Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Braves 8, D'backs 1
ATLANTA — Tim Hudson answered manager Fredi Gonzalez's call for improved starts from Atlanta's rotation with eight strong innings, and the Braves routed Arizona to open a 10-game homestand, their longest of the season. Freddie Freeman had three hits and two RBIs, Chipper Jones also had three hits and Michael Bourn cracked a first-inning homer for Atlanta.
Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
OMAHA, Neb. — St. Petersburg's Megan Romano qualified for the 100 backstroke final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials Tuesday night.
Romano, a Northeast High graduate, finished third in her semifinal and sixth overall in 1 minute, 0.61 seconds in her bid to qualify for next month's Summer Olympics in London.
Missy Franklin, 17, was the top qualifier in 59.06 seconds, just 0.12 seconds off of Natalie Coughlin's American record. Coughlin, 29, an 11-time Olympic medalist, also qualified for tonight's final, finishing seventh overall in 1:00.63.
Newsome High sophomore Maddie Hess (1:04.29) didn't make it out of the heats.
In the women's 400 freestyle final, Allison Schmitt won in 4:02.84, more than a second ahead of Chloe Sutton.
Florida's Elizabeth Beisel (4:07.29) finished fifth and 14-year-old Becca Mann, who does her club swimming in Clearwater, was sixth in 4:08.65.
Tampa Prep graduate Chelsea Nauta (4:14.32) and Sharla Milne of UF and Newsome High (4:19.70) were eliminated in the heats.
So was Janet Evans, 40, who was 80th among 113 swimmers in the event in which she won one of her three gold medals as a 16-year-old phenom at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Evans joked Tuesday, "I didn't drown. That's good."
One night after Florida's Ryan Lochte beat Michael Phelps to win the 400 individual medley, Lochte edged him again in the semifinals of the 200 free. Another Gator, Conor Dwyer, was third. The final is tonight.
"Oh, that was the semifinals. It doesn't really matter," Lochte said. "It doesn't matter until the finals. We're great racers, we just want to win."
Clearwater teenager Nick Alexiou (1:51.05) didn't advance out of the heats.
Countryside grad Melanie Margalis (100 breaststroke, 1:10.72) and Jesuit grad Tommy Wyher (100 back, 55.87) were eliminated in their heats; Wyher missed the semifinals by 0.38 seconds.
Brendan Hansen, who retired after the Beijing Games only to return, won the 100 breast. Eric Shanteau, who had a bout with testicular cancer four years ago, is headed back to the Olympics too after he rallied for second.
Dana Vollmer won the 100 butterfly in 56.50 and Claire Donahue took the second spot for London in 57.57. Coughlin missed out, finishing seventh.
Also, in Monday's 100 fly heats, Kaitlin Frehling of Seminole and UF (1:01.69) and Newsome High senior Barbara Caraballo (1:02.83) did not advance.
TENNIS: Serena and Venus Williams, two-time Olympic champs together in doubles, highlight the U.S. team in London.
Andy Roddick and Tampa's John Isner were selected for men's doubles as were Wesley Chapel's Bob and Mike Bryan, who won bronze in 2008. As expected, the U.S. roster includes first-time Olympians Isner, Ryan Harrison, Donald Young, Christina McHale and Varvara Lepchenko, an Uzbekistan native who became a U.S. citizen in September.
The Olympic tournament will be on grass at Wimbledon, just weeks after the annual Grand Slam event.
TRACK AND FIELD: Three days after Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh, who tied for third in the 100-meter final at the trials, USA Track and Field still had no idea when the dead heat will be resolved. The sprinters have until Sunday, when the trials end, to decide if they want a runoff — a winner-take-all race — or a flip of a coin to determine who gets the last spot on the team.
Also, Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay says he won't pursue a spot this time after finishing 12th at the trials. The U.S. team gets up to three spots and only two decathletes had the standard — trials winner Ashton Eaton and runnerup Trey Hardee — which led to speculation that Clay might go for the standard before the IOC's July 8 deadline.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Rays at Royals
When/where: 2:10 today; Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)
Probable pitchers
Rays: LH Matt Moore (4-5, 4.13)
RoYALS: LH Everett Teaford (0-1, 5.73)
On Moore: After three straight wins, the 23-year-old rookie had a bit of a rough start last time out vs. Washington, done in as much by four walks as anything, and got no decision. Still, he is 2-0, 2.63 in June after going 1-5, 4.76 in May.
On Teaford: The 28-year-old lefty is being called up to fill a spot in the rotation, having made three appearances (and one start) during an April stint with the Royals. He pitched in 26 games last season, with a 3.27 ERA.
Key matchups
Rays VS. TEAFORD
Hideki Matsui 0-for-2
ROYALS VS. MOORE
None have faced.
On deck
Thursday: vs. Tigers, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (7-4, 3.99); Tigers — Max Scherzer 6-5, 5.12
Friday: vs. Tigers, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (10-4, 2.95); Tigers — Justin Verlander (8-4, 2.52)
Saturday: vs. Tigers, 7:15. Ch. 13. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (4-3, 3.45); Tigers — Rick Porcello (5-5, 4.71)
Sunday: vs. Tigers, 1:40. Sun Sports. Rays — Alex Cobb (3-4, 4.73); Tigers — Drew Smyly (2-2, 3.96)
Marc Topkin, Times staff writer
Media-friendly move of the day, part 1
OF Hideki Matsui was supposedly making a strong case to be the position player warming up to pitch Tuesday, but manager Joe Maddon opted for INF Will Rhymes (who wasn't needed anyway). Noting the dozen-plus Japanese journalists with the team, he said he had a reason. "That was part of my decision to not put Hideki in there," Maddon said. "I didn't want to blow up the Japanese newspapers by having him pitch."
Stat of the day
8 Third basemen used by the Rays, more than any team.
Media friendly move of the day, part 2
RHP James Shields plans on pitching for a while, but he showed some potential for TV work, taking Todd Kalas' microphone on Tuesday and stepping into the group session to "interview" RHP Chris Archer about his next start, and even throwing it back to the studio. See the video at tampabay.com/blogs/rays/.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As they have dealt with a seemingly endless string of injuries, the suspension of Joel Peralta and a steady shuffling of the roster to compensate, the Rays have seemingly stepped to the edge of a freefall several times, then managed to catch themselves.
But after another ugly loss Tuesday, this one 8-2, left them looking at the unsettling possibility of being swept by the Royals before heading home for seven games against the potent Tigers and powerful Yankees, it appears all that has gone wrong may finally be catching up to them.
They'll need a better overall performance, and a strong outing from rookie starter Matt Moore, on what is supposed to be sizzling hot afternoon to keep it from getting worse.
"We definitely need a win (today) just to get back on the right track," infielder Sean Rodriguez said. "It's just tough. You don't want to get complacent. I don't think we have been. But that can happen when you start to lose a couple games in a row like that. I could see there being a little bit more emphasis on winning (today), but I wouldn't say there's any extra added pressure."
Win, and the Rays — 40-34, 5½ games out of first and a game off the wild-card pace — can feel good about a 4-5 road trip, given all the recent drama and knowing reinforcements are coming, with DH Luke Scott, starter Jeremy Hellickson and relievers Kyle Farnsworth and Peralta expected to rejoin them by the weekend.
But lose, and they're looking at the potential of a bad stretch tilting toward horrid as they plod toward the All-Star break, with what would be 10 losses in their past 15 games.
Every mistake is glaringly magnified, any break seemingly scarce, frustration creeping into the clubhouse.
"It's the Kansas City Mets or the New York Royals all over again," manager Joe Maddon said. "It's the same series we played a couple days ago against the Mets. It's almost like exactly the same stuff.
"They got us right now. We've got to figure out (today) somehow."
There were some reasons for encouragement, at least early as the Rays took a 2-0 lead, Carlos Peña crashing into catcher Brayan Pena and new addition Brooks Conrad hitting a homer to deep left, while rookie starter Chris Archer opened crisply.
But they had their now-usual lapse, this time in the third, when a couple of misplaced pitches by Archer and a couple of errors by Rodriguez, or as he preferred to call them, "interesting plays," led to a four-run Royals uprising.
Archer gave up a two-strike single and a double off the wall, Rodriguez misfired on the relay throw then mishandled the next ball (though it was hit so sharply he had a mark on his left wrist from the ball's stitches), and Archer allowed a two-run homer.
Four more runs off reliever Brandon Gomes, who wasn't nearly as sharp as in his last outing on Sunday, sealed it in the eighth, especially with another night of minimalist offense. After winning games Sunday started by Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, the Rays were shut out Monday by Luke Hochevar and shut down Tuesday by Bruce Chen.
Archer, in the second and likely last start of his first big-league stint, made a solid impression. In his two starts he posted a 3.18 ERA over 112/3 innings with two walks and 14 strikeouts.
Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@tampabay.com.
By Gary Shelton, Times sports columnist
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
OMAHA, Neb.
With every stroke, you can see her future. With every kick, you can imagine her coming success.
Eventually, and it won't be long, the little girl in Lane 8 is going to grow into a very big deal.
Eventually, you will know her by the headlines she creates, by the photos on the covers of magazines, by the stopwatches she breaks. You will recognize her by the medals on her neck, by the moments she creates, by the opponents she leaves in her wake.
Eventually, Becca Mann is going to own this sport of swimming.
Who knows? Maybe she'll lay a claim to the rest of the world, too.
For now, it is impressive enough to watch a 14-year-old girl prove that the swimming pool is not over her head, not even if the pool is at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. In a way, this is Mann's first big splash, her first real warning to the nation to watch over their shoulders. She is coming.
She is 14, for crying out loud. If Nickelodeon had a swim team, she would be on it. She is barely a teenager, too young to drive, too young to date, too young to have entered high school. To put it in aquatic terms, she is a tadpole. After all, at 14, most girls are still swimming for ribbons.
And yet, over the last two nights, Mann, who trains with the Clearwater Aquatic Team, has made an entire sport take notice. Tuesday night, she was sixth in the 400-meter freestyle, one night after she was fifth in the 400-meter individual medley. No, it hasn't been good enough to qualify for this year's Olympics. Still, it has been good enough to make you wonder how she will spend the next two or three.
Not since 1996, when Amanda Beard and Beth Botsford made it, has a 14-year-old made two separate finals at the Olympic Trials.
Just wondering, but how did the 14-year-old at your house spend the last couple of nights?
Oh.
Tuesday night, amid the fireworks and flashing lights and intense pressure, Mann looked strong, and she looked smooth. She didn't look quite ready, however. She swam her race in 4 minutes, 8.65 seconds, almost six seconds behind winner Allison Schmitt. How fast is 4:08.65? In 1996, Irish swimmer Michelle Smith won the Olympic gold medal in the 400 free with a 4:07.25, and it took steroids to get it done.
That was two years before Mann was born.
Brooke Bennett, as you might remember, was also impossibly young when she won her first gold in 1996. She was 16. Janet Evans? She was 17 when she won the gold in '88. In other words, Mann has a head start. Watch her go.
Some athletes sneak up on success. They are pretty good, and then they fade, and they kick-start their career, and when they become a champion, it surprises you. Not Mann. Every event is like a preview of things to come. You can only imagine how good she might be by the Olympics of 2016 or 2020.
Squint, and you can see dozens of writers bringing up the old story about how she completed the Maui Crossing — a 9½-mile swim that took 6 hours, 26 minutes and 46 seconds to complete — at age 10. She is still the youngest competitor to complete the swim. Why did she try? Because she was irked she wasn't allowed to swim in the relay event four days earlier.
Imagine, and you can see Olympic officials cuing up the national anthem for her, again and again. After all, Mann once predicted that she expected to break Michael Phelps' record of eight gold medals in a single Olympics.
"Eight in the pool and one in the open water," she said.
Bow your head, and eventually, you can see Mann in a habit. She has said she wants to be a nun. Suggested headline when it happens: From pool water to Holy Water.
"It was amazing," Mann said of her swims. "It's such a great experience. It's so much fun."
And that's the thing. As much as any sport, improvement in swimming is measured in fractions of seconds. At 14, the most important thing is to get in the pool and chase tomorrow.
Mann is gaining on it.
Just you watch.
Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 1
BOSTON — Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a tying solo homer with two outs in the seventh inning, and Boston rallied. Saltalamacchia's line drive to left off reliever Jason Frasor just cleared the Green Monster to tie it at 1. The Red Sox then loaded the bases before Dustin Pedroia drove in two with a single.
Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
White Sox 3, Twins 2
MINNEAPOLIS — Gavin Floyd pitched seven shutout innings to beat Minnesota for the fifth time in 17 career starts, and Alex Rios hit a two-run homer for Chicago. Floyd increased his scoreless streak to 131/3 innings. Rios added a single and a stolen base and Alexei Ramirez had two hits and an RBI for the first-place White Sox. Addison Reed gave up a two-run single to Jamey Carroll in a shaky ninth but got Denard Span to ground out.
Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Rangers 7, Tigers 5
ARLINGTON, Texas — Yu Darvish struck out 10 in seven innings to win his seventh straight start at home for Texas. After giving up two runs in the first four batters, Darvish had his fourth double-figure strikeout game and joined teammate Matt Harrison and Rays left-hander David Price as the AL's only 10-game winners. The rookie from Japan is the first pitcher since 1995 to win his first seven career home starts.
Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Astros 5, Padres 3
HOUSTON — J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer, Jed Lowrie added a solo shot and Houston held on. Astros starter Jordan Lyles pitched 61/3 strong innings to break a three-game losing streak and earn his first victory since June 3. The score was tied at 1 after Will Venable and Lowrie exchanged solo homers in the third. Houston took the lead on a wild pitch.
Times wires
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Cubs 5, Mets 3
CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo had two hits and drove in the go-ahead run in his first game with Chicago. Rizzo's two-out double drove in Steve Clevenger in the fourth, making it 4-3 and sending New York to its fourth straight loss.
Times wires
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Nationals 12, Rockies 5
DENVER — Adam LaRoche homered twice, and Ryan Zimmerman collected his 1,000th career hit and also homered for Washington. Tyler Moore also connected for the Nationals, who had a season-high 21 hits, tying the club mark since the team moved from Montreal to Washington in 2005.
Times wires
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Giants 2, Dodgers 0
SAN FRANCISCO — Ryan Vogelsong outdueled Clayton Kershaw for the second time this season to help the Giants move within a game of Los Angeles for first in the NL West. The Dodgers have been blanked in consecutive games in San Francisco for the first time since 1987 and the second time ever. Melky Cabrera's leadoff homer in the fourth snapped Kershaw's streak of 352/3 consecutive innings in San Francisco without allowing an earned run.
Times wires
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Mariners 3, Athletics 2
SEATTLE — Shortstop and No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan singled to right-center off of Jim Miller in the bottom of the eighth, driving in Casper Wells for the winning run for the Mariners. Wells had singled to left to lead off the inning. Former Ray Jonny Gomes' RBI single capped Oakland's two-run seventh which tied the score at 2. Tom Wilhelmsen pitched a perfect ninth for Seattle for his sixth save of the season.
By Capt. Mike Gore, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Debby doldrums. Fishing had been pretty good prior to Tropical Storm Debby. Now, expect the consistent winds and influx of fresh water into the bay to put a wrench in your fishing routine for at least the next couple of days. You will want to fish farther out on the flats and in open water until the bay clears and rivers empty out. Bait will be scattered, so look to deeper water if you have trouble finding it on the flats.
Tarpon. The tarpon bite has slowed a little on the beach side. There are still smaller schools running around that you can get in front of and cast to with success. In July, I will start making my way to the bridges and further up into the bay to target them. Threadfins are still the bait of choice unless it happens to be a hill tide. Then, you will want to bring crabs into the mix.
Water flow. Snook and redfish have been staged up around the bridges and docks facing open water. Good water flow is the key to success. You will want to use at least 30-pound fluorocarbon leader when fishing docks. Cast your bait up tide and let it float back.
Trout, mackerel and sharks. There are still plenty of speckled trout, silver trout, Spanish mackerel and sharks to be had through the bay. Look either at a map or on your GPS to locate the shoals surrounding our many shipping channels.
Cobia. Cobia are still being caught on a regular basis on the grass flats, buoys and channel markers. Throw a scaled sardine or big plastic eel at them. I have found that throwing an injured sardine at them works best.
Mike Gore charters out of Tampa Bay. Call him at (813) 390-6600 or visit tampacharters.com.
Times staff
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
A number of swimmers with Tampa Bay area and state university ties were in action at Wednesday's U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb.
— St. Petersburg's Megan Romano, a Northeast High graduate now at Georgia, was eighth and last in the women's 100-meter backstroke final, 2.17 seconds behind winner Missy Franklin, 17, who won in an American-record 58.85 seconds.
Romano made the final of the 200 freestyle with the fourth-fastest qualifying time out of the semifinals, 1 minute, 57.99 seconds. Allison Schmitt, who previously qualified for the Olympics in the 400 free, was the top qualifier in 1:55.59. The final is Thursday.
— Former Gator Ryan Lochte finished second to friend and rival Michael Phelps in the 200 freestyle final by five-hundredths of a second to get one of the two spots in that event at London this summer. Phelps, the defending Olympic champion, won in 1:45.70. The Gators' Conor Dwyer finished fourth.
— Clearwater native Robert Margalis did not advance to the final of the 200 butterfly, finishing last in his semifinal.
— Florida's Elizabeth Beisel qualified for Thursday's 200 individual medley final with the third-fastest time in the semifinals, 2:12.27. She also qualified for the 200 free semifinals but did not swim in them.
— Tampa's Chelsea Nauta, a Tampa Prep graduate, did not advance out of the 200 freestyle heats.
— Countryside grad Melanie Margalis, now at Georgia, was disqualified in the 200 individual medley heats.
—Florida State's Elizabeth Pepper didn't advance out of the heats in the 200 freestyle.
—FSU's Josh Friedel did not advance out of the men's 100 backstroke heats.
—Incoming FSU freshman Sami Pochowski didn't advance out of women's 100 breaststroke heats.
The Games begin July 27.
By Brandon Wright, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
VALRICO — Summer is typically the time families head out on vacation.
For the Hammons family, this year's atypical trip will be one to remember.
Sloan Hammons and her family will be heading to Missouri next month so that the local Little Leaguer can compete in the softball portion of Major League Baseball's Pitch, Hit and Run finals held the night before the MLB All-Star Game at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium.
Sloan is one of three national finalists in the 11- to 12-year-old division. The 12-year-old Mulrennan Middle Schooler plays Major All-Stars at Bloomingdale Little League and travel ball for the Florida Fire.
"The only thing we had planned for vacation before this was playing All-Stars," Sloan said.
She will compete for the national title July 9 prior to the MLB Home Run Derby. Sloan will then shag balls in the outfield during the derby before taking in Tuesday's midsummer classic from the stands.
"I've had to change my swing a little," said Sloan, who will be hitting off a tee in the competition. "It's more of an uppercut. Normally I swing down and through the ball off a pitcher."
All 30 MLB clubs host a Pitch, Hit and Run competition during the summer. There is one winner in each age division for boys and girls, but only the top three scorers out of the 30 MLB cities in each age group advance to the national finals. To get there, Sloan won a local competition at Bloomingdale Little League and a sectional in Bartow before moving on to Tropicana Field.
"I wasn't really too nervous at Tropicana Field because I had a bunch of my friends cheering me on when I did something good," Sloan said. "But I'm sure I'll be nervous out in Kansas City because so many people will be watching."
Dad Eric Hammons said waiting to find out if Sloan's score was good enough for top three in her age bracket nationally was tough.
"We knew she put up a good score but there were other competitions across the country to be completed, and we had to wait to hear from (MLB)," he said. "They said if we didn't hear from them it was a good thing. So we were dreading any phone call."
The family finally got the news that Hammons had qualified live on the MLB Network on Sunday.
"I let out a quick scream," Sloan said.
But Eric Hammons said he and his wife were "way more excited" than their daughter.
"My wife and I were sitting in the living room waiting to find out if she had made it," he said. "We saw it on TV and told her and she was like, 'Oh, cool,' and went back in her room to read."
Sloan is the latest in a string of Florida Fire players who have qualified for the Pitch, Hit and Run finals. Raelynn Nichols (2008) and Annie Tarte (2009 national champion) preceded her in reaching the All-Star Game.
"I am friends with Annie so she has talked about it, and I think it's helped me to prepare," Sloan said.
MLB picks up the tab for Hammons and one parent, but the entire family, including mom, Shelley, and brother, Lance, will be cheering her on and enjoying the All-Star Game festivities.
"It's definitely going to be a great family vacation," Eric Hammons said. "This is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so everyone is excited."
Brandon Wright can be reached at hillsnews@tampabay.com.
By Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
On Sunday, Spring Hill Lanes hosted the Burkins Bowling Youth Scholarship Eliminator, a tournament that was open to any U.S. Bowling Congress youth members who wanted to compete for scholarships.
The champion was Anthony Caso of Spring Hill. The 18-year-old was fifth after the four-game qualifier at the beginning of the day, with scores of 191, 265, 255 and 176. His total of 887 placed him as the final member to get into the finals, along with Austin Robinson (900), Kody Daugherty (899), Justin Paxton (891) and Kristopher Rummel (889).
Because he was the final qualifier, Caso had to defeat each of the other four bowlers to win the title. In the first round, he knocked off Rummel, 256-203. He followed that match with a 225-213 win over Paxton. He then rolled a 266 to earn a victory over Daugherty (193). He won the A Division scratch crown with a 231-215 win over Robinson.
The championship earned Caso a $167.81 scholarship from Burkins Bowling. Robinson, also a Spring Hill resident, took home a $125.86 scholarship for second place. Daugherty, a Wesley Chapel resident and the son of PBA bowler Tom Daugherty, earned an $83.90 scholarship. The final A Division scholarship of $41.95 was awarded to New Port Richey's Paxton.
Tyler Burkhart of New Port Richey defeated North Tampa's Joshua Spence 169-154 to win the B Division handicap title and a $192.72 scholarship. Austin Cramer of Gainesville knocked off Scott Hasson of Hudson 231-228 to earn the C Division handicap championship and a $170.43 scholarship.
DIXIE BASEBALL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT: Spring Hill Dixie (2-0) won the District 6 Juniors Dixie Baseball Tournament on Monday with a two-game sweep of South Sumter.
The two-team district allows both clubs to advance to the Florida Dixie Championships on July 14 in Sebring.
Spring Hill exhibited its dominance by winning the first game against South Sumter 18-0 on Saturday, then completed the sweep win a 17-1 victory for the title.
Shawn Laferty, who managed the Triple-A Majors Spring Hill team that won the state title last season, directed the squad. Trevor Vendrone and Zachary Peek combined for a four-inning no-hitter in the Saturday win. Laferty's son Luke hit two home runs in the victory.
Noah Siem, Robert Bunyon and Luke Laferty combined for the five-inning effort on Monday. Siem added a 3-for-3 day to his victory on the mound and finished the tournament 5-for-5 at the plate.
Spring Hill National (3-2) was the runner-up to Bushnell in the District 6 Triple-A Majors Dixie Tournament on Friday.
Bushnell, the state runner-up last season, returned most of its players, and took control of the tournament, going 5-0. Will Glenn, in his first season as an All-Star manager, touted the pitching performance of Johnny Moran throughout the tournament, but no one could shut down Bushnell's lineup in its 16-0 victory to clinch the title.
Both teams advance to the Florida Dixie Championships on July 14 at Ernie Wever Park in Brooksville.
HERNANDO SPORTS CAMPS: The Hernando County Recreation Department has several sports camps available for children this summer.
The basketball camp will run for two different weeks and will be taught by Marion Jones, Michael Jones and Calvin Brown.
The clinics will put emphasis on fundamentals of the game, skills and drills. There also will be scrimmage games. For a fee of $65 per week, the campers will take part from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 9 and 3 to 4 p.m. are available for an extra $10.
West Hernando Middle School will host the camp July 16-20; another camp will be at Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics from July 9-12.
A volleyball camp, taught by Hernando High School girls volleyball coach Patti Martin and assistant Robin Bailey, will take place from July 30 to Aug. 2 at Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics. The tandem will teach fundamentals with daily drills and skills, followed by interleague games.
The cost is $65, with camp hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as the extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 9 and 3 to 4 p.m. for those who pay the additional $10.
Sports camp, from July 23 to 26, will allow kids to enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor sports activities, including basketball, flag football, tennis, dodgeball, kickball and more. Campers will spend each day learning the rules and playing the games.
The cost is $65, with a limit of 50 campers. The camp will be at West Hernando Middle School and is open to children age 8 to 14.
The activities will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 9 and 3 to 4 p.m. for those who pay the additional $10.
For information, call the Recreation Department at (352) 754-4031 or visit hernandocounty.us/parks_rec.
SPRINGSTEAD SOCCER CONDITIONING: Springstead High School girls soccer coach Scott Wern is holding summer conditioning work from 9 to 11 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at the school's soccer/football fields, 3300 Mariner Blvd., Spring Hill.
The workouts are open to all potential players, including incoming freshmen, who are zoned for Springstead. Each player should bring cleats, sneakers and water.
For information, call Wern at (352) 238-4230.
WEST HERNANDO COUGARS: The West Hernando Cougars youth football and cheerleading program will have registration for the coming season this weekend.
Officials will be at Delta Woods Park on Deltona Boulevard in Spring Hill for sign-ups from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The registration fee for football or cheerleading is $195 per child. The fee includes full football uniform with a personalized jersey to keep or cheerleading top, skirt, bloomers and shoes. Divisions are open to youth age 5 to 15.
For information, call Bobby McFarland at (352) 585-6524 or visit West Hernando Cougars Football and Cheerleading on Facebook.
YOUTH SOFTBALL CLINICS: The Spring Hill Sting travel softball team is hosting a series of clinics for youth this summer, with proceeds benefiting the club.
The clinics are being organized to teach and emphasize the basics of the game. The girls will be divided by Dixie Softball age divisions (Sweeties, Darlings, Angels and Ponytails).
Sting coach Dianne McClellan will lead the instruction, with assistance from members of the Sting. The two remaining camp dates are July 11-13 and Aug. 1-3. The registration fee is $25 per player.
For information, contact McClellan at (352) 442-3047 or dmcclellan105@tampabay.rr.com.
Contact Derek J. LaRiviere at derekjlariviere@gmail.com or (352) 584-6337.
By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
TAMPA — For more than three years, former Bucs guard Arron Sears has exhibited signs of psychological problems, including lack of communication and uncontrollable anger.
The career of the 2007 second-round pick ended after just two seasons when the issues did not subside. Blame had not been assigned — until now.
A lawsuit filed this week in Hillsborough Circuit Court points to a single culprit: football.
Sears' parents, Calvin and Henrietta Woods, filed the lawsuit on their son's behalf and are joined as plaintiffs by former Bucs Jimmie Giles and Donald Smith. They allege the Bucs, NFL, helmet manufacturer Riddell and other teams that employed them were negligent and withheld information related to the effects of concussions and head injuries.
The suit seeks an unspecified monetary award and punitive damages.
It also details some of Sears' current issues.
It says Sears, who left the club in 2009, is experiencing "various neurological conditions … related to head trauma.
"Sears has almost total loss of function, is unable to care for himself and cannot take (care) of his day-to-day activities. Further, Arron Sears has extreme displays of temper and anger with the appurtenant risk of causing harm to himself and others."
The suit also says Sears, "sustained repetitive traumatic impacts to his head and concussions on multiple occasions while playing professional football."
The suit is different in one respect from the 93 current concussion-related lawsuits. According to attorney Paul Anderson, who runs the website NFLconcussionlitigation.com, all previous suits named the NFL as a primary defendant. This one also targets specific teams.
The Bucs declined to comment, deferring to the league office.
"The NFL and its clubs have long made player safety a priority and continues to do so," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in an email. "Any allegation that the NFL or its clubs intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league's actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions."
Sears, 27, is known to have sustained at least one concussion during his final season, 2008.
Teammates and coaches first noticed something different about Sears during offseason workouts in the spring of 2009. They described him as distant. Eventually, the problem worsened, and Sears stopped communicating.
Sears returned home to Alabama while the team helped his family try to pinpoint the source, but no diagnosis was disclosed. The team released him in 2010.
Judging by the description of Sears in the suit, there has been little, if any, improvement in his condition. He has repeatedly been taken into protective custody by police under the Baker Act (a Florida law that allows for involuntary examination at the behest of police, judges and mental health professionals) over the past two years and, according to the suit, is under the guardianship of his parents.
Giles, a tight end for the Bucs from 1978-86 who was inducted into their Ring of Honor last year, was part of a previous lawsuit in which he sought increased payments under the NFL's retirement plan. In this suit, he alleges "various neurological conditions and symptoms related to multiple head traumas."
Giles, 57, also played for the Oilers, Lions and Eagles.
Smith, 48, was a running back and receiver for the Bucs from 1987-89 and for the Bills in 1990.
Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@tampabay.com. Follow his blog at tampabay.com/blogs/bucs or on Twitter at @BucsBeat.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rays are in desperate need of change.
As they headed home to cooler temperatures after their latest disappointment, a 5-4, sweep-completing loss to the plucky Royals on a sizzling Wednesday afternoon, it was obvious something has to happen.
The results — three straight losses to the Royals, the 3-6 road trip, the 10 losses in their past 15 games that dropped them to 40-35 overall and caught for third in the AL East standings by Boston — are glaring signs. So is their performance, as they continue to play poorly, alternately making critical mistakes and failing to make key plays.
"What do I think it will take?" rightfielder Ben Zobrist said. "I think we need to hit better, we need to pitch better, we need to play better defense. That's about it."
Some upgrades are coming.
DH Luke Scott, hitting .220 with nine homers and 35 RBIs, is set to come off the disabled list today and push Hideki Matsui, and his .162 average, back to a reserve role and return a fourth player to their bench. Rookie pitcher Chris Archer was sent back to Triple-A Durham to make room.
By Saturday they expect to have Jeremy Hellickson back in the rotation and Joel Peralta, who was suspended, and Kyle Farnsworth, who had been hurt, in the bullpen working high-leverage situations in front of closer Fernando Rodney, replacing Archer, Brandon Gomes and Cesar Ramos.
That's a start, but it might not be enough given that a lack of offense has been their primary problem as they hit .226 over the nine games and scored a total of 31 runs. And with outfielder Matt Joyce out at least another week, and third baseman Evan Longoria until sometime after the All-Star break, they have to figure something out before they fall too far behind, with the potent Tigers and powerful Yankees next on their schedule.
"We're getting a lot of guys well," manager Joe Maddon said. "Not a lot of position players, more on the pitching side of things. Nevertheless, it's always nice to have that infusion going on.
"But even one bat could make a huge difference, also. If Scotty's able to show up (tonight) and swing the bat like he had been for a while there in the beginning of the season, that would be a big boost for us."
Wednesday had the potential to provide some momentum, as they fell behind 4-0 despite a decent outing by rookie starter Matt Moore, then battled back, scoring two in the sixth and two more in the eighth on the biggest hit of the week, a two-run triple by Zobrist with one out.
But they couldn't get ahead, and the Royals quickly answered as Burke Badenhop served up a one-out homer to Billy Butler that left the Rays swept for the third time this season. "It's so reminiscent, the three series," Maddon said. "These guys, the White Sox and the Mets, where everything they hit was good, and we just couldn't get a knock, we couldn't make the pitch."
For much of the past two months, they've talked a lot about treading water. Wednesday, Zobrist acknowledged "these last three games just felt we went under for a couple days there."
Something needs to change.
"We'd like to play a little better baseball overall," said James Shields, who starts tonight. "We're capable of doing much more. We've just got to keep grinding it out. It's a long season. Obviously we're having a tough little stretch right now. Hopefully when we get back home we can get back on track."
Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@tampabay.com.
Times wires
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
DONETSK, Ukraine — Still not pretty to watch but still effective.
Spain again failed to dazzle at the European Championship yet advanced to its third straight major championship final, beating Portugal 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless 120 minutes Wednesday.
"We're playing better on defense than what the characteristics of our players would suggest," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. "That's what earns victories."
After earning plaudits for its offensive flair in winning titles at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, Spain is struggling to create chances. It managed one quality shot in regulation Wednesday.
It didn't matter because Spain came through when it mattered. Striker Cesc Fabregas, a second-half sub, made the deciding penalty moments after Bruno Alves hit the crossbar for Portugal.
"I had this intuition that we could advance if we went to penalties," said Fabregas, whose winner hit the left post and ricocheted into the right side of the goal. "Being in another final is a miracle."
Spain plays Sunday against the winner of today's game between Germany and Italy.
Cristiano Ronaldo, among the best players in the world, had several chances for Portugal. But he sent three shots well over the crossbar. After his second, Spain fans taunted with him with chants of "Messi! Messi! Messi!" referring to Lionel Messi, who plays for club rival Barcelona.
The wing's best chance came in the 90th minute. Raul Meireles' pass was just behind Ronaldo, and with momentum lost, he sent his shot high and wide. Ronaldo also sent a free kick into the wall.
"Everyone helped to control Ronaldo," Del Bosque said.
Portugal's Rui Patricio and Spain's Iker Casillas each made saves in the shootout's first round. Then it was all scoring until Alves' miss. "We really were lucky," Casillas said. "Everything is about luck sometimes."
Ronaldo did not take a penalty in the shootout. He was set to take the fifth, but it did not get that far.
"The coach … said to me, 'You want a kick?' And I said, 'Yes, in the fifth,' " Ronaldo of coach Paulo Bento. "I think we played really well. But to lose on penalties is always unfair, and it's always unlucky."
"I don't regret anything" Bento said of the order of penalty takers.
