Quantcast
Channel: Tampabay.com: Sports
Viewing all 18574 articles
Browse latest View live

New teen in town wins

0
0


Friday, April 1, 2011

Kyle Sutton, 14, really knows how to make friends. He moves from Columbus, Ohio, to St. Petersburg three months ago and his family joins St. Petersburg Country Club. He decides to enter the club championship against players much older and more established.

After three 18-hole matches, Sutton winds up in the 36-hole final against 63-year-old Lee Robinson on March 26. Sutton won the match 3 and 1. Over the last 19 holes, Sutton shot 1 over while playing the course at its longest, nearly 7,000 yards.

He became the youngest club champion in St. Petersburg Country Club history. The 49-year age difference is the largest for a club championship final in the club's history.

Come to Florida in January, make history in March.

"I didn't expect to win it,'' Sutton said. "I didn't even know if I wanted to play in it. But it turned out pretty good, I guess.''

Sutton is an eighth-grader at Canterbury in St. Petersburg. He enrolled too late to join the golf team, but he did play a few games with the basketball team. Sutton plans on playing in junior tournaments during the summer.

Sutton, whose father, Chris, is a doctor, has been playing golf since he was about 3 years old. He said he plays St. Petersburg Country Club as often as he can, mostly with his dad.

His name is now part of the club's 80-plus-year history, which doesn't seem to faze the soft-spoken Sutton.

"It's kind of cool, I guess,'' he said.

In other matches at St. Petersburg Country Club, Bryan Reynolds won the first flight defeating Jim Ina 6 and 5, Tom Sutton battled Charlie Canerday for 19 holes to win the second flight, and Pat Henry won 2 up over Bob Daunais to win the third flight. Brad Suetholz was medalist in the qualifier with 75.

Tennis

The Clearwater Junior Local Spring Classic was held on March 26-27. The boys 18 singles winner was Derek Crossman, the 16 winner was Jonathan Heidenberg, the 14 winner was Martynas Lukosiunas, the 12 winner was Daniel Moreno and the 10 winner was Roberto Rodriguez. The girls 16 singles winner was M'balia Bangoura, the 14 winner was Lauren Corcoran, the 12 winner was Lauren Adams and the 10 winner was Sanyukta Gawande.

• The East Lake Spring Junior Rookie tournament was held March 26-27 at East Lake Woodlands. The boys 14 singles winner was Gantt Shiflet, the 12 winner was Ben Lafrance and the 10 winner was Samuel Lafrance. The girls 14 singles winner was Katherine Labarta, the 12 winner was Elissa Lisle and the 10 winner was Anslee Long. Also, Josephine Joliff of St. Petersburg advanced to the final of the girls 10 singles and Marie Apudo of St. Petersburg won the consolation final of the girls 12 singles.

• The Super Senior men's league recently wrapped up its season, and three area teams will be going to Daytona Beach to compete in the state sectional championships April 1-3. In the 3.5 flight, Innisbrook will compete in the sectionals, captained by Dick Willets. The 4.0 team from McMullen Tennis Center in Clearwater advanced to sectionals. It is captained by Rick Whissel. And in the 4.5 flight, McMullen Tennis Center also advanced. It is captained by Terry Payton and co-captain Rich Bruer.

Golf

Matthew Ruel of Oldsmar placed third in the boys 13-14 age group at the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour tournament at East Lake Woodlands on March 26-27.

• The Women's Golf Association held a tournament at Belleair Country Club on March 22. The winner of the nine-hole tournament was Sharlene Snyder, who shot 45. Second place was Joanne Dean, Kathi Sherman, Sue Keweshan and Ramona Williams, who each shot 50.

Gymnastics

The Tampa Bay Turners competed in the USAG Florida State Championships on March 26-27 in Lakeland for Levels 8, 9 and 10. All the gymnasts have qualified to compete at their respective regional championships this month. Level 8 finished in first. Winners were Mimi Gilbert (beam), Gaby Johanek (bars, beam, floor, all-around) and Charity Chen (beam, floor, all-around). Level 9 winners were Kylie Moran (beam) and Chloe Devries (bars, beam, floor). Level 10 finished first overall. Winners were Tiffany Henry (vault, bars, all-around), Christina Pheil (vault, floor, all-around), Shelby Hilton (bars, beam, all-around) and Naomi Devries (vault).

• Victory Gymnastic Training Center participated in the Level 7 Florida State Gymnastics Meet in Coral Springs on March 19-20. The team placed third overall. Winners were Sierra Herb (vault, bars, all-around), Raquel Pullara (vault), Reagan Gunderson (bars, beam), Shannon Fichardt (vault, all-around) and Isabel Platis (vault).

• LaFleur's of Largo competed in the Level 8, 9 and 10 State Meet on March 26-27. Individual winners in Level 8 were Heidi Hepokoski (floor), Gina Pergolizzi (floor) and Stella Sardo (floor). Level 9 winner was Jenna Cashmore (bars) and Level 10 winner was Kaitlin Green (bars, beam, all-around).

Bowling

Samantha Rayner of Seminole competed in the UF Youth Bowling Championships at the University of Florida on March 26-27. Rayner, competing in the 150 and below average division, made it through two days of qualifying to earn a fourth seed in the final round. She then won all four matches to earn the championship.

Soccer

The Largo United Soccer Club's U-11 Girls Red team won the March Madness Soccer Shootout held at the Belcher Complex in Largo on March 18-20. In the final, Largo United defeated Gulf Coast United U11 1-0. Members of the team are Rachel Dirks, Alex VanZile, Malerie Sawicki, Jamison Lake, Amanda Johnson, Caroline DeWitt, Sophie Masut, Sydney Burkhalter, Rebecca Scordino and Caryna Smyrski. The coach is Angela Sousa.


Tampa Bay Rays' strikeouts not actually that big a deal

0
0

By Steve Slowinski, Special to the Times
Friday, April 1, 2011

There is no outcome in baseball as reviled as the strikeout. Little Leaguers are taught that they should never strike out — that the strikeout is the worst possible way to make an out (well, outside of a double play).

If nothing else, hit the ball and force the fielders to make a play; don't give the other team an easy out.

That bias against strikeouts is difficult to undo, and it influences how fans view major-leaguers. If a player strikes out frequently, fans grow frustrated with him, regardless of whether he is a star or not. Sluggers get some leeway, but even then plenty of Tampa Bay fans were grumbling by the end of Carlos Peña's subpar 2010 season.

If there is one thing the Rays are good at, it is striking out. The Rays had the third-most strikeouts in the majors last season (1,292) and had five players who struck out more than 100 times: Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Peña and B.J. Upton (and Sean Rodriguez came close).

But despite the prevailing public opinion, these strikeouts weren't all that bad. In fact, they did not hurt the Rays' offense significantly more than any other type of out.

Striking out so often has two negative effects: it prevents a team from advancing runners that are already on base; and it lowers a team's batting average.

Thankfully, the Rays did not need to hit the ball in play to advance runners; they could do it themselves on the basepaths. The Rays led the majors in stolen bases last season by a large margin, and they were one of the best in the league at taking an extra base on a single or double.

And due to their high strikeout total and aggressive base­running, the Rays were best in the majors at avoiding the double play.

As a result of all their strikeouts, the Rays did have one of the lowest team batting averages (.247) in 2010. However, having a low batting average does not necessarily doom a team to last place. Last season, the four teams with the worst overall batting averages were the Mariners, Pirates, Padres and Rays. Two of those teams were bad, but the Padres and Rays both won 90-plus games.

On the flip side, the four teams with the best batting averages were the Royals, Rangers, Twins and Reds. Three of those teams were good, but one of them was horrendously bad and lost 95 games. Having a good batting average helps, but it is no guarantee of success.

What matters most is a team's ability to get men on base while avoiding outs. If a team makes fewer outs, it gets more runners on base and has more chances to score.

Last season, the top six teams in on-base percentage all made the playoffs: the Yankees, Twins, Red Sox, Braves, Reds and Rangers. The Rays weren't far behind, coming in 10th, while some 95-plus-loss teams (like the Mariners, Pirates and Astros) finished at the bottom of the list.

Many Rays were undervalued by fans last season due to their low batting averages and high strikeout rates. Zobrist (.238) and Upton (.237) had nearly identical batting averages and both struck out more than 100 times, leading to plenty of frustrated fans. But both still reached base at a league-average rate and were valuable offensive pieces.

This upcoming season, Rodriguez will likely strike out in around 30 percent of his plate appearances and get criticized as a result, but he is still a useful hitter who can take a walk, hit for power and run aggressively.

As long as the Rays are reaching base and being aggressive on the basepaths, they could lead the American League in strikeouts and still score the third-most runs in the majors — exactly as they did last year.

So the next time you see Rodriguez or Upton take yet another called strike three, try to contain your frustration. Strikeouts are not great, but they are also not as bad as you may think.

Steve Slowinski is the owner of DRaysBay.com, a blog on the Tampa Bay Rays that specializes in analysis and statistics.

Brian Anderson ready to move into full-time job as Tampa Bay Rays announcer

0
0

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011

Brian Anderson had done all of two games as a Rays television analyst and was ready to quit. For good.

"I hated it," Anderson said. "I was so miserable that I thought, 'This isn't for me.' I wasn't comfortable at all."

This was back in 2008 when Anderson did a six-game stint while then-analyst Joe Magrane was covering Olympic baseball for NBC. But between the second and third game, Anderson came to a decision.

"Those first two games, I was trying to be like (play-by-play announcer) Dewayne (Staats), who is an old-school, straight-forward type of announcer," Anderson said. "I decided that I had to just be me. I figured this wasn't even my job, so I might as well have fun and let it all hang out.

"It turned out to be the right thing. Dewayne has been doing this for 30-some years and has worked with a million people. He can adapt to anyone. Once I was myself, I got comfortable."

And pretty good. Now, nearly three years later, Anderson will be the full-time color analyst for Sun Sports on Rays telecasts this season. In a quirky schedule the past two years, Anderson split time with former analyst Kevin Kennedy, working about 40 games in 2009 and 50 last season. Viewers, it appeared, took to Anderson, who now is scheduled to work a full load.

Despite working only part-time the past two years, Anderson already has built an easy camaraderie with Staats.

"Hopefully, you can tell that we genuinely enjoy being around one another," Anderson said. "I think people have picked up on the chemistry we have. We do have a good time up there, and I try to say something at least once a game that will make his head snap as if to say, 'I can't believe you just said that.' This is supposed to be entertainment. You're on for three hours and it can be pretty boring if you let it."

Anderson is known for a zany sense of humor, but it's not all grins and giggles. A pitcher who spent 13 seasons in the big leagues with the Angels, Indians, Diamondbacks and Royals and won 82 games, Anderson, 38, plans on being critical when necessary and bringing his expertise to the booth, particularly when it comes to pitching. Best of all, he will get to do it every day instead of 40 or 50 times.

"Working every game now will certainly allow me to get into more of rhythm, and that's a good thing," Anderson said. "Last year, I might see a story line develop over a few games, but those were games Kevin was calling, and by the time I got back into the booth, it almost was too late to tell that story. I had to start from the beginning and I'm bringing up something that started like five games ago and it wasn't fresh anymore.

"Now, we can weave a story from day-to-day throughout the season. I can't wait."

April Fools! Tampa Bay Rays mascot Raymond 'retires'

0
0

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011

In what amounted to an elaborate April Fools' joke, Tampa Bay Rays mascot Raymond "retired'' at Friday night's regular-season opener against the Baltimore Orioles.

Raymond appeared after the Rays announced a "new" mascot named Sunny following the second inning.

Raymond debuted on June 21, 1998 and has appeared in 1,055 games at Tropicana Field and Al Lang Field and Charlotte Sports Park and more than 2,000 community appearances.

USF Bulls' Quinterrius Eatmon loses weight to gain stature

0
0

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011

TAMPA — None of the clothes Quinterrius Eatmon brought to college in the fall fit him anymore. The last time he went home to Alabama, his grandmother didn't recognize him.

You've heard of the "Freshman 15" that everyone seems to gain their first year on campus? How about the Freshman minus 65? The biggest story of USF spring football isn't nearly as big as he was nine months ago. After coming to campus at 362 pounds in July, the 6-foot-6 freshman has surprised his coaches and teammates, dropping all the way to 297 pounds at his last weigh-in. He enters today's spring game at Raymond James Stadium as the Bulls' starting right tackle, and that job is one thing he doesn't intend to lose.

"It was a lot of hard work, a lot of people behind me constantly motivating me," Eatmon, 19, said of his transformation. "I always felt like I had a pretty good work ethic. I feel like these coaches are here to help me, and I'm sure they know more than I do, so why not listen to them? I was told to eat better, work out harder, and I put in a lot of extra work."

USF liked what it saw of Eatmon on tape from his senior year at Vigor High in Mobile, but it had concerns in January 2010 when he showed up for an official campus visit about 30 pounds heavier than the weight he played at the previous fall.

"He was athletic, but he comes on his visit and he's 350-some pounds," offensive coordinator Todd Fitch said. "That was a question: Would he have the work ethic to take that weight off? Above and beyond anything we would have imagined, he did a great job with it. It shocked us all."

Eatmon said there was no magic diet, simply portion control and extra exercise, like hours on stationary bikes and elliptical riders. His waistline used to be more than 50 inches, but he now wears size-44 pants. Offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler said his general inclination is to sign a smaller lineman and simply add muscle, rather than trying to slim down a player who comes in weighing more. But USF's coaches decided Eatmon was worth making an exception.

"You'd rather recruit a kid and build him up," Shankweiler said. "By the time you strip a kid down, it's a year. Now you have to build them up. But we challenged him, and golly Pete, he took it serious."

While the weight loss showed Eatmon's dedication and work ethic, what put him in position to be a starter as a redshirt freshman is his mental capacity to learn as much as possible about his position.

"He's a sponge. He absorbs everything, one of those kids you'd like to have a room full of," Shankweiler said. "Inquisitive, asks questions, is always critiquing himself, looking at film of himself. His learning curve has gone much faster because he has an active interest in getting better. Most freshmen have an active interest in surviving."

Surviving is something Eatmon also knows about.

He had a serious health scare during his senior season at Vigor (rhymes with "tiger") — he passed out at school on the morning of a football game, and subsequent tests showed a heart problem that doctors repaired with a catheter. Three weeks later, he was back playing football, and the scare actually might have helped USF land Eatmon. He had hoped to attend Auburn, having visited the campus several times, but the Tigers backed off after his heart problems. USF didn't, and he rewarded that loyalty.

Vigor coach Kerry Stevenson's lasting memory of Eatmon is him standing in the locker room during his junior year, his team trailing rival Spanish Fort 15-0 at halftime, having been outgained 239-34. Eatmon spoke of his desire to finish the season undefeated and celebrating at Birmingham's Legion Field, site of the state championship. For that to happen, he told his teammates, they had to step up now.

"I was telling them, 'Don't you all want to be there?' " Eatmon recalled. "That's a memory that can never be erased."

Sure enough, Vigor dominated in the second half, scoring three touchdowns in a span of 19 seconds on the way to a 35-22 win, part of a 2008 state championship, Vigor's first in 20 years.

USF hasn't had a true four-year starter on the offensive line since guard Chris Carothers from 2002-05. Eatmon has a chance to do that, though he isn't looking past his next practice.

He doesn't think of himself as losing 65 pounds so much as losing one pound 65 times, a tiny step repeated, a little easier each time, to achieve a larger goal.

"As it started coming off, I started believing I could do it," said Eatmon, who would like to add muscle to reach a playing weight of about 310 pounds. "My knees feel a lot better. My back doesn't hurt as much as it used to. I don't ever want to get that big again. I feel too good right now."

Eatmon has made a strong impression on his coaches, both for what he has lost in the last year but also for all that he has gained.

"Truly a committed young man. You don't lose that much weight without it," coach Skip Holtz said. "It's not just what he's doing physically. It's where he is mentally that's the story. There aren't many offensive linemen that are able to step in and play as a freshman, to pick up everything. He's got great football knowledge. He has a chance to be a real special player."

VCU coach Shaka Smart infuses his Final Four team with energy

0
0

By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Friday, April 1, 2011

HOUSTON — It was a forgettable moment, really, just another hustle drill by just another underdog team in just another practice. Few people saw it, and when the Final Four is over, few will talk about it.

On the other hand, it says everything you need to know about Shaka Smart, who is everything you need to know about VCU, which is everything you need to know about underdogs.

At VCU, they call it the Iron Man drill, a burst of insanity where a player takes a charge, and then saves a ball from going out of bounds, and then dives on a loose ball while the team follows him in a pack. It is a drill that measures a player's desire, and his hunger, and his effort.

Which sort of explains why Smart, the VCU coach, was sliding on his chest across the floor in pursuit of a bouncing ball while his players howled.

This is who Shaka Smart is, all energy and drive and relentlessness. There are coaches who coach as if they are CEOs, and there are coaches who coach as if they are college professors. There are coaches who coach as if they believe they are smarter than everyone else, or slicker than anyone else, or meaner than anyone else.

Shaka?

He coaches as if he's a freshman trying to impress the coach.

This is why VCU is here, because of Shaka Smart, because he still approaches basketball as if he was a point guard leading a fastbreak. He has turned every doubt into motivation, and every critic into a member of the choir. And if a basketball rolls in front of him along the way, by golly, he's going to dive on it.

Take Friday's Final Four practice, in which Smart took his turn in taking a charge during a team drill, then skidded on the floor after the loose ball.

"We've been talking about how important some of the defensive things are," Smart said. "Our coaches figured we would step in and put our bodies where our mouth is."

Nothing new there. In other practices, Smart has taken the ball from his point guard and run the offense himself. When he has been done, said guard Joey Rodriguez, he'll look at his team and say, "Yeah. Like that."

By the way, this wasn't the first time he has jumped on a wayward basketball. During his halftime speech when the Rams were on their way to upsetting No. 1 seed Kansas, he was talking about the importance of getting to loose balls. About that time, a ball rolled across the locker room floor, and sure enough, Smart jumped on it as if it were gold. Which, when you get down to it, was the point.

Smart is still young enough to coach like this, to let his actions surge through his team like an energy drink. Let Jim Calhoun jump on a ball. Let John Calipari take a charge.

"He thinks he can still dance and still play," Rodriguez said of his coach. "He tries to tell me he is a better passer than me. I just tell him he went to Kenyon College and we're in the Final Four."

These days, America is learning that Smart is gloriously, deliciously off-kilter, all right. At 33, he has led his Rams from the First Four to the Final Four, and along the way, he has established himself as one of the brightest, most accomplished young coaches in the country. In two years, he has won 55 of 75 games, and the question at VCU has changed from how far the team will go to how long the coach might stay.

So how does a coach make it to the Final Four?

You start by being a brilliant decision-maker. Even though, the truth be known, Smart once turned down Harvard and Yale to go to tiny Kenyon College.

You follow that by inheriting a graceful, athletic basketball team. Even though, if you check the records, this same VCU team lost to USF in December.

You follow that up by wowing the critics who know the game best. Except that the critics thought the Rams were about the 70th best team in the 68-team field. "Roseanne Barr," is how analyst Dick Vitale referred to the Rams.

And then you follow it with the most wondrous run the sport has seen to the wackiest Final Four of them all.

In other words, it has been an amazing journey for Smart (who was an assistant for Billy Donovan at Florida in 2008) and a team that seems to have absorbed his personality. Along the way, he has had to swallow his grief (his grandfather Walter King, who Smart calls the most influential male role model of his life, died Tuesday). He has had to absorb punch lines. And still, VCU has rolled.

Watch the Rams play these days, and it's hard to believe this team lost four of five games to finish out February. Not that the team remembers. Smart dealt with that, too. He took a large calendar page, stuffed it into a trash can and lit fire to it.

That's the essence of Smart, too. He allowed his team to forget. He has made it believe. He has guided it past USC, past Georgetown, past Purdue, past FSU and past Kansas. How many other NCAA teams have ever won five straight upsets?

Two more of them, and the Rams can win one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports.

If that happens, don't be surprised to see Shaka dive on the trophy.

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg: It's imperative stadium talks get moving

0
0

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011

Sternberg: MLB poised to press issue on new stadium

0
0

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said it's "imperative" that talks on a new stadium progress because Major League Baseball will soon press the issue.

To which St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said, essentially, bring it on.

Sternberg, speaking before Friday's season opener, said it wouldn't be long, perhaps within months, before MLB and commissioner Bud Selig get involved.

"It's imperative that we get this thing moving," Sternberg said. "The can has been kicked down the road and the road is not much longer … But there needs to be some progress. … And I think my patience is greater than Major League Baseball's."

Foster said the city has no concerns about the team leaving and isn't too worried about increased threats.

"The city is prepared for interference from Major League Baseball and all of the Selig tricks that have been used successfully elsewhere," he said. "We've studied it, we know it and we're prepared.

"We understand where Major League Baseball could get involved, but we also understand where Major League Baseball has weaknesses as well. We're all grown-ups. And I will say, the city of St. Pete, we know how to dance. And right now we just want to play ball."

Gov. Rick Scott also was on hand for Friday's game, and Sternberg said he hoped to talk with him about the stadium issue. "He's very pro business, and I'd like to think that we're a good business," Sternberg said.

Scott wouldn't address the issue with reporters, making only a 30-second statement in which he predicted a Rays victory and said "hopefully everybody keeps showing up. This is going to be a great team this year and we hopefully have a lot of sellouts."

Foster talked to Scott and said it was his impression there was "no money" for a publicly financed stadium. He said the old model of the team, state and local governments each contributing one-third of the cost would no longer be feasible. "(The Rays) would have to do better," he said.

With the Rays signed to play at Tropicana Field through 2027, Foster has agreed only to talk about a new stadium in St. Petersburg or sites within Pinellas County, refusing to grant the Rays permission they've asked for to explore other potential sites in the Tampa Bay area.

Foster did leave open the possibility that if there was no solution in Pinellas County, he could allow the Rays to look elsewhere.

Sternberg said it was just as important that they get permission to explore and that leaders in the community step up.

"We're not leaving, we're not going anywhere, baseball is not pushing it, but it's a baby step just to explore, and we need to at least take that baby step," he said. "I'm depending on leaders being leaders, basically, and doing what's right and, most importantly, what's good for the population in general, for your constituents as well."

Foster said he personally likes Tropicana Field, though Sternberg doesn't, and that if there was a new stadium, he would expect it to be domed.

Foster said he and Sternberg haven't talked about the stadium situation since last year, though they did have a brief exchange by the dugout after both spoke to the media.

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


Phillies 5, Astros 4

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

Phillies 5, Astros 4

PHILADELPHIA — Pinch-hitter John Mayberry's single capped the Phillies' three-run ninth-inning rally. That kept ex-Phillie Brett Myers, Houston's first opening-day starter other than Roy Oswalt (traded to Philadelphia last season) since 2002, from earning the win.

White Sox 15, Indians 10

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

White Sox 15, Indians 10

CLEVELAND — Adam Dunn homered and had four RBIs in his debut with the White Sox. Dunn, who signed a four-year, $56 million deal, crushed Fausto Carmona's 3-and-2 pitch into Chicago's bullpen to make it 4-0 in the third. His two-run double in the fourth made it 8-0.

Tampa Bay Lightning's Dominic Moore plays in the toughest areas of the ice

0
0

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer


Friday, April 1, 2011

ST. PAUL, Minn. — There were certain disadvantages to growing up the youngest, and smallest, in the Moore household, especially when it came to those street hockey games in front of the house in Thornhill, Ontario.

That is where Steve and Mark, older by two and three years, respectively, took no pity on brother Dominic.

"You learn," Dominic said, "to be a tough nut pretty quickly."

That description still applies to the center, who does just about everything for the Lightning and is willing to do it in the most disputed areas on the ice — in front of the net, where you fight for position, and along the boards, where you fight for the puck.

"The games that are the toughest are the games I enjoy playing," Moore said. "I guess it goes with the territory."

Moore, 30, is having one of the best seasons of his seven-year career. His 17 goals (with 13 assists) are a career best, as are his three winners. He has won 53.8 percent of his faceoffs, gets power-play time and is a mainstay on the penalty kill. He also has elevated his game at the season's most critical time, with three goals and four points in a three-game winning streak that Thursday clinched Tampa Bay's first playoff spot in four years. And though he is minus-14, he is plus-6 in his past 36 games.

That Moore has picked up the pace as the playoffs approach is no surprise to coach Guy Boucher, who had a close look last season as Moore had two goals and 11 points in 21 regular-season games for Montreal after being acquired from Florida, and four goals in 19 playoff games.

"People don't realize how valuable he is. That's why I was a big fan in trying to get him here," said Boucher, who coached Montreal's AHL affiliate at Hamilton. "When guys are better under pressure and when the game is tougher, you can't have enough of those guys. It's crunch time, and he's getting better."

Consider two goals: the winner in a 4-2 victory over Carolina on March 26 that snapped a four-game losing streak and a second-period tally Tuesday vs. Ottawa. Both came from in front of the net after Moore, 6 feet, 192 pounds, jostled or outmaneuvered opponents to create room.

"With Dominic, you always see his work ethic and attitude and especially his drive to the net," teammate Sean Bergenheim said. "We didn't do that in the bad stretch we had. He's really pointed us in the right direction."

Just as he undoubtedly will today against the Wild at the Xcel Energy Center, and as he did with his brothers, both of whom were drafted by NHL teams.

Steve played parts of three seasons with Colorado before an infamous blindside punch from then-Canuck/current Red Wing Todd Bertuzzi ended his career in 2004. Mark, drafted by Pittsburgh, played in the AHL. Mark, Dominic said, is 6-4, Steve 6-2.

"Anyone who has brothers knows how it is," he said. "That's the fun of growing up like that. We spent every hour on the street playing hockey. It was always Game 7. It was always a battle."

"You are a product of your environment, for sure," Boucher said.

In this case, that's a definite advantage.

Captain's Corner: Grouper back in season

0
0

By Bill Hardman, Times Correspondent
Friday, April 1, 2011

What's hot: Starting today, grouper season is open. Gag grouper is still off-limits in federal waters. Other shallow-water grouper are open in federal and state waters. The heavy rains of this week generated a lot of runoff and that should lower offshore bottom visibility.

Good tactic: If you hunt gags in lower visibility, try to fish your spot or chum it up before you go spearfishing. This tactic gets the gags to swim down the ledge and stay under your boat.

Two tournaments: The Clearwater Classic is today with the weigh-in at the Clearwater Marina. This is new to the area. The Tampa Bay Spearfishing Challenge is next weekend. Divers are coming from as far away as Colorado and New York. The public can view the weigh-in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 10 at the WingHouse restaurant in Pinellas Park. See tampabayspearfishingclub.org for more information.

Bill Hardman teaches scuba, spearfishing and free diving through Aquatic Obsessions Scuba in St. Petersburg and can be reached at CaptainBillHardman@gmail.com or (727) 344-3483.

Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin run like clockwork at Martinsville

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson have combined to win the past nine Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway.

Could it really be that two guys are that much superior, and the 41 others have no chance at winning on NASCAR's oldest active track?

No, insisted Johnson. The secret to winning at Martinsville is nothing more than accepting the 0.526-mile paper-clip-shaped track as it is and not trying anything fancy.

"There's one way to drive this place and that's it," said Johnson, a six-time Martinsville winner.

Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins at the track, but only two drivers have mastered Martinsville's flat track since 2006, when Johnson began a run that lasted until Hamlin caught him. Hamlin is a four-time Martinsville winner, including the past three visits to the state where he grew up.

Johnson, who earned his first Martinsville win in fall 2004, credits that domination by him and Hamlin to knowing exactly what to do from the moment their car hits the track in Friday's first practice.

"A lot of tracks have a lot of other options, but there's one very specific line you have to run, and when a guy finds it, and he can set his car up to it, you go and go and go for years," Johnson said. "That's what Denny has been able to do, and what we've been able to do and Jeff has done."

Hamlin didn't disagree.

"I just think that we have got something figured out that really no one else has figured out at this point," Hamlin said.

Hamlin has had Martinsville figured out since his rookie season. He has 10 top-10s in 11 career starts, with his only blemish a 2006 crash that led to a 37th-place finish in his second race at the track.

Last year, with his team in a slump, Hamlin came to Martinsville and said that he'd have knee surgery the day after the race, which was then rescheduled to Monday because of rain. Most everyone wrote off Hamlin's chances for the race win and the championship. He instead bulldozed his way through the field on a final restart to grab his first victory of the season.

From there, Hamlin weathered the surgery, won eight races and finished second to Johnson for the title.

Hamlin needs a repeat performance. His 39th-place last week at California dropped him to 21st in points. But he won't be concerned unless Sunday is a bust for him.

"We're looking to (Martinsville) to be the one that kind of sets our season in motion," Hamlin said. "Hopefully it's no different this year."

Field has range of Final Four experience

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — Two-time defending champion Connecticut isn't the only team relying on experience in this year's Final Four.

Stanford has four straight years of Final Four experience, plus confidence from beating UConn and snapping its 90-game winning streak this season.

"I think that there's maybe a certain amount of more calmness," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said of her team, loser of two of the past three title games. "People know a little bit more what to expect."

That doesn't faze UConn coach Geno Auriemma. "One thing is the absolute truth: Only a couple kids playing know how to win a national championship," he said, "and I'm fortunate to have them on my team."

One of those players is Maya Moore, a four-time All-American with 3,000 career points and the key to the Huskies' run over the past few seasons.

"Where does she fit in among the great ones?" Auriemma said. "I would say you're not going to be able to mention a lot of names before you get to her name."

UConn's semifinal opponent is familiar: Notre Dame. The teams have played three times this season, and the Irish hung with the Huskies in those games, including in a three-point home loss in January.

"It's difficult, I hope, to beat a team four times," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said.

Though her players lack Final Four experience, McGraw does not. Her Irish team won the national title in 2001 after knocking off UConn in the semifinals. That was Notre Dame's last trip to the championship game.

Texas A&M coach Gary Blair coached Arkansas to the Final Four in 1998. He said his team won't be intimidated by the hype. "What we're going to have to do is put our cell phones away," he said. "We're not going on a sightseeing trip. … We're going to win a national championship."

Pirates 6, Cubs 3

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

Pirates 6, Cubs 3

CHICAGO — Neil Walker's grand slam in the fifth and Andrew McCutchen's two-run homer in the seventh lifted the Pirates. Pittsburgh, which has 18 consecutive losing seasons, won its fifth consecutive opener.


Game preview: Tampa Bay Lightning at Minnesota Wild

0
0

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011

Sports in brief

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

College football

Rebel gets sixth season

Mississippi DL Kentrell Lockett, All-SEC in 2008 and 2009, was granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA. Lockett redshirted as a freshman in 2006. Last season, he missed the opener due to a heart condition then tore his left ACL in the fourth game. The Rebels hope he will be ready for fall drills.

NFL

Broncos star's trial off

Charges against Broncos DE Elvis Dumervil resulting from an altercation with a parking lot attendant before a home game last season were dropped. The league's sack leader in 2009 was set to go on trial Tuesday for assault and disturbing the peace. On Oct. 24, the injured Dumervil forgot his player credential and wasn't allowed into the stadium despite showing his driver's license.

Draft: Florida C Mike Pouncey is one of 20 prospects invited to New York for the first round April 28.

Winter sports

Mancuso wins again

Julia Mancuso extended her record with a 12th U.S. title, the giant slalom in Winter Park, Colo. Last year, Mancuso broke Andrea Mead Lawrence's record that stood for 55 years. Friday, she trailed Sarah Schleper by 1.52 seconds after the first run. But she overtook her on the second to finish in a combined 2:21.61, 0.61 faster than Schleper, for her third straight U.S. giant slalom title.

Et cetera

Olympics: The international federations for softball and baseball are working on a joint proposal in hopes of getting both back by the 2020 Games. Both have been dropped for 2012 and 2016. The federations said they are analyzing potential savings via sharing a venue and housing.

Soccer: Toronto traded star M Dwayne De Rosario to New York for M Tony Tchani, D Danleigh Borman and a 2012 first-round pick. De Rosario scored 15 of Toronto's 33 goals last season but was upset with his salary ($443,750 last season).

Sailing: America's Cup officials announced a series of events, called the World Series, will precede the 34th event on San Francisco Bay in 2013. Portugal (Aug. 6-14), England (Sept. 10-18) and San Diego (undetermined) will be the first stops. Organizers also announced 14 challengers and defending champ Oracle of San Francisco met the deadline for the America's Cup. Competitors were not disclosed, but previously declaring were teams from Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, France, China and Australia.

Times wires

Cricket

World cup has gone very viral in India

MUMBAI, India — Some estimates suggest one-sixth of humanity watched the World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan on Wednesday. Given India's population is about 1.21 billion, the TV audience for today's final against Sri Lanka could exceed that.

India has waited 28 years since its last World Cup title. For that reason alone, few in this cricket-obsessed nation are likely to miss the showdown against Sri Lanka.

Newspaper and TV coverage has been full of World Cup stories. But the event isn't just causing a boom in traditional forms of media.

Nearly 24 hours after the semifinal, it was still the top trending topic on Twitter in India.

India tennis star Sania Mirza and her husband, Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik, tweeted after the match. "Bad luck to Pakistan..fantastic win by India but job only half done..one more to go..phheww..now I can go practice in peace..GO INDIA," hers read. "Today the Pakistani cricket team has given the whole Pakistan a lot to cheer and smile about..we are proud of you boys..." his read.

On Facebook, an India Cricket page received more than 1,000 comments during the game. And Nike's "Bleed Blue" and Pepsi's "Change The Game" ad campaigns have more than a million "likes."

Ex-players honor Guy Lewis

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

HOUSTON — Players from the five Final Four teams of former Houston coach Guy V. Lewis gathered Friday to honor him and share a message.

Elvin Hayes to Clyde Drexler are among those upset that the 89-year-old, who won 592 games with the Cougars, has not been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

"I think it's shameful," Hayes said. "We have three players in the Hall of Fame, three players on the NBA 50 greatest team, five Final Fours and how can you tell me (Lewis) is not one of the greatest coaches and one of the greatest minds in basketball?"

Lewis, who coached at Houston from 1956 to 1986, has been confined to a wheelchair and has had trouble speaking since a stroke in 2002. He smiled broadly and chuckled often.

"Well, I tell you it's a big, big, big thing to me," he said.

"He's as good as John Wooden. He's as good as Dean Smith," Drexler said.

uconn trouble?: Nate Miles said he is open to talking to the NCAA about his recruitment by Connecticut and said coach Jim Calhoun knew he received improper benefits from a former team manager.

Calhoun and Connecticut were penalized by the NCAA in February for recruiting violations involving Miles and other infractions. Miles refused to participate in the investigation.

Miles told the New York Times he "probably" would talk to the NCAA now to "get some things straight."

A spokeswoman for the NCAA said it would consider listening.

Miles was expelled from UConn in October 2008 without ever playing. Now 23, he moves from friend's couch to friend's couch, still recovering from an assault that left him with a stab wound and a punctured lung and a monthlong stay in the hospital.

He has two sons from different mothers and says he cannot play at a local recreation center because he lacks the $10 fee.

All-Star game: Morehead State's Kenneth Faried had 17 points and 18 rebounds to lead the West team to a 113-108 win over the East in Houston.

Coaching rivalry adds respect

0
0


Friday, April 1, 2011

HOUSTON — At the Final Four Salute on Thursday night, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun repeated how he was the grandfather among the quartet of coaches, how Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens were his "brilliant young sons" and John Calipari was his "problem child."

"It's like My Three Sons," said the 68-year-old coach, referencing the 1960s TV comedy, "and I'm Fred MacMurray."

"I told him I know Fred MacMurray," said the problem child on Friday, "and Jim, you're no Fred MacMurray."

Ah, love is in the air.

Okay, so it's not love — "We're not friends," said Calhoun — but there has been a hype factor to this supposed feud between the coaches who will meet tonight.

The two might not be best friends, but there seems to be at least a burgeoning respect being fostered between Connecticut's Calhoun and Kentucky's Calipari. Not affection. But respect.

"Jim is a Hall of Famer," Calipari, 52, said.

"John was an aggressive personality," said Calhoun, "who has developed into a great coach."

In the 1990s, they were too much alike and too close together to ever get along. Calhoun was the tough, abrasive coach building a program at UConn. Calipari was the tough, loquacious coach building a program at UMass.

"The Northeast is so tight, you're right on top of each other," said Calipari on Friday, "and it's a competitive environment."

Calhoun said that Calipari tried to pass himself off as a Northeasterner. But he said Calipari couldn't even recognize real clam chowder. "I took umbrage to that," Calhoun said. "But I take umbrage to a lot of things."

They played twice back then. Calhoun won both. When Calipari landed in Memphis after being fired by the New Jersey Nets, they met once. Calipari won that one. They met last season at Madison Square Garden in the SEC/Big East Challenge. Kentucky won. They met this year in the Maui finals. UConn rolled.

"I grabbed Jim after the game and told him he outcoached me," Calipari said. "He made me look bad."

Both have made a lot of coaches look bad this season.

UConn was not even picked in the preseason top 68 by Sports Illustrated. Kentucky lost five first-round picks from last year.

"He's developed into, in my opinion, a terrific coach," Calhoun said Friday.

Maybe time heals old wounds. Maybe they are both so happy to be here they'll even say nice things about each other.

"If I was playing John, I'd post him up," Calhoun said. "But it's not about the coaches."

Butler: Success is no surprise

0
0

Times wires
Friday, April 1, 2011

HOUSTON — Butler's return to the Final Four didn't surprise the Bulldogs, who have come to expect this kind of success.

Like Gonzaga before them, the Bulldogs have transformed themselves into a mid-major contender with solid players who tend to stay in school. They don't feel as if they must work up to being a power program. In their eyes, they're already there.

"We have been that program," said senior Shawn Vanzant, a former Wharton standout. "The people before us set that trend and foundation for us to get to this point. Look at 2003 and '07 before I got here, we made the Sweet 16. So I feel like we have been a powerhouse, and people just haven't recognized us."

Butler has been to five straight NCAA Tournaments and will play fellow mid-major Virginia Commonwealth tonight.

The Bulldogs have drawn comparisons to Gonzaga with their sustained success. The Zags, from the West Coast Conference, have been to 13 straight NCAA Tournaments but no Final Fours.

"We hear it, but we don't really focus on it," Butler's Ronald Nored said. "I think we're great being ourselves. We don't really focus on what people did before us, but it's been great for basketball that teams like Gonzaga, teams like VCU, teams like George Mason have done what they've done."

Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he admires the work of Butler coach Brad Stevens.

"Xavier, Gonzaga, Butler, they're not mid-majors," he said. "They may not be from power conferences, but they can play against anybody."

One key to the emergence of teams such as Butler on the national stage is that its players typically stay for four years.

"I think the biggest thing in building a blueprint for success long term, when you come from a non-BCS league, is continuity from a player standpoint," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "You got to have guys that are in the program for longer. I think the reason that Butler and VCU have a chance to win it all is because the two other teams in the Final Four are probably more talented, they probably have more NBA players, but they're younger, significantly younger."

Butler starts seniors Matt Howard and Vanzant, junior Shelvin Mack and two sophomores. Senior Zach Hahn is a key player off the bench.

"We can't duplicate what a bigger school is doing," Nored said. "We're Butler, and the way we do things has been great. We just have to continue to do them."

Viewing all 18574 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images