Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Mets 11, Phillies 1

NEW YORK — Jonathon Niese had a two-run single to back his fine performance on the mound, and David Wright hit a three-run homer to break it open for New York. Niese pitched a season-high eight innings, giving up only a homer to Carlos Ruiz, and his hit in the second put the Mets up for good. New York put on a clinic of clutch hitting and slick fielding in handing Philadelphia its sixth straight loss.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Blue Jays 6, Royals 3

TORONTO — Adam Lind hit a three-run homer and Brett Cecil won for the first time in three starts for Toronto. Lind's homer was the big blow in a six-run fourth as the Blue Jays moved over .500 at 41-40 at the midpoint of the season. Kansas City lost for the fourth time in five games since matching its season high with a four-game winning streak. Cecil earned his first win since June 17 against Philadelphia.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

MILWAUKEE — Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Heath Bell in the 10th inning to lift the Brewers to a 13-12 win over the Marlins on Tuesday, after Milwaukee had blown a seven-run lead.

Miami had gone ahead against Livan Hernandez in the top half. With two outs, Jose Reyes hit a 3-and-1 pitch into the second tier above the Marlins bullpen in right.

Bell came and walked Carlos Gomez walked. Norichika Aoki sent a 3-and-2 pitch to the warning track in center, but Scott Cousins caught it.

Ryan Braun, who hit a three-run homer in the sixth, struck out as Gomez stole second before Ramirez hit a 0-and-1 pitch to center.

Former Ray Justin Ruggiano, Logan Morrison, John Buck and Cousins homered for the Marlins, who scored nine runs off four relievers in the seventh and eighth innings after starter Marco Estrada left with a 9-2 lead.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Much of the Rays' past two months were defined by poor play as a result of not having their best players on the field.

But with a second straight win over the Yankees on Tuesday, this one 7-4 in front of 26,453 at the Trop, they reached the official midpoint of their season at 43-38, back within 5½ games of first place to reclaim a share of the wild-card lead, playing more like they expect to and feeling better about it.

"A little more indicative of what we're supposed to look like," manager Joe Maddon said.

That meant some timely hits from throughout the lineup, led by Sean Rodriguez, who showed off the adjustments to his swing with a two-run homer in the fourth that put them ahead to stay. A key defensive play, with Ben Zobrist, Rodriguez and Jose Molina teaming to get a key out at the plate in the sixth. A dose of derring-do on the bases, a double-steal in which Desmond Jennings swiped home after B.J. Upton broke for second.

And good enough pitching, James Shields, despite allowing 10 hits, getting the win and All-Star Fernando Rodney getting his major league-leading 24th save.

"It's kind of like us — timely hitting, defense, baserunning," Upton said. "Those are the little things that we strive to do better than others, and we've done that the last two nights."

The seven runs were a relative outburst, more than they'd scored in any of their previous eight games, their longest such streak in a season since September 2009, and a big reason they were smiling afterward.

The talk in the clubhouse, after the usual raucous celebration, was of staying hot through Sunday's All-Star break, boosted by the potential return of outfielder Matt Joyce as soon as Friday, then rolling into the second half, with third baseman Evan Longoria rejoining them at some point as well.

"We're going to be a much better offensive club season-in-progress," Maddon said. "We're much better than this last month (a team record-low .222 average) indicates. It does ebb and flow, man, and flow owes us right now."

Shields put them in an early hole Tuesday, but they battled back with three in the third, Elliot Johnson getting them started with a hit then a slide to dislodge the ball from catcher Russell Martin's glove, and Jeff Keppinger delivering a genuine big hit, a two-out, two-run single that tied it at 3. The Yankees re-took the lead in the fourth when Raul Ibanez doubled off the wall, helped by Upton's mistimed leap, and later scored.

But the Rays answered again, loudly, in the fourth as Rodriguez, after extensive work with hitting coach Derek Shelton, crushed a 432-foot two-run homer to left, his first since May 27.

"We finally got some big hits, that's the thing that's really been eluding us," Maddon said. "Sean putting us on top with the home run really picked everybody up."

They added on in the seventh by returning to their aggressive ways, Upton giving Jennings "the look" then taking off for second, Jennings reading the play (and Martin's bad throw) and breaking for home.

Shields settled in a bit to preserve the lead before turning it over to the pen, and the Rays punctuated the defensive effort with a sixth-inning relay from Zobrist to Rodriguez to Molina, who made a diving tag. "A very big moment," Maddon said. "All three of them did their job."

For a couple of nights, as they ran their home winning streak to a stunning nine against the Yankees (who helped with three errors), they all could pretty much say that.

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

Halfway home

* Made postseason

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Rays vs. Yankees

When/where: 3:10 today; Tropicana Field

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

Tickets: $17-$275, available at Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster, raysbaseball.com, team Tampa store; $3 surcharge within five hours of game time.

Probable pitchers

Rays:

LH David Price (11-4, 2.92)

YANKEES:

RH David Phelps (1-3, 3.16)

On Price: The recently named All-Star is tied for the AL-lead with 11 wins and has won four of his past five starts. He's 6-3, 4.03 in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against the Yankees.

On Phelps: The 25-year-old will make his third start, rejoining the rotation after making two strong starts earlier in the year. One came against Tampa Bay, 42/3 scoreless innings May 9.

Improv of the day

C Jose Lobaton said marrying his girlfriend of three years, Nina, Monday morning at home plate at Tropicana Field "was a moment I'm never going to forget." The ceremony came together quickly, with 1B Carlos Peña the best man, and Lobaton admitted there was one hiccup: He didn't have any vows prepared for when he placed the ring on Nina's finger and had to improvise. "I said, 'Really? No one told me,' " Lobaton joked. "I think it must have been good, because Carlos' wife was crying."

Number of the day

20-14

Rays record against the AL East after Tuesday's win, the best in the division

Improv of the day 2

Manager Joe Maddon, who recently aggravated an old college football injury to his right pinky, said it's still sore, but it won't limit his sign-giving and normal daily routine. He did say it might "impact the neatness of my penmanship." But as for eating? "I can eat left-handed, too," he quipped.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Pirates 8, Astros 7

PITTSBURGH — Drew Sutton hit a one-out solo homer in the ninth, and Pittsburgh moved to eight games over .500 for the first time in 20 years. Acquired via waivers last week, Sutton homered for the first time since Oct. 3, 2010.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

WIMBLEDON, England — Thanks to a bit of advice from her big sister and a bunch of aces from her big serve, Serena Williams is back in the Wimbledon semifinals.

With two more victories, Williams will be holding a Grand Slam trophy for the first time in two years.

The thud of racket-against-ball reverberating under the closed Centre Court roof, Williams smacked 13 aces at up to 120 mph and overpowered defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals Tuesday at the All England Club.

Williams, 30, turned in her best performance of the tournament against her most difficult opponent. After being stretched to 9-7 and 7-5 third sets against less accomplished women in the two previous rounds, the No. 6-seeded Williams was on top of things from the get-go against No. 4 Kvitova.

"You can't play a defending Wimbledon champion or Grand Slam champion and not elevate your game," said Williams, who produced 27 winners and only 10 unforced errors. "I had to weed out the riffraff and just get serious."

After losing the first two points of the match, Williams buckled down and took 20 of 23 on her serve in the rest of that set. Kvitova hung tough in the second, though, yelping louder to punctuate winners. Then came a key moment, with Kvitova ahead 5-4 and Williams serving at 30-all. Kvitova whipped a crosscourt backhand winner to earn her only break point of the day.

But Williams delivered a 109 mph serve, and Kvitova's backhand return slapped against the net's white tape. From there, Kvitova shanked a forehand off her frame, and Williams hit a volley winner after both wound up at the net.

In the next game, with Kvitova serving at 5-all, 30-love, she fell apart, making four consecutive miscues.

That gave Williams a chance to serve it out. Did she ever. The four points she won, each serve loud on impact: 117 mph ace, 117 mph ace, 116 mph ace, 113 mph service winner.

"I loved the sound. It was really cool. I've never played under the roof," Williams said. "It's kind of like a 'whoosh' and a 'pop.' … It's almost like a video game, but you're playing. It kind of flies through and you hear it when it lands."

Thursday, Williams will play No. 2 Victoria Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, who defeated unseeded Tamira Paszek 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to reach the semifinals for the second straight year. The other semifinal will be No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska against No. 8 Angelique Kerber.

The last two American men in the draw were beaten: 10th-seeded Mardy Fish wasted the one-set lead he built before play was suspended Monday and lost to No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-4, and 126th-ranked qualifier Brian Baker's run ended against No. 27 Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Long-time Oakland Raiders defensive end Ben Davidson died Monday night after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 72.

Mr. Davidson, considered mammoth in his 1960s heyday at 6 feet 8, 275 pounds, gained fame as a member of the renegade Raiders. He played for Oakland from 1964-71.

"He was larger than life to me," Raiders owner Mark Davis told the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times by phone. "The handlebar mustache, the motorcycle riding. He was a rebel. … (He was) one of so many unique individuals on the Raiders."

Mr. Davidson was drafted by the Giants in 1961 but didn't play for them. He spent one season with the Packers and two with the Redskins.

After Washington waived Mr. Davidson, Al Davis signed him, finally getting his hands on a player that Davis tried to recruit to USC. Mr. Davidson instead played for two Rose Bowl champion teams at Washington, in 1960 and '61.

He was named first-team All-AFL in 1967 and played in Super Bowl II that season — the Raiders lost to the Packers — then was on the team that lost the league championship the next two seasons and the 1970 AFC title game after the NFL merger.

Mr. Davidson played hard, fast and reckless, taking down quarterbacks with tackles around the head and diving into players at the end of plays.

"I don't think I'd make it in the NFL today," Mr. Davidson said of his reckless style of play.

Against Kansas City in 1970, Mr. Davidson speared quarterback Len Dawson after a play. That prompted Chiefs receiver Otis Taylor to go after him and a brawl broke out, helping to stoke a rivalry that's still fierce.

Even Mr. Davidson's teammates were on guard.

"If you make a tackle, and Ben is not laying next to you, duck, because here comes Ben," former Raiders defensive lineman Carlton Oats said.

Mr. Davidson's fame continued based on his success as a Miller Lite pitchman and role actor.

"I was a geography major in college, so I love to travel," Mr. Davidson once told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Greenland, Guam, Korea, Panama, Honduras — you name it. We signed autographs and met people and drank beer. I made more money doing that than playing pro football."

He also carved out a niche as a role actor, appearing in a handful of movies and TV shows.

Mr. Davidson is survived by his wife, Kathy, and daughters Jan, Dana and Vicki.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

nba

NETS KEEP williams for $98 million

NEW YORK — Deron Williams, the top free agent available, is staying with the Nets and moving to Brooklyn with them instead of going back home to Dallas.

The All-Star point guard said on his Twitter page Tuesday night that he "made a very tough decision today" and posted a picture of the Nets' new team logo that accompanies their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

The Associated Press reported that Williams told the team he was accepting its five-year contract worth $98 million, about $25 million more than he would have made with Dallas, the area where he grew up.

Contracts can't be signed until July 11.

Also Tuesday, the Nets and Magic reportedly re-engaged in trade discussions for Dwight Howard.

Allen to visit Heat: Free-agent shooting guard Ray Allen will visit with Heat officials Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Miami can offer only the mini mid-level exception worth just more than $3 million, roughly half what the Celtics are willing to pay. He is scheduled to visit Friday with the Clippers.

Lin to meet with Rockets: Jeremy Lin will visit the Rockets today, the Associated Press reported, and the Knicks' restricted free agent is expected to get a contract offer. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists in 35 games before his season ended because of surgery to repair torn knee cartilage.

nfl

Saints' Payton, wife divorcing

Suspended Saints coach Sean Payton and his wife of nearly 20 years have filed dueling divorce petitions in Fort Worth, Texas.

Payton filed a petition in Tarrant County district court seeking a divorce from Beth Payton on June 14. It lists the grounds as "discord or conflict of personalities" and seeks to divide the couple's assets and provide for joint custody of their two children.

Beth Payton filed a counter petition June 26, requesting primary custody of the children.

Sean Payton has been suspended for the 2012 season in connection with his team's bounty scandal.

et cetera

Autos: A Formula One test driver is facing life-threatening injuries after her car smashed into a team vehicle during testing. Maria de Villota, a driver for Marussia F1, was at the end of her first run when her car hit the team's support truck in Cambridgeshire, north of London. This was the first time de Villota, 32, tested the MR-01 car.

Times wires

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Braves 10, Cubs 3

ATLANTA — Newly chosen All-Star Chipper Jones delivered his first five-hit game in a decade, driving in four runs to lead Atlanta. Jones, who plans to retire after this season, went 5-for-5 for his third career five-hit performance and first since Aug. 11, 2002. After singling in the eighth inning, Jones was lifted for pinch-runner Juan Francisco.

Miami AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Reyes ss 6 2 3 2 0 0 .272

D.Solano 3b-lf 5 1 2 1 1 1 .368

Dobbs rf 4 0 1 1 0 2 .290

Morrison lf-1b 5 2 2 2 0 0 .238

Ruggiano cf-rf 4 2 2 1 1 1 .403

Infante 2b 5 1 1 2 0 0 .285

G.Sanchez 1b 5 1 1 0 0 1 .194

J.Buck c 4 2 1 2 1 3 .180

A.Sanchez p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .083

Cousins ph-cf 2 1 1 1 0 0 .222

Totals 42 12 14 12 3 9

Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

C.Gomez cf 5 2 2 1 1 0 .247

Aoki rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 .292

Braun lf 6 2 2 3 0 2 .309

Ar.Ramirez 3b 6 1 2 4 0 0 .263

Hart 1b 5 2 3 1 0 1 .251

R.Weeks 2b 5 2 3 1 0 1 .194

Ransom ss 4 1 2 0 1 1 .215

M.Maldonado c 4 0 1 1 0 0 .266

Estrada p 2 1 1 0 0 1 .154

Ishikawa ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 .250

Green ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200

Kottaras ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .224

Totals 44 13 17 13 3 8

Miami 200 000 360 1— 12 14 3

Milwaukee 003 006 200 2— 13 17 1

E—Reyes 2 (9), D.Solano (1), R.Weeks (10). LOB—Mia. 5, Mil. 7. 2B—Reyes (18), D.Solano (4), Morrison (14), Ruggiano (10), Ar.Ramirez (24), Hart (22), R.Weeks (14), Estrada (2). HR—Morrison (9), off Estrada; Ruggiano (4), off Veras; J.Buck (8), off Loe; Cousins (1), off Fr.Rodriguez; Reyes (3), off L.Hernandez; Hart (16), off A.Sanchez; Braun (23), off Gaudin; Ar.Ramirez (10), off H.Bell. SB—Dobbs (4), C.Gomez 2 (11). S—M.Maldonado. SF—Dobbs, Aoki.

Miami IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

A.Sanchez 5 11 6 5 1 5 95 4.19

Gaudin 1 1 3 0 1 0 16 4.76

WebbL3 2 2 0 1 18 5.66

LeBlancM0 0 0 0 0 7 0.00

ChoateL0 0 0 0 1 4 2.45

Cishek 1L1 0 0 0 0 21 2.31

M.DunnL0 0 0 0 0 4 5.94

H.Bell L, 2-4 M1 2 2 1 1 16 6.39

Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Estrada 6 4 2 2 0 6 90 4.31

VerasL3 3 3 1 0 25 4.54

M.Parra H, 4M0 0 0 0 0 8 4.46

LoeL4 4 4 0 0 17 4.21

Fr.Rodriguez M2 2 1 1 0 18 4.17

Axford 1 0 0 0 1 1 13 4.73

Hernandez W,2-1 1 1 1 1 0 2 24 5.24

T—4:28. A—33,178 (41,900).

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Nationals 9, Giants 3

WASHINGTON — Ian Desmond homered, and Washington pounded Tim Lincecum in a battle of first-place teams. Lincecum allowed seven earned runs in 31/3 innings, making it the worst start ERA-wise in his career.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

CHICAGO — Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios homered in the first inning off Roy Oswalt, All-Star Chris Sale won his 10th game Tuesday night and the White Sox routed the Rangers 19-2.

Playing in his first home game with Chicago since his trade from the Red Sox on June 24, Youkilis had three hits and four RBIs in a meeting of division leaders that saw the White Sox score their most runs this season.

A.J. Pierzynski, not chosen for the AL All-Star team managed by Texas skipper Ron Washington, hit a three-run homer off reliever Yoshinori Tateyama to cap a nine-run fifth inning and make it 16-0. Seven of the runs in the inning were unearned, thanks to an error on second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Sale is 7-0 in his past nine starts and hasn't lost since May 12. The left-hander will likely not pitch again before the break then be available for Tuesday's All-Star Game.

Times wires
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Indians 9, Angels 5

CLEVELAND — Rookie Zach McAllister pitched six innings, overcoming a throwing error and two home runs in the fifth, and Shelley Duncan homered as Cleveland recovered after blowing a four-run lead. Duncan homered in the fourth off an ineffective Dan Haren. Los Angeles lost for just the fourth time in 13 games.

Times wires
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Rockies 3, Cardinals 2

ST. LOUIS — Jeff Francis pitched five solid innings and Tyler Colvin hit a three-run homer for Colorado. Carlos Beltran was 0-for-3 with a walk for St. Louis to end a nine-game RBI streak in which he drove in 15 runs. Matt Belisle ended the seventh by getting Matt Holliday to ground out with two on, then pitched a perfect eighth.

Times wires
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Twins 8, Tigers 6

DETROIT — Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe hit homers in a five-run third and Ryan Doumit had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh for Minnesota. Joe Mauer had three hits, including a solo homer to lead off the ninth that gave the Twins a two-run lead and helped earn a season-high five-game winning streak.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Sean Rodriguez's big night came on the big stage, with his season-high three hits Tuesday — including a go-ahead two-run homer — lifting the Rays to a 7-4 win over the Yankees.

But Rodriguez's breakout game was sparked on three days last weekend he didn't get an at-bat, instead grinding through extra afternoon batting practice sessions when the stands were empty.

The struggling Rodriguez would take 45-50 extra swings on the field with hitting coach Derek Shelton throwing, not to mention the sessions of soft toss and hitting off a tee.

"It was probably two, three times (the work)," Rodriguez said. "It was constant."

The point was simple: take the pressure of playing off and focus on getting more consistent at the plate, both in his positioning in the box and in his pitch selection.

It was "subtle stuff," as manager Joe Maddon called it, but they felt by doing so he'd be able to drive his pitch more and cover the strike zone.

It paid off as Rodriguez homered — and lit the Captain Morgan lamp as player of the game — for the first time since May 27 at Boston. He came a triple away from the cycle.

Rodriguez had entered Tuesday with 17 hits in his previous 100 at-bats, dropping his average to .211.

"I'm not the type to sit around when things aren't going good and just assume that it's going to come back," he said. "I've been trying to tweak here and there, trying to figure things out. And we've made a lot of improvements and hopefully it's something we can make a consistent day-in, day-out thing so it becomes more consistent production."

Rodriguez first saw the results Monday, when his pinch-hit walk in the seventh sparked a rally in a 4-3 win. "That propelled us to the win," Shelton said.

On Tuesday, Rodriguez's three hits stole the show. Said Maddon: "I'm sure it's going to really bolster his confidence."

Times wires
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Padres 9, Diamondbacks 5

PHOENIX — Chase Headley doubled in three runs and the Padres roughed up rookie Trevor Bauer in his home debut. Padres starter Andrew Cashner left the game after two innings with a strained muscle in his right side. Arizona's Jason Kubel hit his eighth career grand slam.

Times wires
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Athletics 3, Red Sox 2

OAKLAND, Calif. — Former Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp hit a sacrifice fly to score Cliff Pennington with the winning run as the Athletics' two-run rally in the ninth pinned the sixth loss of the season on Red Sox reliever Alfredo Aceves. Pennington singled to load the bases and pinch-hitter Brandon Moss tied it with a single to center, scoring Chris Carter, who started the inning with a single to left.

Times wires
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Orioles 5, Mariners 4

SEATTLE — Robert Andino homered in the ninth off of reliever Charlie Furbush to score the winning run for the Orioles. Baltimore starter Wei-Yin Chen flirted with a perfect game for more than six innings. Andino's homer was his first since May 7 and fourth this season. It ended Furbush's streak of 222/3 scoreless innings, the third longest by a reliever in Mariners history.

By Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

The Brooksville Parks and Recreation Department Women's Softball League had its championship game recently, crowning Spring Hill MRI with the third title in league history.

Spring Hill MRI finished with an 18-0 record, dominating the four-team league. Boze Family Chiropractic and Wellness (8-10) attempted to upset the Spring Hill club in the title game, played June 19 at the Jerome Brown Community Center in Brooksville, but came up short in a 21-16 loss.

Patriot Lending (7-11) and Creative Environmental (1-17) were the two other teams in the field.

The Spring Hill MRI roster included Kay Cozart, Tara Renew, Trish Barthle, Jennifer Steele, Pam Smith, Heather Krasniewski, Jessica Hart, Michelle Jernigan, Lori Drenth, Alexis Russell, Natalie Durran, Whitney Sims, Denise Suiters, Charity Theiss, Mish Poder and Jamie Jernigan.

UMPIRE CLINICS: The Hernando-Sumter Umpires Association has scheduled its sixth annual umpires clinics.

The clinics are designed to train anyone who wants to become an umpire, and also can help seasoned umpires improve. Clinics will take place at the Anderson Snow Sports Complex in Spring Hill on Aug. 12 and Sept. 2, at Ernie Wever Youth Park in Brooksville on Aug. 5 and at Ridge Manor Park in Ridge Manor on Aug. 19. All sessions run from noon to 3 p.m.

The clinics are open to men and women age 16 and older. Registration will begin at 11:30 p.m. each day. There is a $20 charge for each participant, and everyone will receive a Major League Baseball rule book, along with other handouts.

With more than 90 umpires on its roster in 18 leagues throughout Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties, the association continues to grow. This year, the organization will include Mike "Bugsy" Segal, owner of umpireteacher.com, who has more than 36 years of experience in the field.

Visit hernandosumterumpire.com to register in advance. For information, call (352) 593-6998 or send email to clinics@hernandosumterumpire.com.

WEST HERNANDO SENIOR SOFTBALL: The West Hernando Athletic Club for Seniors is looking for new players for its 55-and-over softball league.

Games are played on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at Veterans Memorial Park in Spring Hill. The season begins in September and ends in April. New players are invited to try out during the next two months, prior to the official start of the season.

For information, call Ray Krisa at (352) 596-7505.

POKER AND BILLIARDS FUNDRAISER: Compassion for All His Creatures, a rescue and sanctuary south of Brooksville, will have its fourth annual Texas Hold 'Em Poker and 8-Ball Billiards Tournament on July 21 at Capone's Billiards in Spring Hill.

The event will begin at 1 p.m., with $1,500 in donations to be given away; prizes will go to the top six finishers in each division. Doors will open at noon for early registration. There will be other raffles and door prizes throughout the tournament.

For information, call Peggy Ghezzi at (352) 754-9692.

HERNANDO SPORTS CAMPS: The Hernando County Department of Recreation has several sports camps available for children this summer.

The basketball camp will run for two separate weeks and be taught by Marion Jones, Michael Jones and Calvin Brown.

The clinics will put emphasis on fundamentals of the game, skill and drills, followed by scrimmage games. The fee is $65 per week, with hours 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.

Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics will host the camp from July 9 to 12; the camp will be at West Hernando Middle School from July 16 to 19.

The volleyball camp has one remaining session, from July 30 to Aug. 2 at Challenger K-8, taught by Hernando High School girls volleyball coach Patti Martin and assistant Robin Bailey. The instructors will cover fundamentals with daily drills and skills, followed by interleague games.

The cost is $65 per week. Camp hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended hours of from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. for an additional $10.

The sports camp will allow kids to enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor sports activities, including basketball, flag football, tennis, dodgeball and kickball. Campers will spend each day learning the rules and playing games.

The cost is $65 for each of the two sessions, with a limit of 50 campers. The camp will take place from July 23 to 26 at West Hernando Middle School and is open to ages 8 to 14.

The activities will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended hours available from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. for an 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.

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 camps run from July 11 to 13 and Aug. 1 to 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.