rays, Bucs and Lightning to solicit.
And if you narrow it to downtown St. Petersburg, there are even fewer.
• • •
In that sense, the Rays are doing a poor job of framing the stadium debate.
It isn't about the catwalks at Tropicana Field. And it isn't necessarily the loyalty of fans. It isn't even distaste of downtown St. Petersburg, per se.
The Rays are intrigued by downtown Tampa because of what it has to offer: lots and lots of young business professionals in ties, loafers and heels.
Corporate accounts do not fluctuate as much, and that is gold for a baseball team. A bank will buy season tickets whether or not Matt Garza is traded in the offseason. An insurance company will get a luxury suite whether the team wins 90 games or 80. And that is the kind of cost certainty a team needs.
This isn't simply geography. This isn't a question of whether Pinellas residents are more willing to cross a bridge than Hillsborough residents.
This is all about chasing checkbooks.
• • •
Annie Miller cried the day Shea Stadium was demolished.
It was not the grand tearing down of bricks, but the small cracks in her heart. The finality of knowing that those all-day trips from Asbury Park, N.J., she took as a child with her father to watch the Mets in Flushing, N.Y., were now forever left to her memories.
Her father passed away some years ago, but Miller now takes her 95-year-old mother to Tropicana Field. Even with her mother's health and memory diminishing, they have been to 23 games this season. They have grown accustomed to the familiar ushers in their section and the fellow season ticket holders she has known since 2002.
"Going to the game is the only thing I know she truly enjoys and the only thing we can communicate with," Miller said. "Baseball really has no plot, and all the sensory things that go on in the Trop … really brings life to her and I am certain has helped extend her life, too."
It's just a stadium. And a newer facility in a different location makes sense for the long-term viability of the franchise.
It's nothing personal. It's just smart business.
Right?
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 23, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rays continue to say there is nothing but the usual this-time-of-year trade rumors with CF B.J. Upton. Several national media types are saying that Upton definitely will be dealt by Sunday's deadline for non-waiver deals.
And Upton doesn't know what to say anymore, expect to keep up the daily joking with RHP James Shields that they've both made it through another day as Rays.
"It's been (like this) the last two years so I guess there's nothing I can do about it," Upton said. "If that's what they want to do, that's up to them. It's totally out of my hands."
The Indians emerged Saturday as another team possibly interested, given the injury absence of CF Grady Sizemore. The Giants, Brewers and Braves are among others, and the Nationals have long been interested.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday's broadcast, "Upton will be traded, trust me on that." And ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Twitter, "yes, it does look like Upton will be dealt," and that the number of teams interested had increased, perhaps in price comparison to the Mets' Carlos Beltran and Astros' Hunter Pence.
Rays manager Joe Maddon reiterated that Friday's callup of top OF prospect Desmond Jennings is not related to Upton's situation, adding that the move was on track to happen before or during the All-Star break had Jennings not injured a finger.
And Maddon insisted that the frenzy he created by taking Upton out in the eighth inning Friday, after word had gotten out that Jennings was on the move from Triple-A Durham, was totally unintentional. Actually, Maddon said it was prompted by Johnny Damon offering to play the outfield for the final inning, and Maddon picking Upton to get the rest.
Maddon said the trade rumors swirling around Upton are a product of the calendar, and the standings, acknowledging the Rays are in "this kind of limbo position" regarding the playoffs.
"It is what it is — that's going to be out there," Maddon said. "It happens on every team. There's nothing I can really say to ameliorate it or make him feel any better. It's just how this thing works this time of the year. There's a lot of guys. (Executive VP Andrew Friedman) is always looking to make us better, there's always different guys' names involved."
The one thing the Rays can do to quash the rumors, Maddon said, is win a bunch of games this week to improve their status as a playoff contender. "If it were more obvious you probably wouldn't be hearing all these things right now," he said.
REID REPORT: SS Reid Brignac, sent to Triple A after hitting .193 in 68 games, will be on a specific program to improve his overall approach at the plate — "working a more consistent major-league quality at-bat," Maddon said — as well as his baserunning. To be addressed will be bunting, situational hitting, improving the path of his swing and increasing walks and on-base percentage.
Maddon said there was no commitment made to bring Brignac back up during September.
HOT STUFF: Rookie RHP Alex Cobb began preparing Tuesday for today's start in the mid-day sun and heat, drinking four-five bottles of water daily along with electrolytes and a Gatorade drink designed to boost endurance. Temperatures during the game are predicted to be in the 91-94 range, with a feels-like of 99-104, though there is also a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. … Rays TV analyst Brian Anderson had his own trick for Saturday's broadcast, wearing camouflage shorts.
MISCELLANY: With Brignac gone, 2B/RF Ben Zobrist will be prepped for potential duty at shortstop, his original position. … Jennings was the 13th rookie used by the Rays this season, most in the majors and three off their team record set in 2001.
Times staff
Saturday, July 23, 2011
ATLANTA — FC Tampa Bay's unbeaten streak ended Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Atlanta, the NASL's last-place team, at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
Tampa Bay (5-6-6) came in undefeated in its past four league games and five overall, including an exhibition win over Bolton of the English Premier League. But Tampa Bay, which erased a 1-0 deficit in its last game, a 2-1 win July 17 at Edmonton, could not come back from a 2-0 hole after 41 minutes against Atlanta.
Aaron King scored for the fourth straight game for Tampa Bay, on a shot that deflected off of Silverbacks defender Mattias Schnorf in the 43rd minute. Mike Ambersley, Tampa Bay's leading scorer with eight goals, had an assist. King earned his fourth consecutive start after being a frequent substitute in the first part of the season.
Ciaran O'Brien gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead in the 41st minute on a header off of a throw-in. Atlanta (3-11-3), which extended its unbeaten run to a season-high three in its first year since re-entering the Division 2 league, went ahead in the seventh minute on Junior Savdoval's goal.
Tampa Bay was missing defender and captain Frankie Sanfilippo, who was hospitalized Thursday after suffering dehydration symptoms. Sanfilippo had played all 1,440 minutes this season.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Orioles 3, Angels 2
BALTIMORE — Adam Jones homered and drove in two runs to back an effective pitching performance by Brad Bergesen and lead the Orioles. Jones hit a solo shot in the fourth and put Baltimore ahead 3-2 in the fifth with a sacrifice fly. He has four homers and nine RBIs in his past eight games. J.J. Hardy had three singles as part of a 13-hit attack that enabled the Orioles to win for only the fifth time in 22 games.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
GRENOBLE, France — Cadel Evans rocketed past the finish line Saturday, all but certain of his triumph in the Tour de France.
The Australian did more than close the 57-second gap by which he trailed Luxembourg's Andy Schleck on Friday. He obliterated it, making Schleck look as if he were moving in slow motion.
As Evans tugged on the yellow jersey, tears welled in his eyes.
Although there is one more stage — today's ceremonial finish in Paris — the leader after the time trial is almost certain to be the winner. Launching a successful attack during that flat ride is virtually impossible.
Evans will become the first Australian to win the Tour de France and will do so at age 34, after twice finishing in second.
"I can't believe it all quite now," he said. "Twenty years of work has been put into this performance."
Schleck, 26, found himself at the opposite extreme. He had suffered for nearly three weeks, over 2,105 miles, to secure the yellow jersey on Friday. Yet he held it for only 24 hours and will be runnerup — for the third straight year.
Still, the Schleck family made history, as Frank, Andy's older brother, held on for third overall. Today, the two will stand on either side of Evans on the podium, brothers capturing two of the top three slots for the first time.
"I had again the experience of yellow, I won a stage, it's been a good tour," Andy Schleck said. "I go home with my head high; I don't go home as a loser."
France's Thomas Voeckler finished fourth overall, and Spain's Alberto Contador, the defending champion, claimed fifth. Tony Martin of Germany won the time trial Saturday, but Evans came in second, which, in the overall standings, was more than good enough for the yellow jersey.
As the contenders set off Saturday, one by one, Evans stared straight ahead. He trailed Andy Schleck by 57 seconds and knew he had 26 miles to close the gap.
Schleck left last, gritting his teeth, clad in the yellow jersey. He looked unsettled, perhaps tired. Meanwhile, Evans powered smoothly and calmly, chewing up the deficit in large chunks and turning it into a 1:34 advantage.
The Schleck brothers, knowing they had lost, embraced after the finish line of the 26-mile time trial. Evans leads Andy by 1:34 and Frank by 2:30.
For the Tour de France to be decided on the final competitive stage is rare. For it to be decided by an individual time trial is rarer still. For inspiration, though, Evans could have looked to American Greg LeMond, who made up 50 seconds in a 1989 time trial to seize the overall win.
And for Evans, it has been a long ride to this moment. He finished second in 2007 and 2008, and fractured his elbow in 2010.
"I've had some bad moments in the last 10 years," he said. "But that just makes the good moments even better."
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
CINCINNATI — Scott Rolen raised his left arm to shoulder level, then stopped. That's as far as it would go Saturday, a day after the Reds put him on the disabled list again with an inflamed shoulder and neck.
It's an ominous sign for the defending NL Central champions, who are much better with their third baseman healthy and in the lineup.
"I'm not overly mobile right now, so something's got to give," Rolen, 37, said. "I'm not ready to pick up a bat yet. There won't be any swings for a while."
Rolen went on the 15-day DL for the second time Friday. He has had problems with the left shoulder since 2005, when he injured it in a collision with Dodgers 1B Hee Seop Choi and had two operations.
He missed the last month of the 2007 season because of the shoulder and had it cleaned out. He went on the DL again in 2008 with a shoulder sprain.
Rolen had one of his best first halves last season, batting .290 with a .361 on-base percentage and a .548 slugging percentage. The shoulder and neck began bothering him in the second half, and he managed only .277/.352/.420 the rest of the way.
He was batting .242/.279/.397 when the shoulder and neck began bothering him after Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh. It didn't get any better during the Reds' day off.
Rolen said it's similar to the problems he had last season.
"I think it stems from the same thing; the shoulder and the repairs and the whole works," he said. "It's probably down the same road, for sure."
In other Reds news, rookie SS Zach Cozart hyperextended his left elbow while trying to make a tag in the fourth against the Braves, forcing him from the game. And RF Jay Bruce sat out with an inner-ear problem.
BLUE JAYS: LHP Jo-Jo Reyes was designated for assignment a day after allowing eight runs in four innings against the Rangers. LH reliever Wilfredo Ledezma was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas.
BRAVES: 3B Chipper Jones, who had surgery two weeks ago to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee, began a minor-league rehab assignment with Class-A Rome and could be activated from the DL on Monday.
MARLINS: RHP Chris Volstad was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans a day after a rocky outing against the Mets raised his ERA to 5.58.
METS: LHP Johan Santana said he might begin a minor-league rehab assignment this week, which would be a big step in his comeback from shoulder surgery in September.
ORIOLES: LF Luke Scott will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
RANGERS: 3B Adrian Beltre went on the 15-day DL with a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring, the least-severe type of strain.
RED SOX: RHP Clay Buchholz, out since leaving his June 16 start against the Rays with a strained lower back, could throw off a mound today or Monday after a Friday mound session was postponed.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Tennis
Tampa Final in atlanta: Fish vs. Isner
NORCROSS, Ga. — John Isner, in position to win back-to-back tournaments for the first time, beat Gilles Muller 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1 Saturday to reach the Atlanta Championships final for the second straight year.
In today's final, third-seeded Isner faces fellow Tampa resident Mardy Fish, who beat Ryan Harrison 6-2, 6-4.
Fish, the top seed and No. 9 in the world, beat Isner in the 2010 Atlanta final and has not lost a set this week.
Coming off a victory in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., two weeks ago, Isner said his game is soaring with his confidence.
"I've been waiting for this feeling for about four or five months," he said. "Now that I've got it, I don't want to let it go."
Isner's attempt for back-to-back wins resembles Fish's climb last year. Fish had never won two straight tournaments before winning in Newport and Atlanta.
"I came in on a roll," Fish said. "I had never won two tournaments in a row last year. I felt like I was a different player than in years past and had yet to prove it. That was sort of the start of my run to the top 10."
Soccer
Bin Hammam receives life ban in bribery case
FIFA banned Qatari official Mohamed bin Hammam for life for his role in a bribery scandal. He was found guilty of bribing presidential election voters just months after he helped secure the 2022 World Cup for his tiny Gulf homeland.
A FIFA ethics panel ruled he conspired to pay Caribbean officials $40,000 in May for their support in the election. He can challenge the life ban at the FIFA appeals body then the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Et cetera
Basketball: Indiana G Katie Douglas scored 15 and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.7 seconds left as the East beat the West 118-113 in the WNBA All-Star Game in San Antonio, Texas. … The U.S. under-19 women (3-0) routed Argentina (0-3) 83-49 to reach the second round at the World Championship in Puerto Montt, Chile.
Horses: It's Tricky won the $250,000 Coaching Club American Oaks by three-quarters of a length at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
NHL: The Blue Jackets signed F Vinny Prospal, a former Lightning player, to a one-year deal. Terms were not disclosed.
Softball: Canada (3-1) beat the United States 4-3 at the World Cup in Oklahoma City. The Americans (2-1) played Japan late Saturday and needed to win to maintain any chance at reaching the title game Monday.
Times wires
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Marlins 8, Mets 5
MIAMI — Gaby Sanchez hit two two-run homers as the Marlins broke a four-game losing streak by rallying. Sanchez's homer in the sixth put Florida ahead for the first time since its homestand began Tuesday. He added a homer in the seventh and has three in the past two games.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
PITTSBURGH — It was only a matter of time, Lance Berkman spent most of the past three months figuring, before the Cardinals put together a sustained run.
They've chosen a familiar place to perhaps begin an ascension up the NL Central standings.
Berkman and Yadier Molina homered during St. Louis' five-run fifth inning and the Cardinals beat the Pirates for the second straight night, 9-1 Saturday.
"I still feel like we have a run in us of really good baseball that we haven't really put it together yet," Berkman said. "You never know when something like that will start, but certainly the last two nights have been a step in that direction."
A day after hitting three homers in a 15-hit barrage, St. Louis won its third straight and improved to 56-30 at PNC Park. The Pirates — without a winning season since 1992 but in first place for four of the seven days leading up to this series — lost their third straight.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 23, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rays appeared to be quite right about Desmond Jennings, who made an electrifying season debut Saturday.
But the night ended up once again being about all they did wrong, losing another game they had ample opportunities to win, 5-4 in 10 innings to the Royals.
Closer Kyle Farnsworth blew a one-run lead with two outs in the ninth, the hitters showed more staggering futility as they loaded the bases to start the 10th and got nothing out of it, then Brandon Gomes lost it on just two pitches.
Manager Joe Maddon acknowledged before the game the Rays (52-47) were in a "kind of limbo position" regarding their postseason possibilities and the looming trade deadline, and a second straight loss to the lowly Royals didn't help as they stayed 6½ games behind the wild-card-leading Yankees and dropped 9½ behind the first-place Red Sox in the AL East.
"This is a game that we had, we had so many different ways, and we did not win it," Maddon said. "Can't do that. Can't do that."
"We should have won it," said centerfielder B.J. Upton, whose fate could be most affected by a fall from the race. "Bottom line."
With Jennings tripling and doubling in his first two at-bats, then later showing his blazing speed by scoring from first on a routine double, the Rays took a 4-3 lead into the ninth and seemed set to reward Jeff Niemann for his solid six-inning outing in the sweltering heat (101 degrees at first pitch, feels-like of 105).
But Farnsworth failed first, allowing a one-out walk and a two-out double to Alex Gordon to tie it, blowing his fourth save.
Evan Longoria and Upton walked to open the 10th and Matt Joyce singled, but Casey Kotchman grounded back to the mound, then both pinch-hitter Sam Fuld and Elliot Johnson went down looking at strike three from Joakim Soria.
Maddon said he "really believed" Fuld would at least put the ball in play. Johnson said he knew in retrospect he should have: "I've got to get the bat off my shoulder."
Those failures, though, are routine. They also had the bases loaded in the first and didn't score and the first two on in the fourth, leaving 11 on total, going 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and striking out a season-high 15 times.
"Those are the things that are really biting us badly," Maddon said.
The end came quickly in the 10th, Billy Butler blooping a single on Gomes' first fastball and Eric Hosmer lining a double on his second.
"Certainly something we should have won," Johnson said.
Jennings at least provided a sense of excitement, which may be all the Rays have to offer in August and September. He reached his first four times up — two extra-base hits, two walks — showing off the athleticism and instincts the Rays believe can make him an impact player.
"Desmond had a wonderful day," Maddon said.
Jennings, who hit .190 in 17 games last season, will get the chance to play every day, primarily in leftfield (unless Upton is traded) and at least initially at the top of the order. He was promoted Friday night after hitting .275 with 12 homers, 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 89 games at Triple-A Durham.
Despite spending three seasons at Durham, accruing nearly 1,000 plate appearances (and hitting .283 with an .806 OPS), Jennings, 24, insisted he wasn't frustrated by the lack of progress or doubting his future.
"I figured I'd get here when they felt like it was time for me to be here," he said. "I feel as though I did enough for them to call me up. I wasn't frustrated at all. … You can only control what you can control. I wasn't really thinking about it. I was just playing in Durham. I was enjoying it. I'm glad I'm not there now."
By Brandon Wright, Times Correspondent
Saturday, July 23, 2011
TAMPA — Before kickoff, the Jumbotron flashed Matt Grothe highlights from last week's game against Georgia.
The crowd erupted when the former USF star took the field for his first Arena Football League start. Then the Storm quarterback delivered another thrilling win in Tampa Bay.
Grothe drove his team from its 3-yard line with 36 seconds left and hit Hank Edwards in the corner of the end zone for a 22-yard score to lead the Storm (7-11) to a come-from-behind 57-44 win against San Jose (7-11) on Saturday night before 10,738 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay's regular-season finale.
"I had the most fun I've ever had playing football (Saturday night)," Grothe said. "That was the funnest game of football I've ever played."
Grothe, who admitted to being "unbelievably nervous" last week when he came on in relief against Georgia, finished 17-of-34 for 279 yards with five touchdowns and one interception Saturday.
"Words can't even describe how nervous I was (against Georgia)," he said. "I was a lot more settled (Saturday)."
San Jose took a 44-43 lead when Juan Gamboa hit a 27-yard field goal with 36 seconds left.
After the kickoff, Grothe hit former USF teammate Amarri Jackson for 10 yards and Edwards (eight catches, 112 yards) for 15 more. With good protection, Grothe slipped to his left and lofted a pass over Edwards' shoulder for the score.
"We talked about running that play at halftime," Grothe said. "Hank did a great job selling the post and taking it to the corner."
Grothe added a two-point conversion to Jackson, and Erick McIntosh picked off San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb and returned the interception 46 yards for a touchdown on the final play.
The connection between Grothe and Jackson proved fruitful again. After hooking up for three scores against Georgia, the former Bulls accounted for six completions, 116 yards and four touchdowns against San Jose. Jackson's third catch — a 12-yard touchdown — helped him eclipse the Storm's single-season rookie yardage record. He finished with 1,619 yards.
Tampa Bay set the AFL single-season team sack record when Jermaine Smith (two sacks) came off the right edge and blindsided Grieb with just more than four minutes left in the second quarter. The Storm's 40 sacks broke the mark set by the Pittsburgh Gladiators in 1988.
Tampa Bay took a 43-41 lead with 10:30 left when Grothe sneaked in from 3 yards.
Gamboa missed an 18-yard field goal with 4:24 left, but Grothe was intercepted by Eddie Moten at the San Jose 6 with 3:18 left. The SaberCats drove to set up Gamboa's field goal.
Then Grothe came through.
And what will he do now?
"I haven't thought about next year yet," Grothe said. "But if they'd have me back, I'd love to be back."
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
NEW YORK — The NFL Players Association's executive committee will meet Monday in Washington, with several media outlets reporting Saturday that the leaders will vote to recommend the league's labor deal and end the four-month lockout.
Owners approved a tentative agreement on Thursday, but the players said they needed more information before they vote.
Before camps could open and teams could pursue free agents, about 1,900 players would have to ratify the 10-year collective bargaining pact.
On Saturday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith spoke on the phone, and lawyers from both sides worked to clarify language.
Clubs were scheduled to open their facilities to players Saturday, according to the schedule set by the owners when they voted 31-0 to approve a deal. That was contingent on the NFLPA's executive committee ratifying the agreement (the players as a whole would not only have to approve of the labor deal but also vote to recertify their union).
There are still issues — including drug testing, retiree benefits and the handling of grievances — that must be collectively bargained after the union re-forms. Players are likely to agree to an expedited negotiating schedule on those issues, and the talks would probably pick up where they left off before the union dissolved in March.
The 10 named plaintiffs in the players' lawsuit against the league — including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees — also must officially inform the court in Minneapolis of their approval.
After the players hit the field again, the league is considering ways to placate fans. The Broncos said they plan to open Invesco Field for practice on Aug. 6. Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said the team is "considering a variety of ideas."
If all goes well early this week, preseason games could be played starting Aug. 11. The Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 7 is already canceled.
ROETHLISBERGER WEDDING: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got the privacy he wanted for his wedding, with police providing tight security around the church in Ohio Township, an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh. He and Ashley Harlan were married Saturday and dozens of team luminaries turned out, including team owner Dan Rooney. Linebacker James Harrison was present, perhaps indicating that there was no fallout from his criticism of the quarterback in a Men's Journal story.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
GLADEVILLE, Tenn. — Carl Edwards completed a sweep of this season's NASCAR Nationwide series races at Nashville Superspeedway, winning Saturday's Federated Auto Parts 300 by overcoming a penalty for speeding on pit road.
Edwards, who earned his fifth victory this season and 34th in his career in NASCAR's second-tier series, led 124 of 225 laps on the 1.333-mile concrete track where he also won in April.
The Sprint Cup star, who leads that series in points, led all but five laps after taking the lead from Austin Dillon on Lap 121. Edwards' margin of victory was 0.647 seconds over Ricky Stenhouse.
After leading from Laps 59 to 82, Edwards made a yellow-flag pit stop but approached his stall too quickly and had to restart 14th. However, it took him only 37 laps to regain the lead.
"I can't believe I was leading and I sped on pit road," he said. "That was really, really not smart. But in the end it made our night more fun. I probably learned more."
Tampa's Aric Almirola finished fifth and is fifth in points.
NHRA: Fifteen-time Funny Car champion John Force was unhurt in qualifying when the body of his Ford Mustang was blown off the chassis and flipped in the air before crashing to the track at the Mile High Nationals in Denver. He quickly hopped on a scooter and drove to the side of the track, where the body of the car was carried by his crew. Force still qualified fifth for today's eliminations based on previous runs. Del Worsham's run Friday of 3.933 seconds at 314.53 mph held up to lead Top Fuel qualifying. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also led their divisions.
INDYCAR: Takuma Sato, who earned his first series pole last month at Iowa, starts first again today on the road course at Edmonton. Sato earned the pole with a lap of 1 minute, 18.5165 seconds (101.97 mph), edging Team Penske's Will Power by five-hundredths of a second.
FORMULA ONE: Mark Webber earned the pole for today's German Grand Prix at Nurburgring, narrowly edging McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Rays vs. Royals
When/where: 2:10 today; Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)
Starting pitchers:
RAYS
RH Alex Cobb (2-0, 3.09)
ROYALS
RH Felipe Paulino (1-3, 3.60)
Watch for ...
Alex the Great: Cobb's strong showing in six major-league starts thus far is the main reason he's still here and the Rays are using a six-man rotation. He is coming off a strong, though ultimately unsuccessful, outing vs. the Yankees on Monday.
Felipe's flip: Paulino has emerged as something of a success story since being acquired in late May from the Rockies, who had been using him in relief without much success (0-4, 7.36). He has swing-and-miss stuff and can pile up the strikeouts, averaging 10.29 per 9 innings.
Key matchups
Rays vs. Paulino
Casey Kotchman 1-for-2
Royals vs. Cobb
None have faced.
On deck
Monday: at A's, 10:07, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.17); A's — Guillermo Moscoso (3-5, 2.96)
Desmond Jennings primer
Age, 24. … Hometown, Birmingham, Ala. … Starred in baseball/football/basketball at Pinson Valley High. … Was runnerup as Mr. Football, then a juco All-American receiver at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College. … Big Alabama fan. … Was 10th-round pick in 2006 draft. … Played in 17 games last season for Rays.
Men of few words
Consider it the potential Great Rays Debate, between two of the quietest players around, RHP Jeremy Hellickson and OF Desmond Jennings. "That would be interesting," manager Joe Maddon said, "putting them in a room and having a word-off."
Quote of the day
"I really wish I'd been devious enough to do that intentionally."
Manager Joe Maddon, insisting he was unaware that taking CF B.J. Upton out of Friday's game caused a frenzy of trade rumors.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Red Sox 3, Mariners 1
BOSTON — Josh Beckett pitched seven strong innings, Jacoby Ellsbury hit a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh and Boston sent Seattle to its club record-tying 14th consecutive loss. Terry Francona earned his 1,000th win as a major-league manager, the 57th to reach that milestone and the eighth still active. The Red Sox moved a season-high three games ahead of the Yankees for the lead in the AL East.
Times wires
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4
ARLINGTON, Texas — Michael Young drove in the winner with a two-out single in the ninth inning as the Rangers rallied. Mike Napoli, who had drawn a leadoff walk, scored the tying run on Elvis Andrus' suicide squeeze. Pinch-runner Craig Gentry scored on Young's drive over rightfielder Corey Patterson's head.
