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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 29, 2002
Don't be surprised if the ACC baseball tournament returns to St. Petersburg soon. It will be played in Virginia in 2003 and 2004. But the league will solicit offers in early 2004 for its next three-year cycle, and St. Petersburg will be a contender.
"I think our chances are good," said Jeff Adams of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. The coaches praised Florida Power Park and the setting with a hotel (the Hilton) across the street capable of housing all nine teams. "You just don't get any better," ACC assistant commissioner Dee Todd said.
The ACC would like to find a permanent home, where a strong fan base could be developed and counted on to support the games regardless of team affiliation. But how many Omahas are out there? Not many.
Even with Florida State fans in St. Petersburg, the tournament drew just 20,990, about 12,000 fewer than 1997. Todd still said St. Petersburg should be at least a semiregular destination.
"I do think this should always be here," she said, "at least every four or five years."
TAMPA: Closer Adrian Goas was named a Division II All-American. He went 2-1 with 17 saves and a 1.15 ERA.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Four former Notre Dame players surrendered to face charges in the gang-rape of a student.
Donald Dykes, Lorenzo Crawford, Abram Elam and former Lakewood High player Justin Smith were released on $3,000 bond each after their bonds were reduced. All had faced $10,000 bonds except for Crawford, whose bond was $50,000.
Dykes, Smith and Crawford were charged Friday with rape. All four were charged with conspiracy to commit rape. Elam, Crawford and Smith also were charged with sexual battery, and Crawford and Elam were charged with criminal deviant conduct.
A 20-year-old woman accused the men of luring her into a bedroom after she met Smith at a bar and agreed to go with the men and another woman to Smith's home. She said Dykes, Crawford and Smith repeatedly raped her.
The rape and conspiracy charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
UCF-MIAMI SERIES: Central Florida and Miami signed a three-game deal. It calls for games at Miami in 2008 and 2010 and at Central Florida in 2009.
USF: Tommy Hunter, who has played tight end, defensive end and special teams, will miss the next two seasons while on a Mormon mission.
Hunter's mission in Santa Rosa, Calif., begins in July, and he will have two seasons of eligibility left when he returns.
BEAUMONT, Texas -- Billy Tubbs, who led Oklahoma to the 1988 Final Four, quickly ended his retirement when he was introduced as athletic director at Lamar.
Tubbs coached Lamar from 1976-80, going 75-46 and leading the Southland Conference school to the round of 16 in the 1980 NCAA Tournament. He spent 14 seasons at Oklahoma, highlighted by reaching the Final Four in 1988, where it lost to Kansas in the final.
Tubbs spent the past eight seasons at TCU, turning a moribund program into a squad that consistently played above .500. He said before the season this would be his last with the Horned Frogs and right to the end insisted he was done coaching.
"I wasn't really looking for a job," Tubbs said. "I was looking forward to playing golf every day. But I got the call from home, so to speak."
MICHIGAN: A booster accused of illegally lending $600,000 to Chris Webber and three other players pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge.
As part of Ed Martin's plea, he agreed to cooperate with the government and the university in their investigations of improper benefits to players.
That could lead to additional sanctions against Michigan under rules that bar athletes from receiving money and extra benefits.
Martin, 68, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He faces 30-37 months in prison under guidelines he and prosecutors agreed to. He also agreed to forfeit about $27,000 in assets.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Chris Denker, who led Santa Clara to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, was hired by Colorado State. His teams were 41-18 the past two seasons.
-- Times staff writer Brian Landman contributed to this report.