Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Rangers 4, Royals 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Josh Hamilton drove in two runs, and Scott Feldman won his sixth straight decision for the Rangers. Feldman became the first pitcher in 29 years to win six consecutive decisions after starting the season 0-6. Doyle Alexander did it in 1983 with the Yankees and Blue Jays. Hamilton, who leads the majors with 90 RBIs, hit an opposite-field single in the third to score Ian Kinsler, who had singled, and Elvis Andrus, who had doubled.

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Tigers 6, Indians 1

DETROIT — Doug Fister retired his first 17 batters then settled for a four-hitter for the Tigers. Fister's bid for a perfect game was broken up with two outs in the sixth when Ezequiel Carrera tripled over Austin Jackson's head in center. Fister lost a chance at his first career shutout when Carrera tripled again in the ninth and scored on a groundout. Cleveland lost its eighth straight. Brennan Boesch and Jhonny Peralta each doubled and tripled for Detroit in a game that was delayed 37 minutes in the second by rain.

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

The ratings bonanza keeps coming for NBC.

Each night of the Olympics through Friday drew 28.5 million viewers or more for the first time in the history of televised Summer Games, which dates to 1960 in Rome, the network said Saturday.

The 34.5 million average viewers through Friday were the most for the first eight nights of any non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the 1976 Games in Montreal, it said.

Every night had topped the same night from Beijing in 2008, and through Friday 189 million had watched the Olympics on all NBC Universal networks (NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo), 4 million more than the same period for 2008, which set an overall Games viewing record with 215 million viewers.

Among the top 20 markets monitored by the Nielsen company through Friday were West Palm Beach (tied for 10th) and Fort Myers (tied for 17th). The top market was Salt Lake City.

Drugs: Track and field's governing body suspended athletes from Belarus and Morocco for doping offenses, barring them from the Olympics.

It said hammer thrower Ivan Tsikhan and middle-distance runner Amine Laalou will face disciplinary cases that will be handled by their national federations.

The Belarus Olympic body said it sent Tsikhan home. Morocco's sports minister said.

Laalou was refused entry at a London airport Thursday. Laalou was sent back on flight to Morocco the next day.

Belarus officials said Tsikhan had failed an International Olympic Committee retest of his sample when he won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics.

By Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Catcher Tate Whatley Jr. hit a three-run homer and doubled to drive in four but Plant City fell to host Warner Robins, Ga., 7-6 in pool play Saturday at the Little League Southeast Regional Tournament.

Centerfielder Benji Hidalgo and shortstop Christian Laird also had two hits each for the Plant City, which dropped to 1-1 at the event that determines the region representative to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Whatley's blast was part of Plant City's four-run first inning. Cody Ginther added an RBI single. Plant City stretched its lead to 5-1 in the second when Whatley, son of coach Tate Whatley Sr., doubled in outfielder Cody Cribbs.

But in the third, starter Austin Eldridge began to come undone as Warner Robins put together a string of hits to score three times. Ginther came on in relief and Plant City ended the inning still ahead 5-4.

But errors by Plant City in the fourth allowed Warner Robins to score three unearned runs and take the lead as it evened its record in pool play at 1-1.

Plant City plays its final pool play game against Greenville, N.C., at 4 p.m. Monday.

The top two teams from the two pools move on to semifinals.

Senior baseball: Michael Del Monte recorded Largo's third shutout in its past four games as it bounced back from dropping its Southeast Regional Tournament opener in Melbourne by shutting down North Carolina representative Myrtle Grove 3-0.

Largo had shutouts in both the semifinal and final games of the state tournament before starting the region event this weekend.

Largo is 1-1 in pool play and faces unbeaten host West Melbourne at 1:30 p.m. today. The top two teams from the two pools meet in semifinals Monday. The title game, which determines the representative in the World Series in Bangor, Maine, is Tuesday.

Times staff, wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

On the upside, he's not in jail

All he wanted to do was visit his wife, 2003 100-meter world champion Kim Collins says, and he got kicked out of the Games for it. "Even men in prison get their wives to visit," he said on Twitter. His country begs to differ with his account. Collins was expelled by St. Kitts and Nevis before the event's start Saturday because, officials said, he left the athletes village without permission and missed training sessions, among a few other things. Collins said he found the athletes village stressful and spent time with his wife because she helped coach him and he needed peace and quiet. "I explained (to the team) that I was not abandoning my wife," Collins said. "I guess that was not approved." Collins, 36 and at his fifth Games, carried his country's flag at the opening ceremony. Team officials called him a "national hero" in announcing the penalty. He said he will never represent the country again.

NFL backs families, guilt trips

Two NFL players have left their training camps to spend the weekend watching the Olympics. And their teams don't have a problem with that. • Jaguars cornerback Aaron Ross is in London to watch runner-wife Sanya Richards-Ross in the 400 meters, and Jets All-Pro center Nick Mangold is there to see sister Holley in women's weightlifting. • Richards-Ross advanced to today's 400 final by winning her semi Saturday. "To be honest, I think I'm faster in the (40-yard dash), but anything after that, she has it," Aaron says. "There aren't too many NFL players that can go around and say their wife can beat them — and all of their friends." • Mangold at first said he wouldn't go see his sister, who competes in the superheavyweight division today, because he didn't want to leave his teammates in the middle of camp. But coach Rex Ryan and several of those teammates kept trying to lay "the guilt trip on him," Ryan said. It worked. Mangold sent a message on Twitter early Saturday saying: "Anyone want to guess where I'm heading?" with a picture from an airport terminal. He also thanked the organization and added, "Go @HolleyMangold!"

Readers ask us

Who were the two commentators for the NBCOlympics.com live stream of swimming? Their commentary was superb. Both were highly knowledgeable and informative, and carried on an entertaining, nonstop and respectful discussion of what is going on within the sport, including technical explanations and even good-natured gossip.

The announcers were Australians Bruce McAvaney and former Olympic swimmer Nicole Livingstone. Livingstone, 41, competed in three Olympics, 1988, '92 and '96. She won backstroke and freestyle relay bronze medals in '92 and a silver medley relay medal in '96. She now is a sports broadcaster for Australian TV. McAvaney, 59, is an Australian TV sports broadcaster whose career began in 1978 and who has covered every Summer Olympics since 1980. They worked the swimming competition for the Olympic Broadcasting Services, the International Olympic Committee's broadcasting arm. The OBS, as it is called, is mainly responsible for providing unbiased coverage to all broadcast organizations who bought TV and radio rights to the Games.

Some final Michael Phelps facts, figures and trivia

• If Phelps were a country, with 22 medals he'd rank in the top 60 among countries in the history of the modern Olympics. His 18 golds would put him No. 36, ahead of Argentina.

• He has twice as many golds as the next-highest people (four tied with nine).

• For is career, Phelps got medals in 91.7 percent of his Olympic races (22-of-24). He got gold in 75 percent of them (18-of-24).

• To earn his 22 medals, Phelps had to race 46 times, counting prelims and semifinals, in eight events over three Olympics.

• No man had won the same individual swimming event in a third consecutive Olympics until Phelps did it in London, and he did it twice in 24 hours, in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100 butterfly.

• Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, 47, was a swimmer at Florida State from 1983-85; he says he was mediocre. He graduated in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology and a minor in music composition. In 1986-87, he was an assistant coach at FSU and head age-group coach at the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club.

Compiled by Times staff writer Sharon Fink, from the Associated Press, ESPN, England's Guardian newspaper, NFL.com

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Nationals 10, Marlins 7

WASHINGTON — Adam LaRoche homered twice, and Danny Espinosa hit a three-run shot in a six-run eighth inning as the Nationals rallied from a 6-4 deficit. First-place Washington increased its lead over the Braves in the NL East to three games.

Times staff
Saturday, August 4, 2012

4 a.m. – 7 p.m. NBCSN

• Basketball (W) – Qualifying (LIVE)

• Tennis – Women's doubles final, S. Williams-V. Williams (U.S.) vs. Hlavackova-Hradecka (Czech Republic) (LIVE, 7 a.m.); mixed doubles final, Murray-Robson (Great Britain) vs. Mirnyi-Azarenka (Belarus) (LIVE, approx. 11 a.m.)

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinals (LIVE)

• Weightlifting (W) – Superheavyweight final (LIVE)

• Volleyball (W) – Qualifying

• Cycling – Track events (LIVE)

• Synchro swim – Duet qualifying

• Shooting (M) – Pistol final

6 a.m. – 6 p.m. Ch. 8

• Marathon – Women (LIVE, 6 a.m.)

• Tennis (M) – Final, Federer (Switzerland)-Murray (Britain) (LIVE, approx. 9 a.m.)

• Basketball (W) – U.S.--China (LIVE, 11:45 a.m.)

• Water Polo (W) – Quarterfinal, U.S.-Italy (LIVE, 2 p.m.)

• Volleyball (W) – U.S.-Turkey (LIVE, 3 p.m.)

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinals, U.S.-Czech Republic (LIVE, 5 p.m.)

• Cycling – Track final

• Equestrian – Team jumping final, Round 1

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. MSNBC

• Water polo (W) – Quarters (LIVE)

• Tennis (M) – Singles bronze, Djokovic (Serbia)-Del Potro (Argentina) (LIVE, 7 a.m.)

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinal (LIVE)

• Wrestling – Greco-Roman finals

• Field hockey (M) – Qualifying

• Table tennis (M) – Team quarter­finals

• Handball (W) – Qualifying (LIVE)

• Fencing (M) – Team foil quarterfinal: U.S.-France

• Badminton (M) – Doubles final, bronze

8:30 – 11:30 a.m. CNBC

• Boxing (W) – Elimination bouts (LIVE)

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. TELEMUNDO

• Marathon – Women

• Volleyball (W) – Qualifying

• Beach volleyball – Quarterfinals

• Tennis (M) – Final

• Boxing – Elimination bouts

3:30 – 5:30 p.m. CNBC

• Boxing (M) – Elimination bouts (LIVE)

7 p.m. – Midnight Ch. 8

• Gymnastics – Event finals: men's floor exercise, pommel horse; women's vault

• Track and field – Finals: men's 100M; women's 400M, triple jump

• Diving (W) – 3M final

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinals, U.S.-Italy

12:35 – 1:35 a.m. Ch. 8

• Track and field – Finals

• Badminton (M) – Singles final

Midnight – 2:30 a.m. TELEMUNDO

• Track and field – Finals

• Gymnastics – Event finals

• Diving (W) – 3M final

All events streamed live at NBCOlympics.com.

Country G S B T

United States26131554

China25161253

Britain147829

Russia3151028

Japan2101224

France86822

Germany561021

Australia112720

South Korea93517

Italy55313

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

CINCINNATI — Scott Rolen tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Reds won their fifth straight game, 5-4 over the Pirates on Saturday night.

Cincinnati has won 15 of 16 to open a 5½-game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

It was tied at 4 when Rolen led off the eighth with a line drive off the right-centerfield wall, beating the relay with a headfirst slide into third base. Todd Frazier hit a chopper that pitcher Jared Hughes fielded too late to get Rolen at the plate.

Rolen earlier had a two-run single.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle was ejected in the top of the second after both benches had been warned following the second Pirates batter to be hit by a pitch in two nights.

Reds starter Mike Leake plunked Josh Harrison with two outs, no one on base and Cincinnati leading 2-1. Harrison and Leake briefly exchange words.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — In a Rays bullpen that has been the majors' best since the All-Star break, LHP J.P. Howell has shined.

Howell did it again Saturday night against the Orioles, striking out four of the six hitters he faced over two scoreless innings. He completed the feat in just 18 pitches, 14 of them strikes.

"J.P. was really sharp; he was incredibly good," manager Joe Maddon said. "They didn't get good swings on him, I thought he was really good. J.P. is really showing flashes of the past right now."

Howell extended his scoreless innings streak to 20, tying RHP Fernando Rodney for the longest active streak by a reliever and putting him one inning shy of the club record by a reliever (Joe Borowski in 2005).

Maddon said a key is Howell's deception is back.

"He's starting to get the movement on the fastball that he had," he said. "You can see the breaking ball with much better depth; they're getting worse swings on it. The hitter is not on him like they had been last year."

DOG DAY: LHP David Price will have a special fan at Tropicana Field for today's start against the Orioles. His French bulldog, Astro, will be one of about 450 dogs on hand for the team's first "Bark in the Park" event.

Astro is no stranger to the stadium, having made a cameo on the field during the workout day before the 2010 AL Division Series against the Rangers, watching as Price threw a bullpen session. "He might come out there on the mound," Price joked of Astro. "He can have a mound visit instead of (pitching coach Jim) Hickey."

ON TRACK: DH Luke Scott was encouraged by how he felt after a second straight day of hitting in the batting cage, saying the "best-case scenario" would be a return by the end of this homestand.

Scott, out since July 21 with a mild right external oblique strain, said a big step will be today when he takes live batting practice before the game against the Orioles. Scott is eligible to come off the disabled list today but would likely need at least a short rehab assignment. He said he hopes to be back by the upcoming road trip that starts Friday.

"I'm very excited," he said.

Scott didn't feel any soreness after Saturday's session, saying "everything was very loose," and he was able to get some extension in his swing. He said he may need only 5-10 at-bats in a rehab assignment but likes where he's at right now.

"Getting back to normal," Scott said. "It was very, very encouraging."

LONGO UPDATE: 3B Evan Longoria (partially torn left hamstring) played in his third straight game for Triple-A Durham, going 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch as DH. Maddon said Longoria had felt some general soreness after Friday's game but felt good enough to play Saturday, his seventh game of the rehab assignment. Maddon said Longoria likely will be off today then re-evaluated Monday.

STANDING TALL: RHP Jeff Niemann (broken right fibula) will throw a bullpen session today. He could start a rehab assignment with Class A Charlotte by the middle of the week.

FOR THE BIRDS: The Rays have used a five-man infield before, but Friday marked a first, according to Ben Zobrist, with a pigeon finding its way onto the field during the game. "One extra defender," Zobrist quipped. "It was right in front of second base at some point," he said. "A pretty looking bird."

MISCELLANY: LHP Matt Moore and another player will sign autographs for kids 14 and under today from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. down the rightfield line. … Durham LHP Alex Torres was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Wednesday. … Though the "Bark in the Park" tickets are sold out for today's game, there are still regular (human-only) game tickets available.

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

an anniversary present

S helly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made it back-to-back titles in the women's 100 meters Saturday, closing ground over the last 20 and leaning at the line to win in 10.75 seconds, edging American Carmelita Jeter by 0.03. The Jamaican became the first woman to repeat since American Gail Devers in 1992 and '96. This weekend marks 50 years since Jamaica became independent from Britain. "I want to tell Jamaica: Happy 50th anniversary," Fraser-Pryce said. Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown finished third for her second 100 bronze. American Allyson Felix was fifth in a race in which six women ran under 11 seconds, a record in an Olympic final. The old record was five (1988, ’92). Britain's Jessica Ennis finished out her heptathlon victory by winning the 800 to total 6,955 points, 306 ahead of Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopf. About 20 minutes later, Britain's Greg Rutherford won the long jump, his first medal in a major international meet, with a leap of 27 feet, 31/4 inches. Former Gator Will Claye got bronze (26-73/4). About 20 minutes after that, Mo Farah — born in Somalia, training in Portland, Ore., competing for Britain — sprinted to the finish in the 10,000 meters for a win over his American training partner, Galen Rupp. Rupp is the first U.S. man to medal in the event since Billy Mills in 1964. In the men's 400 heats, 2008 U.S. gold medalist LaShawn Merritt pulled up with a bad hamstring and is out.

u.s. gets tested against lithuania

The U.S. men's basketball team is still unbeaten but no longer untested. Pushed to the max by a fearless Lithuanian team smelling a world-shaking upset, LeBron James stepped up in the closing minutes to lead the Americans to a 99-94 win. "It was like LeBron said, 'I got this, I'm doing this,' " U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. James, in his third Olympics, scored nine of his 20 points in the final four minutes. The United States trailed by two points with less than six minutes to play before using a 15-4 run to put away Lithuania. "You want to get tested," James said. "The best teams want to be tested. … We had that today."

clearwater's paige railey makes medal race

Clearwater sailor Paige Railey made the medal race in Laser Radial with finishes in the final two races of ninth and eighth to sit ninth overall. The top 10 made the Monday medals race off Weymouth. Because of her point total, she can't medal, but she is still looking forward to the race. "I am going to enjoy sailing and try my hardest," she told USA Sailing. "I'm out there sailing with my American flag representing my country. It's great to be out there and say, 'Here I am sailing for all of you.' '' In women's match racing, Anna Tunnicliffe of Plantation, Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi won their two final round-robin matches and made the quarterfinals.

serena, bryans complete two golden slams

Serena Williams became the fourth player to complete a "Golden Slam" by winning singles gold at Wimbledon, crushing Russia's Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1, in 63 minutes. Williams joins Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Rafael Nadal as the only players to win all four of the sport's majors and the gold medal in singles. "I honestly don't think I have ever played better from start to finish," Williams said of this tournament. Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan followed her by completing a career Golden Slam in doubles, beating France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). "There's no bigger match we'd rather win than this one," Bob said.

four years of work pays off

For Jamie Lynn Gray, four years of anguish was washed away. Gray gave the United States its third shooting gold of the Games, winning the women's 50-meter three-position rifle. She saw bronze medals slip away twice in 2008, getting fourth in air rifle and fifth in three-position. That day she saw what looked like at least a bronze in three-position get away on a last-shot mistake. "I've worked on taking that last shot for four years."

other sports

• The United States edged Russia 31-30 in extra time to take bronze in team epee for its first fencing medal in London. After six medals in 2008, the United States was empty-handed going into the event's last day. China won the gold over South Korea, whose silver meant a medal for Shin A-lam, who wept on the competition strip Monday after losing a disputed decision in the individual competition. "I felt like crying again on the podium," she said.

• Britain's women's pursuit team delivered the home nation its fourth gold in five track cycling events, setting a world record in beating the United States in the final.

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Twins 6, Red Sox 4

BOSTON — Joe Mauer hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and the team with the AL's second-worst record handed the Red Sox their fourth straight loss. Ben Revere had three singles to extend his hitting streak to 18 games for the Twins, who can complete a four-game sweep at Fenway Park today.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Rays vs. Orioles

When/where: 1:40 today; Tropicana Field

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

Tickets: $12-$255, available at Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster, raysbaseball.com, team Tampa store; $3 surcharge within 5 hours of game time.

Promotion: Postgame concert by the Wiggles and a DJ Kitty bobblehead giveaway to the first 10,000 kids 14 and under

Probable pitchers

Rays: LH David Price (14-4, 2.64)

Orioles: RH Miguel Gonzalez (3-2, 4.46)

On Price: He has won six of his past eight starts and lasted at least seven innings in each of them. He is 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 career starts against the Orioles, including 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA in two starts this year.

On Gonzalez: He has been good on the road this season, going 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA in five appearances (three starts). He struggled against the Rays last week, allowing seven runs in 22/3 innings in a loss in Baltimore.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Gonzalez

B.J. Upton 1-for-2

Carlos Peña 1-for-2

Desmond Jennings 1-for-2, HR

Orioles vs. Price

Adam Jones 5-for-26

Mark Reynolds 3-for-20, 2 HRs

Matt Wieters 7-for-24

On deck

Monday: Off

Tuesday: vs. Jays, 7:10 p.m., Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (9-7, 4.24); Jays — TBA

Wednesday: vs. Jays, 7:10 p.m., Sun Sports. Rays — Alex Cobb (5-8, 4.60); Jays — TBA

Thursday: vs. Jays, 1:10 p.m., Sun Sports. Rays — Matt Moore (8-7, 3.84); Jays — TBA

Friday: at Twins, 8:10 p.m., Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (6-7, 3.43); Twins — Cole De Vries (2-2, 3.81)

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

Teaming up

Ben Zobrist and his wife, Julianna, had a successful meet-and-greet before Saturday's game to promote her new CD, Say It Now. Zobrist said there was a steady line at the Tropicana Field team store for 2½ hours, with him signing baseballs and his wife signing and selling CDs. "It was a great event, and great to just connect with some people, too," Zobrist said.

Not a kids' game

Several Rays had fun in the clubhouse before Saturday's game playing with the Nerf guns brought in by RHP Kyle Farnsworth's son, Stone, 9. "This is amazing," LHP J.P. Howell said. "I'm going to go to Toys "R" Us later."

Number of the day

2

Stolen bases for Orioles C Matt Wieters Saturday, equaling the total from his first 460 career games.

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

NEWTON, Iowa — Elliott Sadler rebounded from the disappointment of his jumped-restart penalty last week in Indianapolis to win the NASCAR Nationwide series race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday night.

Sadler denied Ricky Stenhouse a fourth straight victory at Iowa Speedway and increased his lead in the series standings to 18 points over Austin Dillon.

Sadler won the pole for the U.S. Cellular 250 with a track-record qualifying speed of 135.141 mph and was near or at the front of the pack the entire race. He overtook Justin Allgaier on Lap 192 of 250 and went on to his fourth victory this season.

Allgaier was second, followed by Sam Hornish, Michael Annett and Stenhouse.

Danica Patrick finished 11th.

Hornish won the final "Dash4Cash" bonus of $100,000. His fan partner, Tammy Altieri of Spokane, Wash., also won $100,000.

In last week's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sadler passed leader Brad Keselowski on a restart with 18 laps left, but officials ruled Sadler went too early and black-flagged him. Sadler disputed the call and stayed on the track to no avail.

TRUCKS: Joey Coulter sped from third to first off the final restart at Pocono Raceway to earn his first series victory. Coulter, 22, won the Pocono Mountains 125 in his 36th trucks start; he's winless in 19 Nationwide races. "They say once you win one, the others are easier," he said. "I hope they're right." James Buescher was second.

INDYCAR: Team Penske's Will Power earned the pole for today's race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington with a lap of 1 minute, 5.6474 seconds around the 2¼-mile road course. Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti starts second. … Chase Austin will try to become the third African-American driver ever to race in the Indianapolis 500 next year in an A.J. Foyt entry.

AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES: Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr won at Mid-Ohio, their Honda beating Guy Smith and Chris Dyson's Mazda-Lola by a lap. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner won the GT class in a Corvette.

NHRA: Points leader Allen Johnson topped Pro Stock qualifying for the sixth straight event heading into today's eliminations at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle. Spencer Massey led Top Fuel and Ron Capps led Funny Car.

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2012

TAMPA — The Bucs often attempt to create a game-day atmosphere during practices.

Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium, the large and lively crowd at their annual open practice made that easy. Throw in the use of headset communications and the stadium's bright lights, and you had a realistic, game-like environment.

It provided a chance for players and coaches to gauge their status as Friday's preseason opener approaches. The first-year staff was particularly interested as it learns to work together while on the clock with a noisy crowd and amid sideline madness.

"It was good for us coaches to be on the headset in live situations," coach Greg Schiano said. "Although some of us have been together in other places, the unique chemistry when you put it all together was good for us. I have a bunch of notes. (With) every preseason game, I'll have more."

PRESSURE'S ON: It's far from a given that CB Myron Lewis will make the team, but the 2010 third-round pick has given coaches a reason to take note. While still showing some propensity for mistakes in one-on-one coverage, Lewis has gotten his hands on several passes and often been in good position against receivers. That continued Saturday night.

Lewis knows he's under pressure to produce. "A lot of pressure," he said after a recent practice. "I've been hurt the past two years. Nobody's really seen me play."

Lewis has been limited by hamstring injuries during his two seasons but played little, even in the 20 games for which he has been active. He knows the Bucs won't wait forever.

"I'm just trying to stay healthy and do my job," he said. "I know I can play. They drafted me for a reason."

Attendance: The Bucs said about 30,000 came to the scrimmage and autograph session beforehand.

GOING DEEP: With the first preseason game Friday at Miami, look for the first depth chart to be released soon. It's unlikely coaches will put much stock in it, but it can provide guidance in determining where players stand.

Quotable: "He's been beyond our expectations. He's really taken to the community. The fans have taken to him in such a way that's been great. And the team has, too. The players who have been here before plus the players who are new are really responding to him." — Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer on Schiano

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

CANTON, Ohio — Willie Roaf was in an unfamiliar role: the center of attention in front of a large crowd being singled out for something good.

Make that something great.

The former Saints and Chiefs offensive tackle led a charge of linemen into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Four were inducted — Roaf, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy and Dermontti Dawson — along with running back Curtis Martin and cornerback Jack Butler.

"I didn't get singled out in front of a large audience very often," Roaf said. "And when I did, it was usually by a referee who was singling me out by saying, 'Holding No. 77.' That's not going to happen today. And it wasn't too often when I played."

Kennedy, a defensive tackle with the Seahawks, thanked his mother for helping him get to Canton, saying she made him quit football during his sophomore year of high school because he had bad grades.

"That was the turning point of my life," he said.

The rest of the class had a strong Pittsburgh flavor.

Hundreds of Steelers fans filled the field and stands waving "Terrible Towels." Two new Hall of Famers, Butler and Dawson, played for the Steelers. Martin grew up in Pittsburgh and played at the University of Pittsburgh, and Doleman played at Pitt.

Few are more popular in Pittsburgh than Dawson, who succeeded Mike Webster as the Steelers center then followed him into the Hall of Fame.

"Mike was a leader whether he wanted to be or not because he led by example, and I tried to emulate everything Mike did," Dawson said.

"Mike had a profound impact on my life. And even today, I try to lead by example and be like Mike."

Doleman, a defensive end for the Vikings, Falcons and 49ers, recalled his father had one rule: finish what you start.

"Thank you for teaching me the importance of finishing what you started," Doleman said. "And if it's any indication today, I finished the game I signed up for."

Butler, 84, took the most unexpected path to the Hall. He didn't play football in high school, picked up the game in college at St. Bonaventure and entered the NFL as an undrafted player in 1951, just another player filling out the Steelers roster.

A group of Butler fans sat in the front rows, wearing Steelers throwback uniforms — yellow jerseys with black stripes — that made them look like bees.

He thanked his family and friends for being in Canton for his long-awaited moment.

"Heck, I'm thankful I'm here," Butler said.

Martin concluded the ceremony by bringing the audience to tears. The Patriots and Jets running back described his life growing up in a household where his father set his mother's hair on fire and burned her legs with cigarettes. His mother was tough on him, urging him to play football to stay out of trouble.

Said Martin: "My greatest achievement in my life was helping my mother and nurturing my mother."

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Training camp

Where: One Buc Place, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, just east of Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

Admission: Free

Et cetera: All practices are weather permitting and subject to change. For updates, go to buccaneers.com.

Schedules

Public practices

Monday: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.

Preseason games

Friday: at Dolphins, 7:30, Ch. 10

Aug. 17: Titans, 7:30, Ch. 10 *

Aug. 24: Patriots, 7:30, Ch. 10 *

Aug. 29: at Redskins, 7:30, Ch. 10

* Subject to blackout

Under the lights, in front of fans

Nothing makes a player want to shine more than when the lights come on.

That was the case Saturday during the Bucs' practice at Raymond James Stadium.

For rookies and those new to the team, it was the first time experiencing the pirate ship, flags and the other sights and sounds of the stadium.

"The atmosphere was really awesome," rookie RB Michael Smith said. "It's my first time in the stadium. Even with half the fans in the stands, I can't wait until the seats are filled up."

TE Dallas Clark played in the stadium while with the Colts. But even a veteran entering his 10th season can appreciate breaking the monotony of training camp.

"Oh, it was beautiful," Clark said of the stadium atmosphere. "It makes our practices a lot easier when you're practicing in front of people. It gives you a lot of extra energy. Playing under the lights definitely helps."

For coach Greg Schiano, the workout, which was interrupted for about a half-hour due to a thunderstorm, provided a chance for young players to get rid of the jitters before Friday's preseason opener at Miami.

"We got the young kids a chance to play some live football in front of people, so Friday night won't be the first time for them playing inside an NFL stadium," he said.

"This was the fourth straight day (of practice). I didn't have to bring the energy. The fans did. It was good."

Rick Stroud, Times staff writer

Times wires
Saturday, August 4, 2012

Angels 6, White Sox 5

10 innings

CHICAGO — Albert Pujols homered again and Howie Kendrick hit a go-ahead single off Matt Thornton with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Angels. Kevin Youkilis homered twice for the White Sox, and A.J. Pierzynski hit a solo shot. Pujols' 24th home run of the season was his sixth in his past five games.

Times wires


Saturday, August 4, 2012

LONDON — One by one his rivals formed a handshake line behind the blocks at the London Aquatics Centre and paid homage to Michael Phelps. In what he said was his racing finale Saturday, as a member of the U.S. men's 400-meter medley relay team, Phelps collected his 22nd medal and 18th gold.

Before Phelps retired, he had one last trophy to collect: a statuette from swimming's governing body that recognized his place in Olympic history and resembled a crinkled piece of aluminum foil from a footlong sandwich.

"It's kind of weird looking at this and seeing 'Greatest Olympian of All Time,' " Phelps said, adding, "I finished my career the way I wanted to. I think that's pretty cool."

Some architects of history work from a blueprint, while others, like Phelps, do not want to acknowledge any ceiling. Phelps transformed swimming, inspiring a generation at home and abroad, by building an audacious program out of grit, guts and a burning desire to make swimming cool for children all over the world.

"I wanted to change the sport and take it to another level," Phelps said.

Mission accomplished.

Saturday, Phelps' butterfly followed Matt Grevers' backstroke and Brendan Hansen's breaststroke in the medley relay, and 50.73 seconds later, his career over, he gave the anchor, free­styler Nathan Adrian, a lead that Adrian turned into a runaway victory over Japan and Australia. The Americans won in 3 minutes, 29.35 seconds, just off their 2008 Olympic record .

"I was able to really put the final cherry on top (Saturday), put all the whipped cream I wanted and sprinkles. I was able to top off the sundae," Phelps, 27, said.

Phelps wasn't the only star of the night. Missy Franklin capped off an impressive Olympic debut by helping the United States take gold in the women's 400 medley relay with a world-record time, 3:52.05, beating the mark of 3:52.19 set by China at the 2009 world championships.

It was the fourth gold for Franklin, 17, tying Amy Van Dyken in 1996 for the most by a U.S. female swimmer at a Games. Franklin's other medal was bronze, bringing her overall total to five in seven events, the same number of events Phelps swam.

Another member of that relay was Allison Schmitt, who trained with Phelps over the past year in Baltimore and became friends with him. She finished with three golds, a silver and a bronze.

China's Sun Yang won the 1,500 freestyle in a world-record 14:31.02. That beat his mark from last year's world championships by 3.12 seconds. Sun added that to his gold in the 400 free.

The Netherlands' Ranomi Kromowidjojo won the women's 50 free to complete a sweep of the sprints in an Olympic-record 24.05 seconds. But this night was all about a farewell for Phelps.

Later, as he got up to leave one news conference and go to another, the other three U.S. swimmers were asked if they thought he would stay retired.

Phelps wouldn't even let them answer, saying, "Yes! Yes!"

Times staff
Saturday, August 4, 2012

TODAY

Autos

IndyCar: Indy 200, 1 p.m., Ch. 28

Sprint Cup: Pennsylvania 400, 1 p.m., ESPN

NHRA: Northwest Nationals (taped), 6 p.m., ESPN2

Baseball

Mariners at Yankees, 1 p.m., 820-AM

Marlins at Nationals, 1:30 p.m., FSN

Orioles at Rays, 1:30 p.m., Sun Sports; 620-AM

Angels at White Sox, 2 p.m., TBS

Cubs at Dodgers, 4 p.m., WGN

Brewers at Cardinals, 8 p.m., ESPN; 1040-AM

Golf

WGC: Bridgestone Invitational, noon, Golf

WGC: Bridgestone Invitational, 2 p.m., Ch. 10

Web.com: Cox Classic, 2 p.m., Golf

Champions: 3M Championship, 4 p.m., Golf

PGA: Reno-Tahoe Open, 7 p.m., Golf

NFL

Hall of Fame Game: Saints vs. Cardinals , 8 p.m., NFL

Soccer

Exhibition: Valerenga vs. Man U, 10 a.m., FSC

Mexican: Leon at Toluca, 1 p.m., Univision

MLS: Dallas at Portland, 7 p.m., NBCSN

MLS: Seattle at Los Angeles, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Exhibition: Real Madrid vs. Santos Laguna, 11 p.m., FSC

Tennis

ATP: Citi Open final, Haas vs. Querrey or Dolgopolov, 4 p.m., ESPN2

Olympics, 8C

4 a.m. – 7 p.m. NBCSN

• Basketball (W) – Qualifying (LIVE)

• Tennis – Women's doubles final, S. Williams-V. Williams (U.S.) vs. Hlavackova-Hradecka (Czech Republic) (LIVE, 7 a.m.); mixed doubles final, Murray-Robson (Great Britain) vs. Mirnyi-Azarenka (Belarus) (LIVE, approx. 11 a.m.)

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinals (LIVE)

• Weightlifting (W) – Superheavyweight final (LIVE)

• Volleyball (W) – Qualifying

• Cycling – Track events (LIVE)

• Synchro swim – Duet qualifying

• Shooting (M) – Pistol final

6 a.m. – 6 p.m.Ch. 8

• Marathon – Women (LIVE, 6 a.m.)

• Tennis (M) – Final, Federer (Switzerland)-Murray (Britain) (LIVE, approx. 9 a.m.)

• Basketball (W) – U.S.--China (LIVE, 11:45 a.m.)

• Water Polo (W) – Quarterfinal, U.S.-Italy (LIVE, 2 p.m.)

• Volleyball (W) – U.S.-Turkey (LIVE, 3 p.m.)

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinals, U.S.-Czech Republic (LIVE, 5 p.m.)

• Cycling – Track final

• Equestrian – Team jumping final, Round 1

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. MSNBC

• Water polo (W) – Quarters (LIVE)

• Tennis (M) – Singles bronze, Djokovic (Serbia)-Del Potro (Argentina) (LIVE, 7 a.m.)

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinal (LIVE)

• Wrestling – Greco-Roman finals

• Field hockey (M) – Qualifying

• Table tennis (M) – Team quarter­finals

• Handball (W) – Qualifying (LIVE)

• Fencing (M) – Team foil quarterfinal: U.S.-France

• Badminton (M) – Doubles final, bronze

8:30 – 11:30 a.m. CNBC

• Boxing (W) – Elimination bouts (LIVE)

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.TELEMUNDO

• Marathon – Women

• Volleyball (W) – Qualifying

• Beach volleyball – Quarterfinals

• Tennis (M) – Final

• Boxing – Elimination bouts

3:30 – 5:30 p.m. CNBC

• Boxing (M) – Elimination bouts (LIVE)

7 p.m. – MidnightCh. 8

• Gymnastics – Event finals: men's floor exercise, pommel horse; women's vault

• Track and field – Finals: men's 100M; women's 400M, triple jump

• Diving (W) – 3M final

• Beach volleyball (W) – Quarterfinals, U.S.-Italy

12:35 – 1:35 a.m.Ch. 8

• Track and field – Finals

• Badminton (M) – Singles final

Midnight – 2:30 a.m.TELEMUNDO

• Track and field – Finals

• Gymnastics – Event finals

• Diving (W) – 3M final

TV: ESPND: ESPN Deportes; FSC: Fox Soccer Channel; FSN: Fox Sports Net; NBCSN: NBC Sports Network

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson felt a lot better physically Saturday night than he did in his last start, when he pitched six shutout innings in Anaheim despite throwing up several times.

But when it came down to execution, Hellickson wasn't his usual self in a 4-0 loss to the Orioles in front of 20,612 at Tropicana Field, snapping the Rays' three-game winning streak. He allowed four runs, all with two outs, while walking three in just four innings, just the third time this season he has given up more than three runs.

"Helly just had an off night," manager Joe Maddon said. "That kind of put us behind the eight ball a little bit. … We set a bad tone for the game early. Helly just had a difficult night."

This one wasn't all on Hellickson, as the Rays (56-51) mustered just five hits against Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen and got shut out for the fourth time this season. The Rays defense was sharp, including rightfielder Sam Fuld throwing out Matt Wieters at the plate to end the third, and the bullpen was spectacular with five shutout innings. But the Orioles (56-51) were better.

"They flat-out beat us tonight," Maddon said.

The Orioles battled from the beginning, with leadoff hitter Nick Markakis working a nine-pitch walk to start a first-inning rally that led to a run on two well-placed two-out singles.

"They made me work a little bit, and I threw a lot of pitches in the first inning, so they saw everything," Hellickson said. "I thought I made some really good pitches that they fouled off."

Maddon said Hellickson wasn't as aggressive as he had been in previous starts and was more "tap-dancing" around the strike zone. The Orioles made him pay with clutch hits, including Chris Davis' two-run, two-out single with the bases loaded in the fourth.

"I just couldn't make a big pitch when I needed to," Hellickson said.

Chen, however, had the Rays a bit off-balance, scattering five hits over seven shutout innings. Maddon said Chen was able to throw his fastball down and away for a strike consistently and was better with his breaking stuff.

DH Jeff Keppinger, who stranded a runner on second twice, put it more simply: "It's the same old thing: We just didn't come up with the big hit. Our pitchers kept us in the game, we just couldn't get the big hit."

The Rays bullpen continued its stellar stretch and has now allowed just two runs in its past 48 innings. Lefty J.P. Howell struck out four of the six batters he faced, extending his scoreless-innings streak to 20, and Burke Badenhop tossed two shutout innings of his own.

"Outstanding," Maddon said.

Tampa Bay still feels good entering today's matinee with Baltimore, knowing it has a chance to win its fourth consecutive series, with ace lefty David Price on the mound.

Said Keppinger: "It's not so much we're sweeping every series, but if you can keep winning series, it'll turn out in your favor in the end."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.