Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Giants 10, Padres 1

SAN DIEGO — Matt Cain pitched eight innings and the Giants scored eight in the third to move into first in the NL West. Yonder Alonso's one-out double in the fifth was the Padres' first hit. Marco Scutaro homered and had two RBIs, and Angel Pagan had three hits and two RBIs.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

TAMPA — When B.J. Daniels was introduced to college football stardom, he was an unblinking redshirt freshman, taking USF into his hometown of Tallahassee and knocking off Florida State and Bobby Bowden, a blur of scrambles and big throws.

Nearly three years later, you could argue the Bulls haven't been higher since. They have won at Miami and at Notre Dame. But the promising potential of Daniels, 33 starts into his career, is still unanswered: Is he the quarterback who can take USF beyond its reputation of upsets, promising starts and disappointing finishes?

"It means I've got to hurry up and do something," said Daniels, 22, who graduated in May with a degree in crimi­nology. "It's my last opportunity to help out the team, to do whatever we can to win the Big East.

"There's a sense of urgency in really trying to step up as a leader on and off the field."

Daniels is one of 20 Bulls seniors tasked with the challenge of going from one conference win to one conference title in a single year. But as the quarterback, he is the most visible embodiment of USF's experiences — good and bad — over the past three seasons.

Each year has brought changes. He cut down on his scrambling then cut down on his interceptions. So the remaining goal is simply to help the Bulls cut down on their losses.

"What he's saying is, 'We came here to accomplish something, and we haven't gotten it done,' " USF coach Skip Holtz said. "With his commitment level, it's easy to look at him and say this is what you're looking for as a coach, a complete player."

• • •

If Daniels simply repeats last season's numbers, he'll finish as the Big East's career leader in total offense, breaking the mark of 10,875 yards set by USF's Matt Grothe. (Grothe's torn left ACL in 2009 ended his career early and launched Daniels'.)

But Daniels' focus is the scoreboard, not individual honors.

"It's not about me. It's about this team," Daniels said. "At the end of the day, if we have a W, whether I have five touchdowns or five interceptions, the W is the only thing we care about right now."

For all the pressure and expectations to improve — no team with a losing record last year earned more votes in the preseason coaches' poll than the Bulls — Daniels remains lighthearted in his preparation, quick to joke with teammates and coaches.

When Daniels was USF's representative on the cover of the Big East media guide, Holtz tweeted his congratulations then pointed out Daniels was pictured holding the ball out away from his body.

"Obviously, we need to work on that ball security," Holtz wrote.

Jokes aside, Daniels understands the importance of limiting his turnovers, recognizing the value of throwing a ball out of bounds when receivers aren't open, of punting rather than throwing a risky third-down pass.

"As he continues to develop mentally, I think he's gaining more and more confidence," Holtz said.

"The more he understands everything going on on the field — not just the offense, but the defense, the protections, the routes — the more he understands it all, the more confidence he's playing with and the more confidence he's playing with, the more he's growing as a leader."

Daniels' improvement with interceptions last season — from 13 to seven despite throwing 120 more passes — came with many of his top receivers limited by injuries. His top returning receivers — Sterling Griffin, Victor Marc, Deonte Welch, Andre Davis and Terrence Mitchell — combined for 136 catches in 2011. A year earlier, they combined for one.

Add Florida transfer Chris Dunkley and freshman D'vario Montgomery, and Daniels' supporting cast could be much improved.

"I think he understands to be a great quarterback, it's about making people around you better," USF offensive coordinator Todd Fitch said. "At the end of the day, when you're a great leader, sometimes you sacrifice to make somebody else better. You're the orchestrator of the whole thing. You want to be the distributor.

"I talk to him about basketball. Great point guards make everyone better. That's what he has to become, and it has to be every day for him. He has to live it."

Fitch also has stressed improving in key situations such as third downs and the red zone, areas in which the Bulls improved in 2011 but still have room for progress.

"He has to be a third-down junkie," Fitch said. "That has to be his goal: I'm going to be the best third-down quarterback in America. Do you reach that goal? I don't know. We got better, but we're not where we want to be.

"Everybody knows he's a talented kid, phenomenal. At the end of the day, you're judged by whether you live up to your talent level, live up to your team's expectations. It's a lot to be burdened with, but that's why you play the position."

• • •

USF's coaches are confident Daniels is mentally prepared to handle the pressure of leading a team with high expectations. That's where his legacy will be decided.

"I think the growth he has made has been really impressive," Holtz said. "He will largely be remembered as a quarterback predicated on how many games we win.

"He'll go down in my book as one of the better quarterbacks I've had the opportunity to coach just because of his athleticism and his growth as a player, a person and a leader."

Greg Auman can be reached at auman@tampabay.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GregAuman.

Times staff and wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

NEW YORK — For the seventh time in program history, USC sits atop the Associated Press preseason writers poll that was released Saturday — with a boost from LSU's problems.

The Trojans, banned from postseason play for the past two seasons, received 25 of 60 first-place votes. No. 2 and defending national champion Alabama received 17, No. 3 LSU 16 and No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 8 Michigan one.

"The ranking doesn't mean we've done anything as a team," Trojans safety T.J. McDonald said. "But it's good to see we're back where we're supposed to be."

At first, LSU was No. 1 with 28 first-place votes. But Tyrann Mathieu, a cornerback, kick returner and 2011 Heisman finalist, got kicked off the team a week ago reportedly for failed drug tests. In light of that, the AP extended the voting deadline.

"Tyrann Mathieu's a terrific player, but I don't think the overall effect will change LSU's results," said John Silver of the Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer, who did not change his ballot. "I don't think a corner can make that big of a difference. It hurts them but at the margins."

Seth Emerson of the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph dropped LSU from No. 1 to No. 3, behind Alabama and USC.

"On the one hand, he wasn't exactly known as a lockdown cornerback and LSU has plenty of other talent," he wrote on his blog. "On the other hand, I was in the Georgia Dome last year when Mathieu single-handedly turned the tide of the SEC championship. He's a dynamic player. There's a reason he was fifth in the Heisman voting. "

The coaches' poll, which was released Aug. 2, has LSU at No. 1 followed by Alabama and USC.

AP has Florida State at No. 7, the third time since 2004 it has been in the Top 10. Last season, the Seminoles started No. 6, rose to No. 5 after two wins but began to fall after a loss to Oklahoma.

"I love being up there. I think it helps. The higher you start, the easier it is to climb," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "That's less places, less ladder holes you have to go climb and pull yourself up. We've just got to go out there and play and not worry about it. They've got us there, and now we've got to take care of business."

Florida sits at No. 23, the ninth consecutive season it has been in the preseason poll. USF and Central Florida were among those receiving votes.

Peppers says it was his UNC transcript

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Former North Carolina star Julius Peppers confirmed it was his academic transcript posted on the university's website but insisted there was "no academic fraud."

The school never confirmed the authenticity of the transcript, which lists the name of the Bears defensive end at the top and since has been removed, but said it is investigating how it wound up online.

The transcript lists a 1.824 grade point average with some of his highest grades in classes in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. A school investigation has found fraud and poor oversight in 54 AFAM classes from 2007-11 (Peppers' last semester was in 2001) with football players making up more than a third of the enrollments and student-athletes making up 58 percent of the overall enrollments in those classes.

The transcript could raise the possibility the AFAM troubles go back further than the four-year focus of the investigation. The school's report in May acknowledged the misconduct could reach before 2007.

"I can assure everyone that there is no academic fraud as it relates to my college transcript," Peppers said in a statement released by his agent. "I took every course with qualified members of the UNC faculty, and I earned every grade whether it was good or bad.

"I was never given unapproved assistance or preferential treatment in terms of my academic career because I was a student-athlete."

Chancellor Holden Thorp announced Thursday that former Gov. Jim Martin will lead a panel to address issues stemming from the internal investigation.

Oklahoma: Defensive tackle Stacy McGee, who has started 17 games over the past three seasons, was suspended indefinitely for an undisclosed violation. He's the fifth Sooner to be suspended over the past three months.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Moving Ben Zobrist to shortstop was the first step leading to several interesting decisions looming for the Rays over the remaining six weeks.

Besides allowing manager Joe Maddon to continually refer to him as "Cal Zobrist," it gives the Rays options to maximize their offense they didn't have before.

"Had (Zobrist) not been able to show us he could do that, then you're maybe doing some things you don't want to do," Maddon said. "He permits us to do things we want to do."

The standard alignment has been Zobrist at short, Jeff Keppinger at third and Ryan Roberts at second — the upside being Roberts (and rightfielder Matt Joyce) in the lineup instead of lighter-hitting Elliot Johnson or Sean Rodriguez.

With DH Luke Scott coming off the disabled list and Evan Longoria possibly returning to third base this week, they'll be able to do even more intriguing things.

With Longoria at third, Keppinger can share time with Roberts at second and DH some. But there will be times — and, such as Friday, not just against tough lefties — when they play Keppinger at first in place of Carlos Peña. Also, Scott has been working at first base. So when Maddon wants to go offense-first, there may be more days when the lineup doesn't include Peña.

The Rays also have right-hander Jeff Niemann coming off the disabled list at the end of August or, conveniently given pending roster expansion, Sept. 1. But right-hander Alex Cobb has done too well in his stead to simply be replaced. And right-hander Jeremy Hellickson isn't going anywhere. There may be a six-man turn to provide some rest, or Niemann may just have to fill in if/when needed.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

The facts are fascinating enough: the Rays somehow, some way, defying history and tremendous odds. There have been only 23 perfect games in the more than 130-year and 200,000-game history of major-league baseball, and the Rays have been the victims three times, all in the past four seasons. • But even more mystifying: How? • Furthermore, why? • "I don't know," CF B.J. Upton said. "It just happens to us."

Common themes

The first two pitchers who blanked them, Chicago's Mark Buehrle in 2009 and Oakland's Dallas Braden in 2010, were similar, soft-tossing lefties. But Seattle's Felix Hernandez was overpowering from the right side Wednesday.

About a dozen Rays uniformed personnel have been a part of all three: six players, manager Joe Maddon and most of the coaches — though NOT hitting coach Derek Shelton, who joined them in 2010.

All three games were early afternoon starts on the road at the end of road series in good cities. (Draw whatever conclusions you may.)

"You want to think there's some kind of pattern that you could change, something to fix it," INF/OF Ben Zobrist said, but without any further ideas.

He did acknowledge that having been through it before — as well as a no-hitter by Edwin Jackson in June 2010, and a near-miss by Brandon Morrow (later in 2010) — that "maybe to a certain degree we get to a certain point and you think, 'not again,' " but that their competitiveness should overcome that. Maddon said more than anything it may be a product of how the Rays are constructed, with a "team offense" style rather than one or two dominant players.

"We're not the group that's going to tear it up all the time," he said. "So when we're matched up badly, it could happen. It could happen to anybody, but with us there are certain games going into them I know we don't match up well against that particular pitcher."

Four for the books

Four Rays were in the lineup for all three perfect games — Evan Longoria, Carlos Peña, B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist. (Also in uniform for the Rays were pitchers James Shields and David Price.) Only one other player in MLB history, per Elias, has played against three perfect pitchers: Alfredo Griffin, for the Blue Jays vs. Cleveland's Len Barker (1981) and for the Dodgers vs. Cincinnati's Tom Browning (1988) and Montreal's Dennis Martinez (1991). And for coincidence's sake, all five players have been on the field together this weekend as Griffin is the Angels first-base coach. Longoria, Peña, Upton and Zobrist also were in the lineup for Edwin Jackson's no-hitter against the Rays (June 2010) and Matt Garza's for them (July 2010).

"Imperfect" men

Joe Maddon earned two footnotes Wednesday, the first manager to be ejected from a perfect game — on either side — and the first to be on the wrong end three times. The only other manager with more than one is the Dodgers' Tommy Lasorda. Maddon has actually seen perfection four times. He was the bullpen coach for the Angels when Kenny Rogers threw his July 1994 gem in Texas. Also four-peating are Rays coaches Tom Foley and Dave Martinez who, amazingly, were also in the same uniform as Montreal teammates for Dennis Martinez's 1991 gem.

More words than hits

• For Rays radio man Andy Freed, no-hitters are becoming no big deal. Freed, who came to Tampa Bay in 2005 with partner Dave Wills, has called all five no-hitters the Rays were involved in. Before that, he called four in the minors and/or spring training. (And openly talked about them on the radio.) He has been in the stands as a fan for two others, including one-time Ray Wilson Alvarez's 1991 no-no for the White Sox at Baltimore.

• On a personal note, Hernandez's perfect game was the sixth no-hitter I've covered in 15 seasons on the Rays beat. The incredible privilege and good fortune in that can sometimes gets lost but was driven home Wednesday sitting in the Safeco Field press box with Seattle Times writer, and good friend, Larry Stone, who was visibly thrilled to cover his first in writing about baseball for 27 years.

Rays rumblings

Joe Maddon, admittedly biased, said he considers David Price the front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award; ESPN's Keith Law doesn't have Price in his top five. … Potentially at some peril, the Rays had Fernando Rodney shoot a real bow and arrow for a cover shot on their Inside Pitch magazine. … Seeing the Padres sell for $800 million had to be the highlight of last week's owners meeting. … Another misuse of the schedule as a marketing tool: none of the Red Sox's three 2013 visits are on a weekend. … RHP James Shields guested last week on Jim Rome's TV show.

Got a minute? Wade Davis

Something you're scared of? Living in the city. Any city.

Karaoke song if you had to? Sweet Child O' Mine.

Favorite TV show? House. Kind of random.

Late-night snack? Mint chocolate-chip ice cream.

Celebrity crush? Marilyn Monroe.

* - Last day of series

Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer


Saturday, August 18, 2012

tom jones' two cents

Last week Bucs receiver Vincent Jackson said teammate Josh Freeman is a top-five NFL quarterback. So I decided to rank each team's starting quarterback from 1 to 32 based on our criteria for a top quarterback. (Hint: Freeman isn't in the top five.)

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

You can break down all the numbers you want and compare the stats of this guy and that guy, but this is a flat-out "feel'' thing. If I had a game I absolutely had to win, I'd take Rodgers. He's in his prime and is coming off a 45-TD, 4,600-yard passing season.

2. Drew Brees, Saints

In his past 47 regular-season starts, Brees has gone 37-10, and he might have more than one Super Bowl ring if he played on a team that had a better postseason defense. Brees might be more valuable to his team than any other player in football.

3. Eli Manning, Giants

He has won two Super Bowls on last-minute drives. He threw 30 touchdown passes last season and passed for more than 4,000 yards. I have no good explanation for why he isn't first on the list.

4. Tom Brady, Patriots

He has come this close to winning five Super Bowls. You could make a case he is the greatest quarterback ever. His game has lost a smidgen, but it would not be shocking if he won another passing title, MVP award and Super Bowl this season.

5. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers

He's the toughest QB in football. He takes hit after hit, limps around on sprains and breaks, and is still better than anyone in lousy weather. Three Super Bowl appearances and two wins, and he just turned 30.

6. Peyton Manning, Broncos

He's 36 and hasn't played a real game since Jan. 8, 2011, because of neck surgeries. Does he have anything left? Will he be too rusty? Is he healthy? Plenty of questions surround him. But ask yourself this: Are you betting against him? Me neither.

7. Philip Rivers, Chargers

Everyone who knows anything about playing QB says this guy oozes talent. He also puts up numbers, including four consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. But he is 17-15 as a starter over the past two seasons and was picked off an alarming 20 times last season.

8. Matt Stafford, Lions

If Stafford can stay healthy, he is a future Brees or Manning. He still throws a few too many picks, averaging one a game last season. But he tossed 41 touchdown passes in 2011 and threw for more than 5,000 yards. Only Brees and Brady threw for more.

9. Tony Romo, Cowboys

If an NFL game was three quarters, Romo would be a top-five quarterback. He's way better than you realize. He was fourth in QB rating behind Rodgers, Brees and Brady last year. So what's his problem? He shrinks in big moments.

10. Matt Schaub, Texans

He threw for more yards than anyone in 2009 and last year was on his way to a third consecutive 4,000-yard season when he was injured. The only knock on him is his interceptions, 33 in the past 42 starts. He needs to do something in the postseason. He's older than you think: 31.

11. Michael Vick, Eagles

You would feel better about Vick if he wasn't hurt so much. Since joining the Eagles in 2009, he has missed 11 games, including three last season. And though his skills seem as sharp as the pre-prison Vick's, he is a pedestrian 15-9 as a starter in Philadelphia, including 7-6 last season.

12. Matt Ryan, Falcons

Here's what bugs me about Ryan: his nickname. If you're going to be called "Matty Ice,'' doesn't that mean you have to be cool in big games? Ryan is 43-19 in the regular season. In the postseason he is 0-3 with three touchdown passes and four interceptions. Not exactly "ice man" stuff, eh?

13. Joe Flacco, Ravens

He's not as good as Ravens fans think, but he's not as bad as his detractors say. He's somewhere in the middle. Flacco is a caretaker, not a game-changer.

14 Josh Freeman, Bucs

Who is the real Josh Freeman, the 2010 one who won 10 games and threw 25 TD passes and only six picks, or the 2011 version who had 16 TD passes and 22 picks? I'm guessing he's in the middle, with a lean toward the 2010 edition. Now that he has talent around him, he will prove that.

15. Jay Cutler, Bears

He was having a great 2011 until he got hurt, but I'm still not sold. He makes dumb decisions, his leadership skills are questionable, and he gets hurt a lot. Maybe he will finally live up to his potential this year, but I don't get why so many people think so highly of Cutler. What has he ever done?

16. Sam Bradford, Rams

If you rely on numbers, you don't think much of Bradford. But he is heavy on talent. It's too bad he has never had much around him. Prediction: One day he will be a top-five quarterback.

17. Cam Newton, Panthers

I'm not as bullish on Newton as many are. He had a hand in 35 touchdowns (21 passing and 14 rushing) last year. But 17 interceptions showed he still had plenty of work to do. Don't be surprised to see a sophomore slump this season.

And the rest:

18. Mark Sanchez, Jets: He's not flashy, but he takes more grief than he deserves. He took the Jets to two conference title games in his first three years. He's only 25. Give him more time.

19. Andy Dalton, Bengals: Winning nine games as a rookie was impressive, but then again, did the Bengals beat any good teams in 2011? He completed less than 60 percent of his passes and had only 20 TDs. He is good and getting better.

20. Alex Smith, 49ers: Everyone is jumping on the Smith bandwagon after he led the 49ers to the playoffs last year. But it was the defense that led San Francisco's charge. Smith was ordinary: 17 TD passes.

21. Matt Cassel, Chiefs: He has gone from a young hotshot full of potential to a so-so 30-year-old QB. He isn't horrible, but he's nothing special, either.

22. Andrew Luck, Colts: The No. 1 overall draft pick this year will be a star, but let's hold the applause for a couple of seasons. The first year or two will be bumpy.

23. Carson Palmer, Raiders: Seven years ago, this guy seemed like he was on his way to being a superstar. These days, he's merely serviceable.

24. Matt Flynn, Seahawks: Flynn had one huge game with the Packers, and that earned him a nice deal with the Seahawks. One game is hardly enough to base a career prediction on. The jury remains out.

25. Robert Griffin III, Redskins: This year's No. 2 overall draft pick is being compared to Cam Newton. I'm not convinced he is that good. Then again, I didn't think Newton was going to be as good as he turned out to be.

26. Jake Locker, Titans: He could end up being Matt Hasselbeck's backup for now. Eventually he will start and be a solid QB.

27. Matt Moore/David Garrard/Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: Someday Tannehill will be a star. Until then, the Dolphins still dream of the old days and Dan Marino.

28. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills: He has nothing around him. Still, no QB threw more interceptions last year than his 23.

29. Christian Ponder, Vikings: The former FSU star is still learning, but the early returns haven't been that great. He looks a bit lost out there.

30. Kevin Kolb/John Skelton, Cardinals: Is it too late to talk Kurt Warner out of retirement? Heck, the Cards might take Jim Hart at this point.

31. Brandon Weeden/Colt McCoy, Browns: Weeden is a 28-year-old rookie. When he's your best option, you might have some issues.

32. Chad Henne/Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars: Uh, not good.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Reds 5, Cubs 3

Game 1

CINCINNATI — Johnny Cueto pitched eight crisp innings and Todd Frazier hit a go-ahead homer for the second straight game for Cincinnati. Cueto improved to 11-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 13 day games this season. Xavier Paul and former Ray Miguel Cairo hit their first homers of the season.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Rangers 2, Blue Jays 1

TORONTO — Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer and Joe Nathan converted his team-record 22nd straight save opportunity for Texas. Francisco Cordero held the mark of 21 saves in a row in 2004. Toronto lost for the 15th time in 20 games despite limiting the AL West leaders, baseball's highest scoring offense entering the day, to five hits.

By Bill Hardman, Times Correspondent
Saturday, August 18, 2012

What's hot: The St. Pete Open, "The World's Spearfishing Championships," was last week, and leading up to it, any diver with enough proper training to dive deep was looking for big grouper, amberjack, hogfish, snappers and lobsters for the tournament. The idea was to spot the fish and leave them for the tournament.

Big amberjack: In water deeper than 130 feet, amberjack weighing more than 100 pounds have been speared. They have been over wrecks more than over springs and ledges. Most divers finding fish in these deep spots are trained to dive with Helitrox gas. Diving with Helitrox, they can think clearly and don't get some of the disabling effects of nitrogen narcosis.

Big hogfish: The deep waters of the Elbow (140 feet and deeper) have given up some really big hogfish. A couple of weeks ago we got three hogfish weighing more than 20 pounds each on two quick dives. We probably should have saved them for the tournament, but that plan failed. Hogfish have been running bigger in shallow depths this year as well. This has been a great year for hogfish.

Bill Hardman teaches scuba, spearfishing, technical and freediving courses at Aquatic Obsessions, 6193 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg. You can reach him at (727) 344-3483 or CaptainBillHardman@gmail.com.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Kyle Busch hasn't spoken to Brad Keselowski since the last-lap accident that knocked Busch out of the lead Sunday in Sprint Cup's Finger Lakes 355 at Watkins Glen International.

Busch hasn't spoken to reporters, either. He declined to share his views of the collision after the race and after Friday's qualifying session for today's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Busch had plenty of reasons to be disappointed. After taking the white flag in the lead, his No. 18 Toyota slipped in oil in the first corner. Busch went wide, to the left of the rumble strips that define the course.

Keselowski managed to keep his car to the right of the strips and took a more direct line into Turn 2.

Busch, who was never off the asphalt, returned to the racing line at a wider angle with his front quarter ahead of Keselowski, who held his line and spun Busch's Toyota.

Busch recovered to finish seventh, but the spin deprived him of a possible victory and a better chance at a wild card spot in the Chase for the Championship. Instead, Busch trails Ryan Newman for the second of two wild card berths.

Keselowski would like to see any issues he might have with Busch resolved before the Chase starts Sept. 16 in the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I spoke with his crew chief, Dave Rogers, and tried to get ahold of him, but every phone number that I had was bad or something," Keselowski said Friday. "Like I said after the race, it was unfortunate, because dumping the leader on the last lap is not something that I want to be known for.

"It's obviously something that happened, and everybody has got a different perspective on whether it was right, wrong or somewhere in-between. I'm probably right in the middle of that, how I feel about it.

"It certainly wasn't something that I wanted to see happen. I wasn't something that I intended to happen, but … I can't make that go away and only hope he understands as a racer that he is that things like that happen and it's just sometimes part of the breaks."

BACKING UP: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s return to Michigan isn't off to a great start.

Earnhardt, who won the Quicken Loans 400 at the track in June to snap a four-year losing streak, has to start from the back today. He rubbed against the wall in practice Saturday and needs to go to a backup car after qualifying 22nd.

"We were making some changes on the car and got the car too loose, and it just came out from under me in the corner," Earnhardt said. "I probably was running harder than I should have been in practice."

Series points leader Jimmie Johnson, who had qualified third, also will be in back because of an engine change.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Red Sox 4, Yankees 1

NEW YORK — Jon Lester pitched seven strong innings, Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and fourth-place Boston won for the fourth time in 11 games. Pedro Ciriaco was 4-for-4, raising his average against New York to .517 (15-for-29). The Red Sox go into tonight's rubber game looking to win their first series since July 30-Aug. 1 against Detroit.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Cardinals 5, Pirates 4

ST. LOUIS — Yadier Molina had three hits and two RBIs in his return to the lineup for St. Louis, which rebounded from Friday's 2-1 loss to pull within a game of Pittsburgh for the second NL wild card spot. Molina also scored a run after missing the previous three games with a sore back.

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

TAMPA — Cornerback Eric Wright's reputation is based largely on his ability as a cover man on the outside and in the slot. But on the second defensive series of Friday's night 30-7 preseason loss to the Titans, Wright showed something else he hopes people remember.

Wright darted into the backfield to drop RB Chris Johnson for a loss of 2 yards, providing more evidence of a total package.

On a night tackling was a major concern for the Bucs, Wright recorded three stops in 1 ½ quarters.

"It was just a typical run play," Wright said of the Johnson tackle. "I was just able to read my keys and get in there and make the tackle for loss. I was playing corner, and they had a tight formation. I was real close to the line of scrimmage, so I was able to beat some blockers and get to the running back."

With the Lions last season, Wright was the team's third-leading tackler with 74 total. Equally notable: 67 of those were solo stops.

"I've always recorded a lot of tackles," Wright said. "It's just something that's a part of the position and it's a part of the game, whether you like it or not. You have to do it. Personally, I take pride in it, and I want to be as well rounded as possible — play inside, outside, in run support, whatever the team needs me to do."

With coach Greg Schiano's emphasis on aggressive defense, Wright's efforts will be unnoticed. In practices he has been featured on occasional corner blitzes, in some cases getting to the quarterback unimpeded.

Wright is expected to take plenty of snaps in the slot, too, meaning he'll see action in the running game.

FIRST LOOK: Rookie SS Mark Barron wasn't satisfied with his debut Friday — he missed the preseason opener with a toe injury — but acquitted himself well. Barron registered a tackle and knocked down a pass intended for TE Jared Cook.

"I could have played a little faster," Barron said. "That all comes with the experience."

Barron said coaches aren't putting pressure on him, but just being the seventh overall draft pick comes with pressure.

"There are certain things (coaches) expect from me," he said. "I kind of already have that pressure internally to come out and do those things."

SIDELINED: Two key offseason defensive line additions sat out, DTs Gary Gibson and Amobi Okoye.

Gibson (undisclosed injury) and Okoye (knee) have been in and out of the lineup since camp began. Their inability to remain on the field is a concern on a thin, inexperienced line.

HEAD COUNT: The Bucs said 45,633 tickets were sold for Friday's game, well short of Raymond James Stadium's capacity of more than 65,000. The Bucs need to sell about 44,000 general-admission seats (not including suites and club seating) to reach the 85 percent required to lift a local TV blackout. The "tickets sold" figure used by the team includes all classes of seating.

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@tampabay.com. View his blog at tampabay.com/blogs/bucs.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

HOUSTON — The struggling Astros fired manager Brad Mills and two members of his coaching staff Saturday night.

Mills was in his third season as manager of the Astros, who have the worst record in the majors. The team announced the moves in an email almost two hours after it lost to the Diamondbacks 12-4 to fall to 39-82.

Houston also fired hitting coach Mike Barnett and first-base coach Bobby Meacham. The Astros said first-year GM Jeff Luhnow would name an interim manager and other staff members in a news conference this morning.

Mills became the first big-league manager to be fired this season. He was 76-86 in his first season with Houston and a franchise-worst 56-106 last year.

Mills was forced to manage the Astros under difficult circumstances. All three of his years saw a massive teardown of his roster in July as key pieces of that year's team were traded for prospects.

"I tried to do the best job I could," Mills said Saturday night.

CUBS TO EXTEND CASTRO: The Cubs and SS Starlin Castro have agreed on a seven-year, $60 million contract extension, ESPN.com reported.

The contract covers four years of arbitration eligibility and three years of free agency, and includes a $16 million option for 2020, ESPN said. Castro, 22, would have qualified for salary arbitration at the end of the year.

Castro's agent, Paul Kinzer, told ESPN.com he would not comment because the sides were still negotiating.

Castro said the deal had not been finalized. "I'm just focused on playing baseball," he said. "When it's done, I'm ready."

Club president Theo Epstein also said the deal had not been finalized.

VALENTINE SELF-CRITICAL: With the Red Sox growing irrelevant in the playoff race, manager Bobby Valentine said he is disappointed with his performance.

Hired as manager last fall when Terry Francona left after a historic September collapse, Valentine has seen Boston spend most of the season below .500.

"I'm not doing a good job. I didn't get paid to do anything other than get to the playoffs, win a lot of games, be in the thick in things right down to the end, even be in first place," Valentine said. "The team I'm managing is not there. Simple."

In other Red Sox news, GM Ben Cherington denied a report that former Rays All-Star Carl Crawford had asked the team to allow him to have reconstructive elbow surgery next week. Crawford has played in 30 games since returning from wrist and elbow injuries.

Also, minor-league LHP Brian Johnson, a first-round draft pick out of Florida this year, was hit in the face with a line drive in a Future Games at Fenway Park and sustained multiple orbital bone fractures on the left side.

MATTINGLY DISCIPLINED: Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was suspended for two games, beginning with Saturday night's game against the Braves. Mattingly was also given an undisclosed fine "for excessive arguing" with home plate umpire Angel Campos on Thursday against the Pirates. Mattingly and CF Matt Kemp were ejected in the game. Kemp was not suspended or fined.

BRAVES: C Brian McCann said he has a cyst and a frayed labrum in his right shoulder and was out of the lineup for a second straight game.

RANGERS: RHP Ryan Dempster, who went on the restricted list Friday after leaving the team for personal reasons, was set to return to the rotation Monday.

ROCKIES: CF Carlos Gonzalez was placed on the bereavement list to attend the funeral of his grandfather.

YANKEES: LHP CC Sabathia, on the DL with left elbow soreness, reported no problems after a bullpen session and said he expected to return to the rotation Friday. … 1B Mark Teixeira was out of the lineup for the second straight day because of a sore left wrist and might need another day or two off to heal.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

TAMPA

LeGarrette Blount had a solid training camp and was off to a good start in the preseason until he was chopped to the turf following a 4-yard run in the second half Friday night against the Tennessee Titans.

Blount grabbed his left leg in obvious pain, and having witnessed similar scenes twice with Cadillac Williams, who tore the patellar tendon in both knees, Bucs fans probably feared the worst.

But Blount's injury was limited to his groin and isn't considered too serious. He walked off the field under his own power. He figures to miss some practice this week and perhaps the third preseason game, this Friday against the New England Patriots.

"I don't know how long, but I don't think it's going to be serious," coach Greg Schiano said. "Will it be this week? I don't know. But I don't think it will be an extended period of time."

Schiano wants a ground-and-pound offensive attack and certainly Blount is the hammer of the tandem that includes Boise State rookie Doug Martin.

At 5 feet 9, 215 pounds, Martin has the kind of wiggle and burst not seen from a smaller Bucs back since Warrick Dunn. But he's thick and powerful enough to move piles.

If Blount can't make it back by the regular season opener, Sept. 9 against Carolina, at least the Bucs have Martin, who seems capable of carrying the rushing load. But there's no question the Bucs are better with Blount and Martin together.

"I thought Doug ran the ball nicely, which was an upside," Schiano said. "He had a 9-yard pop … and a 16-yard run that didn't count because a penalty brought it back. I thought those were nice runs. Those weren't just, 'there was a hole and I ran through it.' He made something happen on both of them. He's done that a few times now, which is good."

TIGHT END TROUBLE?: One Bucs weakness last season was at tight end, particularly when it comes to blocking. Kellen Winslow was primarily a receiver. As a rookie, Luke Stocker was oft-injured.

This season, the Bucs are banking on former Colts TE Dallas Clark, 33, regaining his old form. Meanwhile, Stocker suffered concussion-like symptoms after a collision in practice last Monday and missed a week. He is expected to return to practice this week.

"He wasn't feeling well. We sent him to the doctors and he's okay," Schiano said. "So whether it was concussion or whatever it was, I don't know why that was said. I stay away from that word (concussion) unless the doctor tells me that's what it is. … We take it very, very seriously though, so if a guy has anything where he doesn't feel well, we're going to err on the side of caution. He probably could've played Friday but we weren't going to risk it."

Developing a third tight end has been tough. The latest discovery is Danny Noble, a 6-5, 248-pound rookie from Toledo. He had two receptions for 11 yards against the Titans.

"I think Danny did some good things. He's getting better," Schiano said. "You know how it is, when one man goes down, it's another man's opportunity. Was he spectacular? No. But I thought he did a good job for a guy with his first real bunch of first action. I thought that was promising, so we'll keep moving forward with it."

STOCK UP: The more S Ahmad Black plays, the better the Bucs feel about him. Black, a fifth-round pick from Florida in 2011, returned an interception against Jake Locker to set up Tampa Bay's only score Friday.

"He seems to be around the ball quite a bit, whether it's practice or a game, now that he did it in the game," Schiano said. "He has a knack."

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

TAMPA — Faith was not fragile at One Buc Place a day after Tampa Bay's 30-7 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans.

If the bonds of trust were frayed a bit among Bucs fans following the Raymond James Stadium debut of coach Greg Schiano, they were still strong within the organization Saturday.

Schiano praised the starting defense, which yielded a franchise-record 494 points last season, for limiting Titans quarterback Jake Locker to 4-of-11 passing for 21 yards and an interception.

But Schiano said the Bucs' plan for quarterback Josh Freeman to throw deep to receiver Vincent Jackson went awry when the Titans played two deep safeties and he didn't see enough physical play on offense or defense.

"Four of the first five series on defense are three-and-outs, an interception and the drive that did score a touchdown," he said.

"There's some good stuff, especially with the first defense in there to look at. Offensively, early on, when everyone was in there, we shot ourselves in the foot."

The defense, last against the run a season ago, allowed 216 rushing yards on 37 carries. Against Tampa Bay's first-team defense, Titans running back Chris Johnson had 46 yards on 10 carries, including two 14-yard touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Freeman and backup Dan Orlovsky rarely had time to step into throws. Freeman was 4-of-10 for 21 yards, including an 8-yarder to Jackson, the prized free agent's only reception of the preseason. Orlovsky was 1-of-5 for 6 yards, was sacked four times, lost a fumble and threw an interception.

"We were a little out of sorts because we were trying to press the ball a bit down the field to Vincent and they were playing two deep, so they kind of took that away," Schiano said. "Then there was a little bit of preseason, 'we're going to do this no matter what,' mentality.

"Not show him off, just make sure (Vincent) and Josh do it together. That's one thing, you come out of the game, you wish you could've put the ball down the field more. But they're playing two safeties high and just cushioning them back, so you've got to take what's there. Not what we wanted, but overall, just a lot of mistakes. And we didn't play physically enough on either side."

The Bucs had 81 total yards on offense while allowing 341, and trailed in first downs 20-6.

The lack of execution on both sides of the ball might be partly because of fatigue, Schiano said.

"As you watch the tape, as a head coach, you say why is that happening? Some of it is fatigue," Schiano said. "No doubt. That will get better because we'll get them feeling better. But the execution part, you've got to be able to fight through that and execute."

Much of the defensive pressure came from inside. Center Jeremy Zuttah had a holding penalty and appeared to get beat on the sack-fumble. Schiano said Zuttah wasn't the only culprit.

"To put it on Jeremy solely, that would not be right," Schiano said. "But I think he played better in Game 1 than he did in Game 2, which we can't have that, we've got to continue that climb and getting better consistently. I wouldn't say the interior issues were a one-man issue … But again, I felt our whole offensive line played just a little bit too high. We need to get our pad level down a bit. Low man wins, that's as old as football and we need to do a better job of that."

Rick Stroud can be reached at stroud@tampabay.com and can be heard from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays on WDAE-620. View his blog at tampabay.com/blogs/bucs. Follow him on Twitter at @NFLStroud.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Rays at Angels

When/where: 3:35; Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Calif.

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM

Probable pitchers

Rays: LH Matt Moore (9-7, 3.60)

ANGELS: RH Zack Greinke (1-1, 5.54)

On Moore: Is 8-2, 2.79 in his past 13 starts. Was in line to win Tuesday until Carlos Peña's ninth-inning error. Faces Angels for third time this season; is 1-0, 1.50, including 61/3 shutout innings July 28.

On Greinke: 2009 Cy Young winner has been unimpressive since being acquired from Brewers. Lost to Rays in his first Angels start July 29. Overall vs. Rays: 2-5, 3.25 in 13 games (10 starts).

On deck

Monday: vs. Royals, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (7-8, 3.39); Royals — Will Smith (4-4, 5.09)

Tuesday: vs Royals, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (16-4, 2.39); Royals — Luke Hochevar (7-11, 5.24)

Wednesday: vs. Royals, 1:10, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (11-7, 4.03); Royals — Luis Mendoza (7-8, 4.36)

Sweet emotion

Besides the win, the highlight of Friday was intense RHP Kyle Farnsworth grabbing and hugging RHP Wade Davis for all to see during the Angel Stadium kiss-cam segment. "I was shocked by the attempt, even," LHP J.P. Howell said. "I can't believe those two even came together like that. And it was led by Farns, which made it even more interesting. He does have a heart."

AL race for wild cards

Team W L Pct. GB

Tampa Bay 6654 .560—

Baltimore 6555 .542—

Oakland 6455 .5381/2

Detroit 64 56 .533 1

Los Angeles 62 59.51231/2

Sweet reunion

Manager Joe Maddon enjoyed catching up with other members of the Angels' 2002 World Series championship team, meeting for drinks after Friday's game and then during Saturday's pregame ceremony. "It's so funny how you're just able to pick up the last conversation like it was yesterday," Maddon said. "It was a really tightly knit group. It was great to see them all."

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

MONTREAL — Jacques Villeneuve was in the driver's seat heading to the white flag, more than 20 car lengths ahead and his first victory in NASCAR just a lap away in his hometown, on the track named for his father.

Then in the blink of an eye, Justin Allgaier bumped past him for the victory Saturday in a Nationwide race before a stunned crowd at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"It's tough when you have a driver who has his last name on the racetrack," Allgaier said after his second victory this season. "Obviously, this is a big race for him and a big venue."

Villeneuve was low on fuel in his No. 22 Dodge to conserve during two green-white-checkered restarts. Then on the last lap of the last restart Allgaier closed in a hurry as Villeneuve suddenly slowed.

"We knew he was going to be close on gas," Allgaier said. "My first thought was he was out. I had too much steam running my normal pace, and we got together. I'm sure he's not happy about that, but I know that the (No.) 30 (pole-sitter Alex Tagliani) got taken out by that car. I guess at the end of the day what goes around comes around."

Villeneuve bumped Tagliani, an IndyCar regular and Montreal native, out of the lead earlier. Tagliani finished 22nd.

"We got together," said Villeneuve, a former Formula One and Indy 500 champion. "He was really slow and just blocking, braking on the inside and the guys behind me were catching me. … "That's a shame for him. That wasn't my intention, but at that point I couldn't just stay behind him."

Danica Patrick led 20 laps but broke a rear axle after her Chevy ran over a shoe which was thrown onto the track. She lost six laps and finished 27th.

TRUCKS: Nelson Piquet Jr. barely had enough gas to cruise to the finish for his first series victory in Brooklyn, Mich. Piquet, the former F1 driver who also won this season in the Nationwide series, overcame a spin on Lap 56 to take the VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway by 8.082 seconds over Jason White.

GRAND AM: Points leaders Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas gave Chip Ganassi Racing its 150th victory in all forms of motorsports, winning the Montreal 200.

NHRA: Tony Schumacher led Top Fuel qualifying for today's eliminations at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Sr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also led their classes.

Times wires
Saturday, August 18, 2012

GREENSBORO, N.C. — No lead is ever safe at birdie-friendly Sedgefield Country Club. The last time Sergio Garcia played here, he learned that the hard way.

Garcia shot 4-under 66 Saturday to take a one-shot lead at 196 after three rounds at the Wyndham Championship.

It's a familiar spot for the Spaniard, who shared the third-round lead in 2009 but wound up fourth.

"Eighteen pars are not going to win it," Garcia said. "You have to make some birdies out there. … I don't have a number. I'm not going to say I need to shoot 4 under, 5 under, or whatever. Someone might go out and shoot 9 under, and 5 under's not good enough."

Tim Clark and Bud Cauley were tied for second, and Jason Dufner, Harris English and Carl Pettersson were at 12 under in the last event before the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Dufner shot 63, the day's best.

Garcia — whose second-round 63 marked his best PGA Tour round in a decade — made consecutive birdies midway through the back nine. He then plopped his tee shot 4 feet from the hole on the par-3 12th and tapped in, then followed with a birdie on No. 13 to move to 14 under. Then, after just his second bogey of the tournament, he bounced back with a birdie on No. 15.

Clark might have had the lead comfortably to himself, had he not missed short birdie putts on consecutive holes midway through the back nine.

Among those on the bubble for the FedEx Cup, which starts next week with the top 125 in points, Heath Slocum, ranked No. 128, shot 67 and was at 8-under 202; his tie for 22nd would be good enough to vault him into the Cup. No. 120 Jerry Kelly, No. 122 Trevor Immelman and No. 125 Rod Pampling were in position to keep their spots.

LPGA: Mika Miyazato shot 4-under 68 for a two-stroke lead over So Yeon Ryu at 133 after two rounds of the Safeway Classic in North Plains, Ore. Seminole's Brittany Lincicome shot 1-under 71 and fell to a tie for eighth, five strokes behind. Tampa's Cindy LaCrosse (72) remained at 1 over and Tampa's Kristy McPherson (71) was at 2 over.

CHAMPIONS: Defending champ John Huston of Palm Harbor shot 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over Brad Faxon after two rounds of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y. Huston was at 132 after players completed the rain-delayed first round, then the second.

U.S. AMATEUR: Michael Weaver of Fresno, Calif., made a 50-foot birdie on the par-3 eighth and held on to top Justin Thomas 3-and-2 in the semifinals in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. Weaver faces Steven Fox of Hendersonville, Tenn., a 2-up winner over Brandon Hagy, Weaver's teammate at California, in today's 36-hole final. Fox is a senior at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2012

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Sean Rodriguez is one of those players who is always trying to figure out what's going to happen next.

But after claiming the Rays' starting shortstop job at the end of spring training — theoretically getting his long-awaited chance to play every day — he never expected the season to turn out like it has.

His hold on the shortstop position was quickly reduced from full time to part time, and he was moved around the infield (in part due to injuries to others), benched for several days of remedial hitting work and lately relegated to spot duty.

Worse for him, the past week he has been essentially waiting for an even more dramatic demotion. He is the most likely player to be optioned to Triple-A Durham if Luke Scott makes his expected return from the disabled list this week.

Rodriguez, hitting .213 with a .605 on-base plus slugging percentage going into play Saturday, is succinct in describing his season.

"I can do it in one word: poor," he said. "It would be easy to sit here and give excuses, but that's not what I want to do. So I'll go with poor. Very poor, actually."

A lot has gone wrong, starting with a puzzling drop-off against left-handed pitchers. Entering Saturday he was hitting .226 this year after .273 last season. Also, his defense hasn't been good; he had a team-high 14 errors between shortstop (seven) and third base (seven).

The frustrating part, Rodriguez said, is that he believes he is very close to an offensive breakthrough, having taken a more active role in analyzing his game by keeping detailed notes, scribbling down details, typing them into his phone and iPad.

"That's the thing," Rodriguez said. "Obviously I haven't played at a level I'm capable of, but I think it's really near. We'll see. That's my honest, 100 percent opinion. I've never said that before.

"I've said things are clicking, I'm starting to figure things out. No, I think I'm on the verge mentally, physically, adjustment-wise, everything."

Manager Joe Maddon validated Rodriguez's view, saying he has made significant improvements, looking much better in batting practice, hitting more balls hard in games.

The breakthrough may be interrupted by a short stint in Durham. Rather than risk losing Elliot Johnson, who is out of options and would have to go through waivers, or demote Ryan Roberts, the Rays seem more likely to send down Rodriguez, then bring him back with the Sept. 1 roster expansion.

And because Rodriguez would be down fewer than 20 days, his final option would not be used, so the Rays would maintain roster flexibility for next season.

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@tampbay.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TBTimes_Rays.