By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

TAMPA

Of all the disappointing numbers posted by Bucs DT Gerald McCoy — 39 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles — 19 is the most damning. That's the number of games played in his first two seasons.

A torn biceps in each arm has derailed McCoy's expected ascension as an elite, young defensive lineman, selected No. 3 overall in 2010 — one pick after the Lions' Ndamukong Suh.

When the Bucs gather Tuesday for their first voluntary minicamp under new coach Greg Schiano, McCoy will be playing for his third defensive line coach in as many seasons.

Schiano believes McCoy, who is expected to be fully recovered and ready for offseason work, can be a "dominant force'' if he gets more plays.

"I'm excited to coach Gerald," he said. "He plays defensive tackle the way I like. He comes off the ball with a flat back, he's a penetrating guy who can change direction. We've got to get him back healthy and keep him healthy. I think he can be a dominant force if we can just get some miles underneath him, some plays."

Schiano could be right. A year ago, McCoy was becoming a player opponents had to account for during the Bucs' 4-2 start in 2011. Then a torn right biceps against the Saints ended his season.

McCoy, who signed a five-year, $63.2 million contract with $35 million guaranteed, showed signs of development before his latest injury. The Bucs were 4-2 with wins over Atlanta and New Orleans and never won another game after McCoy went on the disabled list.

That's not to suggest the loss of McCoy was the reason for the collapse. He's not the only defensive lineman to miss games. DT Brian Price, a second-rounder in 2010, has played only 20 games in two seasons, missing 11 as a rookie with pelvic and hamstring injuries.

DE Adrian Clayborn led the Bucs in sacks as a rookie last year with 7½ and played with consistent effort. DE Da'Quan Bowers, after easing his way back from knee surgery, showed flashes of becoming an effective pass rusher. The Bucs re-signed DE Michael Bennett and added Bears free agent DT Amobi Okoye.

New defensive line coach Randy Melvin has some pieces with pedigree to work with. But it all starts with making McCoy the dominating force that Schiano believes he can be.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The voluntary minicamp Tuesday through Thursday will be the first on-field look of players in the new systems under offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan and defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan.

"For our players, what you have to remember, everything is new," GM Mark Dominik said. "Whether you're Carl Nicks or Davin Joseph, everything you walk into is a new regime, a new thing. So does that make it better or worse for E.J. Biggers? I don't know. But at least it levels the playing field for Myron Lewis and E.J. Biggers and says, 'Let's find out what these guys can really do.' And if they can't do it, it is what it is."

Expect a lot of eyeballs on MLB Mason Foster, who struggled in that role a year ago. Foster, a third-round pick from Washington, had no benefit of an offseason as a rookie because of the NFL lockout.

WONDER NOT: A lot has been made of the score of four out of 50 on the Wonderlic test by LSU CB Morris Claiborne, who could be a Bucs target with the No. 5 overall pick. Former Chiefs and Jets coach Herm Edwards said it's not a factor.

"You're not drafting a guy to be a substitute teacher," Edwards said. "You can't teach what Morris Claiborne has. He has talent. He can cover people. You can't coach that. Coaches coach technique. … You've got to figure out what kind of football player you want."

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

BOSTON

The Rays have always been a shifty bunch.

And thus far they are shifting their defenders even more this season.

The changes are twofold: more dramatic shifts against certain hitters, and shifts against more hitters than they have before.

"Fair observation," manager Joe Maddon said. "It's a combination of those things. Our default setting is different, and we're manipulating against more players than we have in the past."

Maddon said the best way to describe the altered approach is "more aggressive."

The Yankees and Tigers had a few other words for it after the opening two series, their hitters frustrated when a number of balls that normally would have been hits were outs because the Rays were in the right place at the right time.

"Must be the computer stuff," sniffed Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez.

"This club shifts more than any club in baseball," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You're going to hit some balls at people hard. That's baseball, and you've got to deal with it."

In Detroit, 3B Miguel Cabrera had a running conversation with Rays 3B/INF coach Tom Foley about how he'd beat the shift if they kept doing it.

"He was chewing my head off, telling me, 'I can hit the ball the other way,' " Foley said. "And I said, 'Go ahead.' "

Getting hitters to change their approach can be as much a benefit of the shift as catching balls that would be hits. Foley said it's a matter of positioning defenders where the data shows balls are most often hit.

"We're going to keep playing the percentages," he said. "We're going to put guys in position where we feel we can catch the ball."

3B Evan Longoria said the Rays have shifted so often he feels like he should start taking ground balls at shortstop. "It's a different kind of alignment for every batter," he said. "There's fewer and fewer guys we actually play in a traditional straight-up defense."

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

There's a lot of athletes in Boston this weekend, with the Red Sox playing the Rays in baseball, the Bruins hosting the Capitals in hockey, the Revolution facing D.C. United in soccer and those 26,071 official entrants for Monday's little stroll known as the Boston Marathon.

Baseball players spew confidence, and in the Rays clubhouse, like any other, there's always someone who is absolutely, positively sure they could handle any challenge thrown at them from any sport.

But, how about this: Running 26.2 miles over the treacherous Marathon course?

Carlos Peña, who spent time growing up in the Boston, spoke for most of the position players in quickly dismissing the idea of running much more than the 360 feet around the bases.

"No chance," the first baseman said. "No. Can't do it. I tried cross country and track when I was in high school, and as soon as I reached a certain distance, I felt like I was going to die. It's not my thing. … It would have to be a pitcher."

"It's got to be a pitcher," OF Desmond Jennings said, "because all they do is run."

Of the moundsmen, the most common suggestions were relievers Burke Badenhop and Wade Davis, who have the right bodies and both acknowledged they like to run a few miles but have limits to how far they'd go — and the equivalent of Tropicana Field to the east side of Ybor City was well in excess.

"Twenty-six miles — that's a whole 'nother ball game," said Badenhop, whose wife, Sara, runs half-marathons. "You see those people get done and they just look horrible. They look like they want to die. It just doesn't look like fun."

"That's a hike," said Davis, who grew up running around Lake Wales for fun. "Just running across the Howard Frankland Bridge is a long way. You won't see me in a 26-mile race. That's not for me right there."

Could any of the Rays make it? Of course, there's a few who think they could.

Like David Price, kind of: "I could do it. I could probably do it. What is it — 26.2 miles? I probably couldn't do that right now, but I could do a half-marathon."

Like Sean Rodriguez, who figures running 5 miles in the offseason with his wife, Giselle, is enough of a springboard: "If I had time to train for it, I definitely think I could do it. Definitely. … It doesn't mean I'm going to finish first, and it doesn't mean I'm going to finish last, but I'm going to try. I might actually finish last. But, I would finish."

Like Elliot Johnson, who truly believes he can do anything: "It's a long way to run. It's too far. I guess I could push my way through it, I suppose. But I wouldn't really want to."

Costume parties

After getting more than 300 suggestions on his @RaysJoeMaddon Twitter account, manager Joe Maddon is locking in on a few ideas for themed road trips: heroes, letterman's jackets, Mad Men and Thurston B. Howell III/Gilligan's Island. Among other submissions: Gigolos, lumberjacks, togas, kilts, prohibition-era gangsters, favorite musicians, nerds, and salutes to the Summer Olympics, Joe Namath, Saturday Night Live and the Beatles.

Rays rumblings

Manager Joe Maddon is profiled in Tuesday's new episode of HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (10 p.m.) … So if Pat Burrell, right, signs a one-day contract to retire as a Phillie, does that mean his 1¼ seasons, and $16-million contract, with the Rays never happened? … After a last-minute title change, Julianna Zobrist, Christian pop-singing wife of Ben, has her new six-song CD, now called Say It Now, on iTunes ($5.94). Ben is using one of the cuts, Behind Me, as his walkup song and may mix in a second, Crazy Fearless. … Asked about new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, left, having a radio show in New York in addition to regular Boston spots, Maddon pointed out he doesn't even have a gig (or even been asked) in the Tampa Bay market. But there's always his hometown of Hazleton, Pa.: "I could have one on WAZL, the Mighty 1490, that's a place I would do it." … Tyler Tumminia, senior VP of the group that owns the Rays' short-season Hudson Valley farm team (and three others in the minors), just married new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington.

Got a minute? Stephen Vogt

Something you're scared of? Spiders. Any spider, doesn't matter how big or small.

Go-to karaoke song? Probably Creed's My Sacrifice.

Favorite TV show? Saved By the Bell.

Band you'd want to be on stage with? Bullet for My Valentine (heavy metal).

Celebrity crush? Jessica Biel.

By Michael Kruse, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

The driver of the bright blue Mercedes convertible racing east on Interstate 4 honked his horn and blinked his lights and shouted at the big rig blocking his way.

"Why should I get stuck behind that truck?" Warren Sapp roared.

That morning in February 1998, with a frightened writer from Sports Illustrated sitting shotgun, the just-turned-25-year-old football star for the Tampa Bay Bucs was a month from signing a six-year contract worth $36 million and change. He was two years from being the top defensive player in the National Football League. Five years from winning the Super Bowl. Six years from signing a second deal of more than $36 million with the Oakland Raiders.

And 14 years from declaring bankruptcy.

Smiling face of the franchise. Surly shunner of fans. One of the best defensive linemen in the history of the sport. Motormouth lout. Now add to this portrait of Sapp the revealing contents of his recent 59-page Chapter 7 filing. His creditors include his ex-wife, the four other women with whom he has had children, the Internal Revenue Service, banks and attorneys all over the country, and friends who loaned him money.

He has a checking account with $826.04 in it. He has a savings account with $339.31 in it. His current debts tally up to $6.7 million. No small task for a man who signed three NFL contracts totaling $77 million and who won't turn 40 until December.

How did he do it? The filing tells the tale.

• • •

Sapp has an 18,000-square-foot mansion in the hoity-toity Orlando area neighborhood of Windermere. That's where his ex-wife lives. He also has a 33rd-floor luxury condo in Hollywood Beach. That's where he lives and where his attorney, Chad Pugatch of Fort Lauderdale, had an appraiser go make a list of his stuff.

Even the four local bankruptcy attorneys the Tampa Bay Times asked to review the filing chuckled a little at the detailed itemization of the detritus of the ex-athlete's existence. Lion statue. Lion rug. Fancy Swiss de Grisogono watch. Louis Vuitton suitcase with wheels. PlayStation video games. Xbox video games. A television with a 58-inch screen. An estimated 240 pairs of Jordan Brand sneakers and sandals, most of them still in their boxes, many of them stacked on the top of his dining room table. Architectural Digest meets Foot Locker.

But the attorneys who looked at the filing quickly focused instead on its more critical points.

Sapp filed Chapter 7, the most drastic bankruptcy alternative that requires the sale of assets to pay off debts. He did this, they say, because he's trying to say that his debts are mostly business debts, not consumer debts. If that's true, it doesn't matter that he still brings in large chunks of cash — $45,000 a month to be an analyst for the NFL Network, appearance fees, money from a publisher for a forthcoming book titled Sapp Attack. What he gets on a monthly basis fluctuates, but it's still the kind of hefty income that typically would disqualify somebody from Chapter 7 candidacy — according to the filing, an average of $115,881 a month.

"Warren filed because of business debts," said Pugatch, his attorney. "There's no question in my mind he qualifies for Chapter 7."

Sapp lists no credit card debt, for instance, a common form of consumer debt, and he also has no car debt. He shows no cars at all. He and Pugatch have labeled as a business debt the $90,685 he owes National Car Rental, the co-debtor being Nine-Nine LLC, described in the filing as an "artist management" business.

Some of the lawyers the Times talked to think he'll be able stay in Chapter 7. Some don't. He can't file Chapter 13, which allows for repayment over time, because he has too much debt. He might end up having to file Chapter 11, some of them say, and the terms of that repayment plan would probably be less advantageous.

It's ultimately up to the court to decide.

All the attorneys, though, zeroed in on the bottom of Page 41 and the top of Page 42 in the filing. Here, they said, is the reason Sapp had no choice but to file bankruptcy, and why he had to do it now.

PNC Bank took $33,333 straight out of his NFL Network paycheck in December, then again in January, then again in February, then again in March, and it would have happened again in April had he not filed on March 30. That's what's on the filing because it calls for this sort of activity over the last 90 days. Sapp says it has been going on for 11 months. The remainder of what he owes PNC Bank: $822,805.

Said St. Petersburg bankruptcy lawyer Marshall Reissman: "I can hear him screaming to his lawyer, 'Enough is enough!' "

What happened here?

The payments to PNC Bank stem from a loan he got to try to build affordable housing in Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County. Sapp had two business partners in a company called Urban Solutions Group that was formed in 2006 — South Florida developer Steve Smoke and former Florida State and NFL player Devin Bush — and their endeavor started in earnest in 2008. It was an admitted failure.

"They gave us a loan so we could purchase more lots," Bush said. "The real estate market started going into the tank."

PNC sued Urban Solutions and won a judgment in 2010 for $988,691.99. The beginning of the end. Warren Sapp's Waterloo.

"Were it not for the judgment and the other debts created by that deal," Pugatch said, "he would certainly not be facing what he's facing right now."

"This," Sapp said of bankruptcy, "was the only way I could get out."

• • •

Sapp grew up in Central Florida in a speck of a place called Plymouth in a tiny wooden yellow house on an unpaved road. The road now bears his name. As a boy, though, he was raised by a single mother who worked as an elementary school teacher's aide. He barely knew his biological father.

Every planner or adviser says the same thing. Divorces are killers for financial futures.

Sapp is divorced. He married the former Jamiko Vaughn in 1998. They split in 2003. They have two children. He owes her alimony and child support. In the 90 days before he filed, he made four payments to his ex-wife — $16,000, $25,000, $25,000 and $9,000. That left him owing $876,000. His payments to her are so high in large part because they were set at a time when he was at the apex of his gaudy NFL earnings.

Many professional athletes argue in divorce hearings for lower payments because their salaries are outsized but also fleeting. Sapp tried to make this argument almost 10 years ago. His "income is front-loaded," his attorney wrote in 2003. "During the relatively brief time he is able to play professional sports, he will make an income disproportionate to the income he is capable of earning for the rest of his life."

Sapp also has four other children with four other women. He has a 14-year-old son. He has a 14-year-old daughter. He has a 12-year-old daughter. He has an 11-year-old son. He has a 10-year-old daughter. He has a 3-year-old son.

The filing outlines his resulting obligations.

He owes Akilah Akins of Los Angeles $4,000 a month.

He owes Angela Sanders of Wichita, Kan., $2,500 a month.

He owes Sarah Matt Lamothe-Kindred of Hiram, Ga., $2,500 a month.

He also owes the New Jersey Family Support Center $6,495 a month. That's an intermediary for payments for a child he fathered with former Temple basketball player Chantel Adkins.

Before the bankruptcy, Pugatch said, he was up to date with at least these four payments. According to the filing, his combined monthly alimony and support payments, to his ex-wife and the other women who care for his children, are $75,495.

"The purpose of the filing is to enable him to meet his obligations," Pugatch said. "He did not do this to avoid support obligations. He did this so he could be in position to pay."

He has no choice.

A good number of Sapp's debts are almost certainly going to go away because of this bankruptcy — more on that in a bit — but these dollar amounts are listed in the filing as unsecured priority claims. In plain English? No wiggle room. He could go to court later and try to adjust what he owes due to changes in what he makes. What he owes already, though, he won't get out of.

"Those debts will not be discharged," St. Petersburg bankruptcy lawyer Ian Leavengood said. "They don't go away."

• • •

Next? Taxes.

He owes $68,738 in property taxes on the Windermere mansion. Unsecured priority claim. It'll stick.

He owes $89,775 from his 2010 income taxes. Ditto.

But the huge tax number in the filing, an IRS bill for $853,003 from 2006, two years after he signed that second $36 million contact? That's listed differently, as an unsecured nonpriority claim, and Sapp and his attorney also checked the amount as "contingent," "unliquidated" and "disputed."

They're fighting it. And they have a chance.

The amount is "ripe for discharge," Leavengood said. Taxes are one of Tampa bankruptcy attorney Darrin Mish's specialties, and his prediction? "He won't have to pay a dollar to the IRS for that $853,000."

"It might look like he simply didn't pay his taxes," Pugatch said. "But those taxes are disputed."

He thinks he can make them go away.

"Certain taxes if they're old enough qualify," he said. "From the information we have, we think there's an opportunity to do that."

• • •

It's not the only thing Sapp's probably going to be able to get out of.

More unsecured nonpriority claims? The money he owes attorneys in North Carolina, Alabama, New York and Florida. The money he owes a speech therapy practice in Orlando. The money he owes people listed as friends, including $28,000 to George Chien, a senior vice president at Sony.

All these people are most likely out of luck. Could Sapp pay them back? Yes. Will he be forced to? No.

Also exempt, and this is important, are his considerable annuities. He has an NFL annuity. He has an NFL pension. They're worth almost $1 million. He has life insurance policies worth approximately $3 million. He has a prepaid college fund, too, although it has in it only $103,861, relatively meager given his six kids. All of this is untouchable.

"Those are protected from creditors," said Helen Huntley, a former Times business writer who's now a financial adviser in St. Petersburg. "He basically has his retirement income." And will keep it.

"His exemptions are very strong," Tampa bankruptcy lawyer Stan Galewski said.

Questions remain. Will he get to stay in Chapter 7? Will he get to free himself of that '06 tax bill? Will there be an auction of his stuff? "Who wouldn't want a decanter that belonged to Warren Sapp?" Huntley said. Could the court make him autograph some of the items on the appraisal report to try to boost what they might fetch? Will the court take any money he makes off his book? And what's the status of his gig with the NFL Network? His contract is up in August and reportedly won't be renewed.

The so-called meeting of creditors — a court hearing pretty much — is scheduled for May 8 in Fort Lauderdale. The bankruptcy could take as little as two months. It could take the better part of a year.

In the meantime, he'll live on what could be the remainder of his NFL Network earnings and maybe additional appearance fees, Pugatch said. "He'll do whatever he can to make a living." The process should be finished by early 2013. Just in time for him to be eligible for pro football's hall of fame.

"I don't know who's going to pay what and when," said Reissman, the St. Petersburg bankruptcy lawyer. "Nobody has that kind of crystal ball. It's like asking what the final score of the Super Bowl is going to be 30 seconds after the kickoff. This is just the kickoff."

But of this much Reissman is certain: "He's not going to miss any meals."

The other attorneys who talked to the Times agree.

"I think he comes out smelling like a rose except he's still got really high support payments," Mish said.

"He'll walk out of this very strong, I'd suspect," Galewski said.

Added Leavengood: "I think there's going to be minimal cost consequence to him."

Sounds like Sapp knows this. The other day on Twitter, where he has more than 800,000 followers, one person chided him for his bankruptcy and his lion-skin rug. Sapp was unrepentant in his response. He called himself "a king."

News researcher Natalie Watson and sports columnist Gary Shelton contributed to this report. Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8751. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelkruse.

By Rob Gorta, Times Correspondent
Saturday, April 14, 2012

What's hot: Redfish are holding around Pinellas Point, Tierra Verde, Fort De Soto and all of the surrounding islands. I target oyster bars along mangrove shoreline. I look for mullet away from shore and start blind casting. If I do not catch a fish in a few minutes, I raise the anchor and let the wind push me down the shoreline a few yards and repeat the process.

Bait: The Skyway bridge, Misner, 10 Cent and all of the piers on Mullet Key are holding threadfin herring. It usually takes only one throw of the cast net to fill the live well. I empty the net as quickly as possible to prevent harming the tender baits. Once the scales fall off their body, they will not last long in the well. I also don't stuff the well; too many baits in one well leads to dead baits. Threadfin herring are probably the easiest bait to find; they dimple the surface so it looks like it's raining.

Pressure: I have noticed a lot of fishing pressure on the schools of redfish this spring. The weather has been unseasonably warm. When there are a lot of boats following the reds, I leave the area and come back after everyone has left and try again at these wary fish.

Rob Gorta charters out of St. Petersburg. Call him at (727) 647-7606 or visit captainrobgorta.com.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had some fun with or took a cheap shot at Tim Tebow, depending on your perspective, during a Q&A session Thursday night at the University of Rhode Island.

Gronkowski was asked to play a risque parlor game in which a contestant is given three people's names and asked to choose one to marry, one to have sex with and one to kill. The names he was given: actor Betty White, Jets coach Rex Ryan and Ryan's new quarterback, Tim Tebow.

"I would (have sex with) Tebow, to take his virginity," Gronkowski said, which drew a big laugh from the crowd. It was not clear whom he chose for the other two options.

Upon further review: Days after he said he was happy Tebow was no longer on the Broncos, Denver receiver Demaryius Thomas tried to clarify: "It wasn't no hard feelings or nothing against Tim. He's a great player. If we had him, I'd love to have him. If we had him still, there wouldn't be no problem me playing with him."

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

tom jones' two cents

Open mouth. Insert foot. Sports celebrities have been following those dangerous instructions forever. Late Reds owner Marge Schott once used the n-word and said Adolf Hitler was "good at the beginning.'' Late Dodgers executive Al Campanis suggested that blacks didn't have the "necessities'' to be managers. Former NBA star Tim Hardaway said he hated gay people. The latest to join the club is Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen for saying he loves and admires Fidel Castro because the Cuban leader has stayed alive all these years. Here is a look at some members of the loudmouth club.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The boxing great certainly is never at a loss for words and might be the most outrageous trash-talker in sports. Sometimes his words are funny, but far too often Mayweather loses control and lets his trash talk venture into racist remarks. He once offended Filipinos with a rant directed at fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao. He has used "gay'' as an insult. Recently he said on Twitter that Knicks guard Jeremy Lin "is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise.'' Mayweather is the classic example of guy so full of himself that he doesn't think before he speaks.

Ozzie Guillen

Guillen's comments about Fidel Castro weren't the first time the manager has gotten into hot water for saying something inappropriate. In 2006, the then-White Sox manager used a gay slur while talking about then-Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. In typical Ozzie fashion, he apologized to homosexuals for the slur but not to Mariotti.

Sean Avery

The former NHL player is known more for the things he says than for his hockey career. That career is full of controversial remarks. The most famous was when he made a derogatory comment about an ex-girlfriend, actor Elisha Cuthbert, when he learned she was dating another NHL player, Dion Phaneuf. The league was so disgusted by Avery's remark that it suspended him for six games.

Charles Barkley

I like Barkley, an NBA analyst on TNT, and a big reason why is that he says what's on his mind. That's what makes him a great analyst. It's also what's going to get him fired someday. It's not that he lacks a filter between his head and mouth. It's that he doesn't care to use it. He doesn't care what comes out of this mouth. He will criticize anyone at any time about anything. He has never said anything hurtful, like Ozzie Guillen and Marge Schott did, but TNT ought to put Barkley on a seven-second delay to save him from himself. And us.

Mike Tyson

The former scariest man alive once said to a future opponent: "Lennox Lewis, I'm coming for you, man. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah! My main objective is to be professional but to kill him. I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him. I want to kill people. I want to rip their stomachs out and eat their children."

Yikes! Tyson seems to be a kind and gentle person these days, but you still never know what he might say.

Don Cherry

The longtime Hockey Night in Canada analyst is hockey's version of Charles Barkley except with a mean streak. Cherry, whose "Coach's Corner'' segment is one of the most-watched programs on Canadian television, seems to have an ax to grind against French-Canadians, Europeans and, really, everyone not born in Ontario. It's amazing he has survived for the past 30 years, and there are constant rumors the NHL will pull its rights from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. because of Cherry.

Bob Knight

When you think about it, it's stunning that the former college basketball coaching great now makes his living talking into a microphone for ESPN. This is a guy who once, in answer to a question, tried to compare getting bad calls in a game to being raped — and his answer could not have been more inappropriate. He once brought a whip to a postgame news conference and talked about how it was a great motivator. These are just two of the more infamous quotes from a man who bullies, intimidates and belittles others regularly with his words.

John Rocker

The former major-league pitcher doesn't like foreigners. He doesn't like gay people. He has a problem with single moms. He doesn't like walking down the street in New York and not hearing anyone speaking English. How do we know all this? He said so … in a national magazine. Rocker, who had a brief stint in the Rays organization, is such a loose cannon that it really is no surprise he once stuck up for Ozzie Guillen's use of a gay slur.

Mike Milbury

The NBC hockey analyst is America's version of Don Cherry. He blabs and blabs and blabs, and sometimes you wonder if he is even thinking about what he is saying. He seems to say controversial things just to be controversial. Recently he was forced to apologize for calling Penguins star Sidney Crosby "a punk'' on Philadelphia radio. Like Charles Barkley, Milbury seems to be going down a path that will eventually get him fired for saying the wrong thing about the wrong person.

Rush Limbaugh

The conservative talk show host usually has his hand in the political arena when he puts his foot in his mouth, but his abrasive tone once made an appearance in the sports world. As an analyst for ESPN's Sunday morning NFL pregame show in 2003, Limbaugh suggested the media wanted then-Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to be successful and treated him kindly because he is black. Limbaugh resigned almost immediately.

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

LUTZ — Teeing off at 7:37 on Saturday morning, Michael Allen admitted he might not have been completely ready to play his second round of the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am.

"It's the senior tour," Allen said. "You're not supposed to play so early."

After shaking the cobwebs, Allen got hot on the back nine and posted 4-under 67 at TPC Tampa Bay before most of the first-round contenders even teed off. He had a two-day total of 9-under 133, five shots clear of Olin Browne, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Corey Pavin.

It tied the largest 36-hole lead in the 25-year history of the Champions Tour event.

Six sat at 3 under, including Kenny Perry and tour rookie Kirk Triplett. Perry made a move on the back nine with four birdies among his first five holes. But he double bogeyed the 15th and 18th holes to fall back.

Allen, who has one win on the tour and one on the Nationwide Tour since turning pro in 1984, made 10 straight pars to start his morning. He then birdied the 11th hole and eagled the par-5 12th by draining a 40-foot putt. He ended the round by making an 8-foot birdie putt on 18.

"On the front nine, I thought I hit some good shots, but I never could get it very close," Allen said. "I just seemed to be playing a little bit better on the back nine. I was able to wake up a little bit. I had much better opportunities for birdie on the back nine."

First-round leader Bruce Fleischer, who also played in the morning, fell out of contention with 7-over 78. One morning player who managed to hang around was Lyle, who shot his second straight 2-under 69.

Lyle's only setback was a double bogey on the par-5 14th. He tried to reach the green in two, but his shot from 250 yards out trickled into the water.

"The 2 under is a little disappointing, just as it was (Friday)," Lyle said. "I played well enough. I had enough birdies. But the double bogey … was a bit of a setback."

Most of Allen's pursuers played in the afternoon, which meant they had all day to look at his score while he rested. Pavin looked like he would be the player to challenge Allen. He made the turn at 2 under and got as close as two shots after the 14th hole. But he bogeyed three of his last four holes to fall five shots back.

Allen, 53, is in position to win his first tournament since the 2009 Senior PGA Championship. He spent most of his time on the PGA Tour in 2009 and 2010. He had two top-10 finishes in 2010, including second at the Viking Classic.

Last year, Allen played in 19 Champions Tour events, and he plans on focusing full time on the senior circuit this year. He finished second two weeks ago at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.

With some close calls on both tours over the past few years, it figured Allen will break through sooner or later. But he knows it's just as difficult to win on the Champions Tour as it is on the PGA Tour.

"These guys have beaten me my whole life," Allen said. "They are still great players. That's the fun part of this tour. When I play well out here, I have a chance to win. But it's hard to win out here."

No player is in better position than Allen. He'll have more than 24 hours of rest before teeing off in the final group. Because Champions events are only three rounds, players will have to take some risks today in order to close the gap.

Allen likes where he is, but he doesn't believe his competitors will be intimidated.

"They've got to be pushing a little bit, hopefully," Allen said. "Of course, they probably look at the scoreboard and think, 'That's just Allen up there. No big deal.' "

Rodney Page can be reached at page@tampabay.com.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Five of Carl Pettersson's seven birdies came on consecutive holes, and his last, at No. 18, gave him a one-shot lead after the third round of the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage on Saturday.

Pettersson, who began the day in second, two shots back, capped his 5-under 66 with an 8-foot putt at Harbour Town Golf Links. The Swede sat at 12-under 201, one ahead of second-round leader Colt Knost.

Pettersson birdied Nos. 2-6 and led by three through 10 holes. But bogeys at Nos. 11 and 15 brought him back to the pack.

Pettersson, 34, who has won four times on tour, admitted he will be a little nervous before today's final round.

"I've only won four times out here," he said. "So it's not like … I'm not Phil or Tiger or anybody."

Knost, 26, seeking his first tour title, had a roller-coaster day in shooting 69.

His first shot landed in some pine straw, leading to bogey. He followed by making a 48-footer from the left fringe for eagle at No. 2. There was a lip-out at No. 3 for bogey, layup and chip to 10 feet for birdie at No. 5 and par saves from the bunker at No. 7 and pine straw at No. 8.

"I could have got rattled pretty easy," Knost said. "But I'm really proud of the way I hung in."

Rice struggles: Hall of Fame wide receiver and tournament host Jerry Rice was 23-over par for 27 holes when he withdrew during the second round of the Nationwide Tour's TPC Stonebrae Championship in Hayward, Calif., late Friday. Rice shot 16-over 86 in completing his first round, which was suspended by rain, and was 7 over on the front nine of the second before rain halted play again. He withdrew shortly afterward.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

BOSTON — The Rays starters are supposed to be among the best in baseball, a rotation stocked with young, talented, healthy and successful pitchers who will keep the team in playoff contention throughout the season, and then beyond.

But they haven't looked too good thus far, in what they've done nor in how they've tried to do it, the primary reason the Rays were looking down again Saturday evening after another ugly Boston beatdown, this one 13-5.

Jeremy Hellickson, so brilliant in his season debut Sunday, was the latest disappointment. He said he felt fine starting three days after being struck on the head by a ball during batting practice, but he allowed five runs on a career-most three home runs.

It was the third consecutive game, and fourth in their eight, that a Tampa Bay starter didn't work more than five innings, which has had a trickle-down and traumatizing effect on the shorthanded bullpen.

"We have to do a better job as a starting pitching group," manager Joe Maddon said. "We're putting a lot of pressure on our bullpen right now. We've got to get deeper into the game. We've just got to get back to our normal game, pitching better as starters."

The starters have a 4.35 ERA while averaging less than six innings per outing (47? innings) and have allowed 25 walks, which might be an indication of the problem. The relievers have a 12.40 ERA over their 20? innings, and walked 12.

The Rays (4-4) averaged nearly 6? innings per start last year in throwing an AL-high 1,058 innings, and worked at least six in 122 of their 162 games.

"We're walking way too many guys," Maddon said. "Guys maybe are trying to be a little too fine with our stuff. We have great stuff. We have to get ahead of hitters like we normally do and then finish them off and make them put the ball in play with some more weak contact.

"We've gotten away from our basic strength and that's really to attack the strike zone and permit our defense to play."

Hellickson had all kinds of issues, needing 99 pitches to get through his five innings. (Against the Yankees, he threw 118 for 8?).

Maddon said his location wasn't good and his pitch selection, working with veteran catcher Jose Molina, questionable, specifically in not using more off-speed pitches.

"He's got all these different weapons, and he didn't utilize all of his weapons properly," Maddon said. "I think there were times maybe he lacked a little creativity of which he's capable of, that's all. Maybe a little too predictable."

Hellickson said he didn't have his normally effective changeup, which might have been the root of the problem: "I need to mix it up a little bit."

The Rays took a 4-0 first-inning lead as DH Luke Scott returned and hit a three-run homer. But the offense went quiet, logging just four hits after the first, and their final 14 batters going down in order.

And by the end of the long day, there was a jarring stat: 12 or more runs allowed in consecutive games for the first time since the ghastly green Devil Rays days of 2007.

"You can blame it on a lot of stuff," Molina said. "The bottom line is that we're not doing the job."

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

LUTZ — First-round leader Bruce Fleischer got off to a terrible start for Saturday's second round of the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am and never recovered. He shot 7-over 78 and fell to 1 over for the tournament, 10 off the lead.

Fleischer began his round with two bogeys, a par and a triple bogey. He played the front nine in 7-over 42 and shot par 36 on the back nine.

"I'm not disappointed with how I struck the ball," said Fleischer, who shot 65 Friday. "I just had a really (bad) start. I wasn't seeing the (putting) lines right. "I was trying to make it as fun as I could, but I just couldn't get it going."

Fleischer, who won the tournament in 2000 and 2003, triple bogeyed the par-4 No. 4 after he hit consecutive tee shots into the water.

"When you make triples out here, it's hard to pull your pants up and keep going," he said.

Fleischer, 63, said he plans to play only 11 tournaments this season as he winds down his career. Asked if he was heading to the driving range after his round, Fleischer said, "Are you kidding me?"

Shot of the day: On the par-5 12th, Michael Allen drained a 40-footer for eagle to increase his lead.

"It was the longest putt I made all year," Allen said.

Lyle rebounds: After shooting 86 in the opening round of last week's Masters, Sandy Lyle went right to work, trying to fix his swing. He didn't want to embarrass himself again.

After a few tweaks, Lyle seems back in form. He shot a second straight 69 and is 4 under after two rounds, five shots off the lead. This is only the third tournament Lyle has played this year.

"After the 86 in the first round at Augusta, you feel a bit battered and bruised," Lyle said. "I had to go back and rethink and do a little video work. I've got a bit of my game back now."

Three more out: Tom Watson (right hand), Wayne Levi (back) and Lakeland's Andy Bean withdrew.

Watson shot an opening-round 77 and dropped out Saturday morning. Bean did not tee off either after shooting an opening round 11-over 82. Levi got in three holes before calling it a tournament.

Tommy Armour and Nick Price dropped out after starting the first round.

Pro-Am: The team of Olin Browne and Lisa O'Hurley lead the pro-am with a score of 20 under. Dick Mast and Rolf Klam are second at 19 under. Kenny Perry and Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino combined to shoot 59 Saturday and are at 16 under.

The top 16 amateurs, including the top-five celebrities — Pitino, former NFL QB Joe Theis­mann, Lightning co-founder Phil Esposito, TV reporter Stone Phillips and former major-leaguer Fred McGriff — make the cut.

Chip-ins: Taiwanese player Chien Soon Lu, one off the lead at the start of the day, took a big tumble. He shot 8-over 79 and was 3 over after an opening-round 66. … David Eger shot the low round of the day, 5-under 66, to move up 41 places on the leaderboard to a tie for sixth, six off the lead.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

BOSTON — The Red Sox placed centerfielder and leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury on the 15-day disabled list with a partially dislocated right shoulder before Saturday's win against the Rays.

OF Che-Hsuan Lin was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. Lin, 23, is in the big leagues for the first time. He was 3-for-20 in six games with Pawtucket.

Ellsbury was injured sliding into second base Friday when Rays SS Reid Brignac fell on his shoulder after making a throw.

Manager Bobby Valentine said Ellsbury will continue to be looked at. He didn't give a timetable for a return. "Proper treatment," he said when asked what treatment Ellsbury would need.

indians, royals face off: Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez, 3B Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta were ejected after Gomez hit the Royals' Mike Moustakas with a pitch, clearing the benches for the second time in the third inning. Kansas City's Jonathan Sanchez plunked Shin-Soo Choo in the top of the third, causing the benches and bullpens to clear the first time. Then Gomez quickly plunked Moustakas. Last season a Sanchez pitch broke Choo's left thumb when Sanchez was a Giant.

Giants might lose closer: San Francisco closer Brian Wilson's season could be in jeopardy. He faces likely surgery on his right (throwing) elbow after an MRI exam showed structural damage and an issue with the ligament. The team will seek other opinions. Wilson, 30, had the ligament surgery known as Tommy John surgery during college.

blue jays: Closer Sergio Santos (paternity leave) is expected to rejoin the team today.

marlins: Manager Ozzie Guillen, serving a five-game suspension imposed by the team after he praised Fidel Castro, said it is tough to be away and that he got a headache watching Miami's first win in its new ballpark Friday. He can return Tuesday.

Nationals: CF Rick Ankiel (left quadriceps) came off the disabled list in his season debut.

Phillies: Charlie Manuel was honored before Saturday's game for being the winningest manager in franchise history. He got win No. 646 late last season.

Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips (left hamstring) is expected to return today after missing five games.

rockies: LF Carlos Gonzalez (strep throat) sat out Saturday. Tyler Colvin replaced him.

Tigers: LHP Adam Wilk, making his first big-league start, was hit in his pitching shoulder by teammate Prince Fielder's foul while in the dugout in the sixth. Wilk left with a bruised shoulder but should make his next start.

yankees: LHP Manny Banuelos is on the disabled list in Triple A with back trouble.

clemens trial: The judge presiding in the new Roger Clemens perjury case said an unspecified number of jurors in the first trial told him that retrying the famed pitcher was a waste of taxpayer money, a newly discovered transcript shows. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton made the comment in a private meeting with lawyers in September, just before he ruled that Clemens must face another trial. Jury selection begins Monday.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — As Florida State's backup quarterback, sophomore Clint Trickett entered the spring with a singular focus: He wanted his days as the backup to be over.

In addition to trying to maintain a firm grip on his position as the primary backup, he wanted to win the starting job.

At Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday afternoon, he played as if the No. 1 spot was well within his reach.

Trickett passed for two touchdowns and Debrale Smiley had a touchdown run as the Garnet defeated the Gold 35-20 in Florida State's spring game.

Trickett ended the day 12-for-23 for 173 yards.

"It's just a competitive attitude, that I've never really been a backup in my life, nor do I want to be," Trickett said. "That's no disrespect toward (starter) EJ (Manuel). … Of course I'm gunning for it, just like he was when Christian (Ponder) was here. I want to keep it in that perspective."

Manuel, who led the Gold team, passed for touchdowns to former Plant High standout James Wilder and Kenny Shaw. Manuel completed 28 of 51 for 255 yards.

But Manuel also threw two interceptions, one of which was returned 51 yards for a touchdown by safety Terrence Brooks in the second quarter.

Trickett connected with Greg Dent on a 70-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown on the game's first play and then found walk-on Rashad Gholston on a 15-yard scoring pass in the third quarter to put the Garnet up 21-7.

"I was very pleased with (Trickett's) control in the huddle," coach Jimbo Fisher said. "His knowledge of what we're doing right now is getting much better."

With Manuel playing behind a mostly young and rather porous offensive line, Fisher was forced into having him throw more than expected.

"I'm not worried about what I see from EJ," Fisher said. "I know what he can do. I wanted to see what the left tackle was going to do and those guards were going to do. I want to see what all those guys can do. It's not a game. I know what I got there (at quarterback)."

Fisher said each quarterback will enter the fall in the position in which he finished the spring.

"They'll keep battling, and we'll keep playing them and see where they're at," Fisher said.

Gholston also had a 25-yard touchdown catch from walk-on James Moore in the fourth quarter. Rodney Smith had seven catches for 71 yards for the Garnet. For the Gold, Shaw had seven catches for 53 yards. Nick O'Leary added five catches for 53 yards.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Rays at Red Sox

When/where: 1:35 p.m. today, Fenway Park, Boston

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers

Rays: LH Matt Moore (0-0, 2.70)

Red Sox: LH Felix Doubront (0-0, 3.60)

Watch for …

Felix the cat: Doubront makes his fifth career start, and second of the season, after earning a rotation spot in spring training. He lost to the Rays in July at the Trop, allowing 2 runs in 5.2 IP.

Moore encore: Moore, a bit off in his season debut Tuesday, threw three impressive relief innings at Fenway in September, allowing only two hits in his second big-league appearance.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Doubront

Evan Longoria 1-for-2

Sean Rodriguez 1-for-3

Luke Scott 1-for-1 HR

Red Sox vs. Moore

Mike Aviles 1-for-1

David Ortiz 0-for-1

Dustin Pedroia 0-for-2

Marc Topkin. Times staff writer

Longo pose of the day

It's not quite Tebowing, but the Rays are encouraging fans to "Do the Longo" — arms up in celebration, fingers extended, like after his 2011 Game 162-winning homer — and send in photos to their Facebook page. Longoria didn't know of the plan but is okay with it. "I'm not interested in becoming a trending topic, but that's pretty cool," he said. "It's commendable."

Longo photo of the day

For a guy not wanting attention, Evan Longoria surely got some by posting this picture on Twitter — with apologies to Carlos Peña — of the two in the cold tub after Friday's game. "Why? Why would he do that?" Peña said, laughing. "Tweeting is an epidemic. Even without tweeting, I'm on Twitter."

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

FORT WORTH, Texas — Greg Biffle took the lead when he charged under Jimmie Johnson with 30 laps left Saturday night, then pulled away in the Samsung Mobile 500 to end his 49-race winless streak and give Jack Roush another NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in Texas.

Johnson led 156 of the 334 laps while going for owner Rick Hendrick's 200th career victory. But he never recovered, even scraping hard into the wall trying to catch up after Biffle drove under him in Turn 3 and completed the pass before the start-finish line.

Biffle, the season points leader, went on to win the fastest Cup race at the 1½-mile, high-banked track. His average speed of 160.577 mph put his Ford 3.235 seconds ahead of the Chevrolet driven by Johnson.

It was Roush's ninth win in 23 Cup races at Texas and Biffle's first win overall since Oct. 3, 2010, in Kansas.

After starting third, Biffle was among the lead pack the entire race, leading 91 laps. There were only two cautions for 10 slowed laps, both for debris, and the race finished with a track-record 234 laps of green-flag racing.

Mark Martin finished third in a Michael Waltrip-owned Toyota, followed by Jeff Gordon and Roush driver Matt Kenseth. Pole sitter Martin Truex, another Waltrip car, finished sixth after leading 68 laps.

Biffle started the race with a six-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. and now leads Kenseth by 19. He earned his eighth consecutive top-10 finish at Texas, where he had a victory in 2005 even before that stretch.

From the moment he passed Truex for the lead on Lap 180, Johnson dominated.

Biffle chased the five-time series champion through three cycles of green-flag pit stops. He frequently gained ground when Johnson hit traffic, but the margin expanded when Johnson got to clean air. By the time the race hit Lap 300, Martin, in third at 7.8 seconds back, was the only other driver within 10 seconds of Johnson.

For Hendrick Motorsports, it was the second race in a row that Hendrick was close to getting his 200th victory. Johnson, Gordon and Earnhardt were running in the top three at Martinsville two weeks ago before a late restart. But Clint Bowyer's inside move took out Johnson and Gordon, and Earnhardt ended up third.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Orioles 6, Blue Jays 4

TORONTO — Nolan Reimold hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the ninth for the Orioles. Wilson Betemit tied it with a home run in the eighth as Baltimore won its second straight at Rogers Centre. Coming into the series, Baltimore was 5-29 in Toronto dating to 2008. Jays relievers have blown four saves and are responsible for three defeats.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Cardinals 5, Cubs 1

ST. LOUIS — In his fourth start, Lance Lynn pitched effectively into the sixth and Yadier Molina had two hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals. "I'm just going to try and do what I'm capable of and not try to do too much," he said. Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd went 0-for-3 and is 2-for-27 this season. As a precaution, St. Louis third baseman David Freese sat out because of soreness in a finger on his right hand. He is day to day.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Nationals 4, Reds 1

WASHINGTON — Edwin Jackson threw a two-hitter for his fifth career complete game and Adam LaRoche had a tiebreaking two-run double as the Nationals won their fifth straight. Jackson, a former Ray, had a rocky second inning, then got stronger, retiring 16 straight batters in one stretch until walking Chris Heisey leading off the eighth. He then struck out the side and finished with a 1-2-3 ninth. Of his 92 pitches, 65 were strikes. Jackson also singled off Reds starter Homer Bailey. Cincinnati is in a 1-5 skid, totaling 10 runs in that span.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

BOSTON — The Rays decided they couldn't wait any longer for C Jose Lobaton's sore shoulder to feel better.

They put Lobaton on the 15-day disabled list Saturday and called up Chris Gimenez, who will be activated from the Triple-A disabled list (testicular bruise), added to the 40-man roster and put in the starting lineup for today's game against the Red Sox.

Gimenez, 29, was a late signing before spring training after being designated for assignment by the Mariners on Feb. 7. He has started 42 games (and played in 97 overall) for Seattle and Cleveland — though with only a .171 batting average — and was sent down near the end of spring training. "He had a nice spring for us, and he has a nice feel behind the plate," manager Joe Maddon said.

The Rays were forced to make a move because they have to limit veteran Jose Molina's innings, and he played three consecutive days, taking over Thursday when Molina left, then playing Friday and Saturday. They don't consider rookie Stephen Vogt advanced enough defensively.

"We have to be protected there," Maddon said. "We can't catch J-Mo all these games in a row."

The Rays wanted Lobaton to try throwing Saturday, but he said the shoulder didn't feel good enough to try. "I don't think it's a good day to throw," he said.

Maddon said the injury was "not awful" but Lobaton was "not going to be ready to play in the really near future."

COBB UP: RHP Alex Cobb was called up late Saturday to replace RHP Dane De La Rosa, who had a rough debut, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks in his inning of work, and forgetting to cover first on what became an infield single.

Cobb, effective as a fill-in starter last year (3-2, 3.42 in nine games) before surgery to remove a blood clot and part of his rib, was 0-1, 2.25 in two starts for Triple-A Durham. He presumably will be added to a bullpen that has been used heavily.

De La Rosa was called up Friday to replace RHP Josh Lueke, who struggled in two outings.

MORE MOORE: The last time Matt Moore pitched at Fenway Park, he was an unproven rookie in his second big-league appearance, and his three innings of one-run work in a key September game gave him "peace of mind" that he could handle tough situations. He went on to start in Yankee Stadium and then the playoff opener in Texas.

Now he's back, looking to improve today on his first start this season, in which he threw 106 pitches over 6⅔ innings at Detroit. "It was a decent outing as far as attacking hitters," Moore said. "I feel like I still was behind in the count here and there too often."

Maddon said he was pleased with Moore's performance but he would have liked to have seen a little more velocity. "He did not have his best fastball, but he still pitched deeply into the game against a good team," Maddon said. "Just if you see some 95s, 96s pop that he's feeling a little bit better with his velocity."

LESS IS MORE: RHP Joel Peralta shaved the goatee he'd had for nearly five years, a byproduct of his 37.80 ERA and .500 opponents average. "It's the worst start of my career," he said. "So something's got to go."

MISCELLANY: CF B.J. Upton (sore back) was hitless in his first four at-bats in a second straight game for Class A Charlotte, a key stage in his rehabilitation assignment. … The Rays lost while scoring at least five runs for the first time since July 25, 2011, a span that covered 32 wins. … Due to technical issues, Sun Sports had to delay the debut of its Inside the Rays Game 162 special until after Monday's game. … OF Sam Fuld, recovering from wrist surgery, was at the game, making the trip to visit his family in New Hampshire. … Principal owner Stuart Sternberg was also on hand. … All Rays players and coaches will wear No. 42 today as part of the major-league-wide celebration of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947. … Vogt tied the team record for most hitless at-bats to start a career at 12; worse, it is held by pitcher Jeff Niemann. Ben Zobrist was 0-for-11.