Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Carl Pettersson shot 2-under 69 to win the RBC Heritage on Sunday by five over Zach Johnson.

Pettersson finished 14-under 270 for his fifth PGA Tour title (matching Jesper Parnevik's record for a Swedish-born player) and first since the 2010 Canadian Open.

Pettersson birdied Nos. 2-6 Saturday and finished the round with a one-shot lead. On Sunday he rolled in a 24-footer for birdie at No. 1 and a 16-footer for birdie at No. 4, then two-putted from 40 feet to birdie No. 5. When Johnson bogeyed No. 10, Pettersson led by five and cruised from there.

"I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself (to start well)," said Pettersson, a U.S. citizen who finished second two weeks ago in Houston. "But getting off to a birdie on No. 1 was great."

Colt Knost, the second-round leader seeking his first tour title and starting Sunday one back of Pettersson, faltered early and shot 74 to finish third. He missed an 8-footer for par at No. 1. He birdied No. 2. But at No. 3, his drive went out of bounds, leading to triple-bogey 7. "I hit it good this weekend," he said. "But the one swing (on No. 3) got me in trouble … and that was kind of it."

McIlroy back at No. 1: Luke Donald needed to finish in the top eight at the Heritage to stay No. 1 in the world. Instead, he tied for 37th, putting the idle Rory McIlroy on top. Donald was No. 1 for 40 weeks, lost it to McIlroy on March 4 and reclaimed it by winning the Transitions at Innis­brook on March 18.

PGA Europe: Louis Oosthuizen won the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, a week after losing a playoff in the Masters. The South African shot 3-under 69 in the rain-delayed third round, then closed with 68 for a three-stroke victory at 17-under 201.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

FORT WORTH, Texas — While the 49-race winless streak was wearing somewhat on Greg Biffle, there were enough encouraging signs during the 18-month drought.

"(The drought) will take years off your life. I've probably lost several," Biffle said after Saturday night's victory at the Samsung Mobile 500.

"What kept me going or what keeps your spirit up is when you run good. We have run good. We just hadn't finished."

Until Saturday at Texas.

Biffle held on tight in the fastest Sprint Cup race ever at the 1½-mile, high-banked track (average speed of 160.577 mph), pulling away after charging below Jimmie Johnson for a pass with 30 laps left.

It was the first win for Biffle, who also is the points leader, since Oct. 3, 2010, at Kansas.

"To win like this and put a bunch of ground on the guys behind us certainly makes a statement, I think, for all the people that were wondering if this was kind of a fluke that we were still leading the points this far in," Biffle said.

Biffle, 42, already has a Nationwide and trucks title and now seeks to become the first driver to win titles in all three series.

"When I moved from the truck series to Nationwide, it was a huge step," he said. "And when I moved from the Nationwide to the Cup series, I had no idea that the competition was going to be what it was.

"But this year is my year, so I'm going to keep after it all the way to Homestead."

Johnson led three times for 156 of the 334 laps while going for owner Rick Hendrick's 200th victory. But the five-time Cup champion never recovered, even scraping the No. 48 hard into the wall trying to catch up after Biffle drove under him and passed him for the final time.

"I'm definitely disappointed, but we had a great race car," said Johnson, who had led only 119 laps combined over his first 17 Texas starts.

"I just got tangled up in some lapped traffic, and (Biffle) made a great move and got by me. Then I was pacing him from there and didn't have anything left to go get him."

It was Johnson's fifth runner-up finish in Texas.

Mark Martin was third. Teammate and pole-sitter Martin Truex led 69 laps and finished sixth, his fourth consecutive top 10 this season. Jeff Gordon was fourth.

Biffle also won at Texas in 2005, a victory that isn't part of his current streak of eight top-10 finishes there.

He led seven times for 90 laps but still spent much of the night chasing Johnson.

Finally, after making up some ground during green-flag stops and "driving the thing sideways around the corner trying to catch" Johnson, Biffle finally figured out where to make his move, Turn 3 on Lap 304.

"I was surprised I didn't have to deal with him anymore," Biffle said. "I thought he would be right there."

But Johnson wasn't and was so far back in the closing laps that Biffle had to ask his spotter if that was the No. 48 car way back in his rearview mirror.

That winless drought is now behind Biffle, too.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — Brian Wilson has no regrets about how many times he pitched during the Giants' 2010 World Series title run. Nor about how he handled his rehabilitation program this winter, and certainly not how he stayed on the mound at Colorado last week despite ligament damage in his arm.

"Absolutely not," Wilson said. "That's how I play baseball. Push it to the limits."

Well, he found that limit.

San Francisco's boisterous closer said before Sunday's series finale against the Pirates that he will probably have elbow-reconstruction surgery, ending his season after only 56 pitches, two appearances and one save. He was officially placed on the 15-day DL, clearing space for Ryan Vogelsong to come off the DL.

An MRI exam showed the structural damage. Wilson, 30, plans to seek at least one other opinion. Rehab time is typically a year to 18 months.

"My spirits aren't down," said Wilson, who led the majors with 48 saves in 2010. "I know a lot of people are sad. I know Giants fans are probably going to look at this as like a huge loss. But we have the best bullpen in the league … and they're going to fill in my role as best they can. I don't think they're going to falter. I think we're going to take the West no matter what."

Wilson said during spring training all seemed right with his elbow. All did seem fine until he threw 32 pitches at Colorado on Thursday, preserving a 4-2 victory over the Rockies despite the apparent injury while working the second of back-to-back days.

He stayed in the game with two outs and the bases loaded after turning his right ankle on a 1-and-0 pitch to Tyler Colvin. Turns out, Wilson really hurt his arm — whether the injury happened on that pitch is still somewhat of a mystery — but he refused to be pulled out.

"My mind-set was, okay, if it's inflammation, get out of your mess. If this is season-ending, your last pitch is going to be preserving (Madison) Bumgarner's win and not walking off the mound a failure," Wilson said. "That's just how I pitch. I don't care how painful it is."

At least for now, Wilson's replacement will likely come by committee.

Robinson day: Players, managers, coaches and umpires all wore No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day to remember the 65th anniversary of the day he broke baseball's color barrier. Among the tributes: Ralph Branca, father-in-law of Boston manager Bobby Valentine, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Branca is the last surviving member of that Brooklyn Dodgers team in 1947. Robinson's daughter Sharon took part in an event with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and Angels pitcher LaTroy Hawkins at a youth field in the Bronx.

Rally squirrel on rings: The World Series championship rings the Cardinals received over the weekend pay homage to the critter that served as a good luck charm in the fall. A squirrel appears below the Cardinals logo and just above the player's number inside a home plate with bats crossed. The Cardinals won two straight to upset the Phillies in the NL Division Series after a squirrel scampered across the plate as Skip Schumaker batted against Roy Oswalt.

Bird dropping: A bird fell from the closed retractable roof at Marlins Park in the eighth inning and landed dead near Marlins CF Emilio Bonifacio: "It scared me. I was getting ready for the hitter and I saw that — boom."

Dodgers: Announcer Vin Scully, 84, returned to the booth at Dodger Stadium after missing five games because of a cold. He had missed the home opener for the first time in 35 years. "In my own private world, this is my opening day," he said.

Mets: OF Jason Bay, after originally being in the starting lineup, was a late scratch. He injured his right ring finger sliding into a base Saturday night.

Twins: An MRI exam on RHP Nick Blackburn's shoulder revealed no damage, and the team expects him to start Thursday.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Rays at Red Sox

When/where: 11:05 a.m. today; Fenway Park, Boston

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM

Probable pitchers

Rays: RH James Shields (1-0, 5.54)

Red Sox: RH Daniel Bard (0-1, 9.00)

Watch for …

Shields up: The Rays juggled the rotation so Shields, sharper in his last start at Detroit than the season opener, could pitch, though his numbers at Fenway are not good: 1-9 with a 6.75 ERA. Overall he is 7-12, 4.61 vs. the Red Sox.

Bard of Fenway: A reliever the past three years, Bard went five innings in his first career start Tuesday at Toronto, allowing five runs on eight hits. He has held the Rays to a .145 average in 18 games.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Bard

Matt Joyce 1-for-6

Evan Longoria 2-for-9 HR

Ben Zobrist 0-for-6

Red Sox vs. Shields

David Ortiz 15-for-46 3 HR

Dustin Pedroia 15-for-47 2 HR

On deck

Tuesday: at Blue Jays, 7:07, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeff Niemann (0-1. 5.40); Jays — Ricky Romero (1-0, 3.38)

Wednesday: at Blue Jays, 7:07. Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (1-1, 4.82); Jays — Brandon Morrow (0-0, 2.57)

Thursday: at Blue Jays, 7:07. Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 3.29); Jays — Henderson Alvarez (0-0, 2.77)

Marc Topkin. Times staff writer

Head-shaking statistics

1 Stolen base by the Rays through nine games, the same total that former C Kelly Shoppach has for the Red Sox.

18-0 Margin by which the Rays have been outscored in eighth innings this season.

Quote of the day

"Get your rest, boys. Make sure your alarm is set properly. And get on out here and rock and roll."

Joe Maddon, Rays manager, advising his players regarding today's 11:05 a.m. start

Feeling patriotic

2-0 Record for Rays in Patriots Day games, winning in 1999 and 2010.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Will Power picked his way through the field to win IndyCar's Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday.

He was one of 11 Chevrolet drivers penalized 10 spots on the starting grid for changing engines. So Power, who qualified second, began 12th. But one race after starting ninth and finishing first, the Australian did it again.

This time, he conserved gas over the final 31 laps — three laps past his fuel window.

"You can never say never," he said. "But I thought it would be very tough to win the race."

Despite the penalties, Chevrolet claimed six of the top seven spots.

Simon Pagenuad, driving a Honda, had one of the fastest cars at the end. But traffic hurt him, and he settled for a career-best second. One example was trying to pass the lapped E.J. Viso, whose team eventually told him to move over.

Asked if he would have had a shot at catching Power if Viso had moved over faster, Pagenaud wouldn't speculate.

"With a lot of ifs, you could change the world," he said. "I'm really happy with second."

Rookie Josef Newgarden started second and immediately tried to pass pole-sitter Dario Franchitti. Instead, his car sailed into the tire barrier, ending his day without completing a lap.

"I just got touched on the exit," Newgarden said.

"Maybe I probably should have just … it's a tough call."

Kahne wins NASCAR's return to 'The Rock'

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Kasey Kahne came from the back of the field to win the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 trucks race, the first NASCAR event at Rockingham Speedway since 2004.

NASCAR left "The Rock," which had hosted races since 1965, in an effort to build up bigger markets such as Chicago and Kansas City. Andy Hillenburg bought the track in 2007 with the goal of bringing NASCAR back. Sunday, it was near capacity.

Kahne started at the back because he didn't qualify Saturday — he was at the Sprint Cup race that night in Texas, where he finished seventh — but passed Matt Crafton with 46 laps left.

"I got about 41/2 hours of sleep, and that was plenty," Kahne said. "Coming to The Rock, I was so excited. My alarm was supposed to go off at 9, and I woke up at 7:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. I had tons of energy, but I'll sleep good tonight."

F1: A day after earning his first pole, Nico Rosberg won his first race, the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanhai. Jenson Button was second, 20.6 seconds behind. Rosberg, 26, in his 111th race, made just two pits stops and finished on worn tires. By taking third, Lewis Hamilton took the points lead. His 45 are two more than Button and eight more than Fernando Alonso, the points leader entering the race who finished ninth.

NHRA: Robert Hight became the fifth Funny Car driver to win four consecutive events, beating John Force, Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps in the final of the 4-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.H. Spencer Massey won Top Fuel. Greg Anderson won Pro Stock.

By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Sunday, April 15, 2012

LUTZ

For most of his career, success had been a stranger to Michael Allen. There have been so many tournaments and so many frustrations, so many times when he chased a little white ball without ever catching up.

And now, in those precious moments before victory, Allen stood on the 18th green on a perfect afternoon.

The most amazing thing? Darned if Allen didn't look as if he had been here before.

The 53-year-old stood patiently on the green, smoking the cigar he had brought back from Ybor City the night before. He grinned at the crowd as if he always had a three-stroke lead on the final hole. He took his time, as if sponsors were always about to hand him a $240,000 winner's check. He was so casual, you wouldn't think he would have spent most of his career chasing a moment like this.

Then Allen's second putt fell into the hole, and it was all worth it, all of the bad lies and all of the bad shots and all of the bad finishes and the years of wondering if he would ever win, and the months where he questioned whether his winnings would outnumber his bills and the days when this sort of finish seemed beyond him.

Allen had persevered, and he had waited out a game that can be unkind.

As he stood there on the green, you got the feeling that Allen, too, knew just how cool the moment was.

Imagine it. On the PGA Tour, Allen has played 368 events — 1,117 rounds — and he didn't win any of them.

On the Champions Tour, Allen won his first event, but since then, he had gone 40 in a row without winning.

Even on the Nationwide Tour, Allen had played 127 events and won only once.

In other words, yeah, there is room in his trophy case for this one, the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am.

"What I've been through makes everything worth it," Allen said. "I've worked so hard. My wife, my family, we've made it through the hard times. You see other people that had so much success when they were younger that are struggling, trying to get out here and play on this tour. It's a wonderful place to be."

Of course, everyone wants to win.

Every golfer wants to grab the sport by the throat and become rich and famous and decorated. For most players, however, that's a myth. There are a lot of players such as Allen, fighting off the frustrations of a career, trying to figure out why winning hasn't come more often.

That isn't bad, either.

"This is life," Allen said. "Not everyone gets to win like Tiger Woods or Tom Watson. Most of us have struggles."

Allen can tell you about those. For much of his career, he was just another golfer bound for a finish that wasn't going to make any headlines. He was a name in the agate, and if you didn't notice he was on the tour, you are forgiven.

But there is something to be said for an athlete who sticks with it, too. Allen kept losing his tour card, and he kept earning it back.

He had to go through Q-School 13 times. He earned his card nine times. Those were tough days, Allen remembered, because there wasn't a lot of money to go around. When he did play on tour, he admits he was intimidated by the stars around him.

"For the first seven years, I just wasn't a very good player," he said. "I could get around, and I had heart.

"If I needed to play a hard round of golf, I could."

Sunday was a case of one of those.

For Allen, it was one of those catch-me-if-you-can days. He had a five-stroke lead going into the final round, which meant the tournament was his unless he fumbled it away.

"Play like you're broke," fellow tour player Fuzzy Zoeller told him. "And don't leave it short."

For Allen, who knew this kind of day was coming? His career hasn't exactly been about five-stroke leads on the final day. Play it too safe, and Allen might have left the door cracked. Play too aggressively, and he would have flung it open.

Instead, he was steady, and he was smart, and he never gave the field a chance to catch up to him.

"Golf is about timing," said runnerup Kenny Perry. "This was his time."

His trophy, too.

Finally.

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2012

LUTZ — Kenny Perry did just about everything he could to make the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am a little more interesting Sunday. The 14-time PGA Tour winner shot the low round, 6-under 65.

Still, he finished second, three behind Michael Allen.

"Shoot! I played a great round but couldn't get close," Perry said. "I needed to shoot something low. I was six shots back to start the day. And I did it. I played a beautiful round of golf."

Perry had two eagles. He holed a 103-yard sand wedge on the par-4 No. 2 and hit a 7-iron to a few feet on his second shot at the par-5 No. 12.

Perry also birdied three of his last five holes.

"(Allen) had to play a poor round," Perry said. "And he didn't do it."

Hole of the day: For the tournament, there were only 11 birdies on the par-4 15th. Allen was 1 over for the hole overall.

Huston had a problem: Palm Harbor resident John Huston did not fare well in his first Champions Tour event at TPC Tampa Bay. He shot 6-over 77 and finished at 9-over 222.

His round included a 10 on the par-5 No. 14. That was sandwiched between bogey at No. 13 and double bogey at No. 15.

"That was embarrassing," Huston said. "It was bad all the way around. I didn't do anything good. I didn't feel good. My neck was bothering me. After that 14th hole, I was just thinking, 'Please get me out of here.' "

Pro-Am winners: The team of former Redskins QB Joe Theis­mann and Mark Calcavecchia won the pro-am part of the tournament at 29 under. They beat Lisa O'Hurley and Olin Browne in a scorecard tiebreaker.

Chip-ins: In his first tour event, Kirk Triplett finished tied for eighth at 2 under. … This was the 16th consecutive time a Champions Tour winner has come from the final group of the day. … P.H. Horgan had five consecutive birdies among his first nine holes (Nos. 12-16).

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2012

BOSTON — C Chris Gimenez has had a lot going on.

Sidelined at Triple-A Durham the last week with a testicle so bruised by a pitch that surgery to remove it was a possibility. Called up by the Rays late Saturday and scrambling to get to Boston. Thrust into Sunday's lineup with rookie LHP Matt Moore on the mound and a red-hot Red Sox team at the plate.

And yet his return to the majors was most defined by a failed bunt.

The Rays had just tied the Sox at 4 in the sixth, with two on and none out, when Gimenez went up with a simple mission: put down a bunt. But between being confused by the Sox charging in on the first two pitches and then staying back, then being anxious and offering at pitches outside the zone, he ended up failing three times and striking out. It took away whatever momentum the Rays had built as they didn't score again.

"All around a pretty (bad) at-bat," said Gimenez, 29. "That could have been game-changing because you're looking at bases loaded no outs and (leadoff man Desmond Jennings) coming up to one out and runners at first and second. So you've got to learn from that one, but that's the one that's going to haunt me because I'm a good bunter, too. Or at least I thought I was.

"It's just being stupid. Really, a split-second lack of mental ability right there."

Gimenez will get more chances. He replaced injured Jose Lobaton (sore shoulder), and manager Joe Maddon plans to have him split playing time equally with veteran Jose Molina, whom they are concerned about overusing, with specific starts determined by the better offensive possibilities.

PERALTA POWER: One good thing to come out of the game was a solid outing by struggling reliever Joel Peralta, who retired Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz in the seventh. "He was much more aggressive with the fastball," Maddon said. "He really came after the hitters well."

EARLY RISER: RHP James Shields is still on something of a spring training schedule and gets up early anyway, so he said it won't be that big of an adjustment to start today's 11:05 a.m. Patriots Day game.

"It's just going to be a little weird," he said.

Shields plans to set an alarm for about 6:30, grab something at the lobby Starbucks and head out. "I like to get my body going, walk around a little bit and just kind of get everything going," he said.

COBB BACK: RHP Alex Cobb welcomed his return to the big leagues, even if it was in the unfamiliar role of long reliever. "Once you get out there," he said, "it's pitching."

Unhappy to be sent to the minors relatively early in camp, Cobb said he threw well in his first two starts at Triple A (0-1 with a 2.25 ERA), with no issues related to his August surgery to remove a blood clot. Though his fastball was clocked at only 86-88 mph in his first start, he wondered if there was an issue with the stadium radar since he was his usual 88-91 the next game. "Everything seems normal," he said. "I've got all the feel for all my pitches."

MEDICAL MATTERS: CF B.J Upton (lower back soreness) was promoted from Class A Charlotte to Double-A Montgomery for three final games on his rehab assignment starting Tuesday, which likely precludes him rejoining the Rays until Friday. … Lobaton was sent to the Port Charlotte complex to rest and rehab his throwing shoulder while continuing to hit and do catching drills. Maddon said they don't anticipate "an elongated process to get it well." … OF Sam Fuld (right wrist surgery) was moved from the 15- to 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Gimenez.

MISCELLANY: Maddon said Jeff Keppinger was not to blame for getting thrown out when he rounded third in the fourth inning due to an extraordinary play by SS Mike Aviles. … Sunday's game was the first in which the Rays haven't led.

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2012

LUTZ — On the eve of Sunday's final round of the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am, Michael Allen went to dinner in Ybor City with fellow Champions Tour professional Fuzzy Zoeller. Zoeller had one piece of advice for Allen, who was sitting on a five-shot lead after two rounds.

"Fuzzy told me to play like I was broke," Allen said. "That's what I did."

After making bogeys on two of his first four holes, Allen got back on track and shot 3-under 68 at TPC Tampa Bay for a three-day total of 12-under 201. He beat Kenny Perry by three shots and Peter Senior by five.

Allen earned $240,000 for his victory, the second in his tour career and his first in 40 senior tour starts, dating to 2009. He takes over the top spot on the money list with $661,782 over six tournaments.

That's far from being broke.

Allen has been close to winning this season. He has two third-place finishes and was second two weeks ago at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. But having a lead on the last day is not something he's used to, let alone a five-shot lead.

"I'd never slept on a five-shot lead in my life," said Allen, whose other win came at the Senior PGA Championship. "I'd never slept on many leads in my life anyhow. But I've been playing really well. I thought I should win this tournament."

The only way he could lose was by making mistakes, and he did that when he bogeyed the third and fourth holes. Allen fell to 7 under, one shot ahead of Olin Browne.

For a few minutes, those chasing Allen thought there was a chance.

"There was a little flutter of hope when he dropped a few early," said Senior, who shot 67. "But he put that to rest pretty quickly."

Instead of sliding down the leaderboard, Allen rebounded with birdie on the par-4 No. 5. He also birdied No. 7 and made the turn right where he started, 9 under. His lead was up to four shots.

"That (birdie on No. 5) made me feel like I was still in control," Allen said. "I was feeling good inside, but you want those results to start showing. It gave me the momentum back. If you start missing those 4- or 5-footers, then you can really have a big score."

The momentum carried onto the back nine. He birdied Nos. 12 and 14 and looked like he might run away with the tournament. But Perry wouldn't go away. He was already 2 under for the day when he eagled the par-5 No. 12 and birdied Nos. 14, 17 and 18.

Perry shot 65, the low round of the day, and still lost by three shots.

"I was too far back," said Perry, who started six shots behind.

Senior was five out and made a move on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 13 and 14. He also birdied No. 18 but couldn't put a scare into Allen.

"I figured you had to get into double figures (under par)," Senior said. "Once I saw the first four or five pins, I knew nobody was going to go real low. The pins were all tucked into the corners, and it was difficult to get at them."

With Perry only two shots back and finished, Allen put an end to the tournament when he drained a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 17 to get to 12 under. When he laced his tee shot on No. 18 into the fairway, Allen broke out his Ybor City victory cigar and had a stress-free walk to the clubhouse.

"After that tee shot on 18, it was time to light the cigar," Allen said. "I could screw up, but I couldn't screw up that badly."

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

BOSTON — The Run for the Hoses. The Duel in the Sun. The Inferno.

As the prospect of 80-plus temperatures looms over today's Boston Marathon, organizers are hoping the heat will forge a classic to rank among the legends of the event's 116-year history but preparing for a potential medical crisis from runners wilting under the sun.

The forecast forced organizers to offer a largely unprecedented deferment to the field of 27,000 that had spent the last year qualifying, registering and training for what is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Boston Athletic Association also offered a deferment in 2010, when the Icelandic volcano eruption stalled air traffic in Europe and prevented about 300 runners from getting to Boston.

B.A.A. medical director Pierre d'Hemecourt issued a warning to those with medical issues such as a cough or a cold or a recent stomach virus that left them dehydrated: "Please don't run the marathon on Monday."

"We're asking runners who haven't run previously to (rethink participating) … maybe coming back next year," Boston Mayor Tom Menino said Sunday.

One year after cool temperatures and a significant tailwind — perfect running weather — helped Geoffrey Mutai finish in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 2 seconds for the fastest marathon ever, the heat has elite runners preparing for a slower pace and the recreational runners trying to figure out how to finish at all.

Although Mutai said he has never run a hot marathon, fellow Kenyan and defending women's champion Caroline Kilel said she is used to training in warm weather. But Kilel said the typical conditions were more like 73 degrees — hot for a marathoner but not quite what's expected today.

"The heat affects everybody. Nobody runs fast in the heat. Nobody benefits from the heat," said 1968 winner Amby Burfoot. "If anyone's been training in Miami, that would be great for them."

The Boston Marathon has had its share of hot weather, with the thermometer hitting 97 during the 1909 race that came to be known as "The Inferno" and the 1976 "Run for the Hoses" that started in 100-degree heat and finished with spectators sprinkling winner Jack Fultz with garden hoses to cool him down.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Worst embellishment

ESPN's Outside the Lines did an inspiring story Sunday about Monika Korra, a cross-country runner from Norway who went to SMU and while she was there was gang raped. She not only survived but faced her attackers in court and has become a spokeswoman and inspiration for others who have been sexually attacked.

The problem with the piece was how heavily produced it was, including staged shots of dozens of women standing in a room with tape over their mouths. Later, in a too-sappy moment, Korra rips the tape off her mouth, something ESPN surely asked her to do to signify her strength to speak out.

These images were completely unnecessary. The story of Korra was so inspiring that it didn't need to be jazzed up. The shots actually jarred the viewer to the point where the message was lost for a few moments. The shots interrupted a powerful story and made it, well, less powerful.

tom jones' two cents

Tampa Bay Times staff writer Tom Jones looks back at the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports.

Best rant

Man, do I love ABC's NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy. Sunday he went on another classic rant, this time ripping the league for allowing players to flop to draw fouls. Van Gundy doesn't care who he is offending, including the league, its players, even commissioner David Stern, and that's what makes him so good and entertaining.

"It just ruins the game,'' Van Gundy said of flopping. "I can't believe with all the brilliance we have in the NBA office that we can't find a way to eliminate this part of the game. … I'm just sick of it, and I can't believe the NBA office isn't sick of it, too. They're obviously condoning it.''

Play-by-play guy Mike Breen tried to stop Van Gundy, but the former coach plowed ahead and went on to rant for another two minutes.

His best line: "We're paying the commissioner like $25 million; he can come up with a solution.''

Van Gundy's three-minute tirade is worthy of an Emmy by itself. And he does this type of thing every week.

Best analysis

What a strong weekend for Rays TV analyst Brian Anderson, below. Far too many analysts spend their time making excuses for the home team, but Anderson used his experience and knowledge as a former pitcher to criticize some of the decisions made by Rays pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore.

Anderson's best moment came Saturday when Hellickson gave up a homer to the Red Sox's David Ortiz on a 3-and-2 pitch. Hellickson threw a cut fastball that Anderson pointed out could be successful only if it was thrown for a ball. If it was thrown for a strike, Ortiz was going to hit it a mile, and Anderson was right. "A few of these pitches today,'' Anderson said, "you wonder about thought process.'' Anderson did two things there. One, he taught viewers something about pitching, and two, he criticized a Rays pitcher (and catcher and pitching coach). That's excellent analysis.

Best criticism

Sunday's Penguins-Flyers game on NBC looked like a reel of deleted scenes from the movie Slap Shot. There were fights, sucker punches, hair-pulling and, oh yeah, a little hockey in between. Frankly, it was a rather embarrassing day for hockey. Yeah, sure, a segment of fans love fighting, but this was way beyond simple fighting. This was over-the-line junk that gives hockey, pardon the pun, a black eye.

But NBC rink-side analyst Pierre McGuire deserves major kudos for blaming the officials for a brawl that broke out with five minutes left. McGuire pointed out that officials should have kicked out Penguins star James Neal for a hit he made, which would have eliminated the spark that started a major wildfire.

"This all could have been avoided if James Neal was sent to the room,'' McGuire said.

I would have loved if McGuire and play-by-play man Doc Emrick had criticized all the nastiness that really has no place in hockey, but unfortunately, this has become part of the NHL's culture. Emrick even seemed to pay homage to "old-time hockey'' by alluding to Philadelphia's Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s. I hate to say it, but NBC probably didn't mind all the fighting. People likely stuck around to watch the end of a game that had turned into a Flyers blowout.

Three things that popped into my head

1. All the fighting and cheap shots aside, the Stanley Cup playoffs already have shown why its the best and most intense sporting event of the year.

2. On the other side, even with a shortened season, the NBA regular season has grown tiresome. I've been ready for the playoffs for about two weeks now.

3. How cool is it that NBC has asked Lightning announcer Rick Peckham to help out and call some games during the Stanley Cup playoffs? Just goes to show you how lucky we are to have this guy calling 70-some Lightning games a season.

Best camera work

The camera work on Saturday's Rays game showed exactly why Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz balked. It's because he lost grip on the ball. See there? Pay attention to the little details and you can tell the whole story.

Worst interview

Fox missed the call of a home run by the Angels' Vernon Wells on Saturday because it was running a taped interview with Yankees manager Joe Girardi, left.

Let's just end these in-game interviews, okay? Fox does it with baseball managers. NBC does it with hockey coaches. Nothing of interest ever comes from those things, and like we saw Saturday, they sometimes get in the way.

Best teaching moment

Nice to hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver again on Fox's Saturday baseball game of the week. Buck has had a throat problem the past couple of years, but he sounds as if he is all the way back. That's great news because he is the best baseball announcer there is.

Meantime, McCarver has his detractors, but I'm not one of them. He still teaches me things. The latest example was Saturday when talking about the Angels' Albert Pujols being in a slump. McCarver said a sure sign of a guy in a slump was Pujols, a right-handed hitter, grounding out consistently to the left side of the infield, not when he strikes out or pops up or flies out. That's good stuff.

Biggest conflict

It's time for NBC to make a decision about NHL studio analysts Keith Jones, top left, and Mike Milbury. They are knowledgeable hockey guys, but aside from their work with NBC, they also serve as analysts for teams. Jones does color on Flyers games, and Milbury serves as a studio analyst on Bruins games. (The same can be said for others at NBC, including Ed Olczyk, who does color on Blackhawks games).

Now it's true that the Penguins were completely to blame for all the nastiness Sunday, but I find it hard to believe that Jones would be critical of the Flyers, especially after he strongly took the Flyers' side when the Flyers were upset this season with the Lightning's 1-3-1 defense. Milbury cannot be expected to be highly critical of the Bruins, can he?

Bottom line: NBC is a big-enough entity that it should pay enough money to have analysts who work exclusively for it. And it's not like there is a lack of hockey people out there. If Jones and Milbury don't want to give up their jobs with their teams, then NBC should go out and find analysts who don't have ties to any teams.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Cardinals 10, Cubs 3

ST. LOUIS — Playing because of injuries to Lance Berkman and David Freese, Cardinals rookie Matt Carpenter hit a two-run homer and two-run triple and drove in five to up his average to .409 with 10 RBIs in 22 at-bats. "The boy can swing it. There's no doubt about it," Cubs outfielder Joe Mather said. "Looks like he's here to stay."

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Phillies 8, Mets 2

PHILADELPHIA — Ty Wigginton drove in four and fellow newcomer Laynce Nix had a tiebreaking double as the Phillies set a season high for runs. "They're new on our team, and it definitely takes them a while to get the feeling they belong," manager Charlie Manuel said.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Rangers 4, Twins 3

MINNEAPOLIS — Josh Hamilton's two-run shot in the eighth capped a three-run inning and set up Joe Nathan for the save against his old team as the Rangers got their first series sweep in Minnesota since 1999. Hamilton's fourth homer went about 449 feet. "I'm not trying to do too much. It's 'do what the situation asks for,' " said Hamilton, who leads the AL with 16 hits.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Reds 8, Nationals 5

11 innings

WASHINGTON — Joey Votto hit a two-run double in the 11th and the Reds avoided a four-game sweep by scoring their most runs in a game this season. In their first nine games, the Reds were batting just .191.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Blue Jays 9, Orioles 2

TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer, Brett Lawrie added a solo shot and the Blue Jays had a seven-run sixth to back Kyle Drabek, who won his second straight start. Baltimore left-hander Brian Matusz allowed five runs and lost his 11th in a row, the longest active run of defeats in the bigs. "It's so frustrating," he said. "I'm just flat-out not getting the job done."

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Braves 7, Brewers 4

ATLANTA — Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer in his return after missing two games to drain fluid from his knee, and the Braves completed a three-game sweep. "It was a pretty cool moment," said Jones, who will retire after the season. "This year is going to be filled with a lot of moments, I hope."

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Tigers 5, White Sox 2

CHICAGO — Gerald Laird had a homer among his three hits to back Rick Porcello, who became the first Tigers starter to earn a win this year. "I was keeping the ball down well and got a lot of ground balls and choppers," said Porcello, who allowed five hits, struck out four and didn't issue a walk in 7 2/3 innings. "Gerald called a good game back there. We were able to keep them off balance."

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Indians 13, Royals 7

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Hafner hit one of the longest homers in Kauffman Stadium history in the Indians' three-game sweep. Hafner's shot in the fifth went an estimated 456 feet. "I feel great and really have a good approach at the plate and the swing feels good," he said.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers turned a triple play in the top of the ninth, then Dee Gordon singled home the winning run in the bottom half for a 5-4 win over the Padres on Sunday and a three-game sweep.

The Dodgers improved to 9-1, the best mark in the majors.

Chris Denorfia led off with a single against Javy Guerra and Chase Headley walked. Jesus Guzman squared to bunt, but the pitch came high and tight, and hit the bat as he backed away. The ball landed in front of the plate and catcher A.J. Ellis picked it up and threw to third. Guzman, startled, didn't run to first, which made it easy for third baseman Juan Uribe to relay to shortstop Gordon at second who then threw to James Loney at first.

"As soon as I got the ball to Juan and nobody was running I said, 'This is going to be a triple play,' " Ellis said. "They were sure it was a foul ball, and we were sure it was a bunted ball."