By Neil Taylor, Times Correspondent
Friday, March 23, 2012

What's hot: Speckled trout have provided nonstop action nearly any time of day. Fat, "slot size" trout (15-20 inches) are plentiful, and trout to 25 inches are being caught regularly.

Tackle: For the best results and the most fun, go lighter on the tackle, rod and reel. Medium to light spinning outfits with a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader are adequate. Trout eat natural baits, but they also are easy to catch on artificial lures. Use 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jigheads with 3- to 5-inch plastic tails. Use the heavier jigheads when working depths greater than 5 feet.

Technique: A great way to identify locations for future outings is to drift grassy areas until trout are found. Areas where shallow flats drop off into deeper water are usually productive. When fish are located, anchor up. Make long casts and keep the lure moving slowly near the bottom. To catch the largest trout, target the shallower areas on rising tides, and don't be surprised if redfish and trout are caught in the same locations. For easy release, mash down the barbs on the jighead hooks. Use a smooth fighting technique and fewer fish will be lost, plus it is easier to release the fish quickly.

Neil Taylor charters kayak fishing trips in the Tampa Bay area and can be reached at strikethreekayakfishing.com and (727) 692-6345.

Times staff
Friday, March 23, 2012

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Today

8-8:45 a.m. — World Challenge qualifying

9-9:40 a.m. — Indy Lights qualifying

9:55-10:55 a.m. — IndyCar practice

11:10-noon — Ferrari Challenge Race 1

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. — IndyCar Group 1 autograph session, at fan village

12:10-12:50 p.m. — USF2000 Race 1

1-1:30 p.m. — Indy Lights autograph session

1-1:40 p.m. — Star Mazda Race 1

1-2 p.m. — World Challenge autograph session

1:55-3:15 — IndyCar qualifying

3:30-4:40 p.m. — Indy Lights race

4-5 p.m. — IndyCar Group 2 autograph session, at fan village

4:55-5:45 p.m. — Ferrari Challenge qualifying No. 2

6-7 p.m. — Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, World Challenge Race 1

Sunday

8:35-9:05 a.m. — IndyCar warmup

9:15-9:55 a.m. — USF2000 Race 2

10:05-10:45 a.m. — Star Mazda Race 2

11 a.m.-noon — Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, World Challenge Race 2

Noon-12:30 p.m. — IndyCar prerace

12:30-3 p.m. — Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, IndyCar race, Ch. 28

3:30-4:20 p.m. — Ferrari Challenge Race 2

Coming up

SUNDAY: Who is the face of IndyCar? With Danica Patrick gone, there are plenty of personalities around. Also, qualifying results and the starting grid for the IndyCar race.

MONDAY: Complete coverage of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the IndyCar season opener.

On the web

IndyCar driver Graham Rahal writes guest columns throughout the weekend at racing.tampabay.com.

Times staff
Friday, March 23, 2012

How IndyCar qualifying works

Qualifying on road and street courses is divided into three segments.

The cars are split into two groups. Each group gets 20 minutes of track time, including caution flags. The six fastest from each group advance. The rest are placed on the grid from 13 on back. (Odd-numbered grid positions come from the first group.)

The 12 cars left have 15 minutes for the second segment. The six fastest reach the final segment. The rest fill grid spots 7-12.

The last segment is 10 minutes with at least five minutes guaranteed under a green flag. The fastest qualifier gets the pole, the second-fastest shares the front row and so on.

By Don Jensen, Times Correspondent
Friday, March 23, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Patience, not persistence, has been the best policy with Magic Finch.

Sidelined 38 percent of her racing career by minor injuries, the Abernathy kennel greyhound is attempting to defend her title in the $80,000 Distance Classic, Derby Lane's richest stakes race, which begins tonight.

"I think she's ready," kennel owner Jim Abernathy said. "She hasn't run consistent enough to win that many races. Usually we get her maybe 10 starts in a row until something happens. We just need to put a stakes race into her."

Magic Finch, a two-time stakes winner, gets that opportunity in Race 4 (8:18 p.m.), the first of four qualifiers on the evening performance.

The 660-yard event features four qualifying rounds over the next 12 nights. Eight of the 32 dogs with the most accumulative points advance to the April 7 finale. First place pays $32,000.

Other top contenders include Kiowa Mind Mia (J.E. O'Donnell Jr. kennel) in Race 6; Brother Buck (D'Arcy) in Race 8; Kentucky Fire (Cal Holland), a runnerup in three stakes, and two-time stakes winner Tiger Boy (McAllister) in Race 10.

Owned by Haber Kennels of Summerfield, Magic Finch has been sidelined three times totaling 24 weeks with leg, neck, shoulder and tail issues. She has 15 victories from 60 lifetime starts and earned $50,561 under trainer Kayruth Abernathy, Jim's wife.

Magic Finch is a 34-month-old female out of a litter by Lonesome Cry and Bird A Flyin. She won the Distance Classic and the $10,000 St. Petersburg Consolation Derby, also in 2011, by running down rivals in the stretch. Two starts ago, she clocked her second-fastest career 660 time, 37.31 seconds.

"I think (Magic Finch) is the best female dog at the track," said Kayruth Abernathy, who also entered Ahk Colormegone and Magic Bagels.

Patriot, Derby Lane's top kennel under first-year manager/trainer and former Floyd & Porter conditioner Cal Holland Jr., leads with five starters: Art Alex, Art Allen, Kiowa Mad Penske, Kiowa Powell and Kiowa Wildbraves.

Art Allen, who wasn't eligible for the Distance Classic until his fourth 660 start Wednesday, shares the track wins lead with Kiow Aloe Randy (McAllister) at 10 apiece and drew Race 8.

"Art Allen is a pretty special dog," Holland Jr. said. "I wanted to get him over there (660), because one of his brothers (Art Almost) has been over there pretty much his whole life.

"Kentucky Fire is most definitely one of the ones to beat. I love my dad, but when it comes to (winning races), I'm competitive, and I want to beat anybody and everybody."

HORSES: Kentucky Derby hopefuls have two major preps this weekend: today's Grade III $500,000 Spiral Stakes (Race 10, 5:45 p.m.) at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., and Sunday's Grade III $800,000 Sunland (Park) Derby (Race 12, 7:45) in New Mexico.

Times wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

ATLANTA — As soon as the NCAA bracket was announced, Sasha Goodlett started getting a flood of texts from her friends.

"They were all saying, 'Ohhh, you have to go against Brittney Griner,' " the Georgia Tech center recalled. "I was like, 'Hey, we have two games before that. Let's not get too caught up in ourselves.' "

Well, those two games are out of the way.

Fourth-seeded Georgia Tech has reached the region semi­finals for the first time in school history, and next up today in the Des Moines Region: top-ranked Baylor (36-0) and the nation's most dominant player.

The Yellow Jackets (26-8) are a huge underdog, like just about everyone who goes against Baylor. The Bears beat UC Santa Barbara by 41, then eased to a 19-point win over Florida that was punctuated by a Griner dunk.

"We don't have to do anything special or anything miraculous," said Goodlett, who will give away 3 inches against the 6-8 Griner. "We can't get too caught up in the name. We're going to focus on us and do what we do."

Teams have tried various props to prepare to face Griner's 88-inch wingspan (her standing reach is 9 feet, 2 inches) — a kayak paddle with a pad taped to it to swat shots, an old broom lying around a gym, a Texas A&M 6-10 male cheerleader who impersonates Griner in practice.

Georgia Tech petitioned the NCAA to use a 6-8 varsity men's player as a proxy for her in practice, but it was told that would violate the rules.

"We don't have any props, no oars, no brooms," Jackets coach MaChelle Joseph said, laughing. "No one's been able to figure out how to stop her. Maybe the only person who can stop Brittney Griner is Brittney Griner."

Connecticut, which has won two of its three games against Griner, uses a broom to alter shots in practice, but not specifically to impersonate Griner, said Chris Dailey, associate head coach. The concern is that players will become awed by her.

"If you get kids so concerned about Brittney Griner, they're like a squirrel in the middle of the road," Dailey said. "They just stop."

The props are similar to what men's teams did in the 1960s for UCLA and 7-footer Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In 1965, when Alcindor was in high school, DeMatha Catholic of Hyattsville, Md., used a tennis racket in practice, then halted the 71-game winning streak of Alcindor and Power Memorial Academy of Manhattan.

"We used my old Jack Kramer model, autographed," said John Moylan, an assistant on that DeMatha team. "It's in our trophy case."

Perhaps the most elaborate preparation for Alcindor — some called it a publicity stunt — occurred at Washington State in 1967. Coach Marv Harshman put a 6-6 player on a 14-inch stool at practice and taped boards to the hands of a 6-7 player. UCLA won.

The Griner impersonator at Texas A&M, David Benac, said he met Griner this month at the Big 12 tournament. He told her: "I'm on the women's practice team. I'm you." To which she laughed and replied, "Tall people gotta represent."

Times wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

BOSTON — Deshaun Thomas' reputation as a shoot-first player is well known. Ohio State's high-scoring forward even apologizes for it.

"I love to score," Thomas said Friday, one day after leading the Buckeyes with 26 points — and no assists — in their 81-66 win over Cincinnati that put them in tonight's East Region final against Syracuse.

At Bishop Luers High in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he averaged 29.9 points per game in four years, "coaches had the ball in my hands 110 percent of the time. That's what I do," he said. "I love to score. I'm sorry."

No need to apologize. Without the sophomore, Ohio State would have had a harder time reaching the Elite Eight for the first time in five years. He's averaging 16.2 points — and has just 33 assists in 37 games.

"He came in with the mentality of being a scorer," Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. "We've talked a lot to him about (how) there's so many other ways that he can affect our team in a positive way."

He did that against Gonzaga in the third round when he gave up his shot and passed to William Buford.

"He had a hot hand and he caught (the ball) in the corner and he had a good shot and he kicked it to Will for a wide-open shot," Matta said. "I kind of said to myself, 'He's arrived, he understands.' "

Of course, Thomas had just one assist in that win.

"I always joke with Will," Thomas said, "that one assist I have a game will be to him, and it would be a game changer."

IN THE ZONE: Now that Temple's John Chaney has retired, no college coach is as well known for his zone defense than Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and his 2-3.

Boeheim, third on the Division I wins list with 890 and fifth on the NCAA Tournament list with 48, is asked often about ditching his defense for the standard man-to-man. He was asked again Friday.

"It's always funny to me, I never hear anybody yelling at Mike Krzyzewski to go back and play zone," he said, referring to Duke's coach who is widely praised for his man-to-man approach. "Why is that? He's such a good coach, you don't question him? Is that what that is? Really? Somebody shook their head down here. Okay, that means I'm not a good coach, so you can question me."

Matta recounted what he called "the greatest answer I've ever heard from Coach Boeheim. Somebody asked him what do you do when somebody gets really hot against your zone and they're making 3s? He said 'How do you know they're not going to make them against man-to-man?' I think he has his philosophy, and he's only won 900 or however many games he's won. It works for him.

Wade's UF license plate: Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem made a wager on the Florida-Marquette game Thursday night, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. Haslem, a Gators alumnus, won. Wade, a Marquette alumnus, has to sport an official State of Florida "Gators" license plate on one of his many cars. The team will vote on which car. Haslem is hoping it will be Wade's $230,000 McLaren MP4-12C.

Michigan State: Dubious school records were set in Thursday's 57-44 loss to Louisville — fewest points in the NCAA Tournament, and worst tournament shooting (28.6 percent). Not all the numbers were bad. Draymond Green had 16 rebounds to give him a school-record 1,096 all time. That surpassed Greg Kelser (1,092).

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2012

PHOENIX — Call it the other Pitino factor.

Much has been made about the relationship between Florida coach Billy Donovan and his former coach and mentor Rick Pitino of Louisville. But the Pitino who may be the biggest factor today is Richard Pitino — the Louisville associate head coach who spent two seasons as a UF assistant until last season.

"He knows us really well, and they will know what's coming," Florida G Kenny Boynton said. "But just because you know what's coming doesn't mean you can stop it. That's definitely a pretty good advantage, but I think in college there's so much scouting — like take Marquette — we knew all of their plays also. So even though they know it, I don't think it'll be too much of a difference."

LEARNING, BONDING: It has been 12 days since Florida began its NCAA Tournament journey, and the Gators haven't returned to Gainesville since they left for Omaha, Neb., on March 13. Though it has been a significantly longer trip than any other this season, the players said it has brought them closer as a team.

As for the extensive class time the players are missing, apparently there's a lot to get caught up on. Asked what it's like to be away from school so long and how they are keeping up academically, freshman G Bradley Beal responded: "I guess it's not too bad. I mean, more basketball, less school. We probably don't mind (not) going to class, but at the end we're still going to have to make up the work when we get back, so it doesn't matter."

WHATEVER COACH SAYS: Louisville G Peyton Siva is Pitino's latest guard protege. Asked if he would ever don a cowboy hat, spurs and boots for a media guide cover the way Donovan did at Providence 25 years ago, Siva said sure.

"What I've learned is I'll do whatever Coach P wants me to do," Siva said. "If he told me to put a tutu on in front of ESPN, I'd go do that."

EXPERIENCE COUNTS: The Gators believe that having advanced to the Elite Eight last season will prove beneficial this year. "I think it's huge, even for myself," senior G Erving Walker said. "I feel a lot more relaxed. Still focused, but just being there last year, you pretty much know what to expect." Florida is 4-1 in Elite Eight appearances, losing only to Butler last season.

Antonya English can be reached at english@tampabay.com.

By Tom Jones, Time Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2012

Sapp lucky to keep job at NFL Network

Former Bucs defensive lineman Warren Sapp should have lost his job as an analyst for the NFL Network, which decided late Friday afternoon not to fire him.

Earlier in the week, Sapp said on Twitter that former Saints (and current Panthers) tight end Jeremy Shockey was the whistle-blower (Sapp used the word "snitch") in the NFL's investigation into the Saints' bounty program. Shockey vehemently denied Sapp's allegation and even got Saints coach Sean Payton to back him.

But even if Shockey did cooperate with the NFL, he would be protected by federal labor laws that protect whistle-blowers. Sapp is an NFL employee, and Shockey could sue the league over Sapp's comment. And while we're at it, how is Sapp calling out Shockey any different from Shockey calling out Saints players? In other words, doesn't that make Sapp, to use his word, a snitch, too?

Meantime, if Shockey did not talk to the NFL at any point, then Sapp should be fired for his reckless comment. Sapp made a serious allegation, and if he is wrong, that's a fireable offense.

So if Sapp is right about Shockey, he should be fired. And if he is wrong, he should be fired.

The good, the bad and the ugly from Thursday's Lightning-Oilers game

The good: What a classy operation the Lightning is. The organization took a few moments during a break in the action to salute its 2004 Stanley Cup-winning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, now with the Oilers. A video montage gave Khabibulin the thanks he deserves.

The bad: Fans were in the midst of giving Khabibulin a rousing standing ovation when the guy who plays the pipe organ stepped all over a nice moment by playing the charge song.

The ugly: A 20-something dude a row in front of the press box wearing a Rays cap tried to start a "Canada stinks'' chant (though the second word was a little stronger than "stinks''). He was trying to get under the skin of a bunch of Oilers fans sitting a few rows in front of him. He also was sporting a Lightning Steve Downie jersey. Downie, by the way, happens to be from … Canada. Maybe this brainiac also didn't realize that 15 of the 20 Lightning players dressed Thursday night were from Canada, not to mention coach Guy Boucher and GM Steve Yzerman, who would have been close enough to hear the numbskull's comments.

Media tidbits

• Now that they have Tim Tebow, right, the Jets would be a perfect choice to return to HBO's Hard Knocks training camp reality show this year. But word out of New York is the Jets are not interested. The Bucs would be a good fit, don't you think?

• ESPN's Outside the Lines (9 a.m. Sunday) will feature a story on the Florida A&M marching band hazing scandal surrounding a drum major's death.

Three things that popped into my head

1. Any TV network that is even considering hiring suspended Saints coach Sean Payton as an analyst for the upcoming season should be ashamed of itself.

2. You know, I'm starting to think Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan, right, is pretty good. Seriously, how many coaches in the country are better than him? A handful? Less than that?

3. I'd hate to see basketball coach Stan Heath leave USF, but if I'm Illinois, I'm calling Heath to see if he is interested in my opening. Then again, Heath is a Tom Izzo disciple, and Izzo blasted Illinois for firing Bruce Weber.

tom jones' two cents

The latest from the world of sports.

Times wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

TAMPA — Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain had surgery Friday after dislocating his right ankle while playing on a trampoline with his 5-year-old son at a local facility.

GM Brian Cashman said Chamberlain, 26, would be hospitalized at St. Joseph's Hospital at least a few days. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound righty was working his way back from elbow ligament-replacement surgery and wasn't expected to return until June or July.

Asked if the gruesome injury — the bone broke through the skin and bleeding initially caused concern — could threaten Chamberlain's career, Cashman said: "I'm not in position to say. Right now it's too early for that." Chamberlain's son was not hurt.

Manager Joe Girardi spent about 30 minutes with Chamberlain and said both of them were "a little emotional."

"I just told him, we're going to be here for him, we're going to get you through this and we're going to get you back on the mound," Girardi said.

In January, Chamberlain agreed to a one-year contract for $1.675 million. The deal was not guaranteed. As to whether the incident falls in the category of unacceptable off-the-field injuries, Girardi said: "I don't want to get into that now."

Short hops: SS Derek Jeter had a hit and made a defensive play in the hole in his return from a stiff left calf. He had not played for eight days and reported no problems.

Phillies: 10 for ace

CLEARWATER — RHP Roy Halladay will start opening day, making his April 5 outing against Pittsburgh his 10th straight season serving in that role. He started seven in a row with the Blue Jays. Cliff Lee and Vance Worley will follow in the rotation, with Cole Hamels starting the home opener April 9 against Miami.

Mixed results: Worley had thrown eight straight scoreless innings before the Yankees started their 5-3 victory with four hard hits in a row.

Worley, who is working on a new changeup grip, struck out seven in six innings.

"I thought I made good pitches," he said. "I just have to keep throwing it and, eventually, something will happen and I'll feel comfortable."

Short hops: 2B Chase Utley returned to camp after seeing a specialist about the tendinitis in his knees, but GM Ruben Amaro did not provide an update, and Utley, who hasn't appeared in a game this spring, said he wouldn't talk to the media until Sunday.

Jays: Looking left

DUNEDIN — One of Toronto's yet-to-be-determined positions is leftfield, where Eric Thames and Travis Snider are battling for the job.

Thames, considered the front-runner, entered play Friday hitting .324 with six RBIs in 13 games. Because he has also shown more range and more arm strength this spring, he may have solidified his place.

Snider has hit four homers, tied for the team lead, while batting .325 with 15 RBIs, but it appears likely he will be headed for Triple-A Las Vegas at first.

Friday, March 23, 2012

JUPITER — Chris Carpenter has nerve irritation that has caused weakness in his pitching shoulder and the Cardinals ace will be sidelined indefinitely.

The team made the announcement Friday, after Carpenter was evaluated in St. Louis this week. The team says there is no new nerve injury and the cervical disc injury that occurred earlier in spring training is a "nonissue."

The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner is expected back in camp by Monday, but there is no timetable for his return to the mound.

Carpenter, who turns 37 next month, pitched the Cardinals to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011. The right-hander was 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA last season, leading the NL in innings (237⅓) and starts (34).

Carpenter previously had nerve issues in the shoulder in 2004 and 2008.

He had been scheduled to pitch on opening day, a spot that will be taken by Kyle Lohse.

Adam Wainwright, who was recovering from elbow surgery last season, said he's ready to pick up the slack.

Wainwright pitched five shutout innings Friday as the Cardinals beat Miami 2-1. He has given up just an unearned run in 14 innings this spring.

"If you look at our staff as a whole, we'll do a big job as a whole picking Carp up. He has done that for years. Time to return the favor," he said.

Red Sox reliever charged with DUI

FORT MYERS — Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks was arrested on charges of driving under the influence after a Lee County Sheriff's deputy saw his sport utility vehicle moving erratically, an arrest report said.

He was released on bail.

The report said Jenks told the deputy he had taken "too many muscle relaxers." The deputy said Jenks was shaking uncontrollably and had a difficult time speaking. Jenks also told the deputy he hit another car at a strip club. Jenks, 31, faces DUI charges and a hit-and-run charge. Red Sox officials declined comment.

Torre returns: Less than three months after he resigned to join a group that eventually failed in a bid to buy the Dodgers, Joe Torre will return to the job of MLB executive vice president for baseball operations.

Dodgers sale: The number of bidders for the club is down to three, the Los Angeles Times reported. The finalists include a group led by Magic Johnson and baseball executive Stan Kasten; Rams owner Stan Kroenke; and a group led by hedge-fund billionaire Steven Cohen and Los Angeles billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.

Surgery for Royal: After seeking a third option, closer Joakim Soria has decided to have reconstructive elbow surgery in April and will miss the season. A two-time All-Star with 160 saves the past five seasons, he also missed the 2003 season while recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery. Manager Ned Yost said the three candidates to close are Jonathan Broxton, Greg Holland and Aaron Crow.

Braves: Dan Uggla hit his fifth homer of the spring and drove in three runs in a 9-4 win against the Mets. Left-hander Mike Minor had his 14-inning scoreless streak end when he gave up an unearned run in the first.

Cubs: Right-hander Ryan Dempster will make his second straight opening day start for Chicago, facing the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg on April 5.

Indians: Jack Hannahan, who has not played since March 15, said the tightness in his lower back should not keep him from starting at third on opening day.

Tigers: Doug Fister left his start against the Pirates in the fifth inning because of soreness in his right middle finger. He was scheduled to throw 75 pitches but was lifted after striking out four in 4⅓ innings. He is day to day.

Times wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

FONTANA, Calif. — A proposal to revamp Bristol Motor Speedway drew mixed reactions among NASCAR drivers Friday.

Earlier this week, track owner Bruton Smith said he is thinking about restoring tighter lanes and getting rid of variable banking at the half-mile track before Sprint Cup returns in August. That would force drivers to return to the beating and banging that made its races so volatile. Smith said he expects to decide next week.

"I like that rough-and-tumble type of racing," Kevin Harvick said before qualifying for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. "That's what made Bristol what it was. People don't want to watch cars ride around with no donuts on the doors and no caved-in fenders at Bristol. They don't want to see a 200-lap, 150-lap green-flag run."

Brad Keselowski, who won at Bristol on Sunday while leading 232 laps, is equally emphatic in favor of the changes made in 2007 that allow smoother, cleaner racing.

"I think there are other ways to make the racing better," he said. "The reconfiguration has helped the facility to what otherwise could have been a worse scenario. I do think that it would be a knee-jerk reaction."

Harvick said he believes the current setup is behind declining attendance at the track. The stands appeared half-full Sunday although NASCAR announced an attendance of 102,000 at the 160,000-seat venue.

"In all fairness, everybody in Bristol was trying to make the race track better. And in the end, it didn't work," Harvick said. "The telltale sign of that was standing in the infield and looking at the crowd. It used to be years upon years of waiting lists. When you take a risk like they took on changing the race track with engineers … now they're going to pay probably the ultimate (price)."

Hamlin wins pole: Denny Hamlin went low when most went high, and he ended up on the pole for Sunday's race. Hamlin won his 10th career pole. He turned a lap of 186.403 mph by picking a lower line than most of his competitors. Hamlin's teammate, Kyle Busch, and Mark Martin tied for second at 185.533 mph. But Busch will start No. 2 based on owners' points. Points leader Greg Biffle was fourth at 185.510.

Formula One: Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix five spots behind where he qualifies for changing his gearbox after the first practice. Gearboxes must be used for five races.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2012

TAMPA — Quarterback Josh Freeman does some of his best work in the no-huddle offense, but when it comes to talk about a contract extension, there's no call for the hurry-up.

Neither Freeman nor the Bucs are interested in negotiating a new deal until at least 2013, according to his father, Ron Freeman, an agent for CAA who handles his son's contract.

"We haven't had any discussions about it," Ron Freeman said. "I think there's no rush. Obviously, we want to have something done by 2013. It's really kind of wait and see. I don't think either side feels like there's any reason to do something before then."

Freeman, 24, has reason to wait. Not only does he have two years remaining on his contract that pays $8.585 million in salary and bonus this season and $10.45 million in 2013, but he's coming off a 16-touchdown, 22-interception season.

With the addition of marquee free agents such as Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson and Saints guard Carl Nicks, Freeman is eager to improve under new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, the former Giants quarterbacks coach. He's also only a year removed from leading the Bucs to a 10-6 record with 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

Despite committing $140.5 million in the first two days of the free agent signing period, the Bucs are still close to $20 million under the salary cap.

Locking up Freeman for additional years might not be a bad way for the Bucs to go. The Jets recently signed quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was taken 12 spots higher than Freeman in the 2009 draft, to a three-year extension.

However, a closer look at Sanchez's contract shows that it was done mostly to give the Jets relief on the salary cap. His $11.75 million salary for 2012 was converted to an $8 million signing bonus and guaranteed base salaries of $3.25 million and $8.25 million over the next two years. The Jets received three years from Sanchez in exchange for those guarantees.

That agreement with Sanchez was also made before the Jets traded this week for Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

In addition to the new weapons, Freeman knows he and the Bucs will benefit from a complete offseason and an extra minicamp under new coach Greg Schiano. Last offseason, Freeman decided to organize a three-day minicamp at IMG Academies during the lockout, arranging the use of practice fields and contacting players.

"It's kind of an interesting predicament with the new CBA," Freeman said in an interview with Sirius XM radio. "We're not allowed to really meet with our coaches until April 16. But we're allowed to go in and start hitting the weights and things of that nature on April 2."

With no lockout, general manager Mark Dominik believes Freeman will return to his 2010 form in 2012.

"A lot of the second-year (starting) quarterbacks didn't play their best ball last year," Dominik said recently. "Maybe guys like (the Rams' Sam) Bradford didn't play their best ball and Sanchez. Certainly Josh. I think it did have an effect on the younger quarterbacks in our league. But now it's in the past, and it's what you do going forward."

The Lions face the same predicament with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. He also gave the Lions cap relief with a restructuring, but his six-year, $78 million contract still expires after 2014. The difference is his cap number next season is $20.3 million, which could prompt the Lions to seek a new long-term contract.

Right now, Freeman is just optimistic the Bucs' payout to players such as Jackson and Nicks will eventually pay off.

"I remember going in for the press conference," Freeman said. "Both guys were in the building, just having that feel like it was Christmas, like you just got some new toys and you couldn't wait to go out and play with them."

Times staff, wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

HARRISONBURG, Va. — The USF women's season ended Friday with a 72-45 loss at James Madison in the third round of the WNIT.

The Bulls (19-16) tied a season low for points, almost 20 below their season average.

"We picked a bad night to play as poorly as we did, but James Madison had a lot to do with it as well," USF coach Jose Fernandez said.

USF shot 21 percent against the Dukes (27-7) and were outrebounded 62-33.

"That's been our weak spot this season," Fernandez said of the rebounding.

Inga Orekhova posted a team-high 11 points and senior Jasmine Wynne added 10, ending her USF career with 958 points and 185 steals.

Rivers to NBA?

Duke freshman guard Austin Rivers will declare for the NBA draft and is expected to be a first-round pick, various reports said. He's expected to make the announcement next week.

Rivers would be the fourth player under Mike Krzyzewski to play one season then leave for the NBA. The others: Corey Maggette, Luol Deng and Kyrie Irving.

"He hasn't decided anything yet," said his father, Doc Rivers, who coaches the Celtics. "He's got to make a decision. He leans one way one day, then the other. That's part of it.

"It's good that he has choices. It'll be soon."

Doc Rivers said it would be "interesting" if his son played for the Celtics next season.

nebraska names coach: The Cornhusers hired Colorado State's Tim Miles as coach. Miles, 45, is expected to be introduced today. Miles, who replaces Doc Sadler, finished his fifth year at Colorado State, taking the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003. Nebraska last played in the NCAA Tournament in 1998.

Duquesne: Ron Everhart has been fired as coach after going 99-89 in six seasons and taking the embattled program to postseason play three times. Questions began to surface this week, when three members of the team — including sophomore point guard T.J. McConnell, the team's best overall player — announced intentions to transfer.

minnesota: The NCAA granted forward Trevor Mbakwe a sixth season, but he hasn't said if he will return next season, when he would be 24, after rehabbing a torn right knee ligament.

wake forest: Center Carson Desrosiers and guard Anthony Fields will transfer, leaving the Demon Deacons with four scholarship players returning from a team that went 13-18.

naismith grandson dies: Ian Naismith, the grandson of the inventor of basketball James Naismith who ran a foundation in the family name dedicated to promoting youth sports, died Tuesday of a heart attack. The Naismith International Basketball Foundation announced the death on its website and listed Ian Naismith's age as 72.

Times wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

Soccer

Muamba to have long recovery

LONDON — Bolton MF Fabrice Muamba still faces "a long period of recovery" after his on-field cardiac arrest despite a strong improvement, his family said Friday. His father and fiancee released a statement thanking fans, players and medical staff for their support. Muamba, 23, collapsed March 17 during a match against Tottenham.

He remains in intensive care at London Chest Hospital. Medics worked on him for 78 minutes to get his heart beating on its own. He was talking to doctors Monday.

"Even though Fabrice has made great progress over the last couple of days, he is still in intensive care and still has a long period of recovery ahead," Marcel Muamba and Shauna Magunda said. "He has asked that you please keep him in your prayers."

The cause of the cardiac arrest has not been determined. Doctors said Muamba had a routine screening for heart defects in August. He was checked again Sunday with the test producing a normal result.

Rowdies: GK Andrew Fontein and D Draymond Washington signed one-year deals with a club option. Fontein is UC Irvine's career leader in wins (50) and shutouts (29). Washington appeared in 68 games over four years for George Mason.

Tennis

Venus Williams pulls upset in return event

Venus Williams, in her first event since August's U.S. Open, beat reigning Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne. Williams, who had an autoimmune disease, needed a wild card to enter the event. And world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka won her first match, 6-3, 7-5 over Michaella Krajicek. She is 24-0, the tour's best start since Martina Hingis' 37-0 in 1997.

banned for life: Austrian Daniel Koellerer became the first player banned for life for match-fixing, losing his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Koellerer, whose ranking peaked at No. 55 in October 2009, "made invitations to other tennis players to fix matches on five occasions," the court said.

College football

Former Nittany Lion faces three charges

Ex-Penn State DE Shawn Oakman was charged with retail theft, harassment and disorderly conduct for an incident Feb. 25. The touted recruit, who redshirted as a freshman last season, was dismissed from the team Feb. 28. But the school had declined to disclose details.

Ohio State: Senior DE Nathan Williams, who missed all but one game last season after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, will miss all of spring practice as he continues to recover. Williams, seventh on the team in tackles in 2010, is expected to be ready for fall drills.

Et cetera

College baseball: Brian Johnson allowed two runs over six innings and homered as visiting Florida, No. 1 in the Baseball America poll, beat No. 8 South Carolina 8-2. The Gamecocks (17-6, 1-4 SEC) ended the Gators' 18-game win streak Thursday. On Friday, Florida (21-2, 4-1) scored five in the first. Mike Zunino (three-run) and Johnson (solo) hit back-to-back homers.

Horses: Racing at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was suspended until April 11 after several horses were diagnosed with Strangles, a highly contagious infection also known as "equine distemper." Bacteria infect the upper respiratory system but is rarely life-threatening.

Times wires

Times staff
Friday, March 23, 2012

NORFOLK, Va. — Lightning AHL affiliate Norfolk set the league overall winning-streak record Friday night with its 19th consecutive victory, 2-1 over Albany.

Syracuse won 18 straight over two seasons, 15 to end 2007-08 and three to open 2008-09. Norfolk's 18th straight wins had set the AHL's season record.

The Admirals (46-18-3) fell behind Albany on a power-play goal at 14:14 of the first period, but Jean-Philippe Cote tied the score at 1 18 seconds later. Tyler Johnson gave Norfolk the lead in the second, and Jaroslav Janus, who had 26 saves, made it stand up.

Norfolk, the AHL's No. 1 team, can extend its streak tonight when it again meets Albany.

Times staff

Friday, March 23, 2012

North Carolina's Reggie Bullock called it "probably the ugliest win I've ever been a part of," but the Tar Heels were too busy exhaling in relief to feel bad. Top-seeded North Carolina had a season-high 24 turnovers and struggled throughout with injured point guard Kendall Marshall out, but it overcame upset-minded Ohio 73-65 in overtime. The Bobcats just missed a long final shot in regulation.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2012

Celebrity singer of the day

American Idol finalist Shannon Magrane, daughter of former Rays broadcaster Joe Magrane, will sing the national anthem before the Rays-Yankees game April 7. Magrane, 16, a sophomore at Tampa's Blake High, finished in 11th place in this year's Idol competition.

Beer not banned

In the wake of RHP Matt Bush's DUI arrest, manager Joe Maddon said he still will allow beer in the clubhouse. "This is about a young man who had problems in the past, and he made a bad choice," Maddon said. Bush told police he got his drinks on the way home from shopping at a Sarasota mall.

Rays at Twins

When/where: 3:05 today; Hammond Stadium, 14100 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Fort Myers

Tickets: $10-$40, available at stadium box office, through twinsbaseball.com or by calling toll-free 1-800-338-9467.

Rays information: Toll-free 1-888-326-7297

Pitchers: Rays — Jeremy Hellickson, Brandon Gomes, Jake McGee; Twins— Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Matt Maloney, Jeff Gray, Brendan Wise

Heads-up

3B Evan Longoria, OF Desmond Jennings, OF Matt Joyce and SS Sean Rodriguez are among the regulars scheduled to play today in Fort Myers.

On deck

Sunday: vs. Marlins, 1:05. Rays — Wade Davis, J.P. Howell, Burke Badenhop, Cesar Ramos; Marlins — Josh Johnson, Jose Ceda, Edward Mujica, Rob Delaney.

Upcoming schedule

All games 1:05 unless noted

March

26: at Twins

27: at Red Sox (1:35)

28: Pirates (7:05)

29: at Phillies

30: at Pirates

31: Red Sox

April

1: at Orioles

2: Twins*

3: at Twins

4: vs. Future Rays, 1:40, at Trop

* Value game, $2 off

Who is this Ray?

He's a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation and an avid fisherman. At 6 feet 9, he matches LHP Mark Hendrickson as the tallest players in Rays history.

Who is this answer: RHP Jeff Niemann

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

Ceremonial first pitch, Part I

Jim Dundee, son of the late legendary boxing trainer Angelo Dundee, will deliver the ceremonial first pitch before the Rays' season opener against the Yankees on April 6 at Tropicana Field. Game time is 3:10 p.m. Saxophonist BK Jackson will perform the national anthem.

Ceremonial first pitch, Part II

Brad Snyder, a 2002 graduate of St. Petersburg's Northeast High and the Naval Academy, will throw out the first pitch April 7. In 2011, the 28-year-old Navy lieutenant was working with an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Afghanistan when he stepped on a homemade land mine and was blinded.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2012

PORT CHARLOTTE — Rays OF Sam Fuld left Friday's 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays in the third inning with soreness in his right wrist, the wrist he hurt late last season.

Though Fuld said it was not quite as painful as in September, he was planning to see a hand specialist and have an MRI exam Monday. He said it could affect his availability for opening day.

"It's just bad timing," Fuld said. "It's really frustrating. I'm disappointed. But there's nothing we can do about it."

Fuld aggravated the wrist on a swing-and-miss. It was "the most painful it's been this spring," he said.

He said he has had treatment on the wrist throughout camp and he has taken less batting practice as usual.

"I don't think it was ever completely 100 percent," Fuld said. "I was just trying to play with maybe just a little pain. I was confident I would be able to grind it out a little."

PRICE CHECK: LHP David Price was encouraged with how he threw, allowing two runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings (85 pitches).

Price incorporated his curve into a game for the first time this spring and said he believed it was sharp.

"I feel pretty close to where I need to be right now," Price said.

MORE FOR MOoRE: LHP Matt Moore's standing with the Rays has risen significantly the past six months, from winning his first playoff start to signing a long-term deal to potentially landing in the rotation.

But Moore, 22, wanted more, and he has become the team's players union representative, taking over for 3B Evan Longoria, who was in the role the past three years. Moore said it was a great experience Friday as he listened to union chief Michael Weiner, who made his annual stop at Rays camp.

"It's definitely going to be another responsibility, but there's not a whole lot in my life that I can't get away from," Moore said. "So it's something that, for me, was interesting. It definitely wasn't pinned on me; it's something I went looking for."

Longoria was looking to turn over the duties to someone else. Moore, a veteran of five big-league games, was willing to get involved.

MEDICAL MATTERS: SS Reid Brignac (right foot) continued to ramp up his baseball activities, including getting pregame defensive work in the field. He said he was encouraged enough that he would "for sure" be ready by opening day.

"I hope to get out there next week and play," Brignac said.

Brignac said it depends on what the training staff believes he can handle, and it could be several days before he gets back into a game. But he is feeling better every day and said "we're going in the right direction."

Brignac has been sidelined due to an issue with his plantar fasciitis, the tissue on the bottom of the foot, sustained March 15.

Maddon said CF B.J. Upton will be out for a few more days but still believes he will be ready for opening day. Upton has been sidelined since a collision with LF Desmond Jennings on March 14.

GAME DETAILS: The Blue Jays scored four runs in the ninth off RHP Jhonny Nunez for a 7-5 victory in front of 5,982 at Charlotte Sports Park. … Longoria had two RBIs, and Ben Zobrist and Jeff Keppinger each had one.

MISCELLANY: The Rays narrowed their field of bullpen candidates by optioning RHP Josh Lueke and LHP Cesar Ramos to the minor leagues. … Maddon said the decision on the fifth starter could come in the next several days, possibly early next week. … Jennings went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as the DH in a minor-league game on the back fields. … Moore will pitch in a minor-league game today.

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2012

PHOENIX — Twenty-five years ago, Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino were in the midst of the greatest run in Providence College basketball history.

Pitino, the coach, and Donovan, the star point guard, took the Friars to their only Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament — in New Orleans.

Back then, they stood together in that tournament run. Today, they are standing in each other's way.

Donovan's Gators and Pitino's Cardinals meet in the NCAA West Region final for the right to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans.

Donovan and Pitino have met six times before but never with so much on the line.

"I've said this, outside of my parents, he's been the most influential person in my life," Donovan said Friday. "I'm very thankful for the opportunities he's provided me, as a player, as a coach. … But I do think the game is really about the players that are playing in the game that are going to be competing. But both teams have earned the right to play. And the competition part of it will never, ever get in the way with me of our relationship, ever."

Donovan, 46, is 0-6 in matchups against Pitino: 0-2 at Marshall, 0-2 in UF vs. Kentucky games, and 0-2 vs. Louisville. Pitino said the numbers are skewed a bit.

"When you're coaching at Marshall and you have much better talent, and I'm never going to (play at) Marshall and he's coming to (play at) Kentucky, you don't expect to win most of the time," Pitino, 59, said. "So you can never look at those things because he was at a tremendous disadvantage. If we had the same type of talent, then it would be a different situation."

Florida and Louisville players say the sentiment between the coaches is heartwarming, but it will have no bearing on what happens on the court.

"They both obviously respect each other," UF freshman guard Bradley Beal said. "But I think they probably won't make the game about them so much as about both teams. It's probably going to come down to how we play and how the other team plays, not too much about them coaching against each other."

The teams are similar in many ways. Both are guard-oriented, uptempo style teams. But the players said don't expect to see mirror images.

"Florida has different sets than us," Louisville guard Peyton Siva said. "But they like to get up and down. Coach P coached (Donovan) and he worked under Coach P, so you're going to see some similar sets. But it's a lot different than what you expect."

In two months, Donovan, Pitino and other former players and coaches from Providence will gather to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the school's only Final Four appearance. That celebration will have to take a back seat for now. Today, something more important is on the line.

And to understand the unique nature of this relationship, just listen to Pitino talk about the potential outcome today and what it will mean to him either way.

"It's the opposite for me," he said when asked if he dreads competing against Donovan. "If we were playing school 'X' (today) and we lost, I'd be professionally very down about not going to a Final Four. But personally, I'll be very happy for Billy Donovan."

Antonya English can be reached at english@tampabay.com.

Times wires
Friday, March 23, 2012

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Riley Wetmore scored 2:13 into overtime to lift Massachusetts-Lowell to a 4-3 win over Miami (Ohio) on Friday in an East Region semifinal of the NCAA tournament.

The River Hawks (24-12-1) blew a 3-0 third-period lead but recovered to earn a matchup against Union today.

"We knew the third was going to be a battle," Lowell goalie Doug Carr said. "Heading into the OT, we just regrouped and believed we had it and played with confidence."

Lowell, in the tournament for the first time since 1996, dominated the first two periods. Wetmore made it 3-0 2:21 into the second.

The third however, was all Miami (24-15-2). Trent Vogelhuber and Austin Czarnik scored 14 seconds apart. Alden Hirschfeld tied it with 10:04 left. And with 3:35 left, the RedHawks went on a five-minute power play after Jake Suter — son of former NHL defenseman Gary Suter — checked Vogelhuber from behind.

Miami had seven shots on goal during the power play. Four came during the final minute of regulation. And in the waning seconds of the power play, Cameron Schilling's blast from the point hit the crossbar.

"I thought that five-minute major woke us up. It told us we had to bear down, and the guys did that," Lowell coach Norm Bazin said. "I said if we killed this off, we'd win this game."

And 48 seconds later, Lowell did. Wetmore crashed the net and put in a rebound of Derek Arnold's shot.

"I'm still not sure how it went in," Wetmore said. "I just saw the guys celebrating in front of me."

Carr made 30 saves for the River Hawks, who had previously won only two NCAA tournament games.

"(Lowell) was leaning on its sticks. But give them credit. They stayed in, and their goaltender made some huge saves," Miami coach Enrico Blasi said.

"That's the name of the game; one game in, one game out. You win you go. You lose you're out."

Union 3, Michigan State 1: Troy Grosenick made 20 saves for the Dutchmen, who earned their first Division I tournament victory in its second appearance.

"Our team has been awesome in front of the net all year," Grosenick said. "All the credit goes to the guys out in front of me. Seeing only 20-something shots made my job easier."

Union (25-7-7) does not give out scholarships and has been in Division I only since 1991. Last year in the tournament, it lost 2-0 to Minnesota-Duluth, the eventual national champion. Union's last win in any NCAA tournament came in 1985, the Division III third-place game.

It got a big performance Friday from Grosenick and goals from Max Novak, Jeremy Welsh and Wayne Simpson while shutting down the Spartans (19-16-4).

"We lost to a very good team," Michigan State coach Tom Anastos said. "The difference was they took advantage of some mistakes we made."

Midwest Region

Green Bay, Wis. — Simon Denis' first goal of the season was the winner as Ferris State beat Denver 2-1 in a region semifinal. The defenseman, who has 12 assists, put the Bulldogs (24-11-5) up 2-0 2:54 into the second. Taylor Nelson stopped 25 of the 26 shots by the Pioneers (25-14-4).

"I felt like we played a fairly strong game, and it was a fairly typical game with how we play in our defensive zone," said Ferris coach Bob Daniels, whose team is in the tournament for the first time since 2003. "When we made mistakes, I thought Taylor Nelson was more than up to the task."

Drew Shore scored 5:22 into the third to pull the Pioneers within one. They pulled their goalie with about two minutes left but failed to score despite several good chances.

"They … took advantage of a few of our miscues, and their goaltender was very good," Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. "I thought it was an exciting game to start this Midwest Regional. That's about the best spin I can put on the outcome."

Cornell 3, Michigan 2 OT: Rodger Craig scored 3:35 into overtime for the Big Red (19-8-7). Kevin Lynch tied it for the Wolverines (24-13-4) with 4:01 left in regulation. Michigan, in the tournament for the 22nd consecutive year, went up 1-0 just 1:11 in. Soon after, it lost a goal when the referee ruled Cornell's goalie was interfered with.