Gary Shelton
Rays' Nickelodeon set is the reason to care
It was late morning when the kid stepped into the cage, and it is fair to say that time did not stand still.
Devil Rays/baseball
Smith's goal: prove his worth over full season
ST. PETERSBURG -- Bobby Smith isn't ashamed to say he already is focusing on his numbers this season. That's his number of at-bats, not his batting average.
Rotation to work out
TAMPA -- The Yankees' second full-squad workout today should provide a glimpse of what could be baseball's best starting rotation. Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Orlando Hernandez and Mike Mussina are expected to throw live batting practice for the first time.
Gucci's in the air: A-Rod arrives
PORT CHARLOTTE -- This just in:
Baseball briefs
Sheffield's agent: It's misunderstanding
Motorsports
Champion through the years
From the start, Dale Earnhardt drove hard, but he also left his mark on friends.
Earnhardt surgery no factor in death
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Two doctors familiar with Dale Earnhardt do not believe a 1999 surgery to repair a ruptured disk in the driver's neck played a part in his death Sunday.
Harvick will sub for Earnhardt
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kevin Harvick's foray into the Winston Cup Series will begin sooner than expected.
Bucs/NFL
3 starters could be leaving
Bucs Middleton, Barber and Robinson likely will not get an offer before becoming free agents.
NFL briefs
Rams let go Farr, Agnew,won't re-sign LB Jones
Colleges
Bulls stifle UAB 75-47
A suffocating defense sparks a 39-6 run that blows the game open.
Broken? Just the Rebels
Brent Wright is injured -- but not seriously -- in UF's 20-point win.
Florida State at No. 2 North Carolina
WHEN/WHERE: 8 tonight, Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Eckerd beats Tampa
TAMPA -- The University of Tampa's cruise toward the Sunshine State Conference tournament's top spot hit a rocky patch Wednesday night. Facing an Eckerd team also trying to establish its post-season position, UT lost an eight-point second-half lead and fell 67-63 to give the Tritons a sweep of the Spartans this season.
Leavitt agrees to 3-year extension
TAMPA -- Jim Leavitt repeatedly has said he can't imagine coaching anywhere other than the University of South Florida.
Donovan, Ross among finalists
GAINESVILLE -- Florida men's basketball coach Billy Donovan and women's coach Carol Ross were named finalists for the Naismith College Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.
Lightning
Players revel in winning feeling
SADDLEBROOK -- Lightning players were on Cloud 9 after Tuesday night's 3-2 victory over the Blues at the Ice Palace.
Et cetera
Sports briefs
Woodruff upsets Sampras in two sets
NBA briefs
Trade deadline today
Boxing
Harmon fine with role as an unknown
Derrick Harmon says people will know who he is after his Saturday night fight with Roy Jones Jr. at the Ice Palace -- when he wins.
Santos is ready to fight tonight
If it seems like just yesterday David Santos was last fighting, it's because it was.
Horse Racing
Migliore understands need for jockey safety
Telling words.
Golf
Tough senior courses heighten debate
The Senior PGA Tour began as an exhibition to showcase the game's fading greats. But with the tour's popularity soaring, players want a challenge.
Nicklaus has little bit of fun with Woods and his 'slump'
Jack Nicklaus saw a chance to pounce, and did. He was at the ESPY awards in Las Vegas last week and ran into the man who is chasing his records. Time for Tiger taunting.
Preps
Prep soccer: Today's games
Class 2A boys semifinal
Seventh-inning home run leads to Knights' loss
Matt Lichtenberg's two-run shot provides the winning runs in East Lake's 7-4 victory.
County coaches have met before
The two coaches from Hillsborough County in today's girls semifinals -- East Bay's Claudine Sosa and Bloomingdale's Sue Peet -- have more in common than just being there.
Bulls overcome adversity, opposition
BRANDON -- The trouble with Bloomingdale's girls team has been, well ... it has been a lot of things.
Indians have aptly handled pressure
GIBSONTON -- Nobody expected East Bay to be in today's Class 2A semifinals.
Prep soccer: Friday's games
Class A boys semifinal
Sunset represents tough test for Gaither in semis
TAMPA -- Heading into today's Class 4A semifinal versus Miami Sunset, you could describe Gaither coach Adrian Bush as confident but cautious.
Tornadoes have found ways to reach 3A semis
CLEARWATER -- Clearwater's run to the Class 3A state semifinals has been a lesson in Soccer 101. The plan is to score more goals than the opponent, period.
Two semis, two sites, same day
That's the dilemma CCC fans and parents face as both soccer teams have reached the final four.
