By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, October 7, 2012

TAMPA — Wesley Bullock and Plant's defense were more than enough on a night when penalties, a long storm delay and Wharton's stingy defense made things ugly.

Bullock took the opening kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown and Bernard Rogers returned a fumble for another score on the next play, and that was all the Panthers needed to hold off Wharton in a 27-7 victory Saturday night.

Bullock rushed for 94 yards, Colby Brown threw for 100 yards and a touchdown in his first start for Plant and the Panthers (4-1, 1-0) held Wharton to 164 yards of offense in the Class 8A District 6 opener for both teams.

"We basically took what they gave us," Bullock said. "It wasn't much, but it was enough to get us this win."

Plant, the defending 8A champions, seemed vulnerable to an upset as it was playing without starting quarterback Aaron Banks, who suffered a shoulder injury against Tampa Bay Tech.

Instead, Plant had a more conservative game plan against Wharton (3-2, 0-1) and got some help from a pair of big plays in the game's first 33 seconds.

Bullock fielded the short opening kick, ducked behind a three-man wedge and burst down the left sideline for a 77-yard score.

On the first play after the score, Chase Litton completed a short pass to DeAndre Washington, who fumbled while fighting for more yards. Rogers, a junior defensive back, scooped up the ball and took it in for a 23-yard touchdown.

Just like that, Plant had a cushion for their new quarterback, although Brown started as a freshman and sophomore at Orlando Olympia.

The Panthers played it safe nonetheless, placing a big share of the offense on Bullock and letting their defense harass Wharton's 6-foot-6 quarterback Litton into a subpar performance. Litton finished 11-of-39 for 122 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

"Our defense is resilient and relentless," Plant coach Robert Weiner said.

They had to be on a night when the Panthers had 16 penalties for 170 yards, at least eight of them on personal fouls. Many of those were late hits on Litton.

The game was rescheduled for Saturday after lightning strikes Friday forced officials to send everyone home. Lightning strikes Saturday caused another 2 1/2-hour delay during halftime.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — Sam LeCure, Mat Latos and three other relievers shut down San Francisco after Cincinnati lost ace Johnny Cueto in the first inning with a back injury, and the Reds were powered by home runs from Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce to beat the Giants 5-2 in Game 1 of the NL Division Series Saturday night.

Phillips hit a two-run homer in the third and Bruce added a solo drive leading off the fourth as the Reds overcame losing their 19-game winner.

The Giants' Matt Cain allowed his first career postseason earned runs after going untouched during the 2010 World Series season.

Reds manager Dusty Baker earned an emotional win in his return to the playoffs 10 years after managing the Giants within six outs of a championship.

Cueto had the shortest postseason start in the majors in eight years when back spasms forced him to leave while pitching to the second batter of the game. He is day to day.

LeCure and scheduled Game 3 starter Latos held the Giants scoreless until Buster Posey's leadoff homer off Latos in the sixth cut Cincinnati's lead to 3-1.

Latos wound up going four innings, and Sean Marshall and Jonathan Broxton followed with a scoreless inning each. Closer Aroldis Chapman struggled in the ninth, loading the bases on a single and two walks and throwing a wild pitch to score a run. He struck out Posey to end the game.

Phillips' homer was the first earned runs Cain had ever allowed in the postseason, ending a run of 231/3 innings without an earned run that was the fifth-longest ever. Cain allowed two homers in a game at home for the second time in the past two seasons, the other on June 29 against Cincinnati.

The Reds earned their first postseason win since 1995, having lost seven straight since.

If Cueto's injury isn't serious, he could come back and take Latos' spot in the rotation in Game 3.

2012 Team 2012 Vs. Opp.

Team Pitcher Time W-L ERA Rec. W-L IP ERA

Cincinnati Arroyo (R) 9:30 12-10 3.74 18-14 0-0 11.0 2.45

San Francisco Bumgarner (L) p.m. 16-11 3.37 19-13 1-0 9.0 0.00

Times staff, wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Florida leaped into the national title picture by going from No. 10 to No. 4 in the Associated Press college football poll Sunday, and FSU fell nine spots to No. 12 after its upset loss at N.C. State.

The Gators (5-0, 4-0 SEC) say their highest ranking since Sept. 4, 2010, doesn't mean much and that they will focus on one game at a time. But can they really not look past this week's game at Vanderbilt to an Oct. 20 home showdown with South Carolina that could determine the SEC East champion?

The Gamecocks (6-0, 4-0) jumped to No. 3 after their third straight win over Georgia.

"Have we ever been that high before? How about '84?" coach Steve Spurrier asked Sunday. South Carolina reached No. 2 late in the 1984 season.

"Well, we've still got a ways to go," Spurrier added, knowing the Gamecocks visit LSU on Saturday. "I would say we probably have the toughest schedule of those other teams (national title contenders).''

While it's clear the Gators are much improved from last season, coach Will Muschamp cautioned after Saturday's victory over LSU that a long season remains and the Gators can't start thinking they're all the way back — regardless of their ranking.

"I think we've improved,'' Muschamp said. "I think we've taken some steps forward, I'm not going to sit there and doubt that. But there are so many more things to accomplish as we move forward this season.

"When you continue to climb the mountain, the steps get a little more treacherous. And we've got to understand that. We have to understand we've got a lot of things we need to clean up.''

The players, admittedly thrilled with the progress, vowed to stay focused and unfazed by outside surroundings.

"We're playing for the coaches, we're playing for the players to the left and right of us,'' junior center Jonotthan Harrison said. "You cut out all the other stuff — the distractions."

"We're taking it game by game,'' senior safety Josh Evans said. "A lot of people look down on us and don't think we're quite there yet. But hopefully this is a good spot and a good position we're in now. We opened up a lot of eyes to show we're on the rise."

murray's house egged: Georgia linebacker Christian Robinson said after Saturday's loss at South Carolina the house he shares with quarterback and former Plant High standout Aaron Murray was egged and toilet-papered. He posted on his Twitter account: "Came to a house that was egged and rolled. Seems that people turn on you when you're not perfect. Thought we were in this together." Coach Mark Richt said every quarterback he has coached since he was an assistant at FSU has had to have unlisted telephone numbers "because you know there's going to be somebody to call and say something foolish after the emotion of a game. Unfortunately, it's part of it."

Illinois: Cornerback Terry Hawthorne, taken off the field in an ambulance after colliding with Wisconsin fullback Derek Watt, had a negative CT scan and will be okay.

Late Saturday

OREGON 52, WASHINGTON 21: Marcus Mariota threw for 198 yards and four touchdowns, including two to tight end Colt Lyerla, for the host Ducks. Oregon won its ninth straight overall dating to last season, as well as its ninth straight in the series against the Huskies.

CAL 43, UCLA 17: Zach Maynard matched his career high with four touchdown passes and the host Bears took advantage of six turnovers.

Times staff writer Antonya English contributed to this report.

By Neil Taylor, Times Correspondent
Sunday, October 7, 2012

What's hot: The gradual shift to fall has resulted in incredible action for a variety of species. One client caught 10 species on lures and flies on a recent outing. Trout and redfish are easy targets in the shallows, but anglers can also target mackerel, king mackerel, pompano, flounder, jacks and ladyfish.

Tackle and techniques: King mackerel require bigger rods and reels, and a bit of wire to prevent cutoffs. For all other species, medium spinning tackle is adequate with 20-pound fluorocarbon leader for most options (30- or 40-pound for Spanish mackerel). The same lures will catch a majority of these species. Flashy, bright lures are best for Spanish mackerel, pompano, ladyfish and jacks. Soft-plastic tails work great.

Spanish and king mackerel are most likely to be found in the deeper areas and around the mouth of Tampa Bay. Pompano are thick at area bridges. Ladyfish and jacks are anywhere you find baitfish schools. Trout and redfish have been readily available in the shallows. Redfish are bunched up in schools and easy to find. The "push" of water of a big bunch of redfish is easy to see.

Neil Taylor charters kayak fishing trips in the Tampa Bay area and can be reached at strikethreekayakfishing.com and (727) 692-6345.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

SUZUKA, Japan — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix from the pole Sunday to close within four points of Formula One champion­ship leader Fernando Alonso, who crashed out at the first turn.

Vettel, who also won the last race in Singapore, is now, with five races left, within sight of a third straight title, something only previously accomplished by Juan-Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher.

"I don't know what happened behind me, but Alonso was very unlucky," Vettel said. "We never know what is going to happen in the next race so it was important to take points."

Alonso's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was second for his first podium finish since Korea in 2010.

Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi delighted the home fans by taking third for his first-ever F1 podium. He became the first Japanese driver on a podium here since 1990.

Alonso made contact with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and appeared to sustain a punctured tire, fishtailing off the track and the car stalled, leaving Alonso to trudge back to the pits.

NHRA: Two national-record runs were recorded at the Auto-Plus Nationals at Mohnton, Pa., but rain forced officials to postpone the rest of eliminations to 11 a.m. today. In Top Fuel, series leader Antron Brown posted a record time of 3.722 seconds to advance to the semifinals. In Funny Car, Jack Beckman improved his record to 3.986 seconds.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

DETROIT — Al Alburquerque snagged a sharp grounder to the mound, then planted a kiss on the ball before tossing it to first.

The relieved reliever gave his Detroit teammates a reason to laugh in the ninth inning of a tight game. Moments later, the Tigers were celebrating.

Don Kelly scored the tying run on a wild pitch in the eighth, then hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth that lifted the Tigers over the Athletics 5-4 Sunday for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five AL Division Series.

Detroit overcame three A's leads for the victory. It was tied at 1 before a wild final three innings that included an error by Oakland centerfielder Coco Crisp, two tying wild pitches and several momentum changes.

Alburquerque kept it tied in the ninth when he got Yoenis Cespedes to hit a comebacker with men on first and third and two outs. He gave the ball a quick smooch before tossing to first.

"I just did it," he said. "It was the emotion of the game. I wasn't trying to be a hot dog."

Oakland outfielder Josh Reddick wasn't thrilled.

"We didn't appreciate that. I thought it was immature and not very professional," Reddick said. "You don't do that on the field. Save it for the dugout."

Detroit will go for a sweep Tuesday at Oakland.

Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera doubled twice for the Tigers, hit a fly ball that Crisp dropped for two runs and later singled in the ninth.

It was the sixth straight postseason loss for the A's, all to Detroit. The Tigers swept Oakland in the 2006 AL Championship Series.

Omar Infante and Cabrera hit back-to-back singles off former Rays pitcher Grant Balfour with one out in the ninth. With runners on first and third, Prince Fielder was intentionally walked, bringing up Kelly, who had stayed in the game as the DH after pinch-running the previous inning.

"Was looking for a fastball and I got it," Kelly said. "It's a great feeling, to be able to go out there in that situation and do that."

Kelly's fly to right was deep enough to score Infante without a play at the plate. It was another big playoff moment for Kelly, who homered last year when the Tigers beat the Yankees in the decisive fifth game of a division series.

A favorite of manager Jim Leyland, Kelly hit .186 during the regular season but made the postseason roster as a pinch-running option who can also play any position in the field.

"It takes everybody to contribute, and we got contributions from everybody," Leyland said.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Tony Stewart tried to block his way to a win at Talladega Superspeedway.

It backfired, badly.

The "big one" came on the last lap Sunday of the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500, when Stewart's attempt to hold on for the victory instead sent his car sailing through the field and triggered a 25-car accident. Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth won under caution, and everyone else was left wondering what happened to cause so much carnage.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the tight racing "bloodthirsty" after he finished 20th and dropped four spots to 11th in the Chase for the Championship.

"That was the craziest, craziest finish I've ever experienced at Talladega," said Jeff Gordon, who was second. "It was just insane. I remember when coming to Talladega was fun, and I haven't experienced that in a long time. That was bumper cars at 200 mph. I don't know anybody who likes that."

Stewart took full responsibility for causing the accident. He had charged to the lead on the first lap of a two-lap sprint to the finish, but got too far ahead of the pack to keep a drafting partner.

Kenseth was charging on the outside and Michael Waltrip was leading a line of traffic on the inside. Stewart was blocking all over the track and said he mistakenly chopped across the front of Waltrip's car.

The contact hooked Stewart to send him into a spin, and his car lifted into the air and sailed on its roof and then on its side over several other cars. It created chaos through the pack, which was running three-wide.

"I just screwed up. I turned down and cut across Michael and crashed the whole field," Stewart said. "It was my fault, blocking and trying to stay where I was at.

"I was trying to win the race, and I was trying to stay ahead of Matt there and Michael got a great run on the bottom and had a big head of steam, and when I turned down, I turned across the front of his car. Just a mistake on my part but cost a lot of people a bad day."

Stewart waved to the crowd as he climbed from his battered car, while Jimmie Johnson sat on the ledge of Earnhardt's window for a lift back to the garage. Everywhere they looked, they saw crumpled cars.

Kyle Busch was third, but NASCAR was sorting the final order almost an hour afterward.

Series points leader Brad Keselow­ski said he was holding on trying to stay in the bottom lane because he figured that would be his escape route when the inevitable accident happened. He was credited with a seventh-place finish, but his Penske Racing team had a photo that showed Keselowski on the apron in fourth with the caution lights on — when the field should have been frozen. Both owner Roger Penske and team president Tim Cindric believed the driver wasn't awarded the proper finish.

Still, Keselowski left Talladega with a 14-point lead over Johnson with six races to go.

"That's pretty big; I just feel lucky to survive Talladega," Keselow­ski said. "Just a bunch of guys running four-wide. You know it's a matter of time before they wreck. We all did."

Clint Bowyer, the leader on the last restart and trying to make it to the finish before Stewart's car landed on top of his, wound up 23rd. "That's just Talladega," he said. "That's why we all come out and watch."

An angry Little E

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 21st, was especially upset about the type of racing that led to Sunday's wreck at Talladega. A sampling from the driver who has won five times at the superspeedway:

• "It's not safe. It's not. It's bloodthirsty. If that's what people want, that's ridiculous."

• "If this was what we did every week, I wouldn't be doing it. I'll just put it to you that way. If this was how we raced every week, I'd find another job."

• "That's what the package is doing. It's really not racing. It's a little disappointing. It cost a lot of money right there."

• "If this is how we're going to continue to race and nothing is going to change, how about NASCAR build the cars? It'll save us a lot of money."

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

ST. LOUIS — Rookies in the postseason, the Nationals played like poised veterans.

The Nationals escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, Tyler Moore blooped a two-out, two-run single in the eighth and Washington beat the defending World Series champion Cardinals 3-2 Sunday in their NL Division Series opener on Sunday.

The Nationals have just four players with postseason experience on the roster, but now they have the lead.

"Not many people have probably watched too many Nationals games, but we have a great starting rotation and a great bullpen," said Ian Desmond, who singled for his third hit in the go-ahead rally. "They keep us in the ball game and some timely hits from this kid, and the rest of the guys coming off the bench, that's really been the formula."

The Nationals overcame a wild start by 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez. They limited the Cardinals to just three hits.

"All the credit in the world goes to the bullpen," Gonzalez said. "I've been saying it all year. The reason why we've been so successful is these guys come in and shut it down."

Rookie reliever Ryan Mattheus needed just two pitches to bail out the Nationals in the seventh with St. Louis ahead 2-1. Moore, another rookie, put them ahead soon after that, Tyler Clippard worked around an error in the eighth and Drew Storen saved it.

"This team is not hanging our heads," St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright said. "We can come back and win this easily."

The Cardinals wasted a 10-strikeout gem by Wainwright, failing to capitalize enough on Gonzalez's career-high-tying seven walks.

Mattheus diffused a bases-loaded, none-out threat in the seventh, getting Allen Craig to ground into a forceout at the plate, then inducing a double-play grounder from Yadier Molina. Craig led the NL with a .400 average with runners in scoring position and Molina batted .321 in those situations.

"It was a big moment," Mattheus said. "It gave us life. The guys said, 'Hey, we can win this ballgame.' "

Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma misplayed Michael Morse's grounder to open the eighth and set up the Nats' rally. Desmond followed with a single, putting runners at the corners. Danny Espinosa sacrificed, leaving runners at second and third, and Kurt Suzuki struck out. Moore then poked a single to right against Marc Rzepczynski and both runners scored.

"I was just trying to calm myself down and try to make some things happen and not strike out up there," Moore said.

Today's matchup 2012 Team 2012 Vs. Opp.

Team Pitcher Time W-L ERA Rec. W-L IP ERA

Washington Zmmermann (R) 4:3512-8 2.94 21-11 0-0 10.0 9.90

St. Louis Garcia (L) p.m.7-7 3.92 8-12 0-1 5.1 10.12

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Best voice

The best part of Fox giving us the Redskins-Falcons game Sunday was listening to Sam Rosen on play-by-play. The veteran is near the top of the list of the most underappreciated, overlooked, under­utilized announcers in the business. He calls New York Rangers games and is brilliant on hockey. But he's superb on football, too, and it's too bad Fox doesn't assign him better games.

Worst idea

A year ago, Terry Francona was fired as manager of the Red Sox and ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, above, was hired to replace him. That left an opening in the ESPN booth, and it was filled by none other than Francona.

Well, now that Valentine has been fired by the Red Sox and Francona hired by the Indians, you might think Valentine can just slide back into his role at ESPN.

That would be a mistake by ESPN.

Valentine's embarrassing tenure with the Red Sox shot a major hole in his credibility with baseball fans. The hole is so big that fans likely wouldn't believe much of what he said on television.

Look, Valentine knows baseball and can communicate with an audience. But his season in Boston was way more than just a losing one. It was a train wreck. He criticized players, fought with the media and even threw his coaching staff under the bus, suggesting it undermined him.

Most of all, Valentine came off as unlikable.

Fans will put up with a broadcaster they don't like if they think he knows what he's talking about. But if fans don't think Valentine knows what he's doing and they don't like him, why would they want to hear anything he has to say?

Worst choke

Florida State just kissed away its schedule tailor-made for a national championship run. In other words, with West Virginia begging out of its game against FSU, Virginia Tech way down and the Gators coming to Tallahassee this season, the Seminoles' schedule was set up to get FSU to the national title game. Then again, it had to win every game on the schedule, and that went down the tubes Saturday with a loss at North Carolina State.

The problem now is even if FSU doesn't lose again, it will have a hard time getting back into the title hunt. Because that schedule that was set up to benefit FSU now will hurt it.

Best interview

Great get by CBS to interview NFL replacement official Lance Easley, who made the infamous call at the end of the Packers-Seahawks game. Easley ruled that Seahawks receiver Golden Tate simultaneously caught the ball along with Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings and called it a touchdown to give Seattle a victory.

Easley told NFL Today host James Brown the players were "wrapped around that thing like a meatball and their arms were like spaghetti.'' He said he did not have a doubt it was a touchdown, and he still doesn't.

Brown asked Easley about being hated and threatened by some Packers fans.

"Well, one thing I want to say is I wanted to come out and let people know I'm okay," Easley said. "This is a part of the deal. Officials, the guys that are out there now, any official, we understand that going in. It's not a popular place to be to begin with. … I'm a former college coach. I've been involved with the game since I was a child, and people know that I'm a person of character. I did the best job I could.''

When asked if he would do it again, Easley said, "In a heartbeat.''

Worst assignment

Cal Ripken Jr. is a decent enough broadcaster, and I think he can call an unbiased baseball game. Still, I think it's a bad idea for TBS to assign him to Orioles games if the network can help it. He is too associated with the Orioles. He should be calling one of the other playoff series.

Best line

Fox NFL Sunday's Terry Bradshaw is person No. 319 to take a shot at Bears QB Jay Cutler, left. Last week Cutler was seen walking away from Bears assistant Mike Tice, who was trying to talk to him. Bradshaw had a pretty interesting comment for Cutler on Sunday.

"If I were you, I would learn how to be a little bit nicer,'' Bradshaw said. "I know you don't care, and nor do I care if I ever sit down and do an interview with you — which I have yet to do. Maybe there's a reason for that. I like everybody. I'd like to like you, but right now, I don't like you. Grow up, young man."

Best numbers

Here's an interesting nugget pointed out by New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica: Since Sept. 1, 2011, the Red Sox are 76-113. That's 37 games under .500 after going 31 games over .500 entering the last month of last season.

Three things that popped into my head

1. This is a radical thought, I realize, but NFL kickers are so good that maybe awarding three points for a field goal is too much, especially when teams often need just a first down or two to get into field goal range.

2. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman works for the owners, and he does what they tell him to do. But I think it's time Bettman steps away from these labor negotiations because the players no longer trust anything Bettman says or does. His presence alone impedes the talks.

3. The real referees are back. So, Packer fan, who are you going to blame for Sunday's loss to the Colts?

tom jones' two cents

Tampa Bay Times staff writer Tom Jones offers up the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports.

Most interesting line

CBS college football analyst Gary Danielson, at the end of Saturday's Gators-LSU game, said, "I still think a one-loss SEC team can still play for the national championship.''

Best alternative

A thing I like to do is to see what else is on whenever big events are on television. For example, Sunday is an NFL day, with afternoon games on Fox and CBS. That's when I like to flip over to NBC and ABC to see what they are showing. ABC had a WNBA game Sunday, and NBC was showing yacht racing. I decided to watch yachting — it was, officially, the America's Cup World Series — mostly to poke fun at it. I ended up watching it for 45 minutes because the coverage was so good. Seriously, the elaborate graphics NBC used (such as lines on the water, wind speeds, current charts, etc.) made it entertaining and interesting. I'm not ready to go out and buy a sailboat, but I was wrong to think I could make fun of something that turned out to be pretty good TV.

He wrote it

Count New York Daily News baseball writer Bill Madden among those who believe the Rays' David Price, above, should win the American League Cy Young Award. • "Our pick is Price, who would've had 3-4 more wins were it not for the Rays' pathetic offense — they were shut out in three of his starts,'' Madden wrote. "Against the AL East, Price was 10-2 with a 2.51 ERA. Price faced teams with the equivalent of a .749 OPS as opposed to the major-league average .724. He also limited his opponents to a .318 slugging pct., lowest in the AL."

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

MEXICO CITY — During their first preseason game, the Magic realized it had serious fans in places it didn't expect them.

Mexican fans streamed into the Ciudad de Mexico Arena on Sunday more than an hour before tipoff to see warmups, with many wearing Magic jerseys. One was wearing J.J. Redick's Duke jersey, another Glen Davis' Celtics jersey.

"I'm a super fan. This is so cool that they're here," said Jose Manuel Gomez, 20, after getting Redick's autograph.

Most important, the player they raised had come home to play in front of a true home crowd.

Magic forward Gustavo Ayon's uncle, Fernando Ayon, and countless other relatives traveled eight hours from Nayarit state to see the Mexican-born forward play.

"What can I say? I can barely speak," Fernando said.

When that moment finally arrived and Gustavo Ayon was introduced as the Magic's starting forward against the Hornets, the roof almost came down. His stern look faded, and he flashed an enormous smile.

It didn't take long for Ayon, 27, to give the crowd something to cheer. He scored the first two points of the game, connecting on a layup in transition from Jameer Nelson's bounce pass.

Though the Magic enjoyed strong fan support, the Hornets used a fourth-quarter rally to win 85-80. The Hornets outscored Orlando 31-14 in the fourth.

E'Twaun Moore, who is fighting for Orlando's backup point guard job, scored a team-high 16 to go along with seven assists and three turnovers.

As expected, veteran starters Redick, Davis, Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu played sparingly — no more than 21 minutes for any of them — and they helped stake the Magic to a 21-point lead midway through the third quarter.

More preseason action: The Heat opened with a 92-79 loss to the host Hawks, who were led by Josh Smith's 21 points. Chris Bosh finished with 22 points and LeBron James had 10 for the defending champions, who played without guard Dwyane Wade, recovering from knee surgery. Ray Allen, making his Miami debut, had 10 points and five assists in 27 minutes. … Rajon Rondo scored all 17 of his points in the first quarter and added six assists to lead the Celtics to a 105-75 win over Emporio Armani Milano of the Euroleague in Milan, Italy.

Jackson on Howard-Shaq spat: Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson didn't exactly pick sides in the dustup between centers Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard, but he said "there is a lot to what (O'Neal) says" when he characterized Howard as a "pick-and-roll" player with a more limited offensive game than more traditional back-to-the-basket centers Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez.

"Brook and Andrew are guys who have good touches. They're good scoring players, and they have good offensive games," Jackson said on a Chicago radio show.

Jackson described Howard as a better all-around player and complemented him on the improvements he has made to his offensive game in recent years. But Howard is still "learning the post game," he said.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, October 7, 2012

TAMPA — USF coach Skip Holtz said he understands the frustration among fans during the team's four-game losing streak but said nobody is as disappointed as his staff and players and, particularly, himself.

"I'm certainly not trying to pass any blame or trying to wash away that responsibility," Holtz said Sunday, a day after a 37-28 loss at Temple. "That falls on us. That falls on me as the head football coach.

"I can certainly understand people's disappointment in the program and where we are right now at 2-4, because there were very high expectations for the program as we came into the season. The team is just as disappointed as everybody on the outside."

Holtz said the team's losses — 11 of 14 games going back to a 4-0 start last season — show the program has taken a step back, though his optimism comes from the way the Bulls have consistently played close with opportunities to win the games they've lost.

"From a win-loss standpoint, it would be hard to argue that we haven't (taken a step back). It would be very hard to argue that," Holtz said. "I look at where we are from a competitive standpoint. In 2½ years, there's been one half of football where we haven't been competitive, and that's the second half of the Pitt game (in 2011).

"I understand why people would be upset, losing 10 of 11 Big East games. We're not trying to do that. Everybody's embarrassed about where we are right now, nobody more than myself."

Asked specifically if he feels his job is in jeopardy — the coach received a contract extension from athletic director Doug Woolard this summer through the 2017 season, and because of that deal, USF would have to pay $2.5 million to fire him — Holtz said, "I don't coach that way," saying no administrators have said anything to him along those lines.

Holtz has been through an 0-11 season on his father Lou's staff at South Carolina: "I've been through hard times, been through difficult times. There's no doubt this is a difficult time. I look at (that) we're close, but we haven't gotten it done."

Asked if his changes during the bye week could involve any reassignment of coaching duties among his assistants, Holtz didn't rule that out. "Those are all things we have to evaluate," he said.

HELMET TOSS: Asked about the play when senior QB B.J. Daniels had his helmet ripped off with enough force to fly across the field, Holtz didn't question the absence of a face mask penalty but said he was glad there wasn't any significant injury. "I think it's scary. It's really scary to have your helmet ripped off with that speed and velocity," Holtz said. "Thank goodness it came off. If it didn't, he could have been severely injured. I thought that's what all these new rules were in place to do, to protect the defenseless player."

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

LAS VEGAS — Former UNLV standout Ryan Moore won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, birdieing the 16th hole to take the outright lead and finishing with 5-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Brendon de Jonge.

Tied with de Jonge and rookie Jonas Blixt after the third round, Moore finished at 24-under 260 at TPC Summerlin. The Las Vegas resident earned $810,000 in the tour's fall series opener.

"It's been an unbelievable week," Moore said. "I've had such great support with my family and friends out here."

Moore said he had few friends with him during his first win at the 2009 Wyndham Championship. Clearly, this one was different for the four-time All-American at UNLV.

De Jonge shot 67. Blixt shot 70 to finish third at 20 under.

Jason Day pulled within three of Moore and de Jonge with a birdie on No. 16 but closed with double bogey on the par-4 18th. He shot 65 to finish fourth at 18 under.

Moore birdied the second and third holes for a one-stroke lead over playing partners Blixt and de Jonge, and he birdied the seventh to pull two shots ahead.

De Jonge pulled even with birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, and they remained tied through 15, going to No. 16 at 23 under. Moore birdied the 560-yard, par-5 16th to regain the outright lead and parred the final two holes.

John Daly, tied for sixth at 10 under after a season-best 63 on Friday, followed his 15-over 86 on Saturday with 6-over 77 on Sunday, finishing last at 11-over 295. He dropped from 132nd to 137th on the money list.

The final top 125 on the money list get full tour cards for next season.

Champions: Bernhard Langer rallied to win the SAS Champion­ship in Cary, N.C., and take the lead in the Charles Schwab Cup points race, shooting 9-under 63 to defeat Jay Don Blake by two strokes. Four shots back entering the final round, Langer birdied the final two holes for 13-under 203. The German has two victories this year and 16 overall on the 50-and-over tour. Blake closed with 68. He needed birdie on the par-4 18th to force a playoff but hit a tree with his drive and bogeyed the hole. Langer has a 69-point lead over Tom Lehman in the points race for a $1 million annuity.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

By the bay in San Francisco to Motown's Comerica Park and Busch Stadium in the Midwest, pitchers are flinging balls to the backstop with a regularity rarely seen in October.

Jitters? Adrenalin? Just plain overthrowing? It's something, all right.

"Perhaps some of the guys might be trying too hard and they're bouncing the balls way in front of the plate," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "The ones I've seen didn't give the catchers much chance to catch it. I just hope we don't have any."

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman threw a pair of wild pitches Saturday night, including one that scored a run in his team's 5-2 victory at San Francisco.

There were two more in the eighth inning at Detroit on Sunday that brought home runs, one for each team in the Tigers' 5-4 win against the A's. That's the first time in postseason history in which both teams scored a tying run on a wild pitch in the same inning, according to STATS LLC.

"Man, that Oakland game was wild, wasn't it?" Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's a little different time. Pitchers are trying to put a little bit more on it, trying to make that great pitch."

Then, Nationals 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez had one of his own. The wild pitch scored a run after he walked four of the first five batters in a 3-2 Game 1 win against the Cardinals.

"If you see that, you have to be ready on the bases," the Giants' Pablo Sandoval said. "All the teams have been doing that. A situation like this, you have the pressure on you to try to do too much. That's the situation with the pitchers. They try too much and that's the time they throw wild."

A's: The team is hopeful that LHP Brett Anderson will be ready to make his first start since getting hurt Sept. 19 against the Tigers. After missing the last couple of weeks during the regular season with a strained right oblique, the team put Anderson on its postseason roster. He was 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA in a season limited to six starts by elbow surgery and the side strain. Manager Bob Melvin said Anderson feels good, but he wants to wait until today to announce whether he will start Tuesday.

Giants: Bochy named RHP Ryan Vogelsong his Game 3 starter for Tuesday. Though Bochy said he already has picked a pitcher for a potential Game 4, he wouldn't say whether he would turn to RHP Matt Cain on three days' rest.

Nationals: As expected, the team did not place RHP Stephen Strasburg, who was shut down late in the season after reaching a team-imposed innings limit, on the roster for the NL Division Series against St. Louis.

Yankees: Even though manager Joe Girardi doesn't like to start his lefties back to back, he will send Andy Pettitte, the winningest pitcher in postseason history, to the mound tonight in Game 2 against the Orioles. Pettitte follows CC Sabathia, so RHP Hiroki Kuroda will start Game 3. Pettitte came out of retirement in May, then missed three months with a broken lower left leg. Now he's, pitching in the playoffs, where he has a 19-10 record and a 3.83 ERA. "A lot of ups and downs. A roller coaster for sure," he said. "When I came back, this is what I was hoping to get the opportunity to do."

Rockies' Tracy resigns

DENVER — Colorado manager Jim Tracy resigned, stepping down after the team set a franchise record for losses in finishing 64-98. Tracy, promoted from bench coach to manager in May 2009, was voted the NL manager of the year that season and Colorado went 294-308 under him.

"I was surprised," said Bill Geivett, the team's director of major-league operations. "Tracy called me and told me his intentions, and we talked about a lot of different things, but he had already made up his mind."

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

WNBA

Minnesota wins west, set to defend title

LOS ANGELES — Candace Parker banked in a 3-pointer from 30 feet, giving Los Angeles a two-point lead late and sending its fans into a tizzy.

"I said to myself, 'We're okay, we have time,' " Minnesota's Maya Moore said. "We don't get too high; we don't get too low."

Minnesota got where it wanted in the end, claiming an 80-79 victory Sunday for a 2-0 sweep of the Western Conference final and a spot in the WNBA Finals.

Seimone Augustus scored 21 and Moore 20 for the defending champs, who trailed by 10 early in the fourth. Minnesota reserve Monica Wright answered Parker's theatrics with a 3 to put the Lynx in front 80-79.

The Lynx plays either Connecticut or Indiana in the Finals. Connecticut leads the East final 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.

Awards: Los Angeles' Nneka Ogwumike was named rookie of the year and Carol Ross, a former coach at Florida, was selected coach of the year.

Et cetera

NHL: The sides spoke throughout the day, and formal negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement are expected to resume midweek, according to media reports.

Tennis: Top seed Novak Djokovic defeated third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to win the China Open at Beijing. In the women's final, top seed Victoria Azarenka won her fifth title of the year by dominating second seed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-1. … Eighth seed Kei Nishikori thrilled the home crowd by beating sixth seed Milos Raonic 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-0 to win the Japan Open at Tokyo. … Fernando Verdasco and Philipp Kohlschreiber reached the second round of the Shanghai Masters with straight-sets victories.

Soccer: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored twice as host Barcelona drew 2-2 with Real Madrid to keep an eight-point lead over its rival in the Spanish league. … Veteran U.S. goalie Brad Friedel was benched for Tottenham's 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the English Premier League, ending his record run of 310 league starts in a row dating to May 2004. Hugo Lloris started in his league debut. Manchester United beat Newcastle 3-0, keeping the pressure on league leader Chelsea. … Seattle beat Portland 3-0 in front of 66,452, the second-largest crowed for a stand-alone match in MLS history. The first MLS match, Los Angeles-New York at the Rose Bowl in 1996, drew 69,255.

Triathlon: Lance Armstrong competed in a race to raise money for cancer programs at Ellicott City, Md., after organizers dropped USA Triathlon sanctioning so he could take part. Armstrong is banned from events that follow World Anti-Doping Agency rules after he chose not to fight doping charges.

Running: Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia set a course record in winning the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 38 seconds. That eclipsed the 2:05:37 set by Kenya's Moses Mosop last year.

Times wires

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Dolphins make this lead stand up

CINCINNATI — Safety Reshad Jones picked off Andy Dalton's overthrow at midfield with 1:22 left, preserving a Dolphins victory that ended back-to-back weeks of blown leads that led to OT defeats.

"We had two tough weeks leading up to this one," rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. "Guys really talked all week about how we've got to finish."

Defensive end Michael Johnson sacked Tannehill the first time he tried to throw, but the Bengals got to him only once more. Tannehill finished 17-of-26 for 223 yards without an interception and had his best passer rating, 92.3.

The Bengals' Mike Nugent had his first field goal miss of the season, a 42-yarder with three minutes left. Out of timeouts, Cincinnati took over at its 20 and Dalton, under pressure, sailed a pass intended for Andrew Hawkins, giving Jones an easy interception.

Cincinnati settled for two field goals in the first half, when Miami held on a first and goal at the 4.

"The offense didn't play well across the board," Dalton said.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Ravens rely on D, three field goals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Ravens shut down running back Jamaal Charles and the rest of the Chiefs offense in the second half and made a big fourth-quarter stand, helped by an offensive pass interference penalty on former Largo High standout Dexter McCluster that negated a go-ahead touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe.

After McCluster's penalty, the Chiefs kicked a field goal and the Ravens converted two third downs to run out the clock.

"This game is as hard as it gets," Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis said. "We knew the kind of game we were going to get out of these guys. We knew it would be a tough sled. For us to come in and just keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting. … A big win."

The Ravens had the NFL's second-ranked offense through the first four weeks of the season, but it faltered against Kansas City. Ray Rice ran for 101 yards, but Joe Flacco had just 187 yards passing and was picked off once.

Baltimore had to settle for three field goals by Justin Tucker.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Angry Bradshaw rushes for 200

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Ahmad Bradshaw got furious at himself and took it out on the Browns, surpassing his yardage on the ground for the season with a career-best 200 yards in the Giants' victory.

Bradshaw fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, setting up a Cleveland touchdown. After that, he was unstoppable.

"I was angry at myself for the fumble and I just used it," said Bradshaw, who came into the game with 132 yards. "I was disappointed with the fumble, but you put it out of your mind. We knew the running game was there."

Victor Cruz had a career-best three touchdown catches, prompting his trademark salsa dance in the end zone after each.

The Browns are 0-5 for the first time since their return season to the NFL in 1999 and have lost 11 straight dating to last season, matching the franchise record.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Seahawks hold on; Newton struggles

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the fourth time in five games, the Seahawks played a game that came down to a final possession.

The Panthers had the ball at the Seattle 1, trailing 16-10 and facing fourth and goal with less than four minutes remaining. Quarterback Cam Newton rolled right, found no one open and threw short into the end zone.

The Panthers had one more possession, getting the ball with one minute remaining after the Seahawks deliberately took a safety on a punt. Rookie Bruce Irvin forced a fumble on the second play of that possession and fellow defensive lineman Alan Branch recovered to seal it.

Seattle's Russell Wilson threw a 13-yard touchdown to Golden Tate with 35 seconds left in the third, shaking off two third-quarter interceptions and outperforming Newton, who threw for 141 yards on 12-for-29 passing. The Panthers totaled 190 yards.

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — All Chuck Pagano asked the Colts to do was focus on football.

Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne did that — and a little more to honor their ailing coach.

The rookie quarterback and veteran receiver connected at the most critical moments Sunday, including a 4-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left to complete the Colts' second-half rally and stun Green Bay 30-27 on an emotional day.

"I'm sure we were all lying to everybody the whole week, trying to downplay it," Luck said after throwing for a career-high 362 yards. "I think we all went out there wanting to do it for Chuck more than anything else. I think it's one of the greatest athletic moments I've ever been a part of."

Interim coach Bruce Arians acknowledged he was fighting back tears when he spoke to reporters.

The sometimes emotional team owner, Jim Irsay, sniffled as he spoke inside a silent locker room before dashing off to the hospital where Pagano is being treated for leukemia. He wanted to personally deliver the game ball to Pagano.

"Focus on being 500 by 4:30pm on Sunday. Nothing else," he wrote in an email to the team Friday. "That has to be our mind set. 60 minutes, all you got, one play at a time! WIN!"

"I've got 12 years of (special) games," said Wayne, who has known Pagano since the two were at the University of Miami together in the late 1990s. "But this did mean a lot, just with the whole deal with how the week's been going. You know, I talked to Coach Pagano and he wanted us to win so bad. Is it a high? Yeah. I don't necessarily have one other than the Super Bowl game. But it's up there."

Team officials honored Pagano by hanging signs that read #Chuckstrong behind each goal post and wore lapel pins with orange ribbons on a white background.

Wayne had 13 receptions for a career-high 212 yards — the second-highest total in Colts history behind Raymond Berry in 1957. And he wore the orange gloves, instead of the traditional pink ones for breast cancer awareness month, because that's the color for leukemia patients.

"I just wanted to do something, you know, for Chuck," Wayne said. "If they (NFL officials) fine me, they fine me, I really feel like that would be a terrible thing to do, but if so, so be it, I'll go ahead and take the fine and do it for Chuck."

Times wires
Sunday, October 7, 2012

PITTSBURGH — Backed up at their 20-yard line, their slow start to the season in danger of turning into a legitimate free fall, the Steelers did what they always seem to do when things get tight.

They relaxed.

Ben Roethlisberger converted two third downs during a patient 64-yard drive over the final 6:33, Shaun Suisham made a 34-yard field goal as time expired, and Pittsburgh beat the Eagles 16-14 in the rain Sunday.

"We had the ball last," Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. "Such is life."

Philadelphia appeared on the verge of its third one-point win when Michael Vick hit Brent Celek for a 2-yard score midway through the fourth quarter.

The Steelers then promptly got a holding penalty. No biggie.

Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for 20 yards on third and 12. A 15-yard screen pass to running back Rashard Mendenhall — making his return from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee — moved Pittsburgh into Eagles territory.

Two plays later Roethlisberger found Emmanuel Sanders for 8 yards, and five straight runs put the Steelers within Suisham's range. They avoided their first 1-3 start under Tomlin.

"I always have confidence in myself and the guys that we can do it," said Roethlisberger after his 25th career fourth-quarter comeback. "That was everybody on that drive."

Roethlisberger completed 21-of-37 for 207 yards. Mendenhall had 81 rushing yards and a score and 20 receiving yards as Pittsburgh's beleaguered running game showed signs of life.

"Our savior is back," Roethlisberger joked. "We've been teasing him all week. It was great to see him out there, and he did a great job."

Vick completed 20-of-30 for 175 yards and two scores but fumbled twice. LeSean McCoy rushed for 53 yards and caught four passes for 27 yards and a touchdown for Philadelphia.

"This one is going to burn for a minute," Vick said.

The Eagles put together a grinding 17-play, 79-yard drive at the start of the final quarter, converting two fourth downs. McCoy turned both into first downs, twisting for the necessary yardage on fourth and inches at the Philadelphia 30, then bulling for 2 yards on fourth and 1 at the Pittsburgh 47.

"I don't know how I can say this humble. We felt like we could drive on them," McCoy said.