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Slater Koekkoek fits in nicely at Tampa Bay Lightning camp

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 6, 2012

BRANDON — Lightning player development coordinator Steve Thomas liked everything he saw Friday from Slater Koekkoek.

Well, almost everything.

"He was toe-dragging the puck around a little bit," Thomas said after Tampa Bay's prospects played three-on-three games at the team's development camp at the Ice Sports Forum.

"If he's going to do that as a defenseman, he's going to get himself into trouble if he's playing at the next level."

It was a minor point and said with as smile as Koekkoek, the No. 10 overall pick in the June draft, distinguished himself over three eight-minute games with a goal, two assists and six shots.

"It's pretty good," said Koekkoek (pronounced cuckoo), 18. "We were battling hard, but it's not by any means a real game situation."

Thomas said he is "a big fan" of the 6-foot-2, 184-pounder.

"You can see how he competes," Thomas said. "He doesn't like losing. He really contributed well on the three-on-threes. He raised his level really well."

As for that toe drag?

"It's nice to know he has a good skill set and he's not afraid to be creative," Thomas said.

IN DEMAND: After leading AHL Norfolk to the Calder Cup title in a season that included a 28-game winning streak, the longest by a North American pro hockey team, coach Jon Cooper was a hot commodity.

It is believed he interviewed for head coaching positions with the Oilers and Capitals. Though not hired, he said, "I'm better off for the experience."

"For me, questions get asked, 'Are you crushed about (not getting those jobs)?' I won't lose a night of sleep over it," said Cooper, 44, who has two years left on his Lightning contract, is running the development camp and next season will coach Syracuse, Tampa Bay's new AHL affiliate.

"I have a great job with a great organization. It was a learning experience for me. I felt that winning the Calder Cup and going through what I went through made me more confident with who I am and what I'm doing."

Said Lightning GM Steve Yzerman: "It's just a matter of time before he's a head coach in the NHL."

A YEAR LATER: Other than translating for reporters speaking to Russian G Andrey Vasilevskiy, F Vladislav Namestnikov has kept a low profile. Not that the 2011 first-round draft pick hasn't been noticed.

"The biggest thing I see in him is confidence," Cooper said. "He came in last year, fresh drafted, No. 1 guy, all eyes on him. He looked like a little kid. Now he's brimming with confidence."

A successful 2011-12 with London of the Ontario junior league helped. Namestnikov, 19, had 22 goals, 71 points in 63 regular-season games, and four goals, 18 points in 19 playoff games.

"I'm bigger, a lot faster and started playing more physical," said the 5-foot-11, 171-pounder. "And my defense, I'm working hard on that. It's paying off."

GOOD HANDS: As the prospects sat down at Tropicana Field to watch Wednesday's game between the Rays and Yankees, F Tanner Richard made a bold prediction.

"I said, 'Guys, I'm going to catch a foul ball.' "

Sure enough, a foul ball flew toward the rightfield seats where the team was located. Richard said the ball bounced toward him off the hands of a fan three rows back and he made a one-handed catch.

"I just leaned back and it was there," said Richard, at just his second major-league game.

MINOR MOVE: D Matt Taormina, 25, signed a one-year, two-way deal. He had a goal, seven points and was plus-6 in 30 games last season with the Devils.

ODDS AND ENDS: Camp ends today with three-on-three games at 10:30 a.m. … Vasilevskiy is excused because of a prior commitment, the team said.


Captain's Corner: Weather has backwater tarpon fishing in high gear

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By Tyson Wallerstein, Times Correspondent
Friday, July 6, 2012

What's hot: Tranquil weather over the past week has helped to kick backwater tarpon fishing into high gear. Slick, calm mornings have made it easy to spot rolling tarpon whether you're prospecting deep residential canals along the Intracoastal Waterway or perennial holding spots in Tampa Bay.

Tactics: Finding the fish is the easy part. Convincing them to eat is a different story. Laid-up tarpon are often lazy and unaggressive, so accurate casts are a must when using plugs or fly-casting. Paying attention to how the fish breach the surface will dictate your cast and retrieve. Choosing a lure that matches the dive rate of the fish will increase your strikes. Most often tarpon dive straight to the bottom, so many strikes come on the fall.

Options: When tarpon fishing gets slow in the afternoon, ducking underneath a bridge to cool off sounds good. Add the presence of 20- to 40-pound barnacle-crushing black drum and it starts sounding really good. These brutes aren't as picky as tarpon and will go for a quarter of fresh blue crab fished on either a traditional fish finder rig or a heavy enough jig head to hold in the current.

Tyson Wallerstein runs Inshore Fishing Charters in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area and can be reached at (727) 692-5868 and via email capt.tyson@hotmail.com.

Florida Gators' Mike Zunino caps career with Golden Spikes Award

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By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 6, 2012

GAINESVILLE — Former Florida catcher Mike Zunino has capped off his stellar career with the Gators by becoming the recipient of the 2012 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, recognizing the nation's top amateur baseball player.

Zunino joined former Florida State catcher Buster Posey (2008) as the only player to collect the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Johnny Bench Award in the same season.

With the award, Zunino closed out one of the most decorated seasons by an individual athlete at Florida. Zunino is the first Golden Spikes winner and highest draft pick in Florida's history (No. 3 overall by the Seattle Mariners). He was also a consensus first-team All-American, the first Dick Howser Trophy recipient from Florida, Baseball America's 2012 College Player of the Year, the first Johnny Bench Award winner from UF and the 2012 National Player of the Year by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

Antonya English, Times staff writer

Shooting from the lip

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By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 6, 2012

Contract of the day

The New York Times is reporting that Major League Baseball is going to want more than the $711 million it is getting annually for its television rights fees from ESPN, Fox and Turner. MLB also is betting it will get more when the current contract expires after next season.

There is one line of thinking that one network could get the national deal, which would include a game of the week, the All-Star Game and the entire postseason. However, that doesn't make as much sense as spreading it around to two or three networks.

The network that figures to get heavily involved in contract talks is NBC, which continues to try to lift NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) off the ground. For now, NBC Sports Network's biggest gem is the NHL, but acquiring MLB rights would be a major coup. It also could help NBC Sports Network become more of a rival to ESPN.

Replacement of the day

Now that Erin Andrews has left ESPN for Fox, who picks up Andrews' assignments at ESPN? The most common name being tossed around is Jenn Brown, left, who, like Andrews, is a Florida grad. Brown, who was born in Gainesville and grew up in Orlando, played softball for the Gators. Brown makes sense to replace Andrews as a sideline reporter, but there also is an opening for the first hour of football's College GameDay, which airs on ESPNU. Some are speculating those duties could go to Tom Rinaldi. Seems like the best plan is to scrap that first hour of GameDay. The two-hour version on ESPN is plenty long and good enough.

Contest of the day

Major League Baseball holds its All-Star Game Home Run Derby Monday, and the big question is how much energy it zaps from those participating. ESPN's Nomar Garciaparra said: "I did a Home Run Derby in the offseason when they used to have (one) in the offseason and then you're not swinging as much, and then every part of my body was sore after that. It was from head to toe. … Like I said, you might feel some soreness, but it was gone for me in a day."

Garciaparra said he felt most of his fatigue in his back. ESPN analyst John Kruk said that after similar activity, he felt it in his hands.

"I've never participated in a Home Run Derby, but I have gone out early and hit for 45 minutes to an hour prior to batting practice," Kruk said. "My hands would just get so sore and raw from that constant max swing for 50, 60 swings, and my hands got really sore. … I know after one, I had to get an injection in my middle finger, and people thought it was because I was (making a rude gesture to) the Phillies' fans, but it was because of hitting extra batting practice."

Speaking of the Home Run Derby, I've had my fill. If I never see another one, I would be just fine. But if baseball is going to have it, maybe it can figure out a way to make the Derby less time-consuming. Perhaps cutting down the number of outs each player is allowed would go a long way.

Commentator of the day

Former Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl, dismissed from the Vols in 2011 amid an NCAA investigation, hopes to land a spot with ESPN, either in the studio or courtside as an analyst.

"I want to see if the lifestyle fits and the travel is okay," Pearl told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Pearl is working as a vice president of marketing at H.T. Hackney Co., a wholesale grocer in Knoxville. As far as coaching again?

"I don't know that I want coaching to continue to decide where is home," Pearl said. "This is home."

Three things that popped into my head

1. Who knows if all the Lightning moves will work out, but credit GM Steve Yzerman, above, for recognizing the team's holes, having an aggressive plan of attack for filling them and executing that plan.

2. Hard to believe, but the Bucs' first preseason game is less than five weeks away.

3. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the Rays are not on TV tonight.

tom jones' two cents

The latest from the world of sports.

Big crash cuts wide swath in Tour field

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Associated Press
Friday, July 6, 2012

METZ, France — Peter Sagan of Slovakia avoided a bloody, across-the-road pileup to capture a stage for the third time at the Tour de France on Friday, and Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland also steered clear of the mayhem to keep the yellow jersey.

The 129-mile ride from Epernay to Metz began in the Champagne region. As the pack picked up speed to chase four breakaway riders with about 16 miles to go, at least two dozen riders spilled across a rural road. Many were downed and dazed, looking for team staffers in a jumble of injured riders and bikes.

Rabobank's Laurens Ten Dam said on Twitter: "It was like a trench hit by a (grenade). … Lots of blood and screaming. Carnage."

The U.S. Garmin-Sharp team bore the brunt of the crash.

Tom Danielson, who finished last year's Tour in eighth place, was briefly knocked unconscious and later rushed to a hospital for hip, collarbone and elbow injuries. He was one of at least four riders to drop out of the race because of the crash.

Garmin's Ryder Hesjedal of Canada, winner of the Giro d'Italia in May, injured a knee and lost more than 13 minutes, all but ending his chances for a top-three finish. He had started the stage in ninth place, 18 seconds back. Two other contenders, Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans, were unscathed.

A Tour medical report listed 27 riders as injured on the day in two crashes total, two hospitalized from the first and eight from the bloody second. The casualty count continued into the evening. Maarten Wynants pulled out with two broken ribs and a punctured lung, a Rabobank team spokesman said. Three-time world champion Oscar Freire had a broken rib, becoming at least the sixth rider to drop out, the Katusha team said.

Overall, Cancellara led Wiggins by seven seconds.

Derby Lane gets pleasant surprise as season leaves track in black

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By Don Jensen, Times Correspondent
Friday, July 6, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — It was a dandy season for the greyhound track on Gandy Boulevard. For the first time in four years, Derby Lane finished with a black bottom line.

All-source handle: Up.

Attendance: Up.

Poker: Up.

"We were very pleased with our year," said track president and chairman of the board Vey Weaver. "The tremendous weather and an improving economy go hand in hand. We got almost 20,000 more people here, and the people that we got had more money to spend."

The 87th season at Derby Lane ended June 30. It was sparked by a 3.33 percent rise in all-source handle over the previous year at $110,465,371 for 416 performances. The driving force was a 6.78 percent jump in interstate wagering ($58,029,609).

Live on-track handle ($21,383,856) and intrastate wagering ($31,051,907) were flat, but both would have seen gains had two performances not been canceled last week because of Tropical Storm Debby. Guest simulcast wagering (non-Derby Lane dogs, thoroughbreds, standardbreds and jai alai) also was flat at $54,324,985.

"It was so surprising to be up as much as we were, especially in the tourist season months," Weaver, 57, said. "All season long we were just holding our breath that we could keep it going. Greyhound bets were up, which they hadn't been in years.

"Not going backwards any more was just a huge thing for us."

Total attendance of 700,256 represented a 2.92 percent improvement.

The Derby Lane poker room eclipsed $9 million in receipts for the first time. The $9,075,454 total was a hike of 5.95 percent.

"We were up a half-million (dollars) in the poker room," Weaver said. "It is very good considering that we probably have more poker competition in this market than any other place except for maybe South Florida.

"The fact that we're able to stay in business and improve against that kind of competition speaks very well for our staff. It's the staff that does all the work, and they're the ones that keep us on the map."

This year the track has guaranteed kennels a minimum of $60 a point in the purse structure that is linked to handle. Weaver said a top project now is to preserve the Derby Plaza building with new roofing and air-conditioning.

"We continue to do the best we can to operate our business under the current economic conditions," he said.

Patriot captured the recent kennel championship in record-breaking fashion. Led by first-year manager-trainer Cal Holland Jr., Patriot won 333 races, crushing the previous six-month mark of 299 by Lester Raines at the 2010 Tampa at Derby Lane meet. It was Patriot's second title. Tiger Boy of McAllister kennel was the top dog with 17 victories. Best times were clocked by Windy Boss of D'Arcy (30.21 seconds at 550 yards) and Magic Finch of Abernathy (37.10 at 660).

A comeback capper?

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Friday, July 6, 2012

WIMBLEDON, England — More than once during the past fortnight, Serena Williams has won an important point at Wimbledon and then returned to the baseline, her clenched fist leading the way.

The ferocity of the gesture is understandable, given the obstacles she has overcome in the past few years.

A succession of health issues led to a layoff that forced Williams to mount a career comeback, and she tries to cap it today with a Wimbledon title in the final against Agnieszka Radwanska, the first Polish player to reach a Grand Slam final since 1939.

Williams seeks her 14th major title and would tie her sister Venus with a fifth singles win at Wimbledon.

"I'm so happy to be playing," said Serena, 30. "I've been through so much in the past year or two years, it has been unbelievable."

This week Radwanska, 23, has been ailing herself, battling an upper respiratory illness that makes it difficult for her to speak. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure I'm ready to play the best I can," she said in a statement.

While the No. 3-ranked Radwanska seeks to become Poland's first Grand Slam titlist, the No. 6-ranked Williams has a shot at her first major since Wimbledon in 2010. Shortly after that victory, she cut her feet on glass at a restaurant, required two operations and spent more time in the hospital because of blood clots in her lungs. She was sidelined nearly a year before rejoining the tour in June 2011, and her ranking sank to 175th.

"I have so much appreciation for every moment on the court," she said. "I just want to do the absolute best that I can at all moments."

With 85 service aces in the tournament, Williams is four shy of the Wimbledon record she set in 2010. She is a big favorite against Radwanska, who is 0-2 against Williams. Still, with a victory, Radwanska would rise for the first time to No. 1 in the world.

Doubles: Serena Williams will play for two titles today after teaming with sister Venus on Friday to reach the doubles final. The Williams sisters beat Liezel Huber and former Gator Lisa Raymond 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. Later, after Serena's singles final, the Williamses will play Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.

Abdomen injury sidelines Tampa Bay Storm receiver Amarri Jackson

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By Brandon Wright, Times Correspondent
Friday, July 6, 2012

If the Storm is to make a playoff push during its final three games, starting tonight at Pittsburgh, it will have to do so without one of its top receivers.

Amarri Jackson sustained what the team called an abdominal injury during the June 29 game against Philadelphia and was placed on injured reserve.

Jackson, who starred at USF, was hit in the midsection on a crossing pattern against the Soul and taken to Tampa General Hospital.

Jackson had surgery a day later and remained in the hospital throughout the week. He was released Friday afternoon.

Despite missing four games, Jackson is third on the team with 77 catches and second with 1,012 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.

Going on injured reserve means Jackson must sit out four games, including the first of the playoffs if the Storm qualifies.

coming back: Prechae Rod­riguez, who leads the Storm in catches (98), receiving yards (1,316) and touchdowns (29), is expected to play tonight after sitting out against Philadelphia with a knee injury.

Signings: To replace Jackson, the Storm signed Chris Davis, a standout at St. Petersburg's Gibbs High. The former Wake Forest standout has played for four Canadian Football League teams and played two games for the NFL's Jets. The Storm also signed DB Vance Cuff, a former standout at Georgia.

Playoff look: Despite a four-game losing streak, the Storm (6-9) is only one game out of the American Conference's final berth. Philadelphia (13-3) has clinched the East division and top seed. New Orleans (8-7) leads the South by a half-game over Georgia (8-8). Jacksonville and Cleveland are tied for the final wild card berth at 7-8.

The first tiebreaker is season series. The Storm split two games with Georgia, Jacksonville and Cleveland. It lost to New Orleans and faces it again July 14. The second tiebreaker is point differential in the games. The Storm is even with Georgia (two three-point games), minus-8 against Jacksonville and plus-2 against Cleveland.

Going home: Tonight is the franchise's first game in Pittsburgh since it came to the bay area in November 1990. In 1987, the Pittsburgh Gladiators were one of the Arena Football League's inaugural four franchises, with the Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite and Washington Commandos. The Gladiators played four seasons before moving to the stadium now known as Tropicana Field.


NASCAR head eschews gimmick

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

DAYTONA BEACH — Brian France wants to stay away from gimmicks when it comes to improving the on-track product.

NASCAR's chairman wants to figure out how to have the best racing in the world. He just doesn't think track promoter Bruton Smith's idea of implementing mandatory cautions during races is the way to go.

"It's a very clear line to us. What we're not going to do are gimmicky things," France said Friday at Daytona International Speedway. "I've heard we ought to throw a caution every 10 laps. That's nonsense. We won't do gimmicky things. But we'll do things that incentivize performance, incentivize wins. That we are open to."

Behind the scenes, France has dispatched senior vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell to repurpose the North Carolina research and development center.

France said he is focused on splitting the R&D department from the competition department, with an overall goal of getting the rules package correct before the 2013 cars debut.

"We want to improve the racing as well as we can, and that's a stated goal of ours," France said. "From time to time, we'd be the first to tell you we don't always have it perfect. When we rolled out the (Car of Tomorrow), you could make the argument that the racing was not what it needed to be. … What we wouldn't want to do is put something out there and then make changes to the car after that. That would be not the best approach"

QUALIFYING: Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth will start from the pole in tonight's Coke Zero 400, where he'll try to pull off a season sweep.

Nobody since Bobby Allison in 1982 has won both Sprint Cup races at Daytona in one season.

Kenseth turned a lap at 192.386 mph in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford to earn the top spot. Tony Stewart (192.361) was second, but his time was thrown out after NASCAR said an open cooling hose was found pointed inside the cockpit. He will start in the back. Stewart's teammate, Ryan Newman, qualified third at 192.353.

Men's Wimbledon finalists Roger Federer, Andy Murray pursue history

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

WIMBLEDON, England — Roger Federer is back in the Wimbledon final for the first time since 2009. If that seems like a long gap for the six-time champion, imagine how Britain feels: Andy Murray is the first man from the host country to play for the title in 74 years.

Both are playing for history.

The owner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, but none in the past 2½ years, Federer can equal two marks held by Pete Sampras with a victory Sunday: seven Wimbledon championships and 286 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings. Murray, 0-3 in major finals without winning even a set, can become the first British man to collect a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry won Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships in 1936.

"Everyone loves Roger at Wimbledon, but a majority of people are going to want to see Andy win this time," Sampras said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. "They can inspire Andy. They can pick him up. But at the same time, they might make him feel like he's pulling all the hopes and dreams of a nation on his shoulders. That's a lot to deal with. And he has to play Roger Federer, so he'll have his hands full."

After seeing his grip on this grasscourt Slam slip away with quarterfinal losses the past two years, the third-seeded Federer reasserted himself by beating defending champion and top-seeded Novak Djokovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Friday. Sunday will be Federer's eighth final at the All England Club, a modern-era record.

Djokovic or Rafael Nadal won the nine previous majors. But after losing six of his past seven matches against Djokovic, all on clay or hardcourts, Federer had the upper hand on grass, the first time in 27 career meetings they've played each other on that surface.

"People were like, 'How are we going to survive a Wimbledon final without you?' " Federer joked about his earlier-than-usual exits in 2010 and 2011. "For me, it was no problem. I went on vacation and relaxed. Of course, it feels great to be in the Wimbledon final."

No need to tell that to Murray.

Not since Bunny Austin in 1938 had someone representing Britain won a men's semifinal at Wimbledon until Murray, from Scotland, hit a forehand return winner that clipped a sideline to eliminate No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. It was a thrill-a-minute match, with both players smearing their white uniforms with grass and dirt stains diving for volleys.

After a review to make sure that last shot was in, Murray sat in his chair, tilted his head back, and an ovation rang through Centre Court. Murray had lost in the semifinals each of the past three years. "A big relief," Murray said. "I've just got to try to keep it together for the final."

Murray leads his series with Federer 8-7. But Federer won their finals at the 2008 U.S. Open and '10 Australian Open. "It's a great challenge, one where I'm probably not expected to win … but one that, if I play well, I'm capable of winning," Murray said.

Federer turns 31 on Aug. 8 and would be the first man 30 or older to win at Wimbledon since Arthur Ashe in 1975.

"I'm aware that the tournament's not over yet," he said. "I want to try to play the best possible final I can."

Tiger, Phil miss the cut at Greenbrier

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — One week after he won for the third time this season, Tiger Woods missed the cut in the Greenbrier Classic by a stroke Friday, following an opening 71 with 1-under 69 to finish at par 140.

He missed a cut for the ninth time in his PGA Tour career and for the third time in an event after a victory.

"I didn't quite have it," he said. "I drove it really good (Friday), and I just did not have the feel for the distances. The ball was just going forever."

Phil Mickelson also failed to advance, the first time Woods and Mickelson have missed the cut in the same event as professionals. Mickelson shot his second straight 71.

U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson topped the leaderboard at 9 under when play was suspended because of darkness. The start of the second round was delayed by rain. Simpson made birdie on the par-3 18th for 4-under 66.

Champions: John Cook closed with a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth for 5-under 67 and a share of the first-round lead with 62-year-old Tom Kite at the First Tee Open in Pebble Beach, Calif.

"It was nice way to finish the round," said Cook, who also had five birdies and two bogeys.

Kite birdied his final two holes. They led Mark McNulty, Loren Roberts and Tom Pernice Jr. by a stroke.

Seminole golfer Brittany Lincicome shoots 80 to fall from contention at U.S. Women's Open

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

KOHLER, Wis. — One day after Brittany Lincicome said on Twitter that she "had complete control over my whole game" in taking a share of the U.S. Women's Open lead, it all vanished for the Seminole golfer Friday and she barely made the cut.

Lincicome followed her 3-under 69 with a second-round 80 that left her at 5-over 149, well behind leader Suzann Pettersen and hard-charging Michelle Wie.

"I did nothing right (Friday)," said Lincicome, who had six bogeys and two double bogeys. "I couldn't drive the ball. I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't putt."

Pettersen, ranked sixth in the world, shot 4-under 68 at Blackwolf Run and moved to 5-under 139 at this major.

Wie was even better, carding 6-under 66 to move to 4 under and put herself in position to break out of a slump. Wie was tied with Cristie Kerr (71), the 2007 Open winner, one stroke off the lead.

Pettersen played in the group directly behind Wie, giving her a good view of what turned out to be an impressive display of accurate approach shots and made putts. "She was fist-pumping, every putt she looked at," Pettersen said.

Wie said she doesn't spend much time thinking about the attention she received as a high-profile child prodigy in the early 2000s or whether fans had written her off since then.

"I don't know if anyone gave up on me or not," Wie said. "I'm sure some did and some didn't. But I never gave up on myself, and (Friday) was a good reminder to myself that I can do (it) and I still have it."

Wie, who had missed six of eight cuts this season, said she has been feeling better about her game of late. Then she carded seven birdies against one bogey Friday to follow her first-round 74.

"The fact that you're in contention to have a chance to win the U.S. Open is a big deal," said Wie, who has two LPGA Tour wins. "I'm so grateful I have that chance right now. I'm really looking forward to seeing the crowds (today) and experiencing it all again."

Kerr, who was tied for the first-round lead at 3 under with Lizette Salas and Lincicome, had 71. "I always draw on that experience, of course, but it's hard to predict what's an advantage and what's not an advantage," she said of her previous Open win.

Sandra Gal, Inbee Park and Vicky Hurst shot 70 to reach 3 under.

Salas, a 22-year-old recent Southern Cal graduate, had 73 to drop to 2 under.

Lexi Thompson, 17, of Coral Springs, shot 73 to top the group at 1 under, and top-ranked Yani Tseng was 2 over after 72.

Tampa's Kristy McPherson shot 71 for a 2-over 146 total, tied for 29th. Tampa's Cindy LaCrosse followed her 73 with 74 and was at 3-over 147. Clearwater's Jennifer Gleason carded 80 to reach 9 over and miss the cut.

Seminole golfer Brittany Lincicome shoots 80 at U.S. Women's Open

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

KOHLER, Wis. — One day after Brittany Lincicome said on Twitter that she "had complete control over my whole game" in taking a share of the U.S. Women's Open lead, it all vanished for the Seminole golfer Friday and she barely made the cut.

Lincicome followed her 3-under 69 with a second-round 80 that left her at 5-over 149, well behind leader Suzann Pettersen and hard-charging Michelle Wie.

"I did nothing right (Friday)," said Lincicome, who had six bogeys and two double bogeys. "I couldn't drive the ball. I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't putt."

Pettersen, ranked sixth in the world, shot 4-under 68 at Blackwolf Run and moved to 5-under 139 at this major.

Wie was even better, carding 6-under 66 to move to 4 under and put herself in position to break out of a slump. Wie was tied with Cristie Kerr (71), the 2007 Open winner, one stroke off the lead.

Pettersen played in the group directly behind Wie, giving her a good view of what turned out to be an impressive display of accurate approach shots and made putts. "She was fist-pumping, every putt she looked at," Pettersen said.

Wie said she doesn't spend much time thinking about the attention she received as a high-profile child prodigy in the early 2000s or whether fans had written her off since then.

"I don't know if anyone gave up on me or not," Wie said. "I'm sure some did and some didn't. But I never gave up on myself, and (Friday) was a good reminder to myself that I can do (it) and I still have it."

Wie, who had missed six of eight cuts this season, said she has been feeling better about her game of late. Then she carded seven birdies against one bogey Friday to follow her first-round 74.

"The fact that you're in contention to have a chance to win the U.S. Open is a big deal," said Wie, who has two LPGA Tour wins. "I'm so grateful I have that chance right now. I'm really looking forward to seeing the crowds (today) and experiencing it all again."

Kerr, who was tied for the first-round lead at 3 under with Lizette Salas and Lincicome, had 71. "I always draw on that experience, of course, but it's hard to predict what's an advantage and what's not an advantage," she said of her previous Open win.

Sandra Gal, Inbee Park and Vicky Hurst shot 70 to reach 3 under.

Salas, a 22-year-old recent Southern Cal graduate, had 73 to drop to 2 under.

Lexi Thompson, 17, of Coral Springs, shot 73 to top the group at 1 under, and top-ranked Yani Tseng was 2 over after 72.

Tampa's Kristy McPherson shot 71 for a 2-over 146 total, tied for 29th. Tampa's Cindy LaCrosse followed her 73 with 74 and was at 3-over 147. Clearwater's Jennifer Gleason carded 80 to reach 9 over and miss the cut.

Tigers 4, Royals 2

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

Tigers 4, Royals 2

DETROIT — Rookie Drew Smyly struck out a career-high 10 in six innings and Delmon Young homered as the Tigers got back to .500 for the first time since May 15. Smyly allowed only one hit through the first four innings and didn't walk a batter. In the sixth, Young hit a blast deep over the bullpens in left for his eighth homer — his second in two days — for the lead.

Rockies 5, Nationals 1

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

Rockies 5, Nationals 1

WASHINGTON — The Rockies' Tyler Colvin became the first player to homer twice in the same game off Stephen Strasburg. He hit a solo shot in the second and a two-run shot in the fourth. Over his past five games, Colvin is 7-for-16 with five homers. Strasburg has lost three consecutive starts for the first time.


Giants 6, Pirates 5

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

Giants 6, Pirates 5

PITTSBURGH — Melky Cabrera's two-run homer highlighted the Giants' five-run fourth. The Pirates sought their first five-game win streak since September 2010. San Francisco entered having been swept by the Nationals while allowing 24 runs in three games.

Tampa Bay Rays: Confusing stats; dog day at the Trop

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 6, 2012

Rays at Indians

When/where: 6:05 tonight, Progressive Field, Cleveland

Radio: 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers

Rays: LH Matt Moore (5-5, 4.17)

Indians: RH Ubaldo Jimenez (7-7, 4.59)

On Moore: The rookie is 4-0 over his past six starts. Though with a couple of so-so outings, his ERA is 3.29 over that stretch. Lefties have given him more trouble, hitting for a .297 average, compared with .239 for righties.

On Jimenez: The veteran has been very good or very bad, posting a 2.51 ERA in seven wins and two no-decisions and 7.68 in seven losses. He beat the Rays while with the Rockies in 2009.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Jimenez

Brooks Conrad2-for-6

Jeff Keppinger0-for-6

B.J. Upton1-for-4

Indians vs. Moore

None have faced

On deck

Sunday: at Indians, 1:05, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (8-5, 4.11); Indians — Zach McAllister (3-1, 3.93)

Monday: Off

Rays disabled list

(with eligible-to-return date)

C Robinson Chirinos, concussion, 60-day, June 5

OF Sam Fuld, right wrist surgery, 60-day, June 5

OF Brandon Guyer, left shoulder surgery, 60-day, July 13 *

OF Matt Joyce, oblique strain, 15-day, July 5

3B Evan Longoria, left hamstring tear, 15-day, May 16

RHP Jeff Niemann, right leg fracture, 60-day, July 14

* Out for the season

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Confusing stats of the day

20-15Rays' record vs. AL East teams

10-3Rays' record vs. AL West teams

9-9Rays' record vs. NL East teams

5-13Rays' record vs. AL Central teams

Related quote of the day

"He can't wait."

LHP David Price, on the "reaction" of his dog, Astro, left, to news of Bark at the Park

Animal kingdom conflict of the day

The Rays announced plans for their first Bark at the Park, in which fans can bring their dogs to the game. But it's Aug. 5, which is also the day they are giving away bobbleheads of their feline friend, DJ Kitty. Furthermore, there will be lots of kids and a postgame concert by the Wiggles.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon defends hitting coach Derek Shelton

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 6, 2012

CLEVELAND — For those of you who blame hitting coach Derek Shelton for the Rays' extensive offensive struggles, manager Joe Maddon has a few choice words.

Maddon said he "absolutely" is pleased with Shelton's work and "it's not fair for him to be criticized at all." Further, Maddon said, he is amused at how quickly people try to target a scapegoat.

"I appreciate the work that he does," Maddon said before Friday's game. "He's really diligent. He works very hard with our guys. And he's very dedicated to his profession. So for those that want to go in that direction, please reference to them the fact that they have one of the hardest-working hitting coaches in Major League Baseball working here right now."

Going into play Friday, the Rays matched the Mariners for the second-lowest average in the majors at .231, were 22nd among the 30 teams with a .312 on-base percentage and 26th with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .684. Two regulars in the lineup, 1B Carlos Peña and DH Luke Scott, were hitting below .200, and six others were below .250.

But Maddon said the overall lack of offense isn't a reflection of Shelton's work, but a product of injuries to key players.

"I can't even tell you it's underperformed to this point" because key players have missed so much time, he said.

"When you have really good offensive players, an effective hitting coach looks like he's an even more effective hitting coach," Maddon said. "When you're working with a team that has a lot of injuries right now, a lot of guys getting more at-bats than they should, then probably sometimes that's going to reflect on him not doing as good of a job. And I totally disagree with that.

"For me, a bad hitting coach would be one that's not dedicated to his profession, one that's probably not trying to remain contemporary with what's going on in the game today and not attempt to utilize all the information that's at his disposal. That would be a guy that would be, to me, more worrisome or bothersome. Whereas a guy like 'Shelty,' who does all of that well, people are definitely barking up the wrong tree right there."

MEDICAL MATTERS: OF Matt Joyce, whose planned weekend return from an oblique strain was pushed back when he felt discomfort in his back Wednesday, said he will see a doctor Tuesday. There is no new timetable for his return. … OF Hideki Matsui got through his Thursday pinch-hitting appearance with no issues from his tight left hamstring. He should be available on that basis through Sunday, though Maddon said he might require a pinch-runner. … INF Jeff Keppinger (left triceps bruise) is also feeling better, though Maddon felt better keeping him on the bench for late-game use Friday than starting him and possibly having to take him out. … OF Sam Fuld (right wrist surgery) is set to begin what is expected to be a 20-day rehabilitation assignment with Class A Charlotte tonight in Jupiter.

DRAFT BREEZE: Twelfth-round pick C Courtney Hawkins, a USA Today high school All-American, passed on a scholarship from home-state Oklahoma to sign with the Rays, the Oklahoman newspaper in Oklahoma City reported. … The Rays are said to be working optimistically on a deal with their top pick, 3B Richie Shaffer. The deadline is July 13.

MOORE BETTER: LHP Matt Moore said getting to the midpoint of his first full big-league season at 5-5 with a 4.17 ERA wasn't half bad after starting 1-5, 4.76: "I think most of all I'm looking forward to seeing what the second half has in store."

MISCELLANY: RF Ben Zobrist had his fourth three-or-more RBI game. … There is no TV coverage tonight. … Pitching plans for after the All-Star break aren't set, though it sounds as if RHP James Shields will start the opener against Boston July 13.

Cubs 8, Mets 7

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

Cubs 8, Mets 7

NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run homer, and Cubs closer Carlos Marmol caught a line drive and started a game-ending double play. Travis Wood won his fourth straight start. Mets ace Johan Santana was tagged for a career-high-tying 13 hits.

White Sox 4, Blue Jays 2

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Times wires
Friday, July 6, 2012

White Sox 4, Blue Jays 2

CHICAGO — A.J. Pierzynski homered to help Jake Peavy earn his first win for the White sox since May 26. Peavy entered 0-4 over his previous four starts despite throwing two complete games because Chicago scored a combined two runs.

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