Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

LOS ANGELES — Ned Colletti has agreed to a multiyear contract to remain Dodgers general manager, a position he has held since late 2005, CBSSports.com reported.

The deal appears to be for three years through the 2015 season, according to the website. The Dodgers declined to comment.

Colletti said Friday that manager Don Mattingly would return next season.

Colletti was hired by former owner Frank McCourt for most. The Dodgers reached the postseason in three of his first four years in charge but missed out the past two. Under orders from McCourt, Colletti had cut the Dodgers' payroll from $110 million to $90 million in two years.

A new ownership group, the Guggenheim Partners, brought an infusion of cash into the organization and enabled Colletti to pull off a deadline trade with the Red Sox that brought 1B Adrian Gonzalez and RHP Josh Beckett aboard. Los Angeles went into Saturday's games 7-12 since the deal but still just a game out of the second NL wild card.

In other Dodgers news, LHP Clayton Kershaw was scratched from today's start with a sore right hip and is scheduled to see a specialist on Tuesday. RHP Stephen Fife will fill in for the NL Cy Young Award winner.

YANKS BOOST? LF Brett Gardner, thought to be out for the season after right elbow surgery, participated in bunting drills and ran the bases and might return to the Yankees as a pinch-runner. Manager Joe Girardi told ESPN.com that the team needs to see how Gardner responds running situational drills in spikes. "This is a guy that we don't expect to be able to hit for us," Girardi said, "but is it possible that he could do some other things? Yes."

RUN NIXED: The Tigers had a run taken away by the umpires when a runner missed third base. Detroit originally got two runs for a 5-0 lead in the fifth that was sent back to 4-0 when umpires ruled Alex Avila missed the bag while trying to score from second base on shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera's wild throw to third.

CHANGE OF HEART: The Rockies, who indicated last month that they might stick with a four-man rotation next year, told the Denver Post they would return to a five-man staff.

BRAVES: RHP Ben Sheets, out for three weeks with right shoulder inflammation, was activated from the 15-day disabled list and will pitch out of the bullpen for the first time in his career.

GIANTS: INF Freddy Sanchez, who hasn't played in the majors since June 10, 2011, because of shoulder and back surgeries, is working out at the team complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., and could begin playing in instructional league games by Monday.

ORIOLES: INF/DH Wilson Betemit, who had missed 2½ weeks in August with a sore right wrist, reinjured the wrist Friday and appears to be out for the season.

PIRATES: 2B Neil Walker returned to the starting lineup after missing more than two weeks because of lower-back tightness.

RED SOX: 2B Dustin Pedroia returned to the lineup after missing two games for the birth of his second son.

ROYALS: CF Lorenzo Cain will miss the rest of the season with a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring.

WHITE SOX: DH Adam Dunn returned to the lineup for the first time since straining a muscle on his right side more than a week ago.

By Joel Anderson and Joey Knight, Times Staff Writers
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Times' Super 7

1. Armwood (2-1): Hawks trounce TBT minus Alvin Bailey for a quarter and Caylon Holloway for the game.

2. Plant (2-1): Panthers bounce back from New Orleans debacle about how we thought they would.

3. Robinson (3-0): We were astounded at how much faster the Knights were than Jesuit.

4. Wharton (3-0): Not sure who's more popular these days, the Wildcats or their student section.

5. Durant (2-0): Idle Cougars seek first 3-0 start since 2003 next week at Brandon.

6. Hillsborough (2-0): Nigel Harris and Jeremiah Green may be newest local "Thunder & Lightning" incarnation.

7. Berkeley Prep (3-0): Buccaneers head south and thrash a 5A program. Impressive.

In the conversation: Bloomingdale (2-1), Gaither (2-1), Sickles (1-1), Strawberry Crest (2-1), Tampa Bay Tech (2-1), Tampa Catholic (3-0)

Audibles

"I know it's kind of hard to run the ball, but even if we're down 21 points you've got to stick with it. The lesson tonight is, we've got to get back to the ball-control offense." — James Harrell, Jesuit coach, whose team ran for 175 yards vs. Robinson but tried 25 passes (for 83 yards).

Record watch

1,378 Yards needed by Carrollwood Day senior Robert Davis to become Hillsborough County's all-time rushing king. Davis, who ran for 155 in a 49-0 romp of Northside Christian, must average 197 over his final eight games to break former Riverview star Avious Steadman's mark (5,320).

Unsung

(A few guys we should've appreciated more)

LG/DE Bruce Hector, Robinson: This USF commitment was in Jesuit QB Leland Saile's grill most of the night. He had at least one sack and appeared to have Saile down on another play, though officials ruled Saile got rid of the ball.

SS Keivonte Turk, Jefferson: On a night when little went right for the Dragons, Turk twice intercepted Plant's Aaron Banks in the shadow of the end zone.

K Lucas Jose, Bloomingdale. The 130-pound sophomore had 33- and 35-yard field goals in a 21-14 win against East Bay, and he had another 35-yarder negated by a penalty.

WR Derius Davis, Alonso. The junior, who injured his knee against Durant and didn't practice all week, caught a 40-yard TD in a 21-7 win against King.

Alonso offensive line. Ish Witter didn't manage all 196 of those yards on his own. A ton of support came from Cesar Perez, Don Shepherd, Christian Loubriel, Brandon Shorter, Gary Brown and Parker Sedwick.

Unprecedented

(Or something we haven't seen in a really long time)

Middleton's come-from-behind 17-12 victory against Lennard (thank you, Amp Carswell) ended a 12-game regular-season losing streak and marked second-year coach Alonzo Ashwood's first triumph. The Tigers' previous victory came in the 2010 finale against Blake.

By the numbers

5 INTs Robinson has returned for TDs in three games

9 Years since Jesuit began a season 1-2

32 The total number of penalties committed in the Jefferson-Plant game, 18 of them by the winning Panthers. Plant coach Robert Weiner was surprised about the flag tally: "I had no idea. This game actually felt like it had a little bit of flow."

63 Rushing yards for Armwood against Tampa Bay Tech. ATH Alvin Bailey was benched in the first quarter, and RB Caylon Holloway the whole game, for an undisclosed violation of team rules

175 Total penalty yards amassed by Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech, the bulk coming on seven unsportsmanlike-conduct flags

Three thoughts on next week

• Suddenly, Bloomingdale against Tampa Catholic seems like an interesting matchup. The Bulls have reeled off consecutive wins after dropping their opener to Chamberlain. The Crusaders are undefeated and virtually untested.

• Newsome has a chance for its first victory after a brutal three-game stretch of Tampa Bay Tech, Jefferson and Hillsborough. Does anyone care that they're possibly the best winless team in the area? The Wolves go to Gibsonton to face East Bay, which has notched its only win over Lennard.

• With Spoto RB Eric Moate (foot) out, Middleton is staring at 2-2. The Tigers host the Spartans this week.

Times staff, wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Addressing some basics of the lockout, which began at midnight Saturday.

Why is the NHL having labor issues?

The core one is a dispute over money. Having gained a salary cap in the collective bargaining agreement that expired at midnight Saturday, owners want additional economic concessions from the players. Players received 57 percent of hockey-related revenue last season. According to a breakdown of each side's latest proposal by Canada's Globe and Mail, the owners are offering players 47 to 49 percent of revenue. The players propose getting from 52.2 to 54.3 percent based on revenue growth of 7.1 percent, which is what the league has had since the 2004-05 lockout.

Why do the owners need a better deal?

Some teams are having money problems — most notably Phoenix, which has been in bankruptcy and is owned by the league — and the league wants to help them with financial concessions from the players. To some, the owners haven't helped their case with a free-spending summer during which, according to capgeek.com, they have spent almost $1.7 billion signing 179 players since July 1, the start of free agency. They capped it by spending more than $200 million to re-sign 14 players in the 48 hours preceding the lockout deadline. Saturday included Winnipeg re-signing forward Evander Kane to a six-year, $31.5 million deal, announced less than an hour before the lockout began.

What is the players' view?

The players believe they made all the financial concessions — most notably agreeing to a salary cap — in the expired deal, which ended the 2004-05 lockout, and they shouldn't have to make more, citing revenue growth from $2.1 billion to $3.3 billion under that deal. They say if teams aren't making money, management should examine the clubs' revenue-sharing formula.

Why has it come to a lockout?

Commissioner Gary Bettman said he would lock out the players if a new deal wasn't in place when the current one expired. The players said they were willing to work under the expiring deal until a new one was reached. Training camps were scheduled to open this week, the regular season Oct. 11.

What happens to the players during the lockout?

Players are barred from using the teams' private facilities, and clubs cannot make players appear at promotional events or use their images for promotions. Players won't be paid their salaries unless they are injured, but they will get signing bonuses and escrow checks from the league in mid October. (Any player injured in a hockey-related fashion gets his full salary until he recovers and is deemed fit to play by team doctors.) Players are free to play in other leagues, including the minor-league AHL and ECHL.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech needed one play to set the tone for a lopsided win over Virginia.

Tevin Washington ran for three touchdowns and threw a 70-yard touchdown to Zach Laskey on Georgia Tech's first snap, setting up an early barrage of big plays in a 56-20 win on Saturday.

Laskey, who plays the "B-back," the Yellow Jackets' version of a fullback in their spread-option attack, slipped past linebacker Henry Coley and had open field for the touchdown.

Virginia didn't recover, especially after Tech added two more big plays.

"I don't think it really confused them," Tech running back Orwin Smith said. "I think it just shocked them. They weren't thinking about a B-back going out onto the flats on to the sideline."

Tech had three plays of 60 yards or longer among its first four. After Laskey's touchdown, Smith had a 77-yard touchdown run on the second play of the next series. Washington started the third series with a 60-yard run to set up his 1-yard touchdown run as the Jackets took a 35-7 halftime lead.

"It's a humbling experience when you come in and get beat like that," Virginia coach Mike London said. "When you don't execute well on defense or offense, things like that happen."

Virginia had just 98 rushing yards. A year ago, it ran for 274 and held the ball for 30 minutes in a 24-21 win over Tech. Jackets coach Paul Johnson made sure his players saw highlights of that game, including Virginia's sideline celebration.

"Their sideline was going crazy," Washington said. "Our sideline looked like it had no life."

Johnson said his players responded the way he hoped.

"We challenged our guys, and they accepted the challenge," Johnson said. "I heard a long time ago that revenge is a great motivator for those who care. They care."

Tigers' All-American shines in his debut

CLEMSON, S.C. — Sammy Watkins had a 58-yard touchdown run in his season debut as No. 11 Clemson routed I-AA Furman 41-7.

Watkins, an All-America receiver as a freshman last season, was suspended for the first two games for an offseason drug arrest. He scored on the first play of the second quarter on an inside handoff.

"It kind of felt like it was very easy," said Watkins, who also caught four passes for 52 yards. "Being a year in this offense … I was very comfortable out there."

UConn 24, Maryland 21: Lyle McCombs and Scott McCummings ran for touchdowns and Nick Williams returned a punt for a score as the visiting Huskies beat their former coach. Randy Edsall's departure after the 2010 season prompted grumblings in Storrs. But his former players played down the matchup. "I went up to (Edsall) after the game and told him I love him," said senior linebacker Sio Moore, who had 21/2 of the Huskies' six sacks. "He is one of those guys that really saw something in me when I didn't know I had anything in me myself. So I really appreciate him giving me the chance." The Terps trailed 14-0 early but cut it to 24-21 before Perry Hills threw incomplete on fourth down from the Huskies 39 with 17 seconds left. "I don't accept losing, don't like losing," said Hills, who ran and passed for touchdowns. "But I promised my team and everyone that I'm going to prepare like I've never prepared before to get ready for this next game (against No. 9 West Virginia."

N'western 22, BC 13: Jeff Budzien tied a school record with five field goals and Mike Trumpy ran for 106 yards and an insurance touchdown for the host Wildcats. Up 15-13, Northwestern downed a punt at the BC 1. It forced a three-and-out, took over at the Eagles 44 and got Trumpy's 27-yard touchdown with 1:37 left.

N.C. State 31, S. Ala. 7: Mike Glennon threw three touchdowns for the host Wolfpack. Glennon, 24-of-34 for 257 yards, hit Rashard Smith and Bryan Underwood on the first two N.C. State's first two possessions. The Wolfpack led the Jaguars, in their first season in I-A, 28-0 at halftime. Shortly before kickoff, N.C. State suspended backup running back Mustafa Greene for an undisclosed violation.

Duke 54, N.C. Central 17: The host Blue Devils scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams for the first time since 2004. Lee Butler recorded Duke's first punt return for a touchdown since 2001 as it improved to 2-1 for the first time since 2008, coach David Cutcliffe's first season, by routing the I-AA Eagles.

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 15, 2012

TAMPA — They gathered Saturday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in front of the statue of Lightning founder Phil Esposito.

They chanted slogans and held up homemade signs for a local TV camera.

It was a small group — 17 in all — but it carried the sentiment of NHL fans, who today, barring a surprise settlement, are bemoaning the league's second player lockout in eight years. It began at midnight when the collective bargaining agreement ended without a new one in place.

"There's got to be a statement made to both sides," said Christina Burnison of Largo, a Lightning season ticket holder since 2003. "Fans want to watch hockey. … We don't support a lockout."

But that is what it has come to as the league and players association argue about how to split $3.3 billion in revenue. There also are issues of revenue sharing, free agency and the length of entry-level contracts. But the core issue is how much money players should get.

The divide seems wide.

According to Canada's Globe and Mail, the NHL's latest proposal is a six-year deal with the players receiving from 47 to 49 percent of revenue. The players, who received 57 percent of revenue last season, propose a five-year deal in which they receive from 52.2 percent to 54.3.

Owners say they simply are paying players too much. Players, who accepted a 24 percent salary rollback after the 2004-05 lockout, say it is not their job to save the owners from the previous deal the owners demanded.

"It just seems like every time there's a problem, they come to the union and ask players to give concessions," said forward Adam Hall, the Lightning's player representative to the union, who noted league revenues have grown from $2.1 billion the first year after the previous lockout.

"The players just aren't going to roll over," Hall said. "The last deal, we gave a lot of concessions, and it was meant to fix the problems the owners claimed were broken with the system. Seven years later and after all these revenues, they're claiming the system is broken again because their plan didn't work. So it's tough to give back."

• • •

The NHL's fourth work stoppage since April 1992 and third lockout under commissioner Gary Bettman began with a whimper.

The players association released a statement that said it offered to meet with the owners Saturday but that the league said there was "no purpose in having a formal meeting." There were, the union said, "private, informal discussions between representatives of both sides."

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement there was no point in convening a formal bargaining session "in light of the fact that neither side is in a position to move off of its last proposal."

There have been no formal bargaining sessions since Wednesday.

"It's frustrating. There's not a lot going on," said Lightning right wing B.J. Crombeen, part of the union's negotiating committee. "We're trying to encourage talks and get this done. I think we've made some good proposals, but they're obviously stuck on a few things and are not willing to talk about it."

Bettman, who said the league tried to start negotiations in the summer of 2011, said it is the union's fault talks did not begin until late June.

"Looking back in hindsight, it looks like there was no urgency on the part of the players association to engage or get anything done," Bettman said last week during a news conference. "I can't and won't speculate as to why that would be their intention, but it is what it is."

• • •

With the scheduled opening of training camps less than a week away, it is believed preseason games soon will be canceled.

Teams are removing player images from on and around arenas, and there is talk of pressure points that could spark an agreement, such as players missing their first paychecks in mid October and the Jan. 1 Winter Classic, which gives the NHL its largest television audience.

Caught in the middle are the fans who understood they could do nothing to prevent a lockout. But linked though the web site nonhllockout.com, they tried to make their frustrations heard with protests in New York, Montreal, Boston and Tampa, each of which was sparsely attended.

"Whether or not we got a lot of people, at least we're trying, so it makes me feel good," said Seffner's Jay Tregler, 39, a Lightning season ticket holder since 1996 who organized the Tampa protest that was in the players' corner and portrayed Bettman as a villain. "We were there trying to do something. We were not going to stand by."

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 15, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After last week's three-point victory at Texas A&M, coach Will Muschamp told Florida fans to get used to a slugfest, grind-it-out style of play. That, he said, is who the Gators are right now.

Maybe. Maybe not.

No. 18 Florida trailed for most of the first half and the majority of the third quarter before a two-possession breakout helped it to a 37-20 victory over No. 23 Tennessee in front of 104,255 at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

The Gators now have consecutive come-from-behind wins for the first time since 1966.

"We have put a tremendous emphasis on winning the fourth quarter, winning the second half and wearing down our opponent," Muschamp said.

Florida (3-0, 2-0 SEC) has won eight consecutive games over Tennessee and is 3-0 for the eighth consecutive season. The victory was the first over a ranked opponent for Muschamp in his second season and Florida's first since the January 2010 Sugar Bowl over Cincinnati. It was the most points scored by the Gators in Knoxville since a 43-30 victory in 1984.

Last season, Florida opened with victories against Florida Atlantic, UAB and Tennessee. This season's first victory came against Bowling Green.

"This is a different 3-0," Muschamp said.

"The (opponents) are better teams."

This was supposed to be a statement game for two teams trying to get back to relevance. Florida made the ultimate statement — albeit late.

Leading 14-10, the Vols (2-1, 0-1) got a 1-yard touchdown run from A.J. Johnson with 7:33 left in the third but missed the extra point.

Florida's next possession ended with a botched fake punt on fourth and 9 at its 42 with 5:00 left. That seemed poised to doom the Gators.

But the defense held. And suddenly, Florida no longer was content to grind it out. Instead, it spread it out and in a span of 2:45 rose up.

Junior Trey Burton lined up in the wildcat and ran 80 yards in 12 seconds to tie the score at 20 with 3:15 left in the quarter. On the ensuing possession, junior safety Matt Elam intercepted Tyler Bray. Three plays later, sophomore Jeff Driskel connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Reed for a 27-20 lead with 1:19 left.

Just like that: four plays, 150 yards, two touchdowns and one lead.

"We have athletes all over the field," said Driskel, who was 14-of-20 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. "We know if we keep giving them the ball, eventually they are going to break one."

The Gators punted on their next possession. But on third and 8 of their next one, Driskel connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass to senior Frankie Hammond. The drive covered 78 yards in three plays and 1:32.

"We had a good game going until about late in the third (quarter)," Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said. "We gave up some huge plays and never could get it going on offense. I give Florida a lot of credit. They did a really good job late in the third and early in the fourth, and we couldn't recover. We were a little shell-shocked. Those were just enormous plays in the game."

Florida outscored Tennessee 27-6 in the second half and had nine plays of 20 or more yards for the game.

The Gators were hampered by multiple penalties in the first half but managed to overcome the mistakes. The second half was a stark contrast. In the first, Bray had a field day with Florida's secondary. He was 13-of-23 for 153 yards and two touchdowns (21-of-34 for 249 for the game), and the Gators couldn't cover receivers Justin Hunter, Cordarrelle Patterson and Mychal Rivera.

But the defense stiffened, holding the Vols to 5 total yards in the fourth quarter.

Burton scored the Gators' only first-half touchdown, a 14-yard run in the first quarter. Burton, senior running back Mike Gillislee and Driskel combined for 29 carries for 287 yards.

Antonya English can be reached at english@tampabay.com.

By Andy Warrener, Times Correspondent
Saturday, September 15, 2012

LITHIA — Newsome flexed its prowess at the East Hillsborough Invitational, as Wolves seniors Lars Benner and Brianna Jackson dominated their respective races Saturday morning.

Benner won the boys race in 17:11.79, more than 30 seconds ahead of the field. Jackson finished in 20:28.99, almost 20 seconds ahead of second place.

"I'm very happy with where they're at," coach Orlando Greene said. "They dominated the race, and it was nice to see that."

The Newsome girls swept the top spots as sophomore Emily Zwijacz (20:48.59) was second, and senior Stephanie Cajas (20:55.7) third, and the Wolves won the team title (27 points) over Bloomingdale (57). Bloomingdale senior Juile Roggemon was fourth.

"I stuck to the plan today, trying to get negative splits," Jackson said.

Benner was the most dominant runner but Newsome's aspirations for a team title were foiled when Bloomingdale junior Matt LeBlanc (second, 17:45) overtook Wolves senior Justin Martinez (third, 17:51.34) near the 3-mile mark. That shoved Bloomingdale four points (32) ahead of the Wolves.

"We had a pretty big 1 to 5 runner differential," Wolves coach Bryan Brian Sears said in reference to the boys team. "We've gotta close that up."

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Everett Golson threw a touchdown and ran for one to help No. 20 Notre Dame beat No. 10 Michigan State 20-3 on Saturday.

The Irish snapped a six-game skid against ranked teams and beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in seven years to give coach Brian Kelly a signature win in his third season.

The Spartans had won 15 straight at home, including a win over the Irish in 2010 on a fake field goal in overtime.

At 3-0, Notre Dame is off to its best start since 2002, when Tyrone Willingham won his first eight games as its coach. The Irish opened 0-2 last season and 1-3 the season before, Kelly's debut, before bouncing back to finish with eight wins.

Golson was 14-of-32 for 178 yards and a touchdown, a 36-yarder to John Goodman. He ran for a 6-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 14-0.

Kelly, though, is not ready to celebrate just yet with No. 17 Michigan up next at home.

"There are a lot of things to work on," he said.

No. 4 Oregon 63, Tenn. Tech 14: De'Anthony Thomas had 222 all-purpose yards on 10 touches, including a 59-yard touchdown run and 16-yard touchdown catch for the host Ducks against the I-AA Golden Eagles. The only downer for Oregon was 12 penalties for 105 yards. "There's a lot of stuff to teach from this game," coach Chip Kelly said. "But it's always easier to teach off a win than a loss."

No. 9 W.Va. 42, J. Madison 12: The Mountaineers recorded 569 yards of offense and scored on their first four possessions against the I-AA Dukes at the Redskins' stadium in Landover, Md. Geno Smith was 34-of-39 for five touchdowns. His 411 yards gave him the school record, his 8,191 38 more than Marc Bulger.

No. 12 Ohio St. 35, Cal 28: Braxton Miller lofted a 72-yard touchdown to an all-alone Devin Smith with 3:26 left for the winning touchdown for the host Buckeyes. Ohio State blew a 20-7 second-half lead and allowed 512 yards of offense. "Our guys found a way," said Urban Meyer, 3-0 in his first season as Ohio State coach. "I've been in games before I thought we were going to lose. I just kept waiting. I thought someone would make a play."

No. 15 Kansas St. 35, N. Texas 21: Collin Klein ran for a touchdown and threw two to Tramaine Thompson for the host Wildcats. Thompson's second gave Kansas State breathing room after it led just 14-13 late in the third quarter.

No. 16 TCU 20, Kansas 6: Casey Pachall threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns, both to Brandon Carter, as the visiting Horned Frogs overcame four turnovers in their Big 12 debut. Pachall fumbled three times near the goal line but completed seven consecutive passes, the last a 25-yard touchdown, to make it 17-6 in the third. "Everybody said, 'When you go into the Big 12, you have to play your best ball game every day to win games,' " TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "I'm not sure if we did that."

No. 17 Michigan 63, UMass 13: Denard Robinson ran for 106 yards and a score and threw for 291 and three scores for the host Wolverines. Two years ago, the Minutemen, then a I-AA school, lost just 42-37 at Michigan. But in their first season in I-A, they have been outscored by an average 48-6 in going 0-3. "We needed to get a good win before Notre Dame next week," Robinson said. "We knew we needed to get better before that game."

Around the nation

Penn St. 34, Navy 7: Matt McGloin threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns to help the host Nittany Lions to their first win under coach Bill O'Brien. Penn State scored touchdowns on its first three possessions.

Purdue 54, E. Mich. 16: Caleb TerBush passed for two touchdowns and ran for one for the host Boilermakers.

Minn. 28, W. Mich. 23: Max Shortell replaced MarQueis Gray (sprained left ankle) and threw three touchdowns for the host Gophers.

By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Saturday, September 15, 2012

NEW YORK

Alas, Stephen Vogt could not save them.

Sadly, Ben Francisco could not ease their pain.

Heartache upon heartache, Elliot Johnson could not save the day.

Sigh.

In other words, Misdemeanor's Row was back in business Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadiums. The Punchless Wonders have lost again.

In a game that will be remembered for all the little guys walking to the plate in all the big moments, the Rays have stumbled again. This time, they lost 5-3 to New York, their fifth loss in their past six games. At this point, that mantra about how many games are left is starting to sound like a comedy routine.

They are running in place, these Rays, and for a while now, it has been third place. They cannot close ground because they cannot string wins together, and they cannot string wins together because they cannot score, and they cannot score because they cannot come up with key hits, and they cannot come up with key hits because they cannot hit period. They are not often, and they are not enough.

Pretty much, that sums up Saturday, doesn't it?

Also, the rest of the season.

Where else would you see this? It was the top of the ninth inning, one man on, and there were two men out, and here comes High-Voltage Vogt to the plate. Really? As a major-league hitter, Vogt had batted 17 times, and he had made 17 outs. Officially, Vogt was off to the worst start in the history of the Rays.

Around here, he is the last chance.

When Vogt came to the plate, the Yankees immediately huddled together to google "Vogt" and see what came up. Seriously, don't you wonder what was said in that huddle? "If he hits it, where is it likely to go? Durham?" After all, how to Vogt is pretty much the question of the fall, isn't it?

"I thought he could hit one into that rightfield porch," said manager Joe Maddon.

And guess what? Vogt, unleashed, drew a walk.

Then came Johnson, who has hit just .188 with runners in scoring position since the first of July, to hit with two runners on. He struck out.

With the Rays, it is always a vicious cycle. The reason the pinch-hitters at the end were so unimpressive is that the ones you might have preferred were called upon earlier in the game, and the reason for that is that the starting batting order is so ineffective itself. Sometimes, you look at the pitching of this team, and you wonder why it is behind in the playoff race. Then you look at the hitting, and you wonder how it is anywhere close.

In some ways, games like this were lost last January, when the Rays brought in The New Hit Show. In nine days, they signed Luke Scott, who has been injured, and Carlos Peña, who has been inexcusable. These were supposed to be answers to the Rays' hitting woes that left owner Stuart Sternberg lamenting the lack of bats after the final loss in the Rangers' playoff series.

Instead, they have struggled. Peña is hitting only .193, but he also has only 17 homers. Scott is hitting .215 with 13 homers. Add in the struggles of Matt Joyce (who is hitting .151 over the past month), and you can understand why the Rays struggle so badly against right-handed pitching. Combined, the three of them have hit only three home runs since Aug. 19.

If those three guys were hitting, perhaps Maddon would have sat still during the seventh. Instead, he made the telling move to pinch-hit for Peña … with backup catcher Chris Gimenez. What does that tell you? Gimenez is a lifetime .178 hitter, and as soon as the Yankees changed pitchers, Maddon pulled Gimenez for Sam Fuld, who grounded out to the pitcher.

Then there was the move to pinch-hit Francisco for Joyce later in the inning because he liked the matchup of Francisco vs. Boone Logan. Francisco then tried to bunt down the third-base line, only the ball ended up as a blooper-reel popup over the pitcher's head, and the lead runner was quickly thrown out.

If it had not been sad to see, it would have been amusing. Don't you wonder what the Yankees were saying when they huddled to discuss how to pitch to Vogt? What are the odds that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had even heard of him? Answer: Not good.

Look, this isn't meant to belittle players such as Vogt. It's meant to belittle a team that doesn't have any better options in the middle of a huge game in a playoff chase. Do you think the Yankees have an 0-for-17 hitter ready for his shot in the ninth inning? The Orioles? The Angels?

Frankly, the guys don't win games like this because they aren't constructed to win games like this. They aren't dangerous enough. They aren't deep enough.

You know who the Rays are these days? They are Evan Longoria's bad leg, the one he drags around the field to do what he can. Still, he's the Ray you want to see most when he walks toward the plate.

For the Rays, that's what the season has become: A limp and a prayer.

That, and a calendar that is turning over faster than a team seems to realize.

Listen to Gary Shelton weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 98.7-FM The Fan.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

MORE INFO: tampabay.com/blogs/gators

Who: Bowling Green

Score: Florida 27-14

Records: Florida, 1-0, 0-0 SEC Bowling Green, 0-1, 0-0 MAC

Who: Texas A&M

Score: Florida 20-17

Records: Florida, 2-0, 1-0 SEC Texas A&M, 0-1, 0-1 SEC

Who: Tennessee

SCORE: Florida 37-20

Records: Florida 3-0, 2-0 SEC Tennessee 2-1, 0-1 SEC

Who: Kentucky

Where: Florida Field, Gainesville

When: 12:20

TV: Ch. 38

Radio: 620-AM

Who: LSU

Where: Florida Field, Gainesville

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

Who: Vandy

Where: Dudley Field, Nashville

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

Who: South Carolina

Where: Florida Field, Gainesville

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

Who: Georgia

Where: Gator Bowl, Jacksonville (neutral)

When: 3:30 p.m

TV: Ch. 10

Radio: 620-AM

Who: Missouri

Where: Florida Field, Gainesville

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

Who: La.-Lafayette

Where: Florida Field, Gainesville

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

Who: Jacksonville State

Where: Florida Field, Gainesville

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

Who: FSU

Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee.

When: TBA

TV: TBA

Radio: 620-AM

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Rays at Yankees

When/where: 1:05; Yankee Stadium

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 970-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers

Rays: LH Matt Moore (10-9, 3.66)

Yankees: RH Hiroki Kuroda (13-10, 3.17)

On Moore: Coming off a rough four-inning start in Baltimore. Has lost his past three with a 4.41 ERA along the way, working only 16⅓ innings. Is 2-1, 3.44 in three starts vs. Yankees, losing to Kuroda on Sept. 5.

On Kuroda: Has been pitching well after a shaky start, 10-4, 2.66 over his past 20 games. Former Dodger is 1-1, 6.17, in two starts vs. Rays, both coming this season.

Rays vs. Kuroda

Jeff Keppinger 4-for-18

Carlos Peña 2-for-5

Luke Scott 3-for-3

Yankees vs. Moore

Robinson Cano 2-for-3

Derek Jeter 1-for-6

Ichiro Suzuki 2-for-7

On deck

Monday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Alex Cobb (9-8, 4.26); Red Sox — Aaron Cook (3-10, 5.18)

Tuesday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (8-10, 3.22); Red Sox — Felix Doubront (10-9, 5.11)

Wednesday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — TBA; Red Sox — Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-5, 7.14)

Thursday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — TBA; Red Sox — Clay Buchholz (11-6, 4.33)

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay-New York, New York

As the Rays are wrapping up their series at Yankee Stadium this afternoon, the Bucs will be playing the Giants at MetLife Stadium, about 12 miles away in East Rutherford, N.J. It's the first time the Rays and Bucs have played on the road in the same market.

AL East

Team W L Pct. GB

New York 82 63 .566—

Baltimore81 64.5591

Tampa Bay 78 67 .538 4

Boston 66 80 .452 16½

Toronto 65 79.45116½

AL race for wild cards

Team W L Pct. GB

Oakland 8461 .579—

Baltimore 81 64.559—

Los Angeles 79 67 .541 21/2

Tampa Bay 78 67 .538 3

Detroit 77 67 .535 31/2

Top two wild cards make postseason; GB is games behind second wild card

Big swinger

OF Sam Fuld, below, visited Saturday with his cousin Jonathan, an art and sports memorabilia dealer in New York, which is how Sam ended up holding one of Babe Ruth's bats, possibly the one Ruth used to hit his first homer as a Yankee. The club was 36 inches long and weighed about 40 ounces and was so thick, Fuld had trouble gripping it. "I could hit with it," he said, "but not very well."

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Royals 3, Angels 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ernesto Frieri needed just four pitches to ruin a spectacular start by Zack Greinke, giving up two home runs in the ninth inning as the Royals rallied to deal a shocking blow to the Angels' playoff hopes. Frieri replaced Greinke with one out in the ninth after Alex Gordon singled. Billy Butler homered to center on Frieri's first pitch to tie the score. Three pitches later, Salvador Perez homered off the leftfield pole for his first career walkoff homer. Greinke gave up just five singles in 8⅓ shutout innings.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 15, 2012

NEW YORK — Having split the first two games of a series they declared they had to win, the Rays say they feel pretty good about starting rookie LHP Matt Moore in today's matinee finale.

But Moore isn't sure exactly what he'll have when he takes the mound, at a bit of a loss to explain a noticeable drop in velocity during his last start, when he lasted a season-low four innings (though 94 pitches) against Baltimore on Tuesday.

"I was like 91-93 (mph, down from an average of 95)," Moore said. "I'm not 100 percent sure. I think sometimes you go through phases like that and it won't be there. … If it was like, Oh, it feels like it's not coming out right or my arm feels heavy or sore, that would be an issue to think maybe that's why. But my arm feels good. My entire body feels pretty good. I think it just might be a little dip there. We'll see how it goes (today)."

The Rays rearranged their rotation so Moore would make this start, and manager Joe Maddon said, "I like Matt pitching here."

S-ROD RETURNS: INF Sean Rodriguez returned to action, 20 days after fracturing a bone in his right hand punching a locker in frustration while at Triple A. He pinch-ran in the seventh then took over at third base, tested immediately when Curtis Granderson dropped a bunt and making a bare-handed play. "Felt good to be back," he said.

The Rays and Rodriguez are saying he also could hit, even though he has an appointment Monday to be checked by specialist Dr. Doug Carlan, but Maddon had Elliot Johnson pinch-hit for him in the ninth Saturday.

MORE MEDICAL: Evan Longoria "needed" to be the DH for a second straight day, a likely residual, Maddon said, of playing all 14 innings (eight at DH, six at third) on Thursday. … 2B Ryan Roberts returned to the lineup after missing Friday's game as a result of fouling a ball off his left shin Thursday.

PITCHING IN: LHP David Price said he felt "normal" the morning after his 105-pitch return to the mound Friday, having missed his previous start due to shoulder soreness. … RHPs Alex Cobb and Jeremy Hellickson will face the Red Sox on Monday and Tuesday, but Maddon said they may drop in rookie RHP Chris Archer to provide extra rest for Price and/or RHP James Shields.

HOUSTON CALLING: Maddon said bench coach Dave Martinez, who interviewed last week for the Astros' managerial opening, would be a "great" fit. "Houston is an outstanding situation," he said. "Obviously if they chose him they'd make a great choice, and I so wish him well. We'd always hate to lose him, but that would be the evolution of his career. That ballpark and that city with their tradition fits perfect, and the fact that they're going to the American League, and his knowledge of the American League, I think would be very beneficial, too."

MISCELLANY: Shields extended his winless streak at Yankee Stadium to seven starts, with a 4.95 ERA. … Yankees RHP Ivan Nova improved to 5-1, 3.04 vs. the Rays, 4-0, 1.83 at home. … CF B.J. Upton didn't have much explanation for the eighth-inning line drive that eluded him: "Trust me, it did something that it wasn't supposed to do." … LHP Jake McGee's streak of 22 batters retired ended with a Robinson Cano double.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Marlins 6, Reds 4

MIAMI — Carlos Lee homered and drove in three runs to lead the Marlins over the NL Central leaders. Mark Buehrle pitched 7⅔ innings to improve to 4-1 in his past six starts. Johnny Cueto, an NL Cy Young candidate, lost for the third straight time and failed to last five innings for the second straight start, going 4⅓.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

ORLANDO — UCF dominated the first half against Florida International on Saturday, then had to hold off a rally to preserve a 33-20 victory.

The Knights limited the Golden Panthers to 26 yards of offense en route to a 23-0 halftime lead. But then they allowed 280 in the second half.

"It was two different halves," UCF coach George O'Leary said. "I thought we were in synch on offense in the first half but sporadic and inconsistent the second."

Darian Mallary rushed for 71 yards and two of the Golden Panthers' three touchdowns. Kedrick Rhodes got the other touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Jake Medlock.

"I really like the way we did things in the second half, but we dug too deep a hole in the first half," FIU coach Mario Cristobal said. "We couldn't get them off the field in that first half, and then things were completely different in the second. We started moving it really well."

UCF owned the first half. Quarterback Blake Bortles found fullback Billy Giovanetti on third and goal for a 4-yard touchdown. FIU contributed a safety when a center snap went over punter Jack Griffin's head and out of the end zone to make it 9-0.

Bortles threw a 16-yard touchdown to Rannell Hall in the second quarter, and Largo High graduate Brynn Harvey tacked on a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 23-0.

UCF's defense, meanwhile, manhandled FIU. The Knights allowed only two first downs and forced four three-and-outs.

"We had a chip on our shoulder because we didn't think these guys respected us," said UCF linebacker Troy Davis, who had two sacks and seven tackles. "Then we got sloppy in our techniques and adjustments the second half."

The Knights' win avenged last season's 17-10 loss in Miami.

The Panthers offense finally got on track with an 85-yard scoring drive on their first possession of the second half. Medlock, who was 1-of-8 in the first half, went 4-for-4 for 77 yards on the drive, including the 5-yard touchdown to Rhodes.

UCF responded with an 83-yard drive. Jeff Godfrey, the starting quarterback last season but now a receiver, took a handoff on an end-around, stopped and threw a 10-yard touchdown to J.J. Worton to make it 30-7.

Mallary scored on a 28-yard run to cut the deficit to 30-14 at the end of the third quarter, and later he added a 4-yarder to make it 30-20.

UCF got a 23-yard field goal from Shawn Moffitt with just over two minutes left to seal it.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Steve Spurrier earned his 200th coaching victory Saturday night as No. 8 South Carolina cruised past UAB 49-6.

The Gamecocks rolled up 501 yards and scored 35 points after losing starting quarterback Connor Shaw late in the second quarter. He took a brutal hit to his throwing shoulder at the same spot it was hurt in the opener against Vanderbilt.

"This was one of the closest 49-6 games I have ever been around," Spurrier said.

Spurrier shrugged off No. 200. He counts his wins in the NFL and USFL, too.

"I have 47 others, so it sort of blends in," said Spurrier, who joined Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer, Texas' Mack Brown and Nevada's Chris Ault as the only active Division I-A coaches to reach that mark.

Spurrier didn't think his quarterbacks made good throws at times, and his running game didn't start to click until late when the game was well decided.

"We were fortunate to get what points we could," he said. "Seems like we couldn't get a guy open or hit anybody."

Spurrier, the former Florida coach who also won the 1966 Heisman Trophy with the Gators, in his eighth season with the Gamecocks.

Shaw threw a 16-yard touchdown to Ace Sanders to put the Gamecocks ahead 14-3 in the second quarter. Shaw was relieved by Dylan Thompson, who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.

Spurrier won six SEC titles and the 1996 national championship in his 12 seasons at Florida before an ill-fated stint with the NFL's Washington Redskins.

Shaw said after the game that he got shots and painkillers and the shoulder felt much better. Spurrier said he has played well enough to deserve to start if healthy.

Auburn avoids SEC going 0-2 vs. Monroe

AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Tigers turned the game over to kicker Cody Parkey and avoided becoming another SEC victim for Louisiana-Monroe.

Parkey hit a 35-yard field goal in overtime to secure the Tigers' 31-28 win over the Warhawks.

Auburn stopped Kolton Browning and the Warhawks to start overtime, and Justin Manton's 37-yard field goal attempt was deflected by Angelo Blackson. Then Tre Mason rushed for 10 yards, and Kiehl Frazier downed the ball on the next play to set up Parkey's winning kick.

The Warhawks rallied from 28-7 down to shock Arkansas in overtime a week earlier.

"I think we just let our guard down a little," Frazier said. "After that first drive we scored on, a lot of guys felt like we had put the game away. We kind of played like we felt like that. We've just got to keep our foot on the gas pedal."

Onterio McCalebb rushed for 128 yards and a 27-yard touchdown on 11 carries for the Tigers.

The Warhawks, of the Sun Belt, are 4-35 against the SEC.

"They keep battling back," ULM coach Todd Berry said. "There's a lot of things we have to overcome when we go on the road and play against some very good athletes and great coaches."

No. 1 Alabama routs reeling Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Nick Saban told Alabama's defense to prepare for whatever Arkansas' offense might have to offer, Tyler Wilson or not. The No. 1 Crimson Tide heeded its coach's advice well, suffocating a Wilson-less Razorbacks team in a 52-0 win.

Eddie Lacy ran for three touchdowns, and Alabama forced five turnovers in its 21st straight win to open conference play.

Arkansas followed last week's shocking Louisiana-Monroe loss with the school's worst defeat since 70-17 to USC in 2005.

The Razorbacks played without Wilson, who suffered a head injury against ULM. Wilson asked to speak afterward with the media — breaking with the school's usual policy of not letting injured players talk. The senior had plenty to say.

"Do I feel that we, at times, gave up out there? Absolutely," Wilson said. "As a leader, it (stinks) to see people not do their jobs and to see things go wrong."

NO. 3 LSU 63, IDAHO 14: Safety Ronald Martin and defensive end Lavar Edwards each snagged deflected passes and returned them for scores as the host Tigers pulled away. LSU set a Division I-A record with its 40th straight non-conference regular season victory, set a Tiger Stadium mark with 20 straight home wins and extended its nation-long regular-season winning streak to 16.

NO. 7 GEORGIA 56, FAU 20: Aaron Murray passed for a career-best 342 yards and two touchdowns and scored twice on short runs for the host Bulldogs, who piled up a school-record 713 yards. Murray, a former Plant High star, completed 14 of 19, including a 67-yard touchdown to Michael Bennett and a 36-yarder to Arthur Lynch. Murray scored on a pair of 1-yard sneaks.

MISSOURI 24, ARIZONA ST. 20: Corbin Berkstresser ran for a score in his first career start in place of James Franklin, who has a shoulder injury, and the host Tigers forced four turnovers. "It went pretty well, considering we got the win," Berkstresser said. "It was a game-time decision. It was exhilarating." Coach Gary Pinkel said he told Berkstresser Friday he might start. He said it was Franklin's decision not to play with what the school called an inflamed bursa sac.

VANDY 58, PRESBYTERIAN 0: Senior Zac Stacy rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown on eight carries for the host Commodores. In a decision announced shortly before kickoff, junior Austyn Carta-Samuels at quarterback in place of senior Jordan Rodgers. "If after (we look) at the tape, if Austyn gives us a better chance to beat Georgia, then we'll make that decision," Vanderbilt coach James Franklin said. Stacy's 86-yard touchdown was the longest rush in school history.

TEXAS A&M 48, SMU 3: Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel accounted for 418 total yards and six touchdowns in three quarters for the visiting Aggies. Manziel threw for four touchdowns and 294 yards, setting a school freshman record. He also had 13 carries for 124 yards and two scoring runs.

MISSISSIPPI ST. 30, TROY 24: Tyler Russell and Chad Bumphis hooked up on touchdown passes of 72, 58 and 25 yards and LaDarius Perkins rushed for a career-high 179 yards for the visiting Bulldogs. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen called the defensive effort "terrible," then repeated the word three times. Troy outgained Mississippi State 572-457.

W. KENTUCKY 32, KENTUCKY 31, OT: The Hilltoppers used a trick play in overtime to stun the Wildcats. Western Kentucky went for the win with a two-point try after Antonio Andrews pulled them within a point on a 2-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Kawaun Jakes threw a lateral to Andrews, who threw back to Jakes to clinch the victory. The Wildcats had scored first in overtime on a Jonathan George 12-yard run. They led 17-0 in the first half, intercepting Kentucky's Maxwell Smith three times; the sophomore quarterback added another later.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

FONTANA, Calif. — Ryan Hunter-Reay became the first American to win the IndyCar championship since 2006 with a nerve-racking final drive Saturday night in the season finale.

Will Power crashed out of the race 55 laps in and had to watch on television in street clothes as Hunter-Reay snatched the title away at Auto Club Speedway.

Hunter-Reay went into the finale trailing Power by 17 points, but once Power was out, he only needed to finish fifth or better. He worked his way into position to wrap it up but had to hold on over some intense final restarts. He crossed the line in fourth to win the title by three points.

Ed Carpenter won the race for his second career victory.

Power, the Australian who led by 17 points coming in, lost control of his car and spun hard into the outside wall.

It's the third consecutive year Power has gone into the finale with the title on the line and had an incident snatch away his chances.

He brushed the wall at Homestead in 2011 and lost the title by five points to Dario Franchitti. Last year, his points lead was gobbled up when another car hit him on pit road in the penultimate race, and he was involved in the 15-car accident that killed Dan Wheldon in the finale.

Power searched to find the words to describe his frustration. "I don't know what to say. It's depressing," he said as he watched Saturday's finish unfold without him. "Depressing to lose the championship again that way. Nothing I can say, mate, it's just depressing. I don't know what emotion to even feel right now."

Stenhouse wins, leads in Nationwide points

JOLIET, Ill. — Ricky Stenhouse edged past Kyle Busch and into the lead, then held on for the final 20 laps for a relatively easy victory in Saturday's Nationwide race.

Perhaps more important, he left Elliott Sadler even farther behind and took the series points lead for the first time since June.

Stenhouse, the 2011 series champion, earned his fifth victory of the year in NASCAR's No. 2 series, outlasting Busch to take the Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. Stenhouse passed Busch on Lap 180.

"We knew if we won coming in here to Chicago that we would leave the points leader and that is what it is all about," Stenhouse said. "It is going to be tough, as you can see. Elliott was up front as well, and he runs good at every racetrack we have left as well. It is going to be a lot of fun."

Stenhouse finished 2.402 seconds ahead of Busch. Austin Dillon was third, followed by Sprint Cup regulars Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard.

Sadler, who led Stenhouse by a point coming in, finished eighth.

Trucks Record: Ryan Blaney became the youngest winner in series history, taking the caution-filled race at Iowa Speedway in Newton at 18 years, 8 months. Blaney, the son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, was making his third start in the series. Blaney held off Ty Dillon after a late restart on the 0.875-mile track. Dillon, 20, took the points lead from Timothy Peters, who was 19th to drop eight points back.

PENSKE Considers ALLMENDINGER: Roger Penske said he would consider rehiring AJ Allmendinger, the suspended NASCAR driver who was at the IndyCar season finale as his guest. Allmendinger failed a NASCAR drug test in July and was released by Penske Racing when his backup "B" sample also tested positive. He's participating in NASCAR's "Road to Recovery" program, and Penske said he felt the driver has been too reclusive.

AMERICAN LE MANS: Klaus Graf and Lucas Lohr teamed to win at Virginia International Raceway, running 135 laps in the four-hour race in a Honda ARX-03a to edge Chris Dyson and Guy Smith.

NHRA: Shawn Langdon earned the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals, the first event in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, in Concord, N.C. Langdon had a run of 3.807 seconds at 324.12 mph. Tim Wilkerson topped the Funny Car field, Vincent Nobile led Pro Stock and Andrew Hines was No. 1 in Pro Stock Motorcycle headed into today's eliminations.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Astros 5, Phillies 0

HOUSTON — Justin Maxwell hit a two-run homer and Dallas Keuchel and four relievers combined on the shutout for the Astros. Houston has won two of the first three in this four-game series against the Phillies, who arrived on a seven-game winning streak that had put them back in the NL wild-card race.

Times wires
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Tennis

Doubles victory keeps u.s. alive in davis cup

GIJON, Spain — The Bryan brothers delivered Saturday. That left John Isner to perform the unexpected against defending champion Spain for the United States to possibly reach the Davis Cup final.

Mike and Bob Bryan won their doubles match against Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 to cut Spain's semifinal lead to 2-1. Today, Isner faces David Ferrer, 15-0 on clay in Cup competition.

The Tampa resident lost to Nicolas Almagro on Friday. "John knows how to separate yesterday from tomorrow," U.S. captain and former Dade City resident Jim Courier said. "He'll be ready."

If Isner wins, Sam Querrey plays Almagro for a spot in the final.

Argentina-Czech Republic: Host Argentina lost the doubles in its Davis Cup semifinal to trail the Czech Republic 2-1, and it also lost Juan Martin Del Potro y. Del Potro beat Radek Stepanek on Friday in singles playing with an inflamed left wrist. A team doctor said the wrist was being immobilized for 10 days. Del Potro was replaced by doubles player Carlos Berlocq, who was to face Tomas Berdych in today's first reverse singles.

Et cetera

COLLEGES: Tyler Blackwood's team-leading fourth goal of the season gave Tampa (4-0-1) a 1-0 win over visiting Eckerd (2-3) in the Sunshine State Conference opener for both men's soccer teams. On the women's side, Tampa (5-2) also won 1-0 against visiting Eckerd (2-2) on Cici Gonzalez's goal in the 47th minute in the SSC opener for both teams.

Triathlon: Sarah Haskins, winner of the past two St. Anthony's Triathlons in St. Petersburg, and Jarrod Shoemaker of Clermont won their second USA Triathlon elite national championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

soccer: Anton Ferdinand's snub of John Terry in the prematch handshake overshadowed Chelsea's 0-0 draw at Queens Park Rangers in the English Premier League. The match came two months after Terry was acquitted of racially abusing Ferdinand in a league game last year. Manchester United routed Wigan 4-0.

Greyhounds: Call Me Ishmael, Ed N Edmundo, Flying Dimarco and Mrl No Access won first-round races in the $50,000 Fall Sprint Stakes at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg. Qualifying resumes Wednesday.

speed skating: Five 2010 Olympic medalists and other current and former members of the U.S. team have accused coach Jae Su Chun of "unchecked" verbal, physical and psychological abuse, and current team members are boycotting the team, their lawyer said. Nineteen athletes filed a grievance against U.S. Speedskating, and 14 signed a complaint with the U.S. Olympic Committee. Both organizations said they are investigating.

Swimming: Akihiro Yamaguchi set a world record in the men's 200-meter breaststroke at the Japanese national meet in Gifu, winning in 2 minutes, 7.01 seconds.

Don Jensen, Times correspondent; Times wires