Times Olympic coverage [Times photo: Micahel Rondou] Casey FitzRandolph takes a victory lap after winning gold in the 500-meter speed skating event. Teammate Kip Carpenter was third.

Ad shows lighter side of Bucs' search
It was a poke at what has become a joke, the placement of an irreverent advertisement.

Colleges
Gators rally to extend lead in SEC East
ATHENS, Ga. -- When Udonis Haslem and Brett Nelson finally got untracked for Florida on Tuesday night, it was all over for Georgia.

Baseball team lives up to promise
GAINESVILLE -- One week before the baseball opener, Florida players promised a new and improved team under first-year coach Pat McMahon.

Basketball inconsistency costly
Florida State coach Steve Robinson's men's basketball team must play well for more than segments if it is to snap a five-game losing streak Sunday at struggling North Carolina.

Golf
Zoeller's goal on tour: to make people smile
Senior rookie hasn't won, but he's happy to be playing golf.

What does guy have to do to get an exemption?
LUTZ -- Considering his longtime affiliation with the Tampa Bay area and the fact he posted top-10 finishes after qualifying for his first two events this year on the Senior PGA Tour, Jay Overton seemed to warrant serious consideration for a sponsor's exemption this week.

Local PGA event gets sponsor aid
PGA Tour steps in to offset losses when the 2001 Tampa Bay Classic was canceled.

Motorsports
Combustible driver vows to keep focus
Racing is Tony Stewart's life. And he wants to concentrate on winning a Winston Cup title.

Tight pack leads to seven-car crash
DAYTONA BEACH -- No matter the situation, wrecks at Daytona International Speedway happen too fast to react.

Lightning
Break gives players chance to get away
The non-Olympians on the Lightning will escape hockey for a while.

Baseball
Torre readies for spring's new look
TAMPA -- It was obvious Joe Torre was joking when he said he was going to be sure to always have a roster with him as he makes his rounds through the Yankees workouts this spring.

Outdoors
Daily fishing report
Mild winters such as this one offer excellent redfishing opportunities. During warm spells these fish gather together in large schools roaming the shallow flats in search of food. Though in a feeding mood and taking most natural baits thrown in front of them, they can be spooked easily.

Preps
Around the county
Signing

Gators' season ends in OT
LAND O'LAKES -- It's little consolation to Land O'Lakes now, especially for the eight seniors who played their last match, but St. Augustine Nease coach Randy Eckensberger doesn't feel his team deserved to be the one advancing to Friday's regional final.

Bears can't find net, fall 1-0 to Mustangs
BROOKSVILLE -- The biggest game in Hernando County history will be speculated upon, broken down and argued about, but it'll never be played.

Incident with player 'last straw' for Coffin
Not all Clearwater boosters were sorry to see the coach quit one day after reinstating a player.

Jesuit's attack forces Lehigh Acres to submit
Of the last 40 minutes of the game between Fort Myers Lehigh Acres and Jesuit, about 35 of them were spent kicking and defending in front of Lehigh Acres' goal.

Crisp Bloomingdale dominates Wellington 3-1
VALRICO -- If there was one sequence that summed up Bloomingdale's 3-1 victory over Wellington on Tuesday, it came in the 49th minute.

PHU hat trick downs King 3-0
TAMPA -- Two minutes into the game Tuesday night, Palm Harbor University flooded the goal mouth. Before the clock hit the three-minute mark, Mike Sampson headed in the Hurricanes' first goal off a throw-in by Jimmy Enzo.

Barthel boosts Gators
ORLANDO -- The last time Maggie Barthel came off the bench for a penalty kick she was a sophomore and missed and Land O'Lakes lost a district title to Palm Harbor University.

Knights pull upset of rival Mustangs
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Players hear the same speech every year: forget how bad the regular season can be, all that matters is the district tournament.

Durant edges Palm Harbor 1-0
DURANT -- After failing to make it out of its district last season, Durant is a game away from a trip to the state final four after Tuesday's 1-0 win over Palm Harbor University.

2-1 win puts Bulls in final vs. Sarasota
Bloomingdale is one win away from another final four appearance after beating Stuart Martin County in a semifinal.

Durant ousted by Countryside
DURANT -- If familiarity breeds contempt, Countryside and Palm Harbor University are going to hate each other when they meet Friday for the seventh time this season.

Headers give CCC a 2-1 win
CLEARWATER -- It's a good thing for Clearwater Central Catholic that Joey Ijjas has a big head. It came in handy Tuesday against Fort Myers Bishop Verot.