Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Rangers 9, A's 1

OAKLAND, Calif. — C.J. Wilson, who on Wednesday said he hates pitching in Oakland, earned his first win in a month. He was 0-2 with a 4.84 ERA in four starts since his last victory, July 16 at Seattle. Wilson, who retired 17 of his first 21 batters, said he didn't like the mound or weather in Oakland and was critical of the attendance for its games. He was booed before the game.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Red Sox 6, Mariners 4

SEATTLE — Josh Reddick hit a two-run homer off the cafe windows in the second deck of rightfield for the Red Sox. David Ortiz and Jed Lowrie also homered off of Seattle's Blake Beavan, whose streak of going at least six innings and giving up three earned runs or fewer ended at six starts. For the third time in his past six starts, Boston's John Lackey allowed double-digit hits.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2011

TAMPA — B.J. Daniels likes to say that a quarterback is remembered by his last game, and for eight months, that hasn't been a bad thing at all.

In two up-and-down seasons as USF's starting quarterback, Daniels has seen both extremes of the quarterback spectrum — the euphoria of a hometown win at Florida State in his first career start, the disappointment of much of last season, then a resounding finish with one of his best games in USF's win against Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte.

"To end the season on a good note was very big for our team," said Daniels, who was named the bowl MVP for his efforts. "That definitely gave us a lot of momentum, confidence. We call it swagger, and we try to keep it going for the season coming up. Right now, we're striving to get better and better."

As Daniels, 21, enters his junior year, he has the unfamiliar luxury of familiarity, with the same offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for two years in a row for the first time in his four seasons at USF. As a result, there's a greater comfort level operating Todd Fitch's offense, something coach Skip Holtz sees as a major advantage for this fall.

"Three offenses in three years," Holtz said earlier this month. "There was a lot of, I don't want to say confusion, but I don't think there was a lot of confidence that he understood what everybody on the field was doing. Knowledge is power, especially at that position. Now all the sudden, with the same offense two years in a row, I've seen confidence and poise come out of him, and leadership ability. B.J. is really growing up and growing into what he can become."

Bulls fans have seen two Daniels in two seasons — the wild, elusive scrambler who rushed for a team-high 772 yards as a freshman, and a less mobile Daniels who rushed for just 129 yards in his final 10 games of 2010, with coaches afraid to risk injury to their only scholarship quarterback. Bulls coach Skip Holtz acknowledged that his staff had to limit Daniels' running because of the lack of a proven backup behind him.

"We were really restricted to how much we could run (Daniels) as the only quarterback on scholarship last year," Holtz said. "What you do with him not only has a lot to do with what he can handle, but how much depth do you have behind him. We put him in a glass bubble because we didn't want to have him take that kind of pounding being the only quarterback."

So the combination of running less and not fully grasping the new offense kept Daniels out of rhythm, at least until late in the season, when the game started slowing down and the quarterback started clicking within the offensive scheme. Daniels can appreciate how well he understands the system now, because last year, that wasn't the case at all.

"Last spring, I didn't know what they were talking about," Daniels said. "We were on two different pages. Another spring, another season, knowing the terminology, knowing what they're talking about, being able to have a conversation about certain plays and different adjustments, that's definitely a big help."

Daniels was limited by injuries last year and missed a game and a half with a bruised quad. But for much of last season, as Daniels went, USF went, with one touchdown pass and 10 interceptions in the Bulls' four losses he played in, and the opposite — 10 touchdown passes and three interceptions in USF's eight wins. His numbers were especially rough in the Bulls' biggest games — 5-for-20 for 84 yards and four interceptions in a loss at Florida, and 20-for-30 for 119 yards (fewer than 6 yards per completion) with three picks in a loss at West Virginia.

But the Clemson game is his last game, and USF's coaches point to it as a model for how he can run their offense — 20-for-27 for 189 yards and two passing touchdowns, with another touchdown on the ground. Holtz said he plans to "take the reins" off Daniels more this season, allowing his scrambling to perplex opposing defenses the way it did in 2009. It's already creating problems for his own defense.

"He's making good reads. There's a number of times in film where he's abusing the linebackers with his eyes. He's looking one way, dropping it in over the middle," said junior linebacker Mike Lanaris. "The words "That's a good ball' have come out of our mouths in meeting rooms a bunch of times. I say that over and over. He's obviously getting smarter, getting comfortable with the offense."

As a fourth-year junior — he played briefly in 2008 but earned a medical redshirt — Daniels is now experienced enough to command respect from his teammates beyond that automatically given to a starting quarterback. He's had teammates over to his house for dinner, organized summer workouts, spent extra time with his receivers and backs, all with an eye toward being another leader for a young team.

"By the position I play, there's a position of leadership attached to that name as a quarterback," Daniels said. "I've been trying to do everything I can to make myself more credible, on and off the field."

Daniels' commitment to football could be seen a month ago, when he decided to quit posting on Twitter.com, deleting an account that had built up more than 1,000 followers. Daniels remains a relatively private person — he jokes about his half-season on USF's basketball team as a freshman guard, and how his only teammate left on campus from that team is forward Augustus Gilchrist, with whom he remains friends.

He brags on his younger sister, Laurel, a standout flag football player in high school in Tallahassee who had 12 interceptions and earned first-team all-state honors as a junior last season. And he talks about how his father, Bruce, will be only a tiny bit conflicted next month when Florida A&M comes to Tampa to play the Bulls — the elder Daniels works as a director at FAMU's gymnasium, the Al Lawson Center.

With 22 career starts, Daniels has the most of any Big East quarterback, and with upgrades around him at receiver and running back, there's confidence that USF can be much improved on offense. The Bulls scored 16 or fewer points in all five of their losses last year, but with a new Daniels, comfortable in his offense and breaking loose on big runs more often, there's excitement that his next game could be better than his last.

"I think the sky's the limit," Daniels said of his team's hopes of a first-ever Big East championship and more. "We have a goal and it's attainable."

Greg Auman can be reached at auman@sptimes.com and at (813) 226-3346. Check out his blog at tampabay.com/blogs/bulls and follow him at Twitter.com/gregauman.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Blue Jays 11, Angels 2

TORONTO — Adam Lind hit a grand slam and Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Teahen also homered for Toronto off Jered Weaver, who allowed eight runs and eight hits, both season highs, in 42/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year. "Mama said there'll be days like this," Weaver sang. The right-hander's AL-best ERA rose from 1.78 to 2.13.

Times staff
Saturday, August 13, 2011

The poll

Which up-and-coming Rays player excites you the most? 1,142 votes

This week's question

Who is the best quarterback in the NFC South? Vote at bucs.tampabay. com.

70%

20%

8%

1%

1%

Robinson Chirinos

Desmond Jennings

Matt Moore

Chris Archer

Jake McGee

Another poll

Of the players the Bucs re-signed, who will have the biggest impact this season? 537 votes

58%

30%

7%

3%

2%

Davin Joseph

Quincy Black

Jeremy Trueblood

Adam Hayward

Tim Crowder

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2011

The Rays have had 97 walkoff wins in their 14 seasons of play, including three on the last homestand, featuring what may have been the wildest one of all, what with Super Sam Fuld racing around the bases, scoring on a triple and an error then lying at home plate waiting for the pileup. "As exciting a play as you'll ever get to see, and on a walkoff," Elliot Johnson said. Here's a look at what they've done, and a glimpse of what it's like.

25-man pileup

Being the center of attention in a walkoff celebration has got to be a good thing, right? Unless you're Sam Fuld — not quite 5-foot-9, barely 170 pounds — and you are lying on the ground as most of your 25 all-larger teammates pile on.

"It felt like 100," Fuld said. "I'm just glad I just made it out of there."

Fuld put himself in a bad position from the start, too exhausted from his 360-foot dash to get up, and it quickly got worse. His first concern was that he'd get stuck with large wads of gum, as teammates left in Casey Kotchman's path during Monday's celebration. Then, as he felt his belt being undone by B.J. Upton, that he was going to be stripped down. But as the pile grew, and teammates delivered "love taps," the issue became not being crushed.

"What I remember going through my head," Fuld said, "was that these things are dangerous — make sure you can breathe. I was lifting my head up, trying to create a little bubble around me so I wasn't completely smothered."

Elliot Johnson, who had scored the tying run, was on top of Fuld, with Kelly Shoppach on top of him, and tried to help. "(Fuld) started making noises like this is a bit heavy," Johnson said. "He was having trouble breathing, so I tried to get off him as best I could."

Celebratory belt?

So why did Upton remove Fuld's belt?

Because it was there.

That drill apparently has become part of the Rays' walkoff celebration, as rookie C Robinson Chirinos was nearly de-pantsed when mobbed after his Aug. 4 walkoff hit.

"Kelly (Shoppach) did it to me after my walkoff (May 3)," Upton said, "and everybody's kind of been doing it ever since."

Shoppach said only that it started when he was with the Indians and that Jason Michaels, a Tampa native, started it. As to where it could lead? "You never know what could happen in those dogpiles," Shoppach said.

Fuld said his father, a college dean, asked him what it was all about.

"I told him, we do stupid things in baseball," Fuld said. "I've got no explanation for it other than you run out of things to do when you dogpile. I knew they were going to try to strip me down as much as possible. I think that's the idea, you get the belt off and the next step is the pants, really embarrass the guy."

So actually, the belt was only a consolation prize. "I couldn't get anything else," Upton said. "But in the right situation … "

The old college try

Usually a walkoff celebration is a bouncing mob of players circled around the player who got the hit. But with Fuld prone on the ground, the players instead jumped on him in a dogpile, not often seen on a big-league field.

"It almost ended like it was a playoff game or a series clincher the way we dogpiled," Shoppach said. "It was like College World Series stuff. That was pretty awesome."

Walkoff breakdown

The Rays have walked off in some creative ways: Inside-the-park home run (Rey Sanchez, June 2004), bunt (Jason Bartlett, May 2010), wild pitch (Matt Joyce scoring, April 2011), hit batter (John Flaherty, August 1999), bases loaded walk (three times), error, sac fly, fielder's choice, even once on an obstruction call (for the shortstop blocking Carl Crawford's view, August 2004).

Here is a breakdown:

35 Home runs (Crawford, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton 3; John Flaherty 2; 26 others 1)

35 Singles

9 Doubles

1 Triple

5 Errors

3 Bases loaded walks, fielder's choice, sac flies

1 Hit batter

1 Bunt

1 Wild pitch

Most walkoffs (as the batter)

6 Carl Crawford

4 John Flaherty, Travis Lee, Evan Longoria, Fred McGriff, B.J. Upton

3 Willy Aybar, Miguel Cairo, Gabe Gross, Dioner Navarro, Carlos Peña

Historical perspective

Rallying from a 7-3 deficit in the 9th and winning the way they did made Wednesday even more noteworthy:

• The first time in their 1,109 home games the Rays trailed by four or more in the ninth or later and won. (They also did so at Boston July 23, 2002.)

• The first game in the majors to end on a triple and an error since June 28, 2004, when Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson did it to St. Louis. And the first in the AL since May 8, 1959, when Detroit's Frank Bolling did it to Kansas City.

• It was the first walkoff triple in the majors since the Rays saw Ramon Santiago do it to them in Detroit June 13, and that was the first since Rajai Davis' in August 2009.

• Since 2000, according to Elias, only 1.1 percent of teams trailing by 4 as they came to bat in the 9th won the game.

Rays rumblings

There hasn't been great demand for OF/DH Johnny Damon, who has cleared waivers, but some NL teams have expressed interest. … Andy Freed, Dewayne Staats and Dave Wills all contributed to the new book about baseball broadcasting, A Talk in the Park, by Curt Smith. … Another sign how the Legend has grown: ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that Indians rookie Jason Kipnis "is becoming a Sam Fuld-like hero." … Seriously, the cop from the Village People suing the Rays for using his image?

Got a minute? | Kelly Shoppach

Must-see TV?

Survivor, it's still my favorite after all this time.

Band or singer you'd like to be on stage with?

I don't want to sing. Pat Green, he's a Texas guy.

Worst job?

Lobster farmer. When I played in the Cape (Cod League), I worked at a lobster farm — for one day. It was pretty miserable.

Ideal vacation spot?

I'd like to go to South Africa and do a safari and shark-diving.

Person you'd most like to have dinner with?

Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys owner).

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2011

NEW YORK — No matter how powerful the offense or dazzling the defense in the previous day's game, Rays manager Joe Maddon insists that the actual transference of momentum is the responsibility of the starting pitcher.

And Saturday, rookie Jeremy Hellickson failed them from the start.

Hellickson didn't deliver a happy 50th birthday present to his father Steve, who came in from their Iowa home for the weekend, nor much else good. He put the Rays behind early, and reliever Brandon Gomes made it worse, in what ended up a 9-2 loss.

"I'm disappointed for sure," Hellickson said. "Especially after the way we played last night, I wanted to come out and do the same thing and get another game on these guys, so I'm definitely disappointed."

Whatver the Rays gained from Friday's crisp series-opening victory that extended their winning streak to a season-high five, including a vital game in the standings, was lost with the poor performance. The Rays (64-55) are now 8 ½ games behind the wild-card leading Yankees, and 10 from the first-place Red Sox, with 43 games left, including 17 with the teams ahead of them.

"It's tough, because we know what we're up against," veteran DH Johnny Damon said. "We do play them a lot to help us get back to where we want to be, but it's almost like you have to sweep every time.

"Obviously, the Yankees are going to be a tough team to think about sweeping all the time. Hopefully we can get (today's) game and head into the off day at least improving one game. But, you know, it's tough. That's this game."

Hellickson, who hadn't lost since June 27, made it obvious early he wasn't on, throwing a ball to Yankees leadoff man Brett Gardner and then hitting him with the next pitch.

"You know that he's not even swinging," Maddon said. "So you don't even have to be that fine - just throw the ball down the middle. And we hit him. That's not a good sign, that he's unable to throw the ball where he wants to at that point."

Hellickson escaped the first, but the second got ugly quickly, as he loaded the bases on an infield single and two walks, then allowed a one-out two-run single to Jorge Posada.

He kept battling, himself and the Yankees, through the third and fourth (two hits each frame) before more trouble in the fifth, giving up Curtis Granderson's 33rd homer and a one-out double to Robinson Cano, ending his day with 99 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. Gomes made it worse, coming in and walking Nick Swisher ITAL and END ITAL Eric Chavez, then allowing a grand slam to Posada, who hardly looked like a man on his last swings with six RBI.

"We didn't pitch well," Maddon said. "That's not like us."

Hellickson said, "I just couldn't find it the whole game," and had no reason, that he felt fine and warmed up well.

But rest could be an issue as with Alex Cobb out, Hellickson was pitching in a standard five-day rotation for the first time since early June (when he lost four straight). On four days rest, Hellickson is now 2-3, 4.29. With more, he is 8-5, 2.83.

"I don't know," Maddon said. "He definitely was not looking like he normally does. He's been through that before with the lack of command of his fastball, but he normally rights himself by the third or the fourth inning. It just did not want to happen today."

That pretty much summed it up.

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Tigers 6, Orioles 5

BALTIMORE — Miguel Cabrera homered in a five-run sixth inning that featured six straight two-out hits as Detroit rallied. The Tigers trailed 5-0 in the second before mounting their biggest comeback of the season. They have also rallied from three three-run deficits. Cabrera finished with three RBIs to help first-place Detroit maintain its three-game edge over the Indians in the AL Central. The Tigers' past eight wins have all been by one run, a club record.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Indians 3, Twins 1

CLEVELAND — Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run homer and Josh Tomlin pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning for Cleveland. Cabrera connected in the third, driving Brian Duensing's 1-and-0 pitch out to left. Shin-Soo Choo hit a leadoff single and Jason Donald walked before the blast. The Indians won for the fourth time in five games to keep up the pressure on AL Central leader Detroit.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Reds 13, Padres 1

CINCINNATI — Former Ray Miguel Cairo and Ryan Hanigan homered twice each, and Cincinnati hit seven in all off starter Tim Stauffer and the San Diego bullpen, matching a Padres record. The Reds won their fourth straight game, one shy of their season high, with their biggest home run splurge of the season.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2011

TAMPA — When the body was found, his pockets were turned inside out, a cruel reminder of how they planned to rob him of everything, including his life.

Adrian Clayborn was only 10 years old when his oldest brother, Anthony, 21, was discovered in an alley near a dumpster in north St. Louis, gunned down and stripped of a pair of expensive sneakers.

"Allegedly, the ones who did it were his friends," Clayborn said. "That was it. We just didn't want that lifestyle. Losing a brother really snapped all that into place, I guess."

If you want to understand the Bucs defensive end, you have to look beyond the sturdy 6-foot-3, 281-pound physique and flowing dreadlocks that completely obscure his name on the back of his uniform.

In fact, you probably need to go back to that February day in 1999, when Clayborn's mother, Tracie, vowed that the streets would not swallow any more of her children.

• • •

Coach Raheem Morris was beaming about Clayborn's performance in Friday night's preseason opener, a 25-0 win at Kansas City. He loved how the Bucs' first-round pick out of Iowa was stout against the run and harassed Chiefs quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Tyler Palko, flushing them from the pocket.

"He's a tough dude, man," Morris said. "He's been through a lot. You can almost tell by his demeanor and the way he carries himself. When I call him the 'Alpha Male,' it's for a reason."

Morris started watching film of Clayborn at Iowa two years ago, after he led the Hawkeyes as a junior with 11½ sacks and 20 tackles for a loss while forcing four fumbles. Everyone expected him to declare for the NFL draft and go from poor man to millionaire in an instant.

But Clayborn returned for his senior year and suffered statistically, producing only 3½ sacks. He was still highly regarded enough to be a consensus All-American.

"I just wanted to go back and finish what I started," he said. "I was eager to go to the NFL, but it could wait. It was going to be there, and it's worked out pretty good so far. I think I needed to mature a little bit, not physically, but learning the game of football."

Since signing a four-year, $8.2 million contract as the 20th overall pick, Clayborn has been a quick study. In fact, the training camp joke is that Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn has never had to work so hard in practice.

"One of the strong points that I see in him already is trying to get him off that block on the run," Penn said. "He really holds his ground good there, and that's going to help our defense set that edge."

Clayborn's edge is the fire that burns white-hot whenever he leaves the sideline.

"He's not a big, emotional guy," Morris said. "He may suck his teeth, he may look at you differently. But he's just going to play with a certain tempo and passion, which is rare to see, but even more so for a rookie."

• • •

There are many prisms from which to view the journey of Adrian Clayborn. But it's probably best to start with his mother extracting her children from the battleground in north St. Louis.

Almost since he was born until he went to Iowa, Adrian's father, Richard, was in prison. After Anthony's death, she moved her three surviving children into the Shaw Park neighborhood on the city's south side. Crystal, James and Adrian were bussed to the Webster school district after she enrolled in the county desegregation program.

"I made a vow that I would never lose another one to the streets," Tracie told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in April. "I kept them in Boys Club every day. They were doing football, basketball, baseball. My daughter was doing cheerleading. I didn't care what it was as long as they were doing something productive and not hanging out in the streets."

Adrian, who was 11½ pounds when he was born July 8, 1988, had obstacles from the outset. He was born with Erb's Palsy, a nerve disorder that weakened his right shoulder and arm when doctors pulled him too hard through the birth canal.

Tracie wouldn't allow Adrian to play football until he reached Webster Junior High. By the time he was 16, he was a man-child at 6-3, 240 pounds and a remarkable athlete who also played basketball.

Therapy and strength training at Webster Groves helped Clayborn develop into the 2005 Missouri high school defensive player of the year, earning a scholarship to Iowa. In fact, all three surviving children graduated from college.

"Penn asked me the other day, 'Which one of those arms don't work again?' " Morris said. "He said, 'He just punched me with both of them and they both hurt.'

"He's a different guy with hand usage with technique. He has different things about him, his inside move, his outside move, his speed rush, his lean, his anger; it's awesome."

• • •

Clayborn, 23, was all smiles as he prepared to leave Arrowhead Stadium on Friday, just 350 miles down Interstate 70 from his hometown. His NFL debut had been a success, the defense pitched a shutout and he knew he would have trouble sleeping with all the adrenalin pumping through his body after the 2½-hour flight to Tampa.

"My mother's moving down here, so she'll really enjoy it," he said. "She just kept me on the right path. I thank her for that.

"You know, it has worked out for me pretty well and got me here so far, so she did a pretty good job."

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Rockies 6, Cardinals 1

ST. LOUIS — Carlos Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and former Ray Jason Hammel pitched into the seventh inning for Colorado. Gonzalez also doubled in a run in the ninth to help the Rockies snap a three-game slide. Colorado had lost its past five games in St. Louis by a combined 22-3. The Cardinals fell five games behind the first-place Brewers in the NL Central.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

D'backs 6, Mets 4

PHOENIX — Ryan Roberts hit a three-run homer and Arizona came from behind to win for the 33rd time this season. Daniel Hudson pitched eight solid innings and had an RBI single as the Diamondbacks won their fifth straight game. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey was hit by a line drive off the bat of Gerardo Parra leading off the fifth and left the game with a bruised right elbow.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

ATLANTA — The latest entry in Dan Uggla's improbable hitting streak was not enough for Atlanta as Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney had four hits each to help the Cubs beat the Braves 8-4 Saturday night.

Uggla had a first-inning single and a fourth-inning homer off Randy Wells to extend his hitting streak to 33 games.

The majors' longest streak this season began July 5 when Uggla was hitting .173 (he's now at .232). It's the longest in Atlanta Braves history.

Castro had two RBIs and Wells hung in there for five-plus innings for the Cubs, who have won 10 of 13. Former Ray Carlos Peña hit a two-run double off Derek Lowe to give Chicago a 3-1 lead in the fifth.

James Russell walked Uggla to load the bases with one out in the ninth after giving up singles to Martin Prado and Freddie Freeman. Carlos Marmol gave up Chipper Jones' sac fly before ending the game on Alex Gonzalez's pop-up to Castro.

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2011

TAMPA — The Bucs have a conscientious group of quarterbacks, including backup Josh Johnson.

Johnson, who played extensively Friday in the preseason opener at Kansas City, critiqued his performance in which he was the Bucs' leading passer and rusher. He finished 7 of 12 passing for 108 yards and rushed five times for 57 yards.

Yet, what Johnson first emphasized when asked about his play wasn't his 24-yard scramble or his 116.0 quarterback rating. He pointed to his two sacks, calling them unacceptable.

"I wish I could have those back," he said. "I was just trying to let the routes develop. On the first one, I probably could have (thrown to) the back. On the second one, the guy just made a good play. I just have to make sure everything registers when I get in there.

"That comes with reps. I mean, I know where the back is. Even if I throw it at his feet, that takes away (a loss of yards). It's just something I can get better at. I just need to keep coming out and executing the game plan and get guys going."

But overall Johnson had a promising showing.

"It's a good start, and there's a lot to learn from," he said. "I try to build upon these games and get better. In our quarterback room, we're about completions. We had no turnovers. We made throws."

Two of the four drives Johnson led resulted in punts, but the other two stretched 66 and 55 yards. One drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Chiefs' 4-yard line just before halftime.

Johnson was able to finish drives in the third quarter. He took the Bucs on a touchdown drive capped by his 3-yard touchdown pass to WR Micheal Spurlock. Johnson overcame a third and 10 situation earlier in the drive with a 15-yard strike to Spurlock. Later, he hit rookie TE Daniel Hardy with a pass that gained 16 yards to help overcome OT James Lee's holding penalty.

Johnson was most pleased with his ability to avoid mistakes. He threw no interceptions. He made mostly high-percentage throws. He didn't force balls. He pointed to his continuity in coordinator Greg Olson's offense as the reason.

"That's what we want to come out and do," Johnson said. "It was good. I think we all (the quarterbacks) made good decisions. Josh (Freeman), me and Rudy (Carpenter), we trusted in our progressions.

"That's the good thing about having the same offense even though we didn't have an offseason. We understand the reads. It's just second nature. It makes our job a lot easier."

Offensive Line STARTERS STOUT: Notice all that time Freeman had in the pocket? That was the result of a dominant night for the starting offensive line, which neutralized a Kansas City starting front that was without star pass rusher Tamba Hali and former third overall draft pick Glenn Dorsey.

"We were a little disappointed they didn't have all their main guys in there," Bucs LT Donald Penn said. "We were ready either way, and we went out there and played very well collectively. We only had one penalty out there.

"There was a lot to build from. I'm excited."

INJURIES: Undrafted G Thomas Claiborne suffered what appeared to be a broken foot against the Chiefs. If that is confirmed, it likely would derail his bid to make the team and land him on injured reserve. … The Bucs plan to place WR Raymond Webber on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. His and Claiborne's injuries could open up roster spots that the Bucs likely would fill.

Times wires
Saturday, August 13, 2011

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Mike Patterson, who collapsed and suffered a seizure at practice just 10 days ago, returned to the Eagles on Saturday.

Patterson did not practice but was in uniform doing strength and conditioning drills with a trainer and several teammates for the first time since his episode on an adjacent field. Patterson didn't answer questions, but he did tell reporters, "I feel great," as he left the field.

Patterson, a 300-pound defensive tackle, was diagnosed with a brain AVM after collapsing Aug. 3 at Lehigh University. He was taken from the field in an ambulance and hospitalized for three days.

A brain AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, is a prenatal condition in which blood travels abnormally between the arteries and veins.

Coach Andy Reid said Patterson needs about a week of conditioning work to get into shape. After that, there's a chance he could be cleared by doctors to return to football.

More Eagles: Receiver DeSean Jackson practiced for the first time since ending an 11-day holdout Monday. … Right tackle Ryan Harris, who has had two back surgeries during his career, sat out practice with back spasms.

Burress recounts shooting: Plaxico Burress was walking up the stairs in a Manhattan nightclub three years ago when his life changed. The receiver, now with the Jets, talked about the night he accidentally shot himself in the thigh and the 20 months he served in prison as a result in a Real Sports interview on HBO (airs Tuesday).

"It was dark," recalled Burress, who was then with the Giants. "And I kind of, you know, missed a step. That's when I felt my gun start to slide. I went to grab it to stop it from falling. Pow!"

His wife, Tiffany, is an attorney. She told him he was going to end up serving jail time because he was going to be made an example of. Burress disagreed with her because, "I own the gun, it's mine, I bought it. How much trouble can I really be in?"

Dolphins: Coach Tony Sparano said Chris Henne is still the quarterback, even after going 4-of-8 for 78 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown in a 28-23 loss Friday to the Falcons. Backup Matt Moore was 11-of-18 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

49ers: Coach Jim Harbaugh said rookie Colin Kaepernick will get his shot to challenge Alex Smith for the starting quarterback job after a 24-3 loss to New Orleans on Friday. The first-year coach said nobody has earned the position in camp and that the team will consider adding an experienced backup to the mix.

Jaguars: Quarterback David Garrard, out since Aug. 4 with a sore back, returned to practice. He hopes to play Friday against the Falcons.

Redskins: Tight end Chris Cooley likely will miss another two weeks with a sore left knee.

Game highlights: Quarterback Cam Newton, the top pick in the draft, led a pair of field-goal drives in his NFL debut, and Jimmy Clausen threw a touchdown pass to Greg Olsen to help the host Panthers beat the Giants 20-10 in preseason action Saturday. Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn, completed 8 of 19 throws for 134 yards, including a pair of completions of at least 30 yards. … Quarterback Sam Bradford produced 17 points in four possessions and Josh Brown hit a 60-yard field goal as the host Rams beat the Colts 33-10. … Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass then sat down as the Packers lost 27-17 to the host Browns. … The Bills got two sacks from Shawne Merriman and nine in all, but the host Bears won 10-3. Bears cornerback Zackary Bowman suffered a head injury breaking up a pass and left the game. The Bears also lost defensive end Corey Wootton to a knee injury on the opening kickoff. … Rookie Jake Locker (7-of-10, 89 yards) threw a 45-yard touchdown pass as the host Titans beat the Vikings 14-3.

Times wires
Sunday, August 14, 2011

White Sox 5, Royals 4

CHICAGO — Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer in the third and Tyler Flowers added his first homer in the majors in the fifth as the White Sox ended a seven-game home skid. Flowers also had a single and a walk. Juan Pierre had three singles and scored two runs for Chicago. Jesse Crain got the win in relief after pitching out of starter Jake Peavy's jam in the seventh and his own in the eighth. Chris Sale got three outs for his fourth save.

By Seth Leto, Times Correspondent
Sunday, August 14, 2011

What's hot: Snook fishing remains consistent early in the morning and late in the evening. Using pinfish and whitebait during the outgoing tide has produced several big snook. The water is warm, so take care when handling and reviving these big breeders. To fill out the day, target a variety of species around deeper grass flats and rocky bottom. This is a great way to introduce kids to fishing; the action is steady, and they see many species of fish.

Tactics: Anchor on spotty grass and sand bottom in 6 to 8 feet of water and set a chum line. Hang a chum block over the side and periodically toss live and dead bait into the mix to draw in many species ranging from trout, ladyfish and redfish to mackerel, cobia, sharks and grouper. The most productive areas will have plenty of moving water flowing through deeper flats adjacent to shallower flats.

More options: Deeper waters between the barrier islands and the mainland are littered with small wrecks and hard bottom. These areas can be located while idling along and watching the bottom machine. Another way to find productive areas in deeper water is to drift fish. If a fish is hooked, toss a marker buoy in and concentrate on that spot. If more fish are caught in that area, you are likely over some kind of structure.

Seth Leto charters out of Tarpon Springs and can be reached at capt.seth@yahoo.com or (727) 385-0382.

Times wires
Sunday, August 14, 2011

Brewers 2, Pirates 1

10 innings

MILWAUKEE — Nyjer Morgan's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning lifted Milwaukee to a series sweep. The Brewers have won all eight games against Pittsburgh this season and 12 straight over the past two years at Miller Park, last losing there April 28, 2010.

Times wires
Sunday, August 14, 2011

Padres 7, Reds 3

CINCINNATI — Wade LeBlanc pitched six innings for his second career victory at homer-friendly Great American Ball Park, and San Diego avoided a sweep. A day after Cincinnati hit seven homers, it managed just four hits, including Jay Bruce's three-run shot off LeBlanc. James Darnell had two RBI singles for the Padres, who have won seven of their past 11.