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Tampa Bay Rays: Glad to see Cliff Lee (with Phillies); spring losses piling up; no Wade Davis on Twitter; the mind of Bobby Ramos

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 6, 2011

Best sight of the day

The Rays have had trouble with LHP Cliff Lee, but manager Joe Maddon was thrilled to see him on the mound Sunday — pitching for the Phillies, and not the Yankees. "That was like my worst thought all winter," Maddon said. "I had different things going on, losing Carl (Crawford), losing Carlos (Peña), whatever, but Lee to the Yankees would have been truly — that's all of our guys leaving wrapped up into one horrible move."

Numbers of the day

7; 8 Losses by the Rays this spring; total for last spring.

Explanation of the day

RHP Wade Davis hasn't gotten much national attention despite his success, which seems to be just the way he likes it. And somewhat, manager Joe Maddon said, by design: "He's not the Twitter kind of guy, he's not a blogger yet, he hasn't written any minor-league novels to date."

Appreciation of the day

Always entertaining bullpen coach Bobby Ramos will be limited physically for 4-6 weeks due to his ribcage strain, but Maddon said, with a straight face, "it's all about what he brings to the table with his mind." And then added: "It's the first time in the history of his life that anybody's discussed that."

Rays at Pirates

When/where: 1:05 today; McKechnie Field, 1611 9th St. W, Bradenton

Tickets: $10-$20, available by calling 1-877-893-2827, via pirates.com and at the stadium.

Rays information: Toll-free 1-888-326-7297 (FAN-RAYS)

Pitchers: Rays — David Price, Mike Ekstrom, Rob Delaney, Matt Bush, Alex Cobb; Pirates — Ross Ohlendorf, Mike Crotta, Evan Meek, Daniel Moskos, Jose Veras, Tyler Yates

Heads-up

Expect most of the big names — Johnny Damon, Evan Longoria, Manny Ramirez and B.J. Upton — to be in the lineup today.

Who is this Ray?

He set major-league records by going 274 consecutive games and 2,379 chances without an error at first base. He has been in the postseason four times. He was the 13th overall pick of the 2001 draft. He signed as a minor-league free agent.

On deck

Tuesday: Blue Jays, 1:05. Rays — James Shields; Jays — TBA

Wednesday: Blue Jays, 1:05. Rays — Jeff Niemann; Jays — TBA. vs. Netherlands at St. Petersburg, 1:05. Rays — Chris Bootcheck, Netherlands — TBA

Upcoming schedule

11: Pirates

12: at Phillies (ss)

13: at Blue Jays

14: Off

15: Marlins

16: at Marlins

17: at Yankees, 7:05

18: Red Sox (ss), 7:05

19: at Twins

20: Orioles

21: Yankees, 7:05

22: at Red Sox, 7:05

23: Phillies

24: at Astros

25: Pirates

26: Orioles

27: at Pirates

28: at Yankees, 7:05

29: at Red Sox

30: vs. Blue Jays at Tropicana Field, 4:10

Who is this Ray answer: 1B Casey Kotchman

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer


Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos sees time at wing during practice

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 6, 2011

BRANDON — It was difficult to tell Sunday if Lightning coach Guy Boucher was serious about giving C Steven Stamkos an assignment on right wing.

Nine players, including four forwards, missed practice at the Ice Sports Forum because of varying degrees of injury, so the line of C Dominic Moore between Stamkos and Marty St. Louis might have been out of necessity.

But Boucher stuck with the line while changing up others. And though he first said the line was because of the lack of bodies, he also said Moore "deserved" to play there because "he's been our best player the past two weeks."

Boucher did not say the move was to help get Stamkos out of a slump, in which he has one goal in 11 games. In fact, he said adding Moore to the line would help Stamkos and St. Louis defensively as both are minus-6 in their past six games.

"He's our best two-way player," Boucher said of Moore. "He's giving us some offense. He's given us defense. He's given us urgency."

"I don't think about any of that stuff," said Moore, who has two goals and three points in his past three games. "I just play."

But what if Stamkos, whose 41 goals still lead the league by seven, was moved to wing for tonight's Southeast showdown with the Capitals?

He played the position during the All-Star Game — and scored a goal he was quick to point out — and a little bit at the 2008 world junior championship.

"We'll see what happens," Stamkos said. "But with the defensive coverage we play — first guy back and closest guy goes to the puck — there's really no center and wing. So there's not much of an adjustment … maybe a little bit on breakouts."

Give Stamkos, 21, credit for facing his slump head on.

Other than his rookie season, he calls the past 11 games "my roughest stretch." He called his eight shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens "a positive" and said of his scoring touch, "It's going to come."

"I want to be counted on as someone who can create those offensive chances," he added. "You feel like you're not doing your part a little bit. It's tough. It's frustrating when you're not winning. It magnifies that on yourself as well."

Stamkos says he is not obsessing and tries to leave it at the rink.

"Usually, I'm home watching the highlights and stuff," he said. "Lately, I just go home and relax. I have a couple of buddies in town. They usually bring me some luck. We'll see."

HURTING: Expected out against the Capitals are defensemen Marc-Andre Bergeron (back spasms) and Mike Lundin (abdomen) and forwards Steve Downie (ankle) and Ryan Malone (stomach).

Bergeron played Saturday after missing two games but had just 9:10 of ice time.

"We played him," Boucher said. "But looking back, we probably shouldn't have."

Those who did not practice for what the team called "body maintenance" but are expected to play were defensemen Victor Hedman, Pavel Kubina and Mattias Ohlund and forwards Nate Thompson and Dana Tyrell.

STARTING BLOCKS: Boucher doesn't want a repeat of Saturday, when Tampa Bay sleepwalked through the first period and fell behind 2-0.

"They didn't come to play," he said. "They didn't come to compete."

"We have to be honest with each and every one of us in our effort for 60 minutes," St. Louis said. "Individually, we have to bring our best from the get-go."

The Capitals offer an opportunity. They have been outscored 52-39 in the first period.

"It's urgency," C Vinny Lecavalier said. "We have to come out like I know we can, how our fans know we can — on top of teams, first on the puck, pucks on net. That's how we have to do it."

Game preview: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Washington Capitals

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sports items of the day

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

Rule of the day

FIFA, world soccer's governing body, banned players from wearing neck warmers. Neck warmers, or "snoods," became popular in English Premier League games this winter, with players such as Carlos Tevez at Manchester City and Samir Nasri at Arsenal wearing them. But FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday that they are dangerous, "they can be like to hang somebody."

Feud of the day

Rapper Jay-Z and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz are not getting along. Jay-Z owns a nightclub in New York called 40/40, and Ortiz owns a club called Forty Forty in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Each wants the other to change the name of his club.

They wrote it

Alex Ovechkin competes, there's no doubt of that, but he seems to have lost some of the ferocity with which he had played prior to this year even as he appears more collegial with the enemy on the ice. Odd, that." Larry Brooks, New York Post

Sports in brief

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

TENNIS

Roddick lifts United states to Davis Cup win

SANTIAGO, Chile — Andy Roddick showed why he's the go-to guy when the United States needs to close out a Davis Cup tie.

Roddick defeated Paul Capdeville 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-3 Sunday, giving the United States an insurmountable 3-1 lead in its 4-1 victory over Chile in the first-round Davis Cup World Group series.

Roddick improved to 12-0 in matches that can clinch a Cup matchup for the United States and is 33-11 overall in 24 ties since 2001.

"It's always sweet, and every time you clinch one, you think it's the sweetest," Roddick said.

The Americans advanced to the quarterfinals and will play at home in July against Rafael Nadal and Spain, 4-1 winners over Belgium.

Serve record: The International Tennis Federation confirmed that Ivo Karlovic of Croatia broke the world record for the fastest serve, hitting one 156 mph Saturday in a Davis Cup doubles match vs. Germany, breaking Roddick's record of 155 mph. At 6 feet 10, Karlovic is the tallest player on tour.

Skiing

Vonn triples up over the weekend

Having skipped the second half of last month's world championships to recover from a concussion, Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn clinched her third discipline title in three days with a super-G win in Tarvisio, Italy.

"I knew that if I could get my head to be free of any symptoms that I could ski the way I know that I can ski," Vonn said. "It was just a matter of being able to focus and concentrate that was slowing me down."

Vonn took the super-combined and downhill titles the past two days and has moved within 96 points of German rival Maria Riesch in the overall standings with six races left.

ET CETERA

ARENA FOOTBALL: The Storm got down to its 24-player roster, releasing quarterback Jevan Snead and seven others. Former Bucs receiver Frank Murphy was put on the physically unable to perform list.

BOWLING: Jason Couch defeated Hall of Famer Parker Bohn 219-175 in the final of the Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship in Cheektowaga, N.Y. Couch, who is from Clermont in Lake County, earned his first PBA Tour title in four years and the 16th of his career. Couch missed the 2007-08 season due to knee surgery.

Boxing: IBF and WBO champ Wladimir Klitschko and WBA holder David Haye agreed to a heavyweight title bout this summer. The fight should take place June 25 or July 2 at a venue in Germany that is yet to be confirmed. Haye pulled out of a fight with Klitschko in 2009 with a back injury, and talks have collapsed several times since.

College baseball: Florida (10-1), ranked No. 1 by Baseball America, scored three times in the sixth to beat Miami 5-3 and complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Hurricanes for only the second time in school history (2006). Former Plant High standout Preston Tucker homered to back former Alonso star Tommy Toledo, who retired all eight batters he faced for his first win.

SOCCER: FC Tampa Bay and the University of Tampa played to a 1-1 tie Saturday at Pepin Stadium. Tampa's Kemal Malcolm scored, but UT alum Pascal Millien got the equalizer for FC Tampa Bay, playing the first of five preseason games.

Track: France's Teddy Tamgho broke his indoor triple jump world record at the European championships in Paris. He leaped 58 feet, 9½ inches, bettering his mark at the last month by a quarter-inch.

Times wires

Closer hopeful gets three-year deal from White Sox

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

GLENDALE, Ariz. — With job security out of the way, White Sox left-hander Matt Thornton can turn his attention to proving he should be Chicago's closer.

The All-Star reliever agreed to a $15 million, three-year deal Sunday that adds two years and $12 million to his previous one.

Thornton, 34, posted a 2.67 ERA with a career-high eight saves last season. He struck out 81 in 602/3 innings to become the first White Sox pitcher to lead AL relievers in strikeouts since Keith Foulke in 1999.

"It was an easy choice with an organization like this, with what they've done the last five months or so, retaining the core guys, adding the pieces and expecting to win," Thornton said.

Manager Ozzie Guillen hasn't chosen who will be Bobby Jenks' replacement as the closer but indicated at times during the offseason that he would prefer Thornton in the role.

UMPS MEET with players, MLB: The unions for players and umpires held a rare joint meeting with management in Fort Myers. The 2½-hour session was set at the request of the players association after a series of missed calls in the playoffs.

CARPENTER HEALING: Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter, recovering from a strained left hamstring, felt only mild discomfort during a morning bullpen session and said he expects to be ready for opening day.

VETERAN RETIRES: Frank Catalanotto, who played for five teams in a 14-year career, announced his retirement. Catalanotto, 36, batted .291 with a .357 on-base percentage and a .445 slugging percentage while playing several positions.

BREWERS: Rightfielder Corey Hart aggravated his strained left oblique muscle during drills Saturday and might not be ready for the regular season.

DODGERS: Tests showed no serious issues with first baseman James Loney's swollen left knee, and he could return to the lineup as early as Wednesday.

METS: Carlos Beltran tested his right knee in a game for the first time this spring, getting a hit and sliding home. The All-Star centerfielder is expected to play right this season.

PADRES: The team hopes centerfielder Cameron Maybin can return to the lineup today after missing five games with concussionlike symptoms.

RANGERS: Right-hander Neftali Feliz bruised his left shin after being hit by a line drive during live batting practice. X-rays were negative.

ROYALS: Shortstop Alcides Escobar was scratched from the lineup after a bug bite caused an infection on his right arm.

Men's ACC tournament

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Times staff
Sunday, March 6, 2011

First roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsChampionshipSemifinalsQuarterfinalsFirst round
ThursdayFridaySaturdaySundaySaturdayFridayThursday
No. 1 UNCNo. 2 Duke
No. 8 VirginiaNoon, ESPN27, ESPN2No. 7 Maryland
Noon, TBA7, ESPN2
No. 9 Miami1, ESPN1, ESPN3, ESPNNo. 10 N.C. State
No. 4 ClemsonNo. 3 FSU
No. 5 Boston College2, ESPN29, ESPN2No. 6 Va. Tech
2, TBA9 TBA
No. 12 Wake ForestNo. 11 Ga. Tech

Buckeyes sink 3s at will in record exhibition

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the midst of a raucous locker room after No. 1 Ohio State's 93-65 payback victory over 10th-ranked Wisconsin, Jon Diebler said he was sorry to his teammates.

"I apologize for missing that one," he said.

Everyone laughed.

Diebler lived up to his "3-bler" nickname Sunday by hitting 7 of 8 3-pointers while scoring 27 as Ohio State (29-2, 16-2 Big Ten) set NCAA Division I records by making 14 of 15 3-pointers (93.3 percent) and hitting 14 in a row — after missing the first.

"On our best day this year, we hit 11 of 17 and thought we'd hit the jackpot," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "Fourteen of 15? I don't think people do that very often. Either that, or I'm living in the wrong part of the country."

Still smarting from their first loss of the year, 71-67 at Wisconsin on Feb. 12, the Buckeyes unleashed their best game of the season: shutdown defense at one end and 68 percent shooting from the field at the other.

"I don't know if you could script it much better," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "Our defensive energy was incredible … and offensively the shots were falling. It was incredible how well we shot the basketball."

Freshman Jared Sullinger had 22 points weeks after accusing a Wisconsin fan of spitting in his face as he left the floor. He had told people he not only wanted to beat the Badgers, he wanted to beat them by 50 points.

The final score only seemed that lopsided.

"That first loss in college, I didn't take that too lightly," Sullinger said. "I wanted to win, and I wanted to win big, too."

NO. 20 KENTUCKY 64, TENN. 58: Brandon Knight scored 17 of his 19 in the second half for the Wildcats (22-8, 10-6), who clinched a first-round bye in the SEC tournament and earned their second conference road win this season.

MISSOURI VALLEY: Aaron Carter had 15 points and third-seeded Indiana State (20-13) held top seed Missouri State to 30.5 percent shooting in a 60-56 victory in the tournament championship in St. Louis.

State

GA. TECH 66, MIAMI 57: Iman Shumpert had 19 points, Lance Storrs had five of the Yellow Jackets' 12 3-pointers and host Georgia Tech capitalized on 21 turnovers by the Hurricanes (18-13, 6-10 ACC).

SSC tournament

ROLLINS 75, ECKERD 69: Tournament MVP Nick Wolf had 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the top-seeded Tars (25-6) over the No. 3 seed Tritons (22-8) in the title game in Melbourne.


Shooting from the lip

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By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer


Sunday, March 6, 2011

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

Choices, choices, choices

Remember the days when there were three television stations and one or two nationally televised games per week? Those were not the best of days for avid sports fans. It was great when cable television started offering sports options (so that's what Fulton County Stadium looks like!), but now the televised sports buffet has gotten too big. Take Saturday, for example. There were 33 college basketball games to choose from, including women's tournament games. Don't like college basketball? How about some high school hoops? No? Then maybe some college hockey or lacrosse, or perhaps an NBA or NHL game? Or how about some golf? If you're a soccer fan, there were 10 televised games to choose from. And if that didn't do it for you, how about some gymnastics or auto racing or tennis or boxing or motorcycles? Motorcycles! Are there really audiences for all those sports?

Big brother interjects without invitation

There was an interesting moment early in the Florida-Vanderbilt basketball game Saturday. During a TV timeout, ESPN producers pointed out to game officials that Scottie Wilbekin's shot should have been counted as a 3-pointer instead of two. Replays of the shot clearly showed the UF guard was behind the 3-point line. That made the score 17-16 Vandy, and Florida went on to win by 10. "We brought it to the officials' attention,'' announcer Brad Nessler said on the air. "It's nice that we got it straightened out." Is it? Is it ESPN's job to become officials? Granted, in this instance a wrong was righted. But this could open a door for television to intrude even more. If a player's foot is on the line and it's called a 3 and officials don't ask for a replay, should the broadcasting network point that out during a timeout? If a ball goes out of bounds off one player, but officials call it off the other team, should broadcasters stop play and point out the mistake? Replay is a tool for officials to get a call right. And in this case it was used even when the officials didn't ask for it.

Big weekend of prep work

CBS broke out college basketball tripleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, the last weekend of the regular season. It was good preparation for the NCAA Tournament, which the network once again has the rights to, along with Turner Sports. The highlight was Saturday night's Duke-North Carolina game, the gold standard for college basketball rivalries that warrants CBS's A-team of Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg.

Nantz and Kellogg work well together. They don't talk over each other, and they go with the flow of the game. Nantz has a little more enthusiasm than during his golf broadcasts, but he leaves the real emotion and analysis to Kellogg. The game itself was all North Carolina, but the duo provided enough information to keep fans on both sides of this bitter rivalry satisfied. They even showed former personality Phyllis George, who has a daughter at UNC.

Earlier Saturday, Pitt defeated Villanova in one of those Big East games where it looks like a fight could break out at any moment. Veterans Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery were solid, as always. "Good to see you again," Lundquist said to Raftery at one point. "Every March they say 'Put the Sunshine Boys back together again.' "

Passing of the week

The man credited for revolutionizing the way golf is shown on television, Frank Chirkinian, died Friday at the age of 84. Chirkinian produced 38 Masters tournaments and was called the "father of televised golf" by Jim Nantz. Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, said Chirkinian "set the industry standard for the way we watch golf on television. Frank has left a legacy of excellence and creativity in golf broadcasting that will never be equaled."

And Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News said on ESPN's Sports Reporters: "Chirkinian was more than just a director and producer for golf. He was both a genius and a visionary, one of the seminal figures in broadcast history. He was loud and profane and demanding, but always a storyteller. … They finally put him into the World Golf Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago, much too late."

Aside from golf, Chirkinian was also credited for being the first producer to put cameras on blimps during college football games.

Analysis of the day

Golf fans mostly like Johnny Miller, right. Golf pros, not so much. After Rory Sabbatini chunked a chip shot in the final round of the Honda Classic on Sunday, Miller said: "That's something that most pros aren't good at. They open up that blade and then there's just not enough metal at the end of the face, and it pops the ball up." I'm sure pros loooove to hear there is something they are not good at.

Keeping it interesting

Got to give it to Fox for its NASCAR coverage. Let's face it, a race is just cars going around and around, but Fox tries to make it interesting to a variety of fans. Not only are there constant updates of positions and lap counts, but cameras placed on the track and in the cars put viewers right in the race. Perhaps the best feature is the eavesdropping on the radio talk between drivers and their pit crews. It caught Kyle Busch admitting to a wreck that dropped him out of the race, and it caught Greg Biffle, right, spatting with his crew about how long it took to fuel his car. Add the on-track reporting and interviews with racers eliminated from the field, and viewers couldn't ask for much more.

Three things that would have popped into Tom Jones' head if he didn't take the weekend off:

1. If you are a Tampa Bay area sports fan, March is the best month of the year. Not only is there spring training all around us, but in the coming weeks we will have NCAA Tournament basketball games, a PGA Tour event and a Grand Prix race all in our back yard.

2. It's a good thing Vanderbilt didn't use the architect of its basketball gym for its other sports venues. Otherwise, the football benches would be in the end zones and the dugouts would be in the outfield.

3. As bad as it is for Cavaliers fans this season, it must make it a little easier watching LeBron James and the Heat struggle.

Storming the court

There are times to storm the court in college basketball, and there are times to play it cool. For example, if you are a fan of small schools such as Belmont, Indiana State or UNC-Asheville, then by all means, storm the court. The only way those schools can earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament is by winning their conference tournaments. However, if you are Iowa and you just won your 11th game of the season by beating sixth-ranked Purdue, don't storm the court. Big win, yes. But it's been a forgettable season, and there's still at least one more tournament game to play. And then there's the Tar Heels. You would think a school with as much tradition as North Carolina would reserve its court storming for national championships. But UNC fans filled the court after Saturday's win over Duke. UNC gets a pass on this one because the win clinched an ACC regular-season championship and it ended a three-game losing streak to the hated Blue Devils.

Tampa Bay Lightning finds itself sliding down the standings

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By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Sunday, March 6, 2011

BRANDON — In the old days, injuries were not a burden. The Lightning would plug someone new into the lineup and keep right on winning.

Back then, the opponent rarely mattered. The Lightning would come ready to play, and the division was Tampa Bay's to rule.

Yes, once upon a time, the world was a simpler and kinder place.

But no sense getting nostalgic about a week ago.

In less than seven days' time, the Lightning has gone from a five-point lead in the Southeast Division to trailing for the first time since Dec. 30. It has fallen from the conference's No. 2 seed to its No. 5. Lightning players have gone from wondering about how high they might go to fretting about where they might eventually land.

Washington officially took over the division lead Sunday evening with a 3-2 victory at Florida. And now the Capitals come to the St. Pete Times Forum this evening, and Lightning players commence chasing the team that had spent two months chasing them.

"We're not talking about the Caps right now," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said when asked about the Southeast Division race, "we're talking about everybody."

It has been that kind of stretch for the Lightning. And, truthfully, it has lasted more than just the past week.

Go back to mid February, and Tampa Bay has lost six of its past nine games. The Lightning has lost ground on teams above and below. Of the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference, the Lightning has the worst record in that span.

In some ways, it is to be expected. Ryan Malone and Steve Downie have been out of the lineup. Vinny Lecavalier and Marc-Andre Bergeron have been hurting. And nine of the past 10 games have been against teams in the playoff hunt.

Still, dropping three places in the conference standings in less than a week is more of a playoff plunge than a playoff push.

"We can't start panicking now because we lost three in a row," Lecavalier said. "You've got to realize where you're at. You have to be realistic. It's a tight race. You have to expect it to get harder. You have to look at the teams below us chasing us."

This is true, to a large degree. Philadelphia has lost four in a row. Detroit has lost three in a row. Teams on top have less urgency than teams in danger of missing the postseason.

Which, in a way, makes the past week even more frustrating. Not only did the Lightning allow Washington back into the picture, it also missed a chance to run down the Flyers.

"If we would have just had those games against Jersey and Boston, get those two points there, we'd be close to being first in our conference," Boucher said. "But we're not, so I have to stop thinking about that because it doesn't help me. It just makes me more (ticked) off. It doesn't help me dealing with the players. It just makes me more emotional, and then I don't say the right things and I don't act the right way.

"Some guys have tried to play lately to be first in the league. Look where that got us."

For that reason, you will not hear Boucher make a big deal about the division lead tonight. He's not denying this game is critical. And the players undoubtedly will show more desperation than they did in the first period against Montreal in Saturday's 4-2 loss.

But the emphasis for the Lightning has to be on the process and not the intangibles. It's when they look too far ahead or behind that Lightning players get in trouble.

For this is not a team that can afford to drive on cruise control. It's just not that good.

Tampa Bay has won more games in overtime and shootouts than any team in the league. And the Lightning is a ridiculous 21-12 in games decided by one goal.

In other words, the margin between success and failure in Tampa Bay is probably as slim as anywhere in the NHL.

"We're not a powerhouse. We have to fight for every inch," Boucher said. "And the moment we don't fight for that inch, we're (in trouble)."

There is more at stake tonight than simply the prestige of the division lead. Not winning the Southeast might also mean falling behind Pittsburgh in conference seeding, and that means losing home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

A top-three seed does not automatically translate to postseason success — the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference has lost in the first round four consecutive times — but the Lightning has been far better at home (21-8-4) than on the road (16-13-3).

As they finished a practice Sunday at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, players returned to the locker room to see the Flyers being crushed by the Rangers on TV.

The significance of playing with more desperation did not go unnoticed.

"Seventeen games, that's not a lot," Lecavalier said. "It's basically a sprint to the end of the season, and we definitely want that division."

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Dirk Hayhurst writes about his life in baseball without betraying anyone's trust

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 6, 2011

PORT CHARLOTTE

When Dirk Hayhurst first told his teammates in the Padres minor-league system he was writing a book about his experiences in baseball, he got the silent treatment, conversations stopping as he walked into rooms.

When he signed with the Blue Jays in 2009, and the book was being completed, the reaction became louder. One former Jays pitcher threatened to kill Hayhurst if he were mentioned in the book, and another still with the team pulled him aside and cautioned him to "be careful" what he wrote. Friends would make snide remarks that certain things were "off the record." One told him he needed to hold a news conference to apologize to his team.

"There's always going to be some people that are wary of me," said Hayhurst, a 30-year-old right-hander who spins sentences — based on the best-selling success of the The Bullpen Gospels — better than baseballs, given just 25 big-league appearances in a 10-year pro career (and an ERA of 5.72).

"I think it's also kind of guilty without my day in court for those people. I think after they experience what I'm doing they're generally supportive of it. I've had some guys do complete 180s; after telling me if they had to go down they'd take me with him, and then it's, 'I have a great story for you,' or, 'Oh, you've got to get me in the movie.' It's a complete flip-flop."

The Rays wouldn't seem a likely fit given their preternatural protectiveness of information, but they signed him to a minor-league deal without any reservations about having a writer in their clubhouse. And a prolific one at that, who has his own blog (dirkhayhurst.com/blog), is a regular on Twitter (@thegarfoose, with more than 7,200 posts), contributes to several magazines and has about 400 pages written for his second book, on his initial major-league experiences with the Padres and Jays, with a contract to write a third.

"We talked to him about our concerns and he totally ameliorated our concerns by telling us basically how he was going to go about it," manager Joe Maddon said. "And it's not about getting anybody, not about writing about anybody in a nonfiction way or being specific."

Instead, Hayhurst uses an interesting style: making up most names, blurring details and blending characters to create composites (or alleged composites) to provide amusing, entertaining and revealing anecdotes about life in the minors, using them to tell the story of his life (including some deeply personal passages) rather than the team. And, just for kicks to create a little more deception, he sprinkles in a few real names — including, in one relatively benign passage, that of pitcher Matt Bush, who was a teammate in the San Diego and Toronto organizations and is again with the Rays. (Bush said he at first was a bit put off but understands and has no problems with Hayhurst.)

That way, Hayhurst said, he can write in great detail — "99 percent of it happened like I said it happened" — and good conscience about minor-league antics and, more so in the next book, major-league escapades, including such activities he considers immoral as players cheating on their wives and doing drugs, without naming names. Or paying the price for doing so.

"I think it's just good common sense: I like to write, and I want to write stories about my life in baseball," Hayhurst said. "While I don't always see eye to eye with some of the behavior that happens in a clubhouse, I will never be the guy that pulls these guys out and ruins their lives. That is a really difficult part, but that is a difficulty I gladly burden. If I would have done that, if I would have been that guy, I would not be here. I would have been blacklisted out of this game."

Rays who have read Hayhurst's first book have talked with him — or have at least listened to him when he spoke during last week's media training about his social media practices — and seem comfortable trusting him and his process.

"I'm not going to watch what I say or do around him," pitcher David Price said. "I feel like he respects everyone in here's privacy."

"I think the understanding is that he's a player first and a writer second," third baseman Evan Longoria said, "and that he has enough respect for the game that he's not trying to throw anybody under the bus. …

"There could be anybody in here that's writing a book; it could be B.J. Upton. Of course, you think about all the things you've said around people, but you would think that guys respect you and respect the game more than just writing something to make a dollar."

Though he and the Rays discussed "parameters," Hayhurst said he "didn't sign an affidavit," and depending on how long he is with the Rays and what his experience is like, the next book could be about his time with them.

"But it would never be about the Rays to expose the Rays," Hayhurst said. "It would just be because it was part of my life story, and I want to continue to write my life story. That's how I've done it in the other books. Baseball has always been a vehicle for the story of things that happened in my life, and that's how it would be here."

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

Florida State Seminoles end regular season with 72-62 victory over North Carolina State Wolfpack

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — Derwin Kitchen helped Florida State to a solid regular-season finish despite playing without its top scorer and rebounder for the past month.

Now the Seminoles head into the ACC tournament with a high seed and hopes that Chris Singleton could soon return from a broken right foot.

Kitchen had 17 points and matched a career high with 13 rebounds to help FSU beat North Carolina State 72-62 on Sunday night in the final game of the ACC schedule.

Bernard James added 14 points for the Seminoles (21-9, 11-5), who have won three of five with Singleton out. FSU won 11 ACC games in a season for the third time and the first since winning 12 in 1993.

"It's not any time to start taking any bows," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We feel like this particular team has a lot more room for improvement. We're still basically an inexperienced team for the most part. … I'm hoping they'll keep working and we'll continue to keep improving."

The Seminoles were already locked into the No. 3 seed for this week's tournament in Greensboro, so there wasn't a lot at stake in this game. FSU led for the first 30 minutes, scoring the first seven and leading by 13 in the first half before taking a 34-25 halftime lead.

Then, after the Wolfpack (15-15, 5-11) made a push to take a one-point lead with about eight minutes left, Kitchen sank two baskets to put the Seminoles ahead for good.

"I feel like we have done pretty good without our best player," Kitchen said. "(If Singleton returns), I hope he can bring what he (brought) all year long. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off. If not, we're not focusing on that too much. We're focusing on what we have right now."

Hamilton said he didn't know if Singleton would be ready for the ACC tournament, though he said the 6-foot-9 junior hasn't had any setbacks while doing noncontact work since he was hurt Feb. 12 against Virginia. He said Singleton wouldn't return unless he's "completely healed."

"We're being extremely careful," Hamilton said, "but it looks like it's getting a lot closer than I thought it would be at this stage."

As for N.C. State, the question was whether this was the final home game for fifth-year coach Sidney Lowe. Picked to finish fourth in the ACC, the Wolfpack closed with four losses in five games to fall to the No. 10 seed.

Lowe entered with an 86-76 overall record and 25-54 in ACC play. Worse, he hasn't made the NCAA Tournament after inheriting a program coming off five straight NCAA trips.

Lowe said he didn't feel drained by uncertainty.

"No, because the focus is not me," he said. "My focus is my kids. That's what I have to do. If I get drained and I'm worn down, then how can I expect them to be ready? So it's just like I tell each of our players: 'It's not about you. It's about your teammate.' Well, that's the same thing for me."

SEC champ Vols hit all the right notes

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Vols are playing so well these days, they have coach Pat Summitt singing.

Angie Bjorklund had 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, and No. 4 Tennessee hit a school- and tournament-record 16 3s to beat No. 16 Kentucky 90-65 on Sunday in the SEC championship game.

It was the most points ever in this game and such a dominating performance that Summitt celebrated by grabbing a microphone and belting out a version of Rocky Top with her Vols and the pep band. Then she went a capella by herself.

"She's got a good voice," Bjorklund said of Summitt.

Summitt, whose voice was raspy after yelling mostly at the officials, has reason to sing.

The Vols (31-2), who were unbeaten in the SEC, won their 15th tournament title overall. This one was a bit special because it marked the third time Tennessee went undefeated in winning the regular-season title before winning the conference tournament. It also did that in 1994 and 1998.

It's a big turnaround for nine of these Vols, who were on the first Tennessee team to lose in the NCAA Tournament's opening round two years ago to Ball State. It's a loss Summitt still says she could "chew on" every day if she wanted.

"But I think it took something like that to wake this team up and their youth, and now you look at the experience we have in this junior class," Summitt said.

Now the Vols can wait for what should be another No. 1 seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

"We've been through the highs and the lows," Bjorklund said. "We're not going to give up, and we want another championship."

Kentucky (24-8) goes home still looking for its first SEC tournament title since 1982.

ACC: Jasmine Thomas had 21 points and No. 8 Duke won its second straight tournament title by beating No. 19 North Carolina 81-66 in Greensboro, N.C. The top-seeded Blue Devils (29-3) shot 46 percent and held the Tar Heels (25-8) scoreless for 6½ minutes down the stretch.

BIG TEN: Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis had 23 points each to lead fifth-seeded Ohio State (22-9) past second-seeded Penn State 84-70 in Indianapolis for a record-tying third straight conference tournament title.

Big East tournament

NO. 1 UCONN 59, NO. 17 G'TOWN 43: Stefanie Dolson had a career-high 24 points as the top-seeded Huskies (30-1) beat the Hoyas (22-10) in the quarterfinals in Hartford, Conn.

NO. 8 NOTRE DAME 63, LOUISVILLE 53: Devereaux Peters had 19 points, nine rebounds and six blocks to lead the third-seeded Irish (25-6).

NO. 13 DEPAUL 66, ST. JOHN'S 54: Anna Martin had 17 points for the second-seeded Blue Demons (27-5).

RUTGERS 68, NO. 20 MARQUETTE 62: April Sykes scored 16 of her 18 in the second half to lead the No. 4-seeded Scarlet Knights (19-11) past the Golden Eagles (23-8).

SSC tournament

FLA. SOUTHERN 79, FLA. TECH 66: Chelsea Johnson had 29 points and Emma Cannon 19 points and 17 rebounds as the top-seeded Moccasins (25-4) won the tournament title in Melbourne.

Around the nation

NO. 6 XAVIER 69, CHARLOTTE 53: Amber Harris had 23 points and 16 rebounds for the top-seeded Musketeers (27-2) in the Atlantic 10 semifinals in Lowell, Mass.

NO. 20 GONZAGA 96, PORTLAND 71: Janelle Bekkering had 17 points as the top-seeded Bulldogs (27-4) cruised in the West Coast Conference semifinals in Las Vegas.

ARK. ST. 77, MIDDLE TENN. 62: The Blue Raiders returned to the court for the first time since the stabbing death Wednesday of teammate Tina Stewart, losing in the Sun Belt tournament quarterfinals in Hot Springs, Ark. There was a pregame moment of silence.

Carl Edwards holds off Tony Stewart to win NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Las Vegas

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Times wires
Sunday, March 6, 2011

LAS VEGAS — Carl Edwards is off to the best start of his career, and he credits "a gift" from Tony Stewart for his first win of the season.

Stewart had the dominant car in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but he had to shuffle his strategy when a penalty on pit road crippled his chances. Edwards' crew chief, Bob Osborne, took note of what Stewart was doing then used it to get his driver into Victory Lane.

"That car was spectacular. He did a really good job driving it, too," Edwards said of Stewart. "That was really a gift for us for him to have that penalty. It may have been the difference in the race there."

Stewart led the Kobalt Tools 400 when he was penalized for leaving his pit stall with the air hose still attached to his Chevrolet. He restarted 24th on Lap 157 after the penalty, Crew chief Darian Grubb had to call for a two-tire stop to get Stewart back into the lead, the entire field saw it work, and Stewart was backed into a corner.

He had to take four tires on his final stop, most everyone else took two, and the longer time spent on pit road shuffled him too far back to make it back to the front.

Edwards, in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford, pulled away. Stewart, who dropped to 22nd after the four-tire stop, was unable to catch him and finished second.

"We had the fastest thing on the planet today, and we just gave it away," Stewart said. "It kills me to throw away a race like that."

That's how Edwards felt the past two weeks.

Edwards believed he should have won the first two races of the season. He was second in the season-opening Daytona 500 — he called winner Trevor Bayne to ask what he could have done differently on the last lap — then earned the pole last week at Phoenix and was certain he had the winning car before he was wrecked by Kyle Busch.

Sunday's win, Edwards' second at Las Vegas and 19th of his career, has many thinking he is a solid championship contender. He closed last season with wins in the final two races, and he is now third in Sprint Cup points, three out of the lead.

Stewart wasn't thinking about the big picture Sunday after finishing second to Edwards despite leading a race-high 163 laps.

Stewart was second on the final restart of the Daytona 500 but faded and finished 13th. He then led 59 laps in Phoenix, only to finish seventh. Though Sunday's run moved him into the lead of the standings, he was unable to take much solace in knowing he had cars capable of winning the first three races of the season.

"That's not in my makeup," said Stewart, who was trying to cross Las Vegas off the list of only two active tracks where he has yet to win a Cup race (Darlington is the other).

Juan Montoya finished third followed by Marcos Ambrose and Ryan Newman. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who started 33rd, wound up eighth and moved into 10th in the standings.

Las Vegas native Busch had an early tire problem while running second to Stewart, then an engine failure ended his race in 38th place.

Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were penalized for speeding on pit road. On the same stop, Stewart was flagged for taking equipment out of his pit box.

"I don't know what happened on the pit stop there, but we had a miscue and had a penalty and had to go to the back, and unfortunately it kind of dealt our cards for us," Stewart said.

Kurt Busch is tied with Stewart for the points lead but is listed second on a tiebreaker. Like his younger brother Kyle, Kurt was disappointed to leave Las Vegas without a win.

"We gave it all we had," he said. "We wanted to win this thing, for sure. I came up just a little bit short in my hometown."

Limited number of tickets available for SEC Tournament

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By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 7, 2011

The Florida Gators will open play in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday night, and a limited number of single session tickets to the tournament in Atlanta will be available for purchase beginning today.

The Club Level tickets can be purchased beginning at 10:00 a.m., at the Georgia Dome Box Office, any TicketMaster outlets, by calling 1-800- 745-3000, or by going to www.SECsports.com.

Tickets are available for each session of the tournament with prices varying by session.

Here is the tournament schedule:

Thursday, March 10

Session 1: Georgia vs. Auburn – 1 p.m.; Ole Miss vs. South Carolina – 3:30 p.m.

Session 2: Arkansas vs. Tennessee – 7:30 p.m.; Vanderbilt vs. LSU – 10 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Session 3: Alabama vs. Winner of Game #1 – 1 p.m.; Kentucky vs. Winner of Game #2 – 3:30 p.m.

Session 4: Florida vs. Winner of Game #3 – 7:30 p.m.; Mississippi State vs. Winner of Game #4 – 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 12

Session 5: Winners of Games 5 and 6 – 1 p.m.; Winners of Games 7 and 8 – 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 13

Session 6: Championship – 1 p.m.


Washington Capitals coach: Tampa Bay Lightning's Stven Stamkos is a diver

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 7, 2011

Chalk this one up under the category of a coach trying to gain an edge for his team by planting a seed in the head of the opposition and the referees. How else to explain Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau saying Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos dives to draw penalties?

Boudreau also mentions right wing Steve Downie, who will not even play tonight because of an ankle injury. It was the inclusion of Stamkos that was most surprising.

Here is what Boudreau said Monday morning after an innocent question about the emotional level going up in games between the Lightning and Capitals. A decent question, asked by a reporter from the Washington Post, considering tonight's game is for first place in the Southeast division and the Lightning has beaten Washington, the three-time division champ, twice by shutouts.

"Quite frankly I think from the beginning we didn't know what to expect the first couple of games," Boudreau said. "Once they took the lead on us and then they beat us 1-0 and then they beat us 3-0, it sort of, you know, started to say, 'Hey we don't like these guys. We don't like the way they dive every two seconds. They lead the league in power play attempts because guys like Downie, even though he might not be playing tonight, but if I was a referee I'd never make a call on him ever. He dives every two seconds, Stamkos dives every two seconds. So you start to get a hate on for guys like that. So, it'll be interesting."

He's right about one thing, the Lightning enters Monday with a league-high 271 power-play chances, compared to 219 for the Capitals. But Stamkos a diver?

"I don't even know what to say to that," Stamkos said. "I don't know if he's trying to use that to get us thinking about other things. I'm not really worried about what he has to say."

Neither was Lightning coach Guy Boucher, who sent a little dig back Boudreau's way.

"I have more respect for the players to say their players or our players are divers," Boucher said.

Tampa Bay Lightning loses in shootout against Washington Capitals

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 7, 2011

TAMPA — Steve Yzerman was remarkably calm for someone who believed a game had been stolen from his team.

So certain was he after the Lightning's 2-1 shootout loss to the Capitals on Monday night at the St. Pete Times Forum, the general manager spent about five minutes with NHL officiating supervisor Don Koharksi.

"The referee has to make an instantaneous decision," Yzerman said. "Unfortunately, he got it wrong."

Referee Tom Kowal's call of goaltender interference wiped out Vinny Lecavalier's tally that would have given Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead 3:35 into the third period.

"And that's probably the game," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said.

Instead, Washington's Alexander Semin tied the score with 5:32 left, and Alex Ovechkin scored the only shootout goal to send the Lightning (37-21-8) to its fourth straight loss and drop it two points behind the Capitals in the Southeast Division.

Yzerman said replays showed Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis did not touch Washington goaltender Braden Holtby after he was tripped by Brooks Laich. And it was Laich's stick that pushed Holtby's left leg into the net.

"If he touched him, it had no bearing on the play," Yzerman said of St. Louis. "Brooks Laich hits his own goalie and pushes him into the net. It happened in the blink of an eye, but we got the short end of the stick on that call."

"If it's not a goal, then it has to be a penalty," Boucher said. "It was major tripping."

Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said St. Louis should have been penalized.

"It was interference," he said. "It should have been a penalty because he touched him."

Either way, "It was an important thing," Boudreau said. "Obviously, 2-0 to 1-0 is a big difference against that team."

A team that took a 1-0 lead on Sean Bergenheim's first-period, power-play goal, and then rode goalie Dwayne Roloson's 29 saves, including 10 in overtime and the last nine of the extra period.

It needed him. Tampa Bay has just five goals during its losing streak, its first of four games this season.

Steven Stamkos, with one goal in 12 games, hit a post. Simon Gagne twice was robbed by Holtby, as was Eric Brewer in front of the net in overtime.

Still, it all came back to the disallowed goal.

"I got tripped," St. Louis said. "I didn't feel like I was going at the goalie. I just got tripped and ended up in the crease. … (Laich) put me in that situation."

"It can have an impact on the season," Boucher said. "The guys worked really hard, and we did get that goal. It was an honest goal. The guy is tripped. It's a wrong call, period."

Capitals00102
Lightning10001
Capitals win shootout 1-0

First Period1, Tampa Bay, Bergenheim 13 (St. Louis, Stamkos), 12:30 (pp). PenaltiesCarlson, Was (holding), 6:56; Hendricks, Was (slashing), 12:26; Ohlund, TB (hooking), 18:21; Ovechkin, Was (delay of game), 19:55.

SecondNone. PenaltiesWashington bench, served by Ovechkin (too many men), 2:37; Hedman, TB (elbowing), 10:31.

Third2, Washington, Semin 24 (Wideman, Ovechkin), 14:28. PenaltiesHannan, Was (high-sticking), 16:39; Lecavalier, TB (interference), 16:39.

OvertimeNone. PenaltiesKubina, TB (hooking), 3:44.

ShootoutWash. 1 (Ovechkin G, Semin NG), Tampa Bay 0 (Moore NG, Hall NG, Lecavalier NG). Shots on GoalWash. 7-10-3-10—30. Tampa Bay 7-14-4-3—28. Power-play opportunitiesWash. 0 of 3; Tampa Bay 1 of 4. GoaliesWash., Neuvirth (7 shots-6 saves), Holtby 5-2-2 (0:00 second, 21-21). Tampa Bay, Roloson 18-21-3 (30-29). A16,835. T2:47.

Florida Gators' Zack Powers named SEC Freshman of the Week

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By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Former Armwood High standout Zack Powers was selected as the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after going 4-for-10 (.400) in the Florida Gators' four games last week. All four of his hits were doubles and he scored twice.

Over the weekend, Powers went 3-for-6 (.500) in top-ranked Florida's first-ever sweep of No. 24 Miami. He had his first career multiple-hit effort in the finale, when he was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

Powers opened the scoring on Sunday with his first career RBI, a second-inning double in a 5-3 win over the Hurricanes. He also doubled and laid down his first career sacrifice bunt on Saturday in a 1-0 victory. In 10 games played, including six starts at third base, Powers is hitting .250 (5-for-20).

No. 1 Florida (10-1) will host Georgia Southern (7-5) Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris manages Tampa Bay Rays for a day

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

PORT CHARLOTTE — Bucs head coach Raheem Morris figured he had the baseball managing thing down. "All I've got to do," he said Tuesday morning, "is look real serious and spit seeds."

Then he watched the Rays and one of his assistant coaches, Eric Yarber, go through batting practice and pregame drills. He brought the lineup card to home plate, where the umpires posed with him for a photo. He went to the mound to make a pitching change, removing Josh Johnson, er, James Shields in the fourth.

And when the 3-plus-hour game ended, with the Rays scoring a 3-2 walkoff win in 10 innings, Morris pumped his fist, pointed a finger in the air and bounded out of the dugout holding up the game ball — everything but a chest bump — to cap his day as Joe Maddon's designated manager of the Rays.

"I'm 1-0," Morris said. "It was awesome, man. The best part about it was being down there and listening to those guys go through the strategy and go through all the motions, it really made me feel a part of the game. That was the most locked-in I've ever been to a baseball game, and it was the fastest game I've ever been to in my life."

Maddon was as thrilled with the experience as the result: "It was all about Raheem."

• • •

Maddon and Morris have become good friends, meeting up for an occasional meal, or at least a beverage, around south Tampa. So it was a natural progression for Maddon to suggest a spring training get-together, further bridging the relationship between the franchises.

And despite their one major philosophical difference — remember Morris' pronouncement that "stats are for losers" — they have found a lot to talk about: communication with players, leadership styles, team-building.

For example, the Rays — adding to the frivolity — started the morning with a golf long-drive contest on a back field. After seeing the camaraderie, Morris said to expect the Bucs to do the same.

"Every time I sit around this man, I pick up something," Morris said.

And the feeling is mutual. "I enjoy bouncing things off of him," Maddon said. "He's got a lot of great ideas."

And as for that stats line, given Maddon's infatuation with the numbers game? "Two different sports," Morris said. "This game is built on stats."

• • •

Morris couldn't resist doing some coaching, and a little scouting. He said he could imagine using Evan Longoria as a strongside linebacker (citing his toughness and "swagger") and B.J. Upton as a defensive back alongside Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib — though Upton made abundantly clear his preference to avoid contact.

"Joe got him to run the bases hard now," Morris said. "So I can get him to tackle."

• • •

Morris looked on in jeans as Yarber, who last played baseball in high school some 30 years ago, went through four rounds of batting practice against former big-leaguer Dave Eiland, with equal parts encouragement and teasing ("Stop being so spastic," Longoria joked). He then took ground balls at second base, getting better as he went.

Morris had no intention of stepping on the field, then Maddon invited him to manage with him from the dugout — or "the box," as Morris first called it — and he changed into full uniform.

Tim Tschida's umpiring crew was obviously impressed to see him. And Shields was a bit surprised when Morris bounced from the dugout, signaled expertly for the lefty reliever and headed to the mound.

"He walked to the mound, and he's like, 'So, what do we do now?' " Shields relayed. "I was like, 'You're supposed to get the ball from me.' And he's like, 'Oh, okay, then hand me the ball.' Then he's like, 'So, what are we doing after the game? Is this what we're supposed to talk about out there?' It was pretty funny."

"It was awesome," Morris said. "Did you see my signal? I looked pretty cool doing it, too."

Times staff writer Rick Stroud contributed to this report.

Florida Gators' Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons named SEC Coach and Player of the Year

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By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

GAINESVILLE — After 15 seasons — including two national championships — Florida coach Billy Donovan on Tuesday was honored by his league peers with his first SEC Coach of the Year award.

Senior forward Chandler Parsons was named SEC player of the year, the first Florida player to win the award from the league's coaches. Florida's Patric Young was named to the All-Freshman team, and Gator guards Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker were All-SEC second-team selections.

"I am extremely humbled to be named SEC coach of the year by my peers," Donovan said. "This league has outstanding coaches and a number of deserving candidates to win the award. I'm fortunate and blessed to have a great group of players, assistant coaches and staff — this honor is more a reflection of their work and effort than anything that I have done."

With the league tournament starting Thursday, Donovan has led Florida to a 13-3 record in the SEC, 24-6 overall. He has the third-most wins by an SEC coach with 355, trailing Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (876) and LSU's Dale Brown (448).

Parsons, who went through a tough stretch earlier this season, has become Florida's most versatile player, averaging 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and one steal per game.

"Obviously this award is handed out to a single player, but I share it proudly with my teammates and coaching staff," Parsons said.

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