Live chat: Class 7A state baseball—Brandon vs. New Smyrna Beach

Posted May 19, 2012 by Rick Harmon

Updated May 19, 2012 at 08:50 AM

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Four East Bay soccer players sign college scholarships

Posted May 18, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 18, 2012 at 06:04 PM

East Bay High held a signing ceremony for four Indians players who are moving on to attend college and play the game at that level. Here are the four players and their bio, as provided by East Bay athletic director Scot Tipton:

Rachel LoBrutto, midfielder, Warner College: A four-year varsity letterman at East Bay.  Rachel is a physical player with great vision of the field.  She has the ability to contribute to the team offensively or defensively.  Rachel has been a key player the last four years and will be missed.  Rachel has played club soccer for New Tampa and Florida Revolution.

Jennifer Sickles, midfielder, Mount Olive College:Jen has great touch and vision on the field.  As a center midfielder, she is a valuable playmaker with the ability to find forwards’ feet.  Not only is she a leader on the field, she also excels in the classroom.  Jen has battled injuries throughout her career but persevered for a well-deserved scholarship.  Jennifer plays club soccer for The Florida Revolution.

Isabel Vazquez, defender, Northern Iowa University:A four-year starter at defense for the Lady Indians.  Isabel is a rock on the soccer field.  An extremely hard working, level-headed player who will anchor any team she plays for.  Isabel battled through injuries and illness to make sure that she was an effective member of the team every year.  A coach’s dream player.  Isabel has played club soccer for RSL, Brandon, Florida Revolution and New Tampa.

Gabby Watson, midfielder, Georgia Southern University:A two-year member of the Lady Indians team, Gabby was dominant in the county.  With excellent skill, soccer knowledge, and work ethic, Gabby will be a benefit to her college squad.  As a center midfielder, Gabby had the ability to set up plays, score goals, and mark some of the best players in the county.  Gabby has played club soccer for RSL and IMG.

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Armwood to host XC invite on USF golf course

Posted May 18, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 18, 2012 at 04:15 PM

Armwood High is planning to host a countywide cross country invitational this fall by staging the event at the University of South Florida golf course, Hawks coach Pete Mirones said Friday.

“We want to fill the void of the pre-state meet,” said Mirones. “And the USF golf course is a great venue for our county teams. We’re going to make this happen.”

The meet is slated for Friday, Oct. 12, in the evening. Due to the course limitations, Mirones said only the county’s public and private schools will be invited. But depending upon registration, Mirones said some teams from outside Hillsborough might be able to participate.

The only hurdle remaining, Mirones said, is finding sponsors to cover the $1,500 rental fee for the Bulls’ golf course. Any group or individual interested in being a sponsor should contact Mirones by email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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East Bay’s Duque signs with South Georgia Tech

Posted May 18, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 18, 2012 at 03:41 PM

Easy Bay guard Dario Duque has signed with South Georgia Technical College, his club coach, Ben Bromley, announced Friday.

South Georgia Tech is a two-year junior college program located in Decatur, Ga.. The Jets compete in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association.

The 6-foot-4, 175-pound Duque is the third member of Bromley’s Hurricanes club squad to sign a letter of intent, joining Riverview forward Jamal Evans (Polk State) and Bloomingdale’s Ryan Bethoney (Montreat College).

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Cobb to start Saturday vs. Braves

Posted May 18, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 18, 2012 at 01:38 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Alex Cobb will be recalled from Triple A Durham and start Saturday against the visiting Braves at Tropicana Field, taking the turn of Jeff Niemann, who suffered a fracture right fibula Monday in Toronto.

Cobb was expected to join the Rays rotation at some point this season in much the same fashion as he did last year when he became the sixth starter after the All-Star Break. The Rays, though, didn’t expect it to be this soon, but injuries have changed more than one set of plans of the Rays this season.

Cobb was 1-4 with a 4.14 ERA in eight starts for the Bulls, though that ERA is high because of a pair of rough outings. He allowed six runs in four innings in one start and six runs in 1 1/3 in another. In the other six outings, Cobb allowed two runs or less.

In nine starts with the Rays in 2011, Cobb was 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA. He was 3-0 in his first seven starts.

His season ended with surgery Aug. 18 to remove a blood clot and a blockage near his first right rib. He lost the rib during the surgery.

Cobb was with the Rays briefly during the first road trip when he was called up to add a fresh arm to an overwork bullpen. He did not pitch.

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Three more Terriers headed to college

Posted May 18, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated May 18, 2012 at 10:01 AM

Three more players from the 2011 Hillsborough High playoff football team are headed to the next level to attend college and continue their playing careers, Terriers coach Earl Garcia announced Friday.

Cornerback Armaud Herndon will attend Adrian College, a Division III school in Adrian Michigan, wide receiver Jarius Gainey is going to Hiram College, a Division III school in Hiram, Ohio, and outside linebacker Jalen Hill will attend Victory Valley College, a junior college program in Victorville, Calif.

All three players attended Hillsborough for four years and have been part of the varsity squad the last three seasons, Garcia said.

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Red Sox 5, Rays 3: Rays 10-game run through AL East ends at .500

Posted May 18, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 18, 2012 at 12:30 AM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG The Rays ended a 10-game stretch through the AL East on Wednesday with a 5-3 loss to the visiting Red Sox.

Matt Moore turned in the best start of the season when he overcame a shaky first inning to go six innings and finish with a season-high eight strikeouts. He retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, including the last 10 in a row.

“This is a step in the right direction,” manager Joe Maddon said of Moore.

Despite the improved effort, Moore is now 1-4 in eight starts this season.

Yet, even he left the Trop feeling good about himself.

“I was somewhat satisfied with fourth, fifth and sixth innings,” he said.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Rays and dropped them out of a tie for first with Orioles.

The Rays begin interleague play tonight against the Atlanta Braves. The Rays are 6-15 all-time against the Braves. The Rays were 12-6 last season in interleague play.

James Shields, who was 3-1 in interleague play last season with three complete games, starts tonight. He’s also 4-1 this season following a Rays loss.

Here are some odds and ends from Thursday’s game …

—The Rays have lost three of their last four at home.

—Moore needed 33 pitches to get through the first inning. He struggled with his command in the first three innings, throwing 27 pitches after he got two strikes on a batter. Two of those two-strike pitches were hit for home runs. In the final three innings, he threw 12 pitches once he reached two strikes.

—At 33, Rich Thompson became, according to Elias, the oldest American League position player to get his first big league hit since Minnie Mendoza of the Twins did it age 36 on May 2, 1970 at Baltimore. Mendoza is the oldest position player since expansion in 1961 to get his first major league hit.

—Luke Scott, the Rays leader with 27 RBI, had a tough night at the bat, stranding seven runners across his final three at-bats. He has one hit in his last 10 at-bats with RISP.

—Elliot Johnson’s hitting streak ended at seven games. He was o-for-3 with three strikeouts.

—DH/OF Hideki Matsui was 0-for-3 Thursday for the Durham Bulls. He is 2-for-11 in three games with the Bulls.

—Since April 23, Boston’s bullpen leads the majors with 1.38 ERA.

—The players on the Rays roster are a combined 3-for-53 (.057) lifetime against Boston closer Alfredo Aceves.

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Lefty Gomez biography tells the right story

Posted May 17, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated May 17, 2012 at 11:57 PM

As a young sportswriter in August 1980, I had the chance to interview Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez at the Babe Ruth World Series in Williston, N.D. I was covering a team from St. Lucie County that was making its second straight appearance as Southeastern U.S. champions, and on this particular day, Gomez agreed to do one-on-one interviews with reporters.

So I waited behind a partition at a Best Western motel in Williston, playing Space Invaders in a makeshift game room as I waited my turn. Williston was a charming place located on some gorgeous terrain in the heart of cattle country, but in the middle of nowhere, 60 miles south of the Canadian border and about 15 miles from the Montana border. Bozeman was the next biggest town.

Gomez was the grand marshal for the 1980 World Series and had thrown out the first pitch at Ardean Aafedt Stadium. He rode in the parade with the players. He posed with Babe Ruth League president Dick Case wearing a Sioux headdress (I still have photos from all three of those events). He was everywhere and doing everything, and without fanfare. The official program of the 1980 World Series lists “Vernon Gomez, Novato, California,” as one of the 15 members of Babe Ruth Baseball’s board of directors. Nothing elaborate, just one of 15 mug shot photographs.

And now he was giving interviews. Let me correct that — he was telling stories, and was enjoying every minute of it. We talked — well, he talked — for 30 minutes.

About his manager, Joe McCarthy: “He had the personality of a dead fish.”

About the Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig: “He kept to himself, was always quiet and smoked a pipe in the locker room.”

About the moment in the 1936 World Series where he gazed up from the mound at an airplane flying over Yankee Stadium: “McCarthy came storming out of the dugout, yelling at me, but I told him no one had ever hit a home run with the ball still in the pitcher’s hand.”

Those are the kinds of stories and observations contained in “Lefty: An American Odyssey,” (Ballantine Books, $28, hardback, 396 pages). But there is much more to discover about Vernon “Lefty” Gomez. Written by Gomez’s daughter Vernona, and author Lawrence Goldstone, it’s certainly a loving tribute. But it’s certainly not a slack-jawed, hero worship kind of book.

Lefty had his faults, and Vernona does not gloss over them. His seemingly idyllic marriage to Broadway star June O’Dea had its rough spots, and Gomez battled bouts of alcoholism after retiring from the game.

Drawn from countless conversations with her father and more than 300 interviews with family members, friends, teammates and opponents, “Lefty” lifts the veil of the wise-cracking baseball player and reveals a tough-as-nails competitor who won 189 games between 1930 and 1942 and won 20 or more games four times. He wanted the ball and constantly badgered McCarthy about getting more work. Ultimately, that shortened his career.

But Gomez was a presence, a teammate who could hobnob with Babe Ruth, console Gehrig when his consecutive games streak ended, and keep the secret thoughts of Joe DiMaggio to himself. After he retired. Gomez worked for Wilson Sporting Goods and traveled worldwide promoting baseball.  He managed in Venezuela, becoming the first American to lead a mixed race team.

This book goes beyond statistics and shows the events that shaped Gomez’s life. Tall and skinny but equipped with a blazing fastball, he owned one pair of pants the day he joined a semipro baseball team in California. Within five years, he would be touted as one of the best-dressed men in the country.

He was the youngest of eight children, the son of a California cattleman. He worked odd jobs to earn money for his baseball equipment, and over his father’s objections, finally took up baseball as a career. He would help the New York Yankees win five pennants during the 1930s and was the American League starter in the first All-Star Game.

There are plenty of stories from Gomez’s career with the Yankees, including the contract squabbles, the banter between players, and life on the road. It’s an interesting look at baseball as it was played during the 1930s.

Because the book is written by Gomez’s daughter, there is a unique perspective. But Verona Gomez and Goldstone also did their research and reward the reader with a fuller picture of an engaging, funny man who was dead serious about baseball.

It’s the kind of story Lefty would have enjoyed telling. But Vernona got it right.

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Zim returns to the Trop

Posted May 17, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 17, 2012 at 07:46 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Don Zimmer made it out to Tropicana Field on Thursday afternoon, sat in the seats behind home plate and watched the Rays take batting practice.

“It’s nice to be back where you’re supposed to be,” Zimmer said.

The 81-year-old Zimmer undergoes four hours of dialysis three days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – for kidney failure.

“That’s a long four hours, I’ll tell you, boy,” he said.

Zimmer last attended a Rays game during the opening weekend of the season. The following week he fell into a diabetic coma while sleeping.

“I was gone,” he said. “I was in a diabetic coma. If my wife don’t wake me up I’m still sleeping. That’s how close I was. My blood sugar was 20.”

His wife, Soot, called their son, Tom, who told her to call 911.

“They tried to wake me,” Zimmer said. “But nothing.”

After spending time in the hospital, Zimmer said he feels his health is moving in the right direction.

“The say dialysis, the more you take it the stronger you get,” he said. “I get out of breath if I walk too far.”

Zimmer said he’s also lost his appetite but knows he has to eat. Another drawback, he said, is he’s on a restricted diet.

“Every time I eat something I say, “Am I all right?” Zimmer said.

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Rays v Red Sox: Of Rhymes, Thompson, Zim and Astro

Posted May 17, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 17, 2012 at 05:52 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Busy afternoon at the Trop.

Will Rhymes is not in the lineup but wouldn’t be because the Red Sox are throwing left-hander Felix Doubront. Joe Maddon said he won’t play Rhymes tonight, but Rhymes said he is available to pinch-run and expects to swing a bat Friday. Both Rhymes and Maddon said Rhymes will return to the lineup sooner rather than later.

With Doubront on the hill, Rich Thompson makes his first career start in left field in place of Matt Joyce.

Maddon said the teams has decided who will replace Jeff Niemann in the lineup, but are not ready to make the announcement because the pitcher has yet to be told.

Evan Longoria fielded ground balls before batting practice.

“I’m progressing well,” he said.

The Rays pitchers took batting practice in preparation for interleague play. David Price’s bats have Astro’s name on it.

“Believe it,” Price said.

The best news was the Don Zimmer returned to the Trop for the first time since the opening weekend of the season. Zimmer said he is undergoing four hours of dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday because of kidney failure.

“I was gone,” Zimmer said. “I was in a diabetic coma. If my wife don’t wake me up I’m still sleeping.”

The Rays look to extend their winning streak to five games against the Red Sox.

Matt Moore makes his eighth start of the season and looks for only his second win.

Here are the lineups:

RED SOX
Aviles SS
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Gonzalez 1B
Middlebrooks 3B
Ross RF
Nava LF
Byrd CF
Shoppach C
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Doubront LHP (3-1, 4.46)

RAYS
Zobrist RF
Upton CF
Scott DH
Keppinger 2B
Peña 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Johnson SS
Gimenez C
Thompson LF
—
Moore LHP 1-3, 5.31

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