Celebrate Those Ladies’ Days

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 09:21 PM

Raise a toast these days to those women of athletic achievement, women of strong quality and appreciated humility.

Golfer Lorena Ochoa, IndyCar driver Danica Patrick and the top three finishers in the Boston Marathon Trials — Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet and Blake Russell — are the heroes of this past weekend. All are far from finished in their quests. All have more great goals ahead. The three marathoners are set to represent the USA in the Beijing Olympics.

Ochoa is special, my goodness. She’s only 26 and out of a Mexican golf club in Guadalajara. She began playing at 6, won at the University of Arizona, turned professional in 2002 and won immediately. This 5-foot-6 swinger has shot a 62 competitively on the LPGA Tour, has a women’s British Open to her credit, won eight times in 2007 and a record $4 million.

Right now, this fine Mexican player has won five LPGA tournaments, the most recent four weekends in a row. The great Mickey Wright did that too in the 1960s, I believe including the old Tampa Women’s Open at Palma Ceia. Ochoa told the Tribune’s Katherine Smith during her win at Reunion last week that she did not think she would ever get greedy and want and expect to win them all. Of course, in women’s golf, she’s but a tyke. And, there is no successful women’s seniors tour, as with the men.

This star already has done what she needed to do to make it to the Hall of Fame. Ochoa is clearly among the best on the tour these days, apparently passing Annika Sorenstam.

Advancing into the brightest of limelights this weekend past was the racing beauty Patrick, who finally won one in the Indy open seaters in Japan, fulfilling the predictions of her teammates, including Michael Andretti. She already had had finishes of fourth, third and second. She was 10th at the St. Petersburg Prix, with two accidents, but, no first, until this weekend in Japan. She didn’t want to cry after the first win, causing her to say she felt like a “wuss.’’

It’s OK, kid, most of us did, after a first at anything, like a first touchdown to Merle Albritton for the Wauchula Wildcats against Punta Gorda by me. It wasn’t enough. Plenty think the driving career for Danica is only beginning. Track folk believed all she needed was a breakthrough. Has never been afraid of getting her nails dirty or her face oily.

And, that gets us to our three final heroines, the marathoners now with places won on the USA Olympic team. Imagine the training ahead for them? Some of us would hope Kastor, Lewy-Boulet and Russell wish today they’d run the 2008 Olympic Marathon at Boston, finished one-two-three and that it was over. That dadgum marathon is still an eternity in time and forever in length. Kastor ran the painful distance in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 35 seconds. Lewy-Boulet was 44 seconds behind, and Russell was 2:21 behind Lewy-Boulet. The good news is the 1-2-3 finishers got more than a trophy for their sweat. Kastor got $50,000 and a shot at another $10,000 if she starts in the Olympics.

Ochoa and golf? Fine. I did that. Fast cars? Did that out on the Peace River Road in Wauchula with my friends, Vernon See and Lamar Southerland.

But, a marathon? Couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Used to run almost stride for stride with Curtis Ezell to get away from our Wauchula neighbor’s mean, blue-tongued, orange dog about every other day. They told us his bite was poisonous. He never caught me or Curtis, so I don’t know if the bite of Mrs. Maud’s chow was worse than others or not. He would have caught me. Curtis, however, was the fastest man on the Wildcat team.

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UPDATED REGIONAL SOFTBALL SCORES

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Rick Harmon

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 10:13 PM

Class 6A
Countryside 4, Plant City 2
Durant 6, Gaither 2

Class 5A
River Ridge 2, Bloomingdale 1
Newsome 10, Land O’ Lakes 6
Plant 2, East Lake 1, 8 innings
Chamberlain 3, Pinellas Park 0

Class 4A
Groveland South Lake 4, Zephyrhills 3, 8 innings
Harmony 2, Pasco 1

Class 3A
Fort Myers Bishop Verot 4, Academy of the Holy Names 3, 8 innings

Class 2A
Winter Haven All Saints’ 6, Tampa Prep 4

Class 1A
Seffner Christian 15, Bayshore Christian 5
Lakleland Sonrise Christian 9, Cambridge 8, 8 innings
Bradenton Christian 5, Academy at the Lakes 4, 9 innings

FRIDAY’S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

Class 6A
Durant (23-5) vs. Countryside (23-4) at Countryside Community Center, 7 p.m.

Class 5A
Newsome (19-7) at River Ridge (19-6), 7 p.m.
Plant (22-4) at Chamberlain (23-4), 7 p.m.
Venice (28-0) at Seminole (18-6), 7 p.m.

Class 1A
Sonrise Christian (10-5) at Seffner Christian (8-9), 4 p.m.
Bradenton Christian (15-7) at Canterbury (22-6), 4 p.m.

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Dan Johnson’s Injury History

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Aaron Knox

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 07:44 PM

I was going to go through the long list of Dan Johnson’s recent injuries, some of which are indeed bizarre (a massive sinus infection turned into a bone infection that hospitalized him for two weeks before spring training). But the San Francisco Chronicle did an admirable job of laying it all out there this past spring.

Suffice to say, this guy has overcome quite a bit just to get back on the field. It’s not to Rocco Baldelli’s level of injury frustration, by any means, but it’s pretty daunting. 

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Beckett Scratched For Boston

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Aaron Knox

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 06:23 PM

It looks like the Red Sox might be without RHP Josh Beckett for the weekend series at Tropicana Field. He was scratched from his start tonight against the Angels with a stiff neck. His ordinary turn in the rotation would have been Sunday’s game at the Trop.

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Rays Acquire OF Gabe Gross

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Aaron Knox

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 06:13 PM

The Rays traded minor league pitcher Josh Butler to Milwaukee for outfielder Gabe Gross. No word yet on when Gross will get here, although he scored the winning run in the Brewers’ victory today against the Cardinals in St. Louis. So, it’s doubtful Gross, 28, will be able to make it to Disney in time to sneak in a plate appearance against the Blue Jays tonight. In fact, GM Andrew Friedman wasn’t sure whether Gross would report tomorrow or Thursday.

When he does get here, the Rays will have to make a move. That appears to be optioning OF Justin Ruggiano to Triple-A Durham or designating OF Nathan Haynes for assignment, but nothing has been announced.

Butler was Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in the 2006 draft. He’s 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in three starts this year for Class A Vero Beach.

So, what do they do with Gross? He’s a lefty hitting outfielder and former Auburn QB who was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round in 2001. He was traded to the Brewers in the deal that brought Lyle Overbay to Toronto last year. Gabe Kapler’s emergence as an everyday player for Milwaukee apparently made Gross expendable. Conceivably, Gross could be part of an almost-all lefty or switch-hitting lineup for the Rays, if Joe Maddon chose to go that route. How’s this: Iwamura 2B, Crawford LF, Upton CF, Pena DH, Hinske 3B, D. Johnson 1B, Gross RF, Navarro C, E. Johnson SS. Only righty in the mix would be Upton. They won’t do that ... I think. But hey, now they can! (And if they keep Haynes, they can run out an all-lefty lineup if they juggle some spots in a weird way.)

Anyway, VP Andrew Friedman just talked about the deal. Here’s what he had to say:

“He’s somebody we’ve actually talked to them about since spring training. We feel like he’s going to help us defensively and we like his bat against right-handed pitching. We feel like he has a good mix between patience at the plate and power from the left side. We feel like he’ll help us win games.”

More Friedman, on the growing number of lefty swingers on the roster (Dan Johnson over the weekend, now Gross): “We’re trying to get as much balance as we can, but obviously there’s more right-handed pitchers in this league than there are left-handed pitchers. We feel like he can help us on both sides of the ball.”

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Brandon Basketball Job Down To Five Finalists

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Nick Williams

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 03:59 PM

Brandon High has narrowed the search for its new boys varsity basketball coach to five applicants, athletic director Johnny Bush announced via email. The five finalists are Joe Willis (currently at Lennard), Decarlo Deveaux (assisting at U of Tampa), Allie Turley (assist varsity coach at Brandon), Jeremy Schiller (former Brandon Player, assistant at Eckerd College) and Michael Murray (assist at St. Cloud H.S.).

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Navarro Back; Dan Johnson Arrives

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Aaron Knox

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 03:55 PM

C Dioner Navarro is in the lineup after missing three weeks with bad cuts on his right middle and ring fingers. C Mike DiFelice, as anticipated, was designated for assignment to make room for Navarro. Navarro said right-handed hitting isn’t a problem because he was able to release his injured right hand while swinging. Hitting left-handed isn’t an issue any more, either, but he hasn’t gotten as much work from the left side as the right during his rehab stint. In four games with Class A Vero Beach, Navarro went 4-for-10 with six walks, a double, a HR and four RBIs. He also was hit by two pitches, stole a base and threw out an attempted base stealer.

Also, 1B/DH Dan Johnson is here but not in the lineup against the Blue Jays. Johnson said he took a redeye flight from California late Sunday and arrived in Florida early Monday. He said he spent his two week down period after being designated for assignment by the A’s actually taking hitting lessons at an Oakland-area cage. He also told the tale of spending two weeks prior to spring training in the hospital with a strange bone infection that stemmed from a sinus infection gone crazy. More on that weird episode later.

Here’s the Rays lineup for tonight’s game against former Rays batboy Jesse Litsch and the Frank Thomas-less Blue Jays:

Iwamura, 2B
Crawford, LF
Upton, CF
Pena, DH
Longoria, 3B
Hinske, 1B
Navarro, C
Haynes, RF
Bartlett, SS

Shields, P

And here are the Blue Jays (no Alex Rios):

Eckstein, SS
Hill, 2B
Stairs, DH
Wells, CF
Overbay, 1B
Stewart, LF
Zaun, C
Scutaro, 3B
Inglett, RF

Litsch, P

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Changes Continue, Saunders Released

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Adam Adkins

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 01:59 PM

The roster chances continued Tuesday for Tampa Bay, as the Storm released veteran receiver/linebacker David Saunders and signed defensive back Monty Montgomery.

Montgomery attended practice Tuesday but did not participate after getting into town late. He spent the first five weeks of the season with Kansas City before being released. In those five games, Montgomery tallied 32 tackles and earned defensive player of the game honors against the Storm during the team’s Week 1 matchup.

Montgomery will see immediate action with Tampa Bay this week against Orlando, though Coach Tim Marcum said he wasn’t sure whether Montgomery would be in the starting lineup or serve as the team’s fourth defensive back.

Saunders, a free agent acquisition during the offseason, recorded 12 receptions for 132 yards and five touchdowns in the four games he appeared in this season.

In other Storm news, linebacker Phil Glover, whom the Storm traded for Monday, was not at practice Tuesday but is expected to be in town in time for Wednesday’s workout. Marcum said one of the reason’s he wanted to get Glover was because he played at a really high level during last year’s playoffs with San Jose.

“He was defensive player of the week several times during that time,” Marcum said. “I think he’ll give us an infusion on the pass rush on that side.”

While Marcum said he doesn’t forsee any more moves this week, other than receiver/kick returner Sedrick Robinson being activated off injured reserved, it’s possible at least one more could be made Wednesday.

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Norris Trophy Finalists announced

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 01:33 PM

As promised, here are the three finalists for the Norris Trophy this year as the league’s top defenseman, as announced by the league today. The winner will be announced at the annual awards show in June….

Zdeno Chara - Boston
Nicklas Lidstrom - Detroit
Dion Phaneuf - Calgary

The Professional Hockey Writers Association voted for the Norris Trophy, and as promised yesterday, here are my top five votes for the Norris Trophy:

1. Lidstrom
2. Phaneuf
3. Chara
4. Wade Redden - Ottawa
5. Tomas Kaberle - Toronto

Some might consider it a tough decision between Lidstrom and Phaneuf this season, and in some ways, that is correct. I feel that Phaneuf might be the best package of offense, defense and physicality among any other defenseman in the league. But I think Lidstrom is still the best defenseman in the league, the way he just controls a game at both ends of the ice, carries the puck. He is simply a marvel to watch. Phaneuf will one day win a Norris Trophy, probably a handful of them in fact, but I don’t think that will come this year and likely won’t until Lidstrom slows down - whenever that comes.

The list of Calder Trophy finalists will be announced on Wednesday.

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Behind the scenes at One Buc Place

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by Roy Cummings

Updated Apr 22, 2008 at 12:41 PM

TAMPA - Dennis Hickey, the Bucs director of college scouting, took some time out from what is arguably the busiest week in his work schedule to speak to the Bucs press corps on Tuesday.

Hickey certainly didn’t reveal any secrets. In fact, the more specific the question, the more vague his answers became. He did, however, offer up some insight into what goes on behind the scenes this time of year.

Here are some of the highlights:

Q: Is your draft board, at this point, done or is it still a work in progress?

A: All of our scouts, it’s been a nine or ten month process for them. Our scouts have evaluated these players, our coaches have evaluated these players. We’ve lined them up, assigned them grades and at this point we’re lining them up within the grades, stacking them you might say, and just seeing where our coaches are at, where we’re at and where we see these players.

Q: How much predicting of the first round do you do?

A: We try to get somewhat of a feel. Of course, it’s a lot easier when you’re picking fourth like we were last year as opposed to 20. You generate a certain pool of players, which of course is bigger the further away you are from No. 1. Each player has been treated the same from one to 350 so we’re prepared for all the players. But there’s a certain group we think will be there when we pick in that range.

Q: Is it the best available player or is there a certain position you look at (in the first round)?

A: We go with the best available player for the Buccaneers.

Q: You put a lot of emphasis on watching film. When you bring a player in for a pre-draft visit, what exactly are you trying to glean from that meeting?

A: the draft visits will be for a couple of reasons. Sometimes it could be medical. Maybe our doctors want to see a prospect again. Or maybe we want to have the rest of our organization see them. During the combine there’s a lot going on. We want to get another look at the guy. Sometimes it’s comparing two guys. Maybe we want to see how they fit in organizationally with everyone here.

Q: Can you talk about how much bluffing goes on by teams leading up to the draft?

A: We don’t get into that much. I know there’s a lot of posturing, especially at the top of the draft. We’re focused on evaluating the players correctly. That’s our focus - making our evaluations and getting right the guys that we have targeted or that we have at that pick.

Q: Can you talk about all the preparation that goes into this day? Based on your past experiences, does it go the way you expect or do you see a lot of curveballs?

A: We try to eliminate as much of the surprise as possible, as much as we can control. The No. 1 thing, as I said before, is evaluating the players correctly. That’s what we’ve been doing the whole past year. Coaches started getting involved in the process in late January. The last two weeks we’ve talked about players and hashed out disagreements, and we do have disagreements. It’s a subjective business. We’ve tried to line those guys up as we see them organizationally the last two weeks. As always there are surprises, guys you thought would go earlier or later, that kind of thing. For the most part we want to be prepared for ourselves whenever we pick.

Q: How does this draft stack up with the past couple of drafts?

A: I think it’s comparable. Each year it’s a whole new animal. Each year there are different strengths at different positions. Really the best way to judge is not in the moment but when you look back on it after three years. That’s the best time to really judge a draft.

Q: Not having a Top 10 pick this year, are you more relaxed this year or do you feel the pressure to get the pick right at 20?

A: I treat it the same regardless of where we’re picking. We feel like we’re going to get good players at every round. So we have the same mindset if we’re talking about a fifth-round prospect or a first-round prospect. We want to get them right. That’s our job as scouts. We know the player backwards and forwards, how the player fits for our team so we treat them all as important.

Q: With only five picks, is there less margin for error in the later rounds?

A: We have them graded the way we want them and it’s a matter of the best player available. Each pick has pressure. We want to get each pick right. It doesn’t mean we always will but it’s my job to get that right.

Q: Is the pick made by committee? Who has the final say?

A: It’s been a collaborative effort. We’ve gotten together with the coaches the last two weeks. We’ve gotten together as an organization and hashed it out. There are a lot of different opinions and in the end we come up with the final decision on draft day. But we have them lined up the way we see it organizationally.

Q: Do intangibles come up during the draft? Does someone say, ‘Hey, in my gut this guy may not measure up but I just know he’s going to be a star someday.’ How often does that happen in the room?

A: We evaluate each player first of all on their tape and their performance, their play and production — the player. But we also evaluate each prospect on their makeup and character. How will he fit into our locker room? How will he fit as a teammate with our current team? Each player is evaluated in that way.

Q: What goes on in that time frame between picks, inside the war room; who’s talking, whose putting in the final analysis?

A: Once we get about five or six picks away pull out the players that we’re going to consider there, and we just kind of talk through them, go over their medical, talk to the area scouts, talk to the coaches. But most of the work has already been done in that way so that we have clear heads where we have time to go back and look at tape where we have disagreements, that’s done in this last week and this week. We try to eliminate as much of that as possible.

Q: What’s a bigger day for you, draft day or the season opener?

A: Oh, season opener. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about winning games. That’s the fun part. This is the role that I play in our organization, but it’s all about winning games here.

Q: Some analysts have suggested there may not be a first-round worthy receiver in this draft. Do you agree with that?

A: Each player we grade we line up where we feel within our grading system and each player individually.

Q: What’s the deepest position in this draft?

A: You’d have to say this is an unusual year for offensive tackles. It’s very deep there. And pretty much that’s by far the one that stands out in this year’s crop.

Q: Where does cornerback stand on the list of priorities?

A: You can take any guy at any position that can help your football team, that’s how we look at it. It’s a good year for corners, a very solid year.

Q: How tough is it to trade down?

A: It takes two parties and sometimes that’s hard, depending on what’s happening, whether the player is there. And sometimes you don’t know what other teams are thinking about certain players. It’s always hard. You have an idea in preparation for that. But you have to have a willing party.

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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