Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

SAN ANTONIO — Ben Curtis entered today still ahead at the Texas Open, one round from his first PGA Tour victory since 2006 in what has been his most humbling year as a pro.

But a pack of mostly non-winners could make redemption difficult.

Curtis finally made his first stumbles at the Texas Open — once holding up a group playing six holes back when hacking the ball into the neighboring fairway was his only escape from under a tree — but his 1-over 73 was enough to stay atop the leaderboard at 9-under 207 Saturday.

Matt Every was grateful to end a long day in the same position where he started: three strokes behind the 2003 British Open champion. Every shot 73 after waking early to finish his suspended second round, but it's his course-record 63 from Thursday that still has him in contention.

John Huh (67), Seung-Yui Noh (68) and Charlie Wi (71) were five strokes back.

Aside from Huh, no one within five strokes of Curtis has won on the tour. Despite six years passing since his last victory, Curtis said he knows how to handle the final round: Simply worry about himself.

"In the past when I've played in these circumstances, that's what I did: I just focused on my game, and if at the end of 18 holes it's good enough to win, great," Curtis said. "If not, I have to shake the guy's hand that won and move forward."

The Texas Open is only the fourth PGA Tour stop this year for Curtis, whose tournament invitations are no longer a sure thing after his status plummeted near the bottom rungs.

Curtis preserved his lead despite two double bogeys, including a wayward drive on the par-5 8th that left him hitting twice from the adjacent fairway. Curtis said he and his caddie decided there was no other choice after his tee shot veered left and landed under a mesquite tree, surrounded by cactus and with no clear path back toward the hole.

"We were joking that we were on the second hole for 50 minutes," Curtis said.

LPGA: Japan's Ai Miyazato won the Lotte Championship for her eighth career tour title, birdieing three of the last six holes for 2-under 70 and a four-stroke victory in Kapolei, Hawaii.

Miyazato finished at 12-under 276 at wind-swept Ko Olina. She opened with rounds of 71, 65 and 70 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round.

Meena Lee, tied for the lead after a birdie on No. 15, had 70 to tie for second with Azahara Munoz at 8 under. Munoz finished with 70.

Seminole's Brittany Lincicome shot 74 to finish tied for 27th at par 288.

CHAMPIONS: David Frost and Michael Allen birdied nine of the first 13 holes and combined for 9-under 63 for a share of the second-round lead with Tom Purtzer and Brad Bryant in the Legends of Golf in Savannah, Ga. The teams were at 19-under 125 in the better-ball event. Bryant and Allen had 65 at the Club at Savannah Harbor.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

SAN DIEGO — The Phillies placed LHP Cliff Lee on the 15-day disabled list Saturday, three days after he strained a muscle in his left side in the 10th inning of his gem at San Francisco.

"We're being very cautious with this," GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. ''There's no reason for him to kind of completely blow it out because it's an injury that if he hurts himself and really pulls it, we could lose him for a long time."

Lee strained his left oblique.

"I don't know what pitch it was, but he must have made a pitch that bothered him a little bit," Amaro said.

In other Phillies news, 1B Ryan Howard, out all season after Achilles tendon surgery, is scheduled to visit with a specialist Monday and could be cleared for more baseball activities.

BOSOX-CUBS TRADE: The banged-up Red Sox acquired 11-year veteran OF Marlon Byrd from the Cubs for RHP Michael Bowden and cash. In other Cubs news, RHP Ryan Dempster went on the 15-day DL with a strained right quadriceps. Chicago will recall RHP Randy Wells to start today.

Pineda setback: The Yankees shut down RHP Michael Pineda after he felt weakness in his injured pitching shoulder during an extended spring training game.

D'BACKS: RHP Daniel Hudson went on the 15-day DL with a right shoulder impingement. RHP Jonathan Albaledejo was recalled from Triple-A Reno.

NATIONALS: 3B Ryan Zimmerman was a late scratch because of mild right shoulder inflammation. He's listed as day to day.

RANGERS: 3B Adrian Beltre hurt his left hamstring and had to leave the first game of a doubleheader at Detroit, but manager Ron Washington was optimistic the injury wasn't serious.

ROYALS: RH reliever Greg Holland went on the 15-day DL with a left rib stress reaction.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Pirates 2, Cardinals 0

PITTSBURGH — A.J. Burnett pitched seven three-hit innings in his injury-delayed Pittsburgh debut. Burnett, who missed the first three weeks while recovering from a fractured right orbital bone sustained during a bunting drill in spring training, threw 53 of 76 pitches for strikes and looked like the No. 1 starter the Pirates envisioned when they acquired him from the Yankees in February.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

DULUTH, Ga. — Florida's bid for its first national title in women's gymnastics came up just short Saturday.

The Gators, ranked No. 1 going in, were edged by SEC rival Alabama, which won its second straight championship with a decisive balance beam rotation. Alabama won its sixth championship overall with 197.850 points to beat Florida's 197.775.

Alabama's Ashley Priess scored 9.950 points on the beam to help decide the championship.

"We couldn't have asked for any more, for them to go out and compete as aggressively as they did and compete with such passion," Florida coach Rhonda Faehn said. "Just under a tenth (of a point) difference is extremely painful, and it's hard, but at the same time I look at what our athletes did accomplish and how incredible they did."

UCLA was third at 197.750, followed by Stanford, Utah and Arkansas.

The Gators had their sixth top-five finish in seven years.

Entering the final rotation, Florida led Alabama by 0.025, the narrowest margin possible.

Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the likely No. 1 overall pick by Indianapolis in this week's NFL draft, was there to watch his girlfriend, Stanford senior Nicole Pechanec. Luck declined a request to discuss the draft, saying, "I'm here for gymnastics today."

Late Friday, Illinois rallied to pass No. 1 Oklahoma for its first men's title since 1989.

TENNIS: The host USF men and women reached today's final of the Big East tournament. The men upset top seed Notre Dame 4-3 to set up a meeting with No. 2 seed Louisville at 9 a.m. The women, seeded second, defeated Louisville 4-0 and face No. 1 Notre Dame, also at 9 a.m. … The Florida women beat host Mississippi 4-0 to reach today's SEC tournament final. UF (20-1) faces Georgia (21-3).

FOOTBALL: Miami and Florida Atlantic announced a three-game series starting in 2013, the first meetings between the schools. FAU visits Miami on Aug. 31, 2013. Miami plays at FAU in 2015, and the Owls return to Miami in 2016.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE: No. 5 Florida upset top-ranked Northwestern 8-7 for its second straight American Lacrosse Conference regular-season title. The Gators (15-2, 5-0) ended a 23-game winning streak for Northwestern (14-1, 4-1).

Basketball

Guard Sam Cassell Jr., son of former Florida State and NBA player Sam Cassell, recommitted to Maryland, choosing the Terrapins over USF. Cassell, who played at Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts and is from Baltimore, originally committed in late March but apparently without his father's knowledge. He backed out and made some school visits. He narrowed his list to Maryland and USF.

JURISPRUDENCE: Jesse Perry, a starting forward for Arizona last season, was arrested by Tucson police on a felony domestic violence charge. Perry, 22, turned himself in. A woman with whom Perry had had a relationship went to a hospital Thursday for treatment and Perry assaulted her, police Sgt. Maria Hawke said in a statement.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 21, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — B.J. Upton doesn't like going to hospitals, even when it involves his own family. So when the Rays received word of a patient at All Children's battling a life-threatening illness who wanted to meet Upton, he rather reluctantly agreed to a visit before Saturday's game.

As soon as Upton walked into 16-year-old Dom's room, he was pleased he had agreed to go.

"When he saw me, it changed his whole mood. He knew exactly who I was, and he had a big smile on his face," Upton said. "It's probably one of the tougher things I had to do, but I'm glad I did. It definitely gives you perspective."

Upton talked for a while with Dom (the hospital doesn't release last names), took photos and brought him a signed bat and ball plus a Rays gift bag. But Dom asked for something else, a home run. Upton couldn't quite comply but instead delivered a sixth-inning bases-loaded single that sent the Rays to a 4-1 win over the Twins.

"It wasn't a home run, but it was just as good," Upton said. "I told him (via the postgame TV interview) that one was for him. Hopefully he saw it. Like I said, it made my day.

"You get into the game and that's something you probably normally wouldn't think about. But I thought about it a little bit. I did. Because he told me he would be watching."

Dom missed Upton's hit live but caught the later innings on TV and, according to a rep from the Children's Dream Fund, which arranged the visit, was "sky high with joy."

Upton's hit made a winner of James Shields, who delivered another sterling effort as the Rays improved to 8-7 before a large and loud Tropicana Field crowd of 31,774. Shields (3-0) worked into the ninth and allowed one or no runs for the 14th time in his past 24 starts. Fernando Rodney, who has gotten the final out in seven of their wins, finished.

Shields allowed only two singles and a walk through the first five innings and got out of the only real trouble he had when third baseman Evan Longoria leaped to snare a line drive with the bases loaded to end the sixth. Manager Joe Maddon let Shields start the ninth, albeit with 112 pitches, but he was done after allowing a single and a double, leading to the run that snapped his scoreless streak at 191/3 innings.

"He just pretty much dominated us," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Upton had gone 0-for-3 and didn't hit the ball out of the infield Friday in his debut after coming off the disabled list as a result of a spring training collision with Desmond Jennings. Then Saturday he singled and grounded into a rally-killing, inning-ending double play his first two times up.

In the sixth, the Rays had men on second and third, due to aggressive baserunning by Carlos Peña and Longoria, and two outs when the Twins intentionally walked Matt Joyce to face Upton, who was 8-for-18 off Minnesota starter Carl Pavano. After battling back from 0-and-2 to 2-and-2, Upton lined a single to center that scored two, and an errant throw to third by centerfielder Denard Span made it 3-0.

"Got the piano off my back, especially after last night," Upton said. "I just told myself to relax, bear down, at least put the ball in play. Put the ball in play, you never know what's going to happen."

Or whose day you are going to make.

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

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Dodgers 5, Astros 1

HOUSTON — Matt Kemp set a franchise record for home runs through 15 games with his ninth, backing Clayton Kershaw's solid outing for Los Angeles. Kemp's two-run shot to centerfield in the sixth inning off Kyle Weiland scored Dee Gordon, extending the lead to 3-0 and giving him a homer in three straight games.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Tigers 3, Rangers 2

GAME 2

DETROIT — Justin Verlander pitched six innings without allowing an earned run, and Detroit salvaged a split of its doubleheader. Texas got an unearned run in the fourth, but Detroit answered with three runs in the bottom half against Neftali Feliz. Octavio Dotel pitched the seventh for the Tigers, former Ray Joaquin Benoit allowed a run in the eighth, and Jose Valverde walked two in the ninth but struck out Josh Hamilton to end it.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

MIAMI — LeBron James and Chris Bosh sat out the game, resting for the postseason. Dwyane Wade played and got hurt.

Wade lasted less than three minutes before dislocating his left index finger, and without their three stars Saturday night, the Heat lost 86-84 to the woeful Wizards as John Wall scored 13.

Wade appeared to get his finger caught in another player's jersey and immediately went to the locker room grimacing in pain. He never returned, even though fans chanted "We want Dwyane!" at times.

There was no immediate estimate as to how long Wade might be out, but with the playoffs beginning next weekend, the Heat hopes for a speedy recovery. He has already missed 14 games this season because of injuries; Miami is 13-1 without him.

James is treating minor bumps and bruises but feeling fine, coach Erik Spoelstra said. James led the Heat in scoring each of the previous 12 games.

Bosh has been dealing with minor ailments, and the Heat hopes to have him back before the end of the regular season Thursday, Spoelstra said.

Game highlights: Ty Lawson hit all five of his 3-pointers and had 29 points and 10 assists to lead the Nuggets to a 118-107 victory over the host Suns and clinch a playoff berth. Steve Nash of the Suns had 13 assists, nine in the first quarter, and passed Oscar Robertson into fifth place on the NBA's career list. The Suns lost Channing Frye to a shoulder injury in the second quarter and fell a half-game behind Utah for the final playoff spot in the West. … Elton Brand scored 20 and Lou Williams added 19 as the 76ers beat the host Pacers 109-106 in overtime to end Indiana's winning streak at seven. The 76ers inched closer to clinching a playoff berth, needing a loss by Milwaukee in its late game to get in.

Howard walking: Magic center Dwight Howard, who had surgery on a herniated disc in his back Friday, began his postoperative walking program Saturday. Howard's surgeon, Robert Watkins Sr., said the operation was "uneventful" and Howard was resting comfortably.

The Magic was 33-21 with Howard in the lineup this season. It entered Saturday 3-5 without Howard. "We don't have the margin of error to make mistakes defensively right now," coach Stan Van Gundy said.

No take-backs: In buying the New Orleans Hornets, owner Tom Benson said he wants the name "Jazz" back. The Utah Jazz was originally the New Orleans Jazz before relocating in 1979. According to a post on Utah owner Greg Miller's Twitter account, the Jazz name isn't relocating again: "The window of opportunity to change our name closed shortly after we moved to Utah from NOLA. We are Utah Jazz. And we always will be."

Leave him be: Frustrated with seeing star forward Blake Griffin get fouled hard, the Clippers are vowing to protect their All-Star in the future, ESPN.com reported. "I feel like people are intentionally trying to hurt him," center DeAndre Jordan said. "It'll all come back around."

Around the league: Bulls guard Derrick Rose returned to the lineup against the Mavericks after missing three games with a right foot/ankle injury. … Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who has missed five games after a concussion, has passed all of the required postconcussion tests and practiced lightly with the team. It is uncertain if he will return to the lineup tonight against Golden State. … Saying it's probably best that he rests his knees, Lakers center Andrew Bynum is not interested in playing for the U.S. Olympic team, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Wizards 86, Heat 84

WASHINGTON (86): C.Singleton 0-1 0-0 0, Vesely 3-9 0-0 6, Seraphin 8-15 1-2 17, Wall 6-11 1-1 13, Crawford 2-14 2-2 7, Martin 8-15 2-2 22, Nene 5-9 1-2 11, J.Singleton 1-5 0-0 2, Mack 0-1 0-0 0, Evans 3-7 0-0 8. Totals 36-87 7-9 86.

MIAMI (84): Jones 3-9 0-0 9, Haslem 3-8 0-0 6, Pittman 4-6 4-4 12, Chalmers 5-17 5-5 16, Wade 0-0 0-0 0, Harris 1-4 1-2 3, Howard 2-3 0-0 4, Miller 6-12 0-0 16, Anthony 2-4 1-2 5, Battier 0-3 2-2 2, Cole 5-11 0-1 11. Totals 31-77 13-16 84.

Washington 23 22 18 23— 86

Miami 15 22 25 22— 84

3-Point Goals—Washington 7-18 (Martin 4-8, Evans 2-3, Crawford 1-4, Nene 0-1, Wall 0-1, C.Singleton 0-1), Miami 9-25 (Miller 4-8, Jones 3-6, Cole 1-2, Chalmers 1-4, Harris 0-2, Battier 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Washington 49 (Crawford, Seraphin, Wall 6), Miami 53 (Haslem 15). Assists—Washington 22 (Wall 13), Miami 16 (Chalmers 6). Total Fouls—Washington 25, Miami 18. Technicals—Seraphin, Haslem, Pittman. A—19,722 (19,600).

Nuggets 118, Suns 107

DENVER (118): Gallinari 5-13 2-2 13, Faried 9-13 0-0 18, Koufos 1-2 0-0 2, Lawson 10-16 4-4 29, Afflalo 6-10 7-7 19, Harrington 4-7 0-0 8, Miller 3-8 2-2 8, McGee 5-10 1-2 11, Brewer 5-8 0-0 10. Totals 48-87 16-17 118.

PHOENIX (107): Dudley 4-12 1-1 9, Frye 2-5 0-0 5, Gortat 8-14 2-3 18, Nash 4-9 0-0 8, Brown 10-24 2-2 28, Morris 1-6 0-0 3, Redd 2-4 0-0 4, Telfair 6-7 0-0 15, Lopez 3-4 2-3 8, Childress 1-2 0-0 2, Warrick 3-8 1-2 7. Totals 44-95 8-11 107.

Denver 30 30 33 25— 118

Phoenix 34 24 22 27— 107

3-Point Goals—Denver 6-13 (Lawson 5-5, Gallinari 1-3, Afflalo 0-1, Miller 0-1, Brewer 0-1, Harrington 0-2), Phoenix 11-26 (Brown 6-12, Telfair 3-4, Frye 1-1, Morris 1-2, Nash 0-3, Dudley 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Denver 43 (Faried 14), Phoenix 51 (Gortat 11). Assists—Denver 25 (Lawson 10), Phoenix 24 (Nash 13). Total Fouls—Denver 17, Phoenix 14. Technicals—Lopez, Phoenix three second. A—15,877.

76ers 109, Pacers 106 OT

PHILADELPHIA (109): Iguodala 6-12 1-5 16, Brand 9-15 2-3 20, Vucevic 2-8 0-0 4, Holiday 7-14 2-3 17, Meeks 2-7 3-3 7, Hawes 2-7 1-4 5, Williams 6-13 5-5 19, T.Young 4-7 7-8 15, Turner 2-4 2-2 6, Allen 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 40-89 23-33 109.

INDIANA (106): Granger 2-12 0-0 4, West 13-22 6-6 32, Hibbert 2-10 7-10 11, Hill 4-11 2-4 10, George 6-13 1-2 16, Barbosa 2-9 0-0 4, Hansbrough 8-14 1-1 17, Collison 3-3 2-2 8, Amundson 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 42-97 19-25 106.

Philadelphia 34 19 28 17 11— 109

Indiana 23 31 20 24 8— 106

3-Point Goals—Philadelphia 6-18 (Iguodala 3-7, Williams 2-5, Holiday 1-4, Meeks 0-2), Indiana 3-12 (George 3-3, Barbosa 0-2, Granger 0-3, Hill 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Philadelphia 57 (Brand 9), Indiana 63 (West 12). Assists—Philadelphia 24 (Holiday 7), Indiana 22 (Hill 5). Total Fouls—Philadelphia 25, Indiana 25. Technicals—Indiana defensive three second 2. A—17,701.

Times staff, wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

SOCCER

ROWDIES LOSE LEAD LATE, SETTLE FOR TIE IN NASL

ATLANTA — The Tampa Bay Rowdies settled for a 1-1 tie Saturday, allowing a goal to Atlanta in the final five minutes.

Rowdies forward Daniel Antoniuk, who entered in the 67th minute, scored on a one-timer off a cross by forward Tsuyoshi Yoshitake on the back post in the 70th minute. Atlanta earned a point on forward Reinaldo Navia's score after a long pass from Lucas Paulini in the 87th minute.

"We have a lot of disappointed players because we felt that we should have earned three points," Rowdies coach Ricky Hill said. "In the first half I felt that we took the game to them and played very well. I thought the second half was more even, but I still thought we were very much in control of the game."

The Rowdies (1-1-2) host NASL rival Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg.

MORE SOCCER

Real Madrid strikes big blow against rival

Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 73rd minute to send Barcelona to its first loss in 55 home games and put Real Madrid on the cusp of breaking the Catalan giants' three-year hold on the Spanish title with a 2-1 win. Real Madrid leads Barcelona by seven points with four games left.

GERMANY: Borussia Dortmund retained the Bundesliga title by beating visiting Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0. Ivan Perisic and Shinji Kagawa scored as Dortmund clinched with two games remaining.

TENNIS

Serena Williams helps put U.S. in command

Serena Williams overpowered teen Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-1 to give the United States a 2-0 lead in the Fed Cup playoff series in Kharkiv, Ukraine. In the opening match, American Christina McHale defeated Lesia Tsurenko 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on clay. The Americans need one win in today's reverse singles or doubles to return to the event's top tier.

MONTE CARLO MASTERS: Seven-time defending champ Rafael Nadal will try to beat No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the first time in eight finals today. Nadal reached the final in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Gilles Simon. Djokovic rallied to beat Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

HORSES

Long shot upends field at Lexington Stakes

All Squared Away, a 70-1 long shot, won the $200,000 Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, spoiling the Kentucky Derby chances of Castaway and others looking for earnings to make the 20-horse field. Tampa Bay Derby runnerup Golden Ticket finished fifth.

ET CETERA

TRACK: Former Florida State standout Walter Dix won the 100 meters at the Mount Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., in a wind-aided 9.85 seconds. Dix won bronze at the 2008 Olympics. … Bershawn Jackson ran the world's fastest time this year to win his seventh 400-meter hurdles title at the Kansas Relays.

FIGURE SKATING: American Ashley Wagner won the free skate with 122.29 points but Japan, behind overall winner Akiko Suzuki and men's free skate winner Daisuke Takahashi, edged the United States to win the World Team Trophy in Tokyo. Japan had 55 points, two ahead of the Americans. Canada (42) was third.

Don Jensen, Times correspondent; Times wires

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Blue Jays 9, Royals 5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Colby Rasmus hit two homers to help make Drew Hutchison a winner in his big-league debut, and Toronto handed Kansas City its ninth straight loss. Edwin Encarnacion also homered for the Blue Jays. Hutchison, who had never pitched above Double A, became the eighth-youngest starting pitcher in Toronto history at 21 years, 243 days.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Brewers 9, Rockies 4

MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun broke out of a slump with a solo homer and two RBIs for the Brewers. Braun, who will be honored by the Brewers today for winning the National League's MVP award last season, hit his second homer of the season and an RBI triple while ending an 0-for-16 slide.

By Ian Lanphier, Times Correspondent
Saturday, April 21, 2012

TAMPA — As bad as things were for the USF defense in a scrimmage a week earlier, it played that much better in the final scrimmage of the spring.

After surrendering 10 touchdowns and 550 passing yards in the Green and Gold Bowl last week, the defense cut those numbers down to five touchdowns and 394 passing yards Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

Led by an energetic front four that put pressure on starting quarterback B.J. Daniels all night, the unit was motivated.

Senior defensive end Ryne Giddins had three sacks and brought pressure that forced Daniels — 9-of-26, 88 yards — into a number of rushed throws. Daniels also committed a safety when he was called for intentional grounding in the end zone in the first half.

Though the defense was far from perfect — it dropped a handful of interception chances and couldn't come up with multiple fumbles — the unit finally forced a turnover in the fourth quarter, when cornerback Joshua Brown made a leaping interception in the end zone on a jump ball intended for wide receiver Sterling Griffin. Brown made amends for a dropped interception and a subsequent unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he drew after he kicked the ball out of frustration.

"I think we did outstanding," Giddins said, "but we have got to eliminate dumb penalties. We dropped the interception and kicked the ball. We can't do stuff like that. That's why we lose games."

Coach Skip Holtz was impressed with three young members of his secondary, including redshirt freshman cornerback Kenneth Durden, who returned a bad snap on a field goal 59 yards for a score.

"I think the emergence of those three corners (Brown, Durden and Fidel Montgomery), to add them to the mix with (returning) George Baker and Kayvon Webster … creates not just one or two guys who can run, but really looking at a top five and having a lot of depth with the (number) 2s and 3s out there," Holtz said.

On offense, backup quarterbacks Matt Floyd and Bobby Eveld outplayed Daniels. Floyd went 14-of-27 for 170 yards and an interception. Eveld, who was 12-of-19 for 136 yards, threw the only touchdown pass of the night, a 4-yard slant to Griffin in the fourth quarter.

Running back Marcus Shaw had perhaps the most impressive night on offense, with 13 carries for 61 yards and two short touchdown runs. Receiver Andre Davis, who had a strong showing at the previous scrimmage, made the big play of the night on a 41 -yard catch along the left sideline as he was being interfered with by linebacker Antoine Pozniak.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Rays vs. Twins

When/where: 1:40 today; Tropicana Field

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

Probable pitchers

Rays: RH Jeff Niemann

(0-2, 4.50)

TWINS: LH Francisco Liriano

(0-2, 11.91)

Promotion: Rays Recycled Youth Hat to first 10,000 kids

Watch for ...

Standing tall: Niemann has lost both his starts, lasting five innings in each. But he has fared well against the Twins, going 3-0, 2.86 in six appearances (five starts).

Leaning left: Liriano has allowed 17 runs over three starts and lasted 21/3 innings in a loss to the Yankees his last time out. He's 2-2 with a 4.43 ERA in seven career starts against Tampa Bay.

Key matchups

Rays vs. liriano

Ben Zobrist 3-for-12

Evan Longoria 4-for-14

B.J. Upton 5-for-16

twins vs. nIemann

Danny Valencia 0-for-8

Denard Span 8-for-18

Justin Morneau 2-for-10

On deck

Monday: Off

Tuesday: vs. Angels, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (2-1, 4.20); Angels — Ervin Santana (0-3, 6.75)

Wednesday: vs. Angels, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (2-0, 3.26); Angels — C.J. Wilson (2-1, 2.37)

Connection of the day

White Sox RHP Phil Humber, right, who threw a perfect game Saturday against the Mariners, was a college teammate of Rays RHP Jeff Niemann at Rice. Humber was drafted No. 3 by the Mets in 2004. Tampa Bay picked Niemann fourth.

Helping hand

INF Sean Rodriguez said he and his family had a great time participating in Saturday's Walk Now for Autism Speaks event at Raymond James Stadium. The cause hits home. His 2-year-old son, GoGo, was diagnosed with autism. Rodriguez said he spent part of the morning trying to keep up with GoGo. "It was awesome," Rodriguez said. "My little man is a runner."

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Braves 3, D'backs 2

PHOENIX — Tommy Hanson pitched seven strong innings and Dan Uggla homered to help Atlanta win its fifth straight game. Arizona, the defending NL West champions, wasted a solid outing by Joe Saunders to lose its fifth in a row. Uggla's homer off Saunders in the third inning broke a tie at 2. Martin Prado had two hits and an RBI for the Braves. Jason Kubel homered off Hanson for the Diamondbacks in the second inning to tie it.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

ST. LOUIS — Jamie Langenbrunner and David Perron scored in a 45-second span of the third period as the Blues beat the Sharks 3-1 Saturday to wrap up the first-round series in five games.

Joe Thornton scored in the final minute of the second for San Jose. And the Sharks seemingly were in control before the flurry that ended their season.

Brian Elliott made 26 saves, and Andy McDonald ended all doubt with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

St. Louis, the No. 2 seed in the West, won a playoff series for the first time in a decade against a franchise that reached the conference final each of the previous two seasons. Before this series, St. Louis hadn't won a playoff game in eight years.

Senators' shutout puts Rangers on the brink

NEW YORK — Craig Anderson stopped 41 shots to make Jason Spezza's first-period goal stand up as the Senators beat the Rangers 2-0 to take a 3-2 series lead.

After Spezza beat Henrik Lund­qvist from the bottom of the right circle 9:18 into the game, it was the first time in the series the Senators played with a lead.

They trailed throughout losses in Games 1 and 3 and didn't lead until scoring in overtime of Games 2 and 4.

Mark Stone, 19, a sixth-round pick in 2010 making his NHL debut after playing in juniors earlier this month, assisted on the goal.

Since New York took a 2-0 lead in the first period of Game 4, Anderson has gone 116 minutes, 32 seconds without allowing a goal.

Panthers 3, Devils 0: Kris Versteeg had a goal and an assist and Jose Theodore made 30 saves for his second postseason shutout as the host Panthers moved a win away from their first series win since the 1995-96 East final. The Devils set a league record by killing 89.6 percent of their shorthanded situations. But Florida took a 1-0 lead on Versteeg's power-play goal 4:00 into the second, a one-timer that beat Martin Brodeur. It was Florida's seventh power-play goal of the series.

Capitals 4, Bruins 3: Troy Brouwer's power-play goal with 1:27 left gave the visiting Capitals a 3-2 series lead. "Everyone knows the fourth win is the hardest," said Braden Holtby, the Capitals' 22-year-old rookie goalie who made 34 saves. "But we're not really focusing on whether the Bruins can come back. We have a game to win." Last season, the Bruins trailed the Canucks 3-2 in the Stanley Cup final but won the final two games on the road to capture their first title since 1972. "It's good to know that we've been in tough spots before and responded well," said Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, last season's Vezina Trophy winner and playoff MVP. "Having said that, we've got to do that."

Norfolk loses: Robert Czarnik scored the tiebreaking goal 5:28 into the third as visiting Manchester beat Norfolk, the Lightning's AHL affiliate, 5-2 to tie the best-of-five conference quarterfinal at 1. Norfolk won its final 28 regular-season games then won Friday's Game 1. Manchester, the Kings affiliate, hosts Game 3 on Wednesday.

First Period—None. Penalties—Havlat, SJ (hooking), 12:37.

Second Period—1, San Jose, Thornton 2 (Winnik, Mitchell), 19:19. Penalties—Wingels, SJ, major (fighting), 6:35; Stewart, StL, major (fighting), 6:35; Havlat, SJ (holding stick), 7:34; Crombeen, StL (goaltender interference), 10:17.

Third Period—2, St. Louis, Langenbrunner 1 (Nichol, Sobotka), 11:16. 3, St. Louis, Perron 1 (Pietrangelo, Oshie), 12:01. 4, St. Louis, McDonald 4 (Berglund), 19:21 (en). Penalties—McDonald, StL (delay of game), 15:30. Shots on Goal—San Jose 3-13-11—27. St. Louis 7-8-12—27. Power-play opportunities—San Jose 0 of 2; St. Louis 0 of 2. Goalies—San Jose, Niemi 1-4-0 (26 shots-24 saves). St. Louis, Elliott 3-0-0 (27-26). A—19,490 (19,150).

First Period—1, Ottawa, Spezza 1 (Stone, Kuba), 9:18. Penalties—Neil, Ott (roughing), 3:45; Prust, NYR (roughing), 3:45; Gonchar, Ott (hooking), 6:51; Cowen, Ott (interference), 11:40; Spezza, Ott (roughing), 17:45.

Second Period—None. Penalties—Fedotenko, NYR (high-sticking), :52; Rupp, NYR (charging), 13:48; Callahan, NYR (roughing), 17:23.

Third Period—2, Ottawa, Spezza 2 (Konopka), 19:04 (en). Penalties—Callahan, NYR (goaltender interference), 9:04; Michalek, Ott (slashing), 13:21. Shots on Goal—Ottawa 9-12-9—30. N.Y. Rangers 14-12-15—41. Power-play opportunities—Ottawa 0 of 4; N.Y. Rangers 0 of 4. Goalies—Ottawa, Anderson 3-2-0 (41 shots-41 saves). N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist 2-3-0 (29-28). A—18,200 (18,200).

First Period—None. Penalties—Jovanovski, Fla (slashing), 9:05.

Second Period—1, Florida, Versteeg 2 (Weiss, Campbell), 4:00 (pp). Penalties—Zidlicky, NJ (interference), 3:30; Parise, NJ (holding), 8:43; Zubrus, NJ, double minor (high-sticking), 13:23; Sturm, Fla (holding), 17:59; Henrique, NJ (high-sticking), 19:09.

Third Period—2, Florida, Upshall 1 (Versteeg, Matthias), 13:17. 3, Florida, Kopecky 1, 19:26 (en-sh). Penalties—Bernier, NJ (roughing), 3:07; Carter, NJ (boarding), 3:07; Kopecky, Fla (roughing), 3:07; Gudbranson, Fla (roughing), 17:52. Shots on Goal—New Jersey 11-6-13—30. Florida 11-12-9—32. Power-play opportunities—New Jersey 0 of 3; Florida 1 of 6. Goalies—New Jersey, Brodeur 2-2-0 (32 shots-30 saves). Florida, Theodore 2-1-0 (30-30). A—19,513 (17,040).

First Period—None. Penalties—Carlson, Was (goaltender interference), 2:30; Brouwer, Was (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:20; Paille, Bos (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:20; Chara, Bos (roughing), 11:40; Hamrlik, Was (hooking), 15:42.

Second Period—1, Washington, Semin 3 (Wideman, Johansson), 11:16. 2, Washington, Beagle 1, 14:27. 3, Boston, Seidenberg 1 (Lucic, Krejci), 17:21. 4, Boston, Marchand 1 (Peverley, Boychuk), 17:49. Penalties—Brouwer, Was (roughing), 5:14; Boychuk, Bos (roughing), 5:14.

Third Period—5, Washington, Knuble 1 (Ward, Erskine), 3:21. 6, Boston, Boychuk 1 (Seidenberg, Marchand), 8:47 (pp). 7, Washington, Brouwer 2 (Carlson), 18:33 (pp). Penalties—Wideman, Was (cross-checking), 7:29; Pouliot, Bos (slashing), 17:10. Shots on Goal—Washington 11-12-9—32. Boston 10-14-13—37. Power-play opportunities—Washington 1 of 2; Boston 1 of 3. Goalies—Washington, Holtby 3-2-0 (37 shots-34 saves). Boston, Thomas 2-3-0 (32-28). A—17,565 (17,565).

Torres out 25 games

Coyotes wing Raffi Torres was suspended for 25 games by the league for Tuesday's hit that put Blackhawks star Marian Hossa out indefinitely.

Torres left his feet to hit Hossa, who didn't have the puck. Hossa was taken off the ice on a stretcher and briefly hospitalized.

"Raffi plays a hard, physical game, yet this contact crossed the line on what is acceptable in our game today," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said in a statement released by the team. "We hope Marian Hossa makes a full and speedy recovery."

The suspension is the longest since Chris Simon received 30 games for stomping on Jarrko Ruutu's ankle in 2007.

Times wires

By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Saturday, April 21, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG

There were zeroes in front of him. Alas, there were zeroes behind him. There for a while it seemed as if there might be zeroes until the weekend was over.

In the career of James Shields, isn't that always the case?

When you talk about the beast of the Rays pitching rotation, this is Shields' natural habitat. The game is always close, and it's always late in the game, and he has always confounded opposing hitters, and for some reason he always receives the kind of run support that suggests his teammates might be slightly ticked at him.

Always, it seems, Shields has to hang around until his teammates' bats wake up.

Some nights — such as Saturday, for instance — that seems to take a while.

Shields was at it again Saturday night, dazzling the Twins, keeping them off-balance in a 4-1 victory. He gave up only five hits, and he went eight innings for the third straight game. In case anyone doubts it anymore, he pitched like one of the premier pitchers in the American League.

The hard part? Once again Shields managed to keep his team in the game when it appeared it might not score again until May.

In other words, it was just a routine day at the office for the 30-year-old.

That's the amazing thing about Shields. Most nights he has the margin for error of a tightrope walker performing surgery. One slip and it's over.

There is something about the sight of Shields on the mound that turns every bat in the stadium — those of the opponent and those of his teammates — into sawdust. Is there another pitcher in baseball who has pitched more innings with more zeroes over his shoulder? This was the third straight start for Shields in which the game went into the seventh inning before the Rays scored. Somehow the Rays won them all.

By now, of course, Shields should be used to it. The Rays have scored fewer runs for him than any starter this year. And last year. And the year before that.

Consider this: Over the past four seasons, Shields has started 102 games. The Rays have scored three runs or fewer in 60 of those starts.

Still, he competes.

Still, he wins.

Still, he walks off the field to ovations.

More than anything, this is what makes Shields a terrific pitcher. There is something hard inside of him, something fierce and competitive. It doesn't matter how many runs his team scores, and it doesn't matter how many pitches he has to throw, and it doesn't matter who the opponent is, and it doesn't matter if doing it the hard way is required.

No, he doesn't throw as hard as the Mariners' Felix Hernandez, and Hernandez doesn't throw as hard as the Tigers' Justin Verlander. But these days, Shields is in the same neighborhood. When you talk about the finest pitchers in the AL, Shields has grinded his way into the conversation.

"If he's not right there, he's that close," said reliever J.P. Howell, holding his thumb and forefinger a quarter-inch apart. "To me, this is his team. He's the 'Ray Way.' He's the motto. When I came here, he was the first example I saw of what being mentally tough was. I didn't learn that anywhere else. I learned it from him."

For manager Joe Maddon, Shields has a little more work to do before he can be considered with the best. But only a little.

"He's morphing into that," Maddon said. "Part of it is that he doesn't shy away from it. He wants to be that guy. He believes he is. I wouldn't necessarily put him there, but he's pretty close.

"He's tough. He doesn't shy away from any hitter. He's got a plan for everyone."

If you wish to judge pitchers by the radar gun, okay, Shields doesn't have the high heat some do. But he has a good fastball, and perhaps the best changeup in the league, and a curveball that is better than most people acknowledge. When all of them are working, he can be an unpleasant test for a hitter.

"Everyone wants to be that player," Shields said.

As for the run support? Shields learned to block that out long ago. He will tell you it doesn't bother him, that his job is to give his team a chance. Lately, he's done that.

Take the fourth inning, when Shields found himself pitching with a runner on third. Against Danny Valencia, Shields threw a 94 mph fastball (strike), an 82 mph curveball (strike), an 87 mph change (ball), another 87 mph change (foul), a 92 mph cutter (foul) and an 86 mph change (strikeout) to end the inning. In other words, Shields is a multiple-choice question these days.

On this team, he is also the calming influence, one of those he-can-land-the-plane kind of guys.

"He could land it," Maddon said, "because he believes he could land it."

Howell grinned at that.

"No chance," he said. "But he would make me feel better about it while we were going down. I'd smile in the face of fear. That's what Shields does. He smiles in the face of fear."

These days, Shields makes a lot of people smile. The fans. The teammates. The manager.

As it turns out, that's one of his pitches, too.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Padres 5, Phillies 1

SAN DIEGO — Cory Luebke outpitched Roy Halladay, and San Diego snapped Philadelphia's 13-game winning streak at Petco Park. The Padres hadn't beaten the Phillies in their downtown ballpark since Aug. 16, 2008. The Phillies' winning streak at Petco had been the longest active streak for any visiting club at any one ballpark, and it was their longest winning streak at any ballpark in club history. The Phillies are 24-5 at Petco Park since it opened in 2004.

Times wires
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Angels 6, Orioles 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jered Weaver pitched his first complete game of the season, and Bobby Abreu highlighted a five-run fifth inning with a tiebreaking two-run single for Los Angeles. Weaver went the distance for the ninth time in 181 career starts on 114 pitches. Since the beginning of the 2010 season, the All-Star right-hander is 12-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 15 starts before May 1. The last time he lost in April was his second start of 2009.

Times wires
Sunday, April 22, 2012

Indians 5, Athletics 1

OAKLAND, Calif. — Jason Kipnis drove in three runs and scored twice, Jeanmar Gomez pitched into the sixth inning for his first win of the season and the Indians extended their best road trip in more than 20 years. Cleveland is assured it will win its first three series on the road for the first time since 1988. Cleveland improved to 7-1 on its current nine-game swing.

New York Times
Sunday, April 22, 2012

LONDON — At the Summer Olympics, the marathon will be the only foot race measured by the standard system instead of the metric system.

And yet the precise distance of 26 miles 385 yards is entirely random, established at the 1908 London Games as an accommodation to the British royal family, not as an adherence to historical imperative.

When the modern Olympics began in Athens in 1896, a race of 40 kilometers, or 24.85 miles, was held to commemorate the legend of Pheidippides. He is the messenger who is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to announce a Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. And to have promptly died.

The 1900 Olympic marathon in Paris covered just more than 25 miles, and the 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis returned to the distance of 24.85 miles. This was more like cooking than civil engineering. Race directors designed their courses by a sense of feel, not by a fastidious recipe.

In Paris, according to David Wallechinsky's The Complete Book of the Olympics, the route was so badly marked that some runners took a wrong turn and had to share the road with bicyclists, automobiles, recreational runners and the occasional animal. One of the favorites stopped for a beer early in the race and dropped out.

The 1908 London Games established what is now the customary distance of the marathon. The reason? To provide a better view for the royal family at the start at Windsor Castle and the finish in the Olympic Stadium. The result, Wallechinsky said, was a distance that was "completely arbitrary."

The race began on the East Terrace at Windsor Castle. Some believe this was to control the swelling crowd. But King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, along with the prince and princess of Wales, had been influenced by attending the 1906 Athens Olympics on the 10th anniversary of the modern Games. And they were hardly the first royals to affect an event.

At the 1896 Athens Games, the men's saber competition was nearly concluded, Wallechinsky said, when King George I of Greece made a late arrival. The event was restarted, much to the dismay of the Austrian leader, who then lost to two Greek contenders whom he had already defeated.

For the 1908 Olympic marathon, the princess of Wales signaled the start of the race, which began under the window of the royal nursery at Windsor Castle so that her children could watch.

Thus, David Miller wrote in his history of the Olympics, Athens to Athens, the marathon distance "was determined in a bizarre manner."

It was about 26 miles to the Olympic Stadium in west London. Another 385 yards were added around the track to place the finish in front of the royal box. The additional yards would make for a gripping and disputed result.

Entering the stadium first on that hot and humid July day was an Italian pastry chef named Dorando Pietri. But he was exhausted, delirious. He turned the wrong way on the track, reversed course and began stumbling. According to news accounts, Pietri fell five times in that final quarter mile.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, covered the race for the Daily Mail of London and wrote, "I caught a glimpse of the haggard, yellow face, the glazed, expressionless eyes, the long, black hair streaked across the brow."

By assisting Pietri to his feet, race officials knew they were jeopardizing his gold medal. But as the official Olympic report said, "It was impossible to leave him there, for it looked as if he might die in the very presence of the queen."

Pietri reached the tape first, collapsed and was placed on a stretcher. Arriving second was John Hayes of the United States, which had become incensed by a controversial finish of the 400 meters and the absence of the Stars and Stripes from the roof of the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony. The Americans protested the aid given to Pietri, and Hayes was declared the winner.

Although he was disqualified, Pietri became a hero. Queen Alexandra presented him with a gold cup. He spurred an international marathon craze. Irving Berlin wrote a song about him. And finally in 1921, the official marathon distance became 26 miles 385 yards, the evolution of which is largely lost on today's top runners.

"I had no idea," said Wilson Kipsang of Kenya, who has run the second-fastest marathon in 2 hours 3 minutes 42 seconds. "That is fantastic."

Then he suggested the race should be lengthened to 30 miles to make it more exciting. Patrick Makau of Kenya, the world-record holder in 2:03:38, had a similar idea.

"People are used to running" 26.2 miles, Makau said. "They run it like it is a short distance. Longer would be better."

Abel Kirui of Kenya, the two-time world champion, said he thought the standard marathon distance was perfect, given that elite runners and recreational runners can compete in the same race. "If you train well enough, it is a distance that will not kill you," Kirui said. "And it unites people."

At the 2012 Games, the marathon will not finish at the royal box in the Olympic Stadium. Instead, it will conclude along the Mall, between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

"The royals aren't what they used to be," Wallechinsky said. "I doubt they'll change the marathon or fencing to please Prince Harry."

A footnote: In his book, The Marathon Makers, John Bryant wrote that the first mile of the 1908 course was measured again in recent years. It came up 174 yards short.