Ex-Gaither Star Signs With Angels

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Joey Johnston

Updated Jun 9, 2008 at 06:48 PM

Saint Leo University catcher Braulio Pardo, who played at Gaither High, signed Monday with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and left for a minicamp in Arizona.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Pardo, a 12th-round draft choice and the 379th player selected overall, will play in the short-season rookie league in Orem, Utah. His manager will be Tom Kotchman, the scout who signed him. Pardo, who also played two seasons for USF, batted a team-leading .356 for the Lions as a junior this season. He was named first team All-Sunshine State Conference and second team Daktronics All-South Region. He tallied 42 hits, 35 runs scored, 21 RBI, six doubles, two triples, three homers, 15 walks, and nine stolen bases. He also had 13 multi-hit games and an 11-game hitting streak.

At Gaither, Braulio was named All-Western Conference in 2004 and 2005 and earned all-state honors in 2005. He also helped the Cowboys win the Saladino Tournament title in 2003 and 2005 and was named best defensive player at Gaither from 2003-2005.

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Kenny New Bishop McLaughlin AD

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Rick Harmon

Updated Jun 9, 2008 at 05:11 PM

Saint Leo University Assistant Athletic Director for External Operations/Sports Information Eddie Kenny has been named athletic director at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School.

Kenny replaces Mike Zelenka, who accepted an assistant principal position at Christ the King School in Tampa.

Kenny came to Saint Leo in 2006 from Nova Southeastern University where he served as Sports Information Coordinator for three years and was an intern for one year prior to that. While at NSU, Kenny helped the sports information department win numerous publication awards while also becoming the first school in the SSC to utilize Internet broadcasting.

Kenny holds a bachelor of science degree in communications from Florida International University and a master’s of sports management from Nova Southeastern. He and wife Wendy reside in Zephyrhills.

Zelenka, who also coached football, girls soccer and softball during his tenure, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Notre Dame in liberal studies, also completed the school’s two-year Alliance for Catholic Education program.

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Bucs Chatters Prohibited From Mentioning Stevens Rape Case

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Roy Cummings

Updated Jun 9, 2008 at 05:13 PM

TAMPA - It’s one thing for a team to sign a player with ties to a past rape allegation. It’s quite another for the fans of that team to discuss those allegations on said team’s internet message boards. That, at least, is how the Bucs appear to see things.

In a move that will only make the already controversial signing of TE Jerramy Stevens even more controversial, the Bucs have asked fans posting to their official team message board to refrain from mentioning the past rape allegations involving Stevens and threatened to “suspend’’ anyone who posts or puts up a link to the stories detailing those allegations.

Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com was the first to bring this to light after a reader sent him a link from the message board’s moderator, who said the “Jerramy Stevens article’’ could not be discussed on the Bucs message board.

We’re not sure which article they mean (there have been so many), but our guess is they’re talking about the one published by the Seattle Times earlier this year. That one detailed greatly Stevens’ past off-field problems, which date back to his days at the University of Washington, where eight years ago he was arrested on suspicion of rape.

Stevens was never charged in that case, which was never even brought to trial because prosecutor’s couldn’t find enough evidence to take the matter further. At one point, though, Stevens reached an out-of-court settlement with the apparent victim.

According to Florio’s post on PFT, there are two reasons behind the Bucs decision to forbid fans from discussing the or linking to the article.

(1) “If linked to, it will contains [sic] words which are censored here, and will thus be consided [sic] by-passing the censors.”

(2) “The article brings up, to paraphrase, forcing someone into sexual activities. That topic is not allowed here.”

We’re interested in what you think, about Stevens as well as the Bucs stance on fans comments regarding the Stevens stories, so feel free to comment here.

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Prep School Issued Record Breaking Fine

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Nick Williams

Updated Jun 9, 2008 at 05:08 PM

Bradenton Preparatory, a small private school in Manatee County, has been fined $38,000 and placed on probation by the Florida High School Athletic Association for violating 19 FHSAA regulations, mainly recruiting violations in its football, boys’ tennis and basketball programs. The fine is the largest ever assessed by the FHSAA and is the largest number of allegations against one member school, FHSAA spokesperson Cristina Alvarez said.

According to a release issued by the FHSAA, the investigation began last November when the organization received information from several member schools, as well as a member of the FHSAA Board of Directors.

Alvarez said the school was initially fined over $60,000, but because the administration cooperated, the fines were decreased. Bradenton went as far as terminating two athletic directors, two basketball coaches and changing its admission form to appease the FHSAA.

“They are doing whatever it takes to get back under good standings,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez said the school can present its case before the Infractions Appeals Committee in July, but if Bradenton rejects the committee’s decision, it will have to wait until September to appeal its case to the Board of Directors.

Bradenton Prep was closed when reached for comment.

Here is a summary of the investigation:

• Seven student-athletes were improperly contacted by a parent, outside agents and/or college recruiters;
• Three student-athletes lived with a representative of the school’s athletic interest;
• Bradenton Prep violated FHSAA Policy 9 (the falsification of the FHSAA Financial Report Form for a Preseason Spring Classic Football Game);
• Three student-athletes violated FHSAA Bylaw 11.4.10 (transferring while under disciplinary sanctions at his/her former school); and
• Five student-athletes violated FHSAA Policy 38, Section 6.0 (financial assistance).

Bradenton Prep took the following proactive measures, including proposed consequences, for the violation of FHSAA regulations:
• Two Athletic Directors employed by the school are no longer employed;
• Two basketball coaches at the time of the incidents are no longer employed by the school;
• The school will hold a meeting with the entire coaching staff each semester to discuss the FHSAA rules including those related to recruiting;
• The school will require all students interested in financial assistance to complete all necessary TADS forms;
• The school will require all coaches to sign a contract stating that they understand and agree that they are prohibited from communicating with any recruiters, parents who may be acting a recruiter, or recruiting agencies in any manner;
• The school will change its application for admission form to specifically ask if the applicant has “ever been suspended, expelled or withdrawn from any school for any reason”; and
• The school will pay a fine deemed appropriate by the FHSAA.

Considering the cooperation and proactive measures taken by the school balanced with the significance of the violations, the following penalties were imposed in this case:

1. Reprimand.

2. Bradenton Prep’s basketball, football and boys’ tennis programs are placed on restrictive probation for a period of three years beginning with the 2008-09 school year and ending at the conclusion of the 2010-11 school year. For the three-year period, the following restrictions are imposed:
• The school cannot participate in the state series competition for the aforementioned sports;
• The school can only participate in regular contests. The school is not allowed to participate in any pre-season or post-season classics/jamborees;
• The school cannot participate against out-of-state teams, with the exception of participation against out-of-state teams during regular season tournaments; and
• The school cannot participate in home game broadcasts on television or radio.

3. The school is fined an accumulated $38,000.

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Blake Alum Named Conference Athlete Of The Year

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Nick Williams

Updated Jun 9, 2008 at 02:00 PM

Former Blake High center and University of Tampa senior forward Jeremy Black has been named the 2008 Sunshine State Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

Black was named the SSC Player of the Year honors after leading the men’s basketball team with 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He led the conference in rebounding and ranked second in scoring.

According to a release from the university, Black also earned first-team NABC All-America, second-team Daktronics All-America, first-team NABC and Daktronics All-South Region, Daktronics South Region Co-Player of the Year, and first-team All-SSC. Black is the fourth UT student-athlete to be named SSC Male Athlete of the Year, joining baseball players Eric Beattie (2002-03), Mike Valdes (1997-98), and Paul Russo (1989-90).

His senior year at Blake, Black led Hillsborough County in rebounding (15.4 per game) while averaging 14.4 points. He was also named all-county after taking his team to its first regional appearance since the school reopened in 1997.

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Ravens Edge Stars In Cooperstown Tournament

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Nick Murray

Updated Jun 10, 2008 at 10:50 AM

The Tampa Ravens scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning, and then held off the Temple Terrace Stars to take a 10-7 win and post a 2-0 record after the first day of the Cooperstown Dream Park tournament on Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“It was a big win,” Ravens coach Landy Faedo said. “A lot of the kids know each other, and they’re a very good team.”

The Ravens beat the Hobgood Storm 13-1 in their opening game, leaving them in position to gain a high seed in the bracket phase of the tournament that begins on Wednesday. The Ravens face the North Alabama Rockets, who also hold a 2-0 record after the opening day, in their first game on Monday. Faedo thinks if they can win that game, they’ll be in position to secure the extra rest that comes with a high seed.

“It’s a possibility,” Faedo said. “We have a team today that we play that is 2-0, so if we get past them, we’ll be doing pretty well.”

The Stars won their opening game 9-2 against the Utah Crushers, leaving them with a 1-1 record after the opening day. Coach Steve Terp remained optimistic about his team’s chances despite the loss to the Ravens.

“We feel pretty darn good about it,” Terp said. “We think if you can go 5-2, you can get a couple of byes in the bracket. The coaches all split up yesterday and got to see four of the other teams, and we like our chances against the other teams we have to face. The teams from Florida look like the strongest teams.”

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District 13 Tournament of Champions Weekend Update

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Nick Murray

Updated Jun 10, 2008 at 02:42 PM

Bloomingdale Little League junior softball won the league’s second District 13 Harold Garella Tournament of Champions title with an 11-1 win against East Bay as Michela Hine hit a home run and a triple. Jordan Alexander added four runs for Bloomingdale as she got three hits and was hit by a pitch.

Bloomingdale had earlier won the major softball championship with a 15-2 win against East Point. 

South Brandon American moved into the final of the major baseball tournament on the back of a pair of grand slams by Johnathon Register and Kameron Wilson as it defeated Bloomingdale National 16-1.

Wilson also had a strong outing on the mound as he allowed only one run on two hits, striking out eight.

South Brandon American will face East Bay American in Monday night’s final after East Bay American defeated Pinecrest 11-1. Lukas Douglas had a strong outing for East Bay American as he struck out eight while only allowing one run. Douglas was backed by some good hitting by Josh Colon, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and by Eric Woodcock, who went 3-for-3 with three runs. Sam Carrillo and Darius Silert also each had a double and a run scored.

Bloomingdale American and South Brandon will meet in the senior baseball final on Monday after South Brandon beat Belmont Heights 9-3 as Garrett Lentz hit a two-run home run in the seventh, and Bloomingdale American won 13-9 against Progress Village.

East Bay National moved into the junior baseball final with a 19-12 win against Bloomingdale National, and it will face South Brandon American in the final after South Brandon American’s win against South Brandon National 4-3 on Sunday.

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Middleton’s Thomas Signs; Sickles’ Wilson Will Today

Posted Jun 9, 2008 by Adam Adkins

Updated Jun 9, 2008 at 10:47 AM

While in a lot of instances it will take some time for MLB draft selections to come to terms with the organization that did the selecting, that was certainly not the case for a pair of Hillsborough County draftees.

Middleton’s Corey Thomas signed this weekend with the Baltimore Orioles, while Sickles’ Kenny Wilson will sign today with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Rich Arena, the adviser for both players.

Thomas was a 13th round pick (386th overall) by the Orioles on Friday, and the Middleton High standout made clear his desire to play professionally over taking the scholarship offer he signed with the University of South Florida.

Wilson, who signed with the University of Florida, also made clear his intentions after the Blue Jays selected him on Thursday with the 63rd overall pick in the second round.

Both players are headed to their respective organization’s rookie ball affiliates in the Gulf Coast League, which means both players will make their professional debuts near Tampa. Baltimore’s team plays out of Sarasota, while Toronto’s plays out of Dunedin.

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Rays downplay family feud

Posted Jun 8, 2008 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Jun 8, 2008 at 09:43 PM

ARLINGTON, Texas—Rays players and coaches did their best to shrug off the dispute between Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro that boiled over into a dugout shouting and shoving match, but the pitcher seemed to bear the brunt of the blame.

Manager Joe Maddon didn’t have much to say about the exchange between Garza and Navarro on the mound and subsequent scuffle in the tunnel leading to the dugout, but he did acknowledge that was the reason Garza was removed from the game at that point and allowed that “Navi was not the irritant.”

Immediately after Maddon held his usual postgame meeting with reporters, he and Garza met behind closed doors for about 15 minutes.

Garza later spoke for about a minute, saying the Rays will “just keep it in-house.”

Both he and Navarro said the dust-up, which came shortly after Garza allowed a two-run homer to German Duran, had nothing to do with pitch selection.

“No, nothing like that,” said Garza. “It was just, heat of passion, probably. We’re both competitors and whatever happens is going to stay here and we’re going to fix it.”

Navarro essentially echoed those sentiments.

“It was just something that happened during the game and it’s been taken care of,” said the catcher. “It happens in the family. I think everybody’s going to be fine from this point on. It was really nothing.”

The most telling insight probably came from pitching coach Jim Hickey, who had words on the mound with Garza after Navarro had already turned and headed back toward the plate (Hickey, by the way, said he did not send Navarro away).

“He’s an emotional guy out there on the mound and I was just trying to basically encourage him to channel his energy and his emotions more toward the task at hand vs. just kind of wasting it out there,” Hickey said of Garza. “I thought he did a pretty good job after that, because it was a pretty heated situation and he came back and he made some good pitches and I believe he retired the next two guys.”

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Garza, Navarro spar; Hinske tossed

Posted Jun 8, 2008 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Jun 8, 2008 at 07:13 PM

ARLINGTON, Texas—The Rays’ battery certainly doesn’t appear to be on the same page today.

Following an unusual scene when pitching coach Jim Hickey came out to the mound after Matt Garza gave up three straight hits in the bottom of the fourth, Garza and Dioner Navarro exchanged words and shoved each other in the dugout at the end of the inning, then went down into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse for some more. Coaches and teammates scrambled after them to separate them and it was over in a minute or two.

During the inning, Hickey came out to the mound and Navarro headed out as usual for such conferences. He and Garza exchanged words and the pitching coach sent Navarro back to the plate, where he stood as Hickey and Garza had what appeared to be a rather animated discussion.

Two batters later, the Rays called for a pitchout with Ian Kinsler on first and David Murphy at the plate and Garza air-mailed a ball well high and to the right of Navarro for a wild pitch.

And now Jason Hammel is on to start the fifth inning. Garza had thrown only 77 pitches, so that wasn’t an issue. It’ll be interesting to hear how this one is spun afterward.

Updating: It’s getting crazier out here, as Eric Hinske has been ejected by home plate umpire James Hoye for arguing after a called third strike in the top of the sixth. The pitch appeared to be low and outside and TV replays appeared to show Hinske yelling “No way! Come on!” before adding some choice words and earning a quick hook from Hoye as Maddon came jogging out of the dugout too late to stop it.

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