[Times photo: Kevin White] Derrick Brooks wins Gary Shelton's vote for best of the best in Tampa Bay.

April 30, 2000

Gary Shelton
Best of the bay
Who do you think is the best athlete living in Tampa Bay or playing for a bay area team?

Devil Rays
Salmon's HR in 13th sinks Rays 7-6
Vaughn's heroics fall short this time as Rays fail to extend their winning streak past 2.

• Rout bears (Mrs.) Vaughn's imprint
  Greg Vaughn's wife sees a problem with his approach. The result is a two-homer game Friday night in the Rays' 11-2 victory over the Angels.
• Trachsel's goal is Angels' regret
  ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Steve Trachsel hopes to keep the ball down when he pitches against the Angels today. And if he does, he just might open a few eyes.
• Pick position, shortage muddle subpar draft
  ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It's that time of year again for scouting director Dan Jennings. If it's Sunday, he must be in ... well ... it doesn't really matter, because he'll probably be on the move again tomorrow.
• Rays tales
  DO THEY KNOW SOME THINGS WE DON'T KNOW?: Those Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books for children can be great; educational and fun to read, what with the full-color pictures, detailed explanations and well-written text. But facts apparently can be a problem.

Baseball
At 36, Unit is hitting his stride
He hit Seattle at age 25 and stayed parts of 10 seasons. Yet the American League never saw Randy Johnson in his prime.

St. Anthony's Triathlon
Helping his mate, Bolton helps self
Guiding Nick Radkewich through the race with U.S. Olympic interests on the line, Ryan Bolton wins.

• It is a close one, until Zeiger's feet hit ground
  Joanna Zeiger stays close to the pack through the first two stages, then she runs away with the women's title.
• These M&M;'s don't melt
  ST. PETERSBURG -- The St. Anthony's Triathlon kicked off Saturday morning with the Meek & Mighty races, shorter events for children and beginners. The total M&M; field exceeded 400 for the first time.

Mizell mailbag
Miller column draws strong praise, criticism
Agree with the premise of your Mike Miller column. Star players go to the NBA, leaving youngsters and less-talented players in the college game. The NBA is full of players who are not prepared. If the NBA adopted a rule similar to MLB, college basketball might go the way of college baseball with all the best high school players going for the quick riches.

Darrell Fry/NBA
Magic not alone in pursuit
With Orlando's season over, the team's focus turns toward talk of going after potential free agents Grant Hill and Tim Duncan.

Lightning
Injuries still hurting despite season's end
Vincent Lecavalier's ankle isn't the only sore spot for the Lightning this off-season.

Olympics
It is Olympic ideal versus ideal athlete
Norm Blake never has had a reason to meet with Katie Kauffman. Chances are, he never will.

Kentucky Derby
126th Kentucky Derby
WHEN/WHERE: Post time is 5:27 p.m. Saturday; Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.

Arena football
Storm suffers worst defeat in 33-point loss
ALBANY, N.Y. -- A combination of a stingy defense and an explosive offense led to the Storm's worst loss in franchise history, 67-34 to the Firebirds before a crowd of of 9,644 on Saturday night.

Outdoors

• New hard-bodied lure a must for flats anglers
  TIERRA VERDE -- There's an adage that most fishing lures are designed to catch fishermen, not fish. Tackle manufacturers hate it when I say this, but I believe if the tide is right and the redfish are feeding, you can toss out a cork with hooks on it and catch fish.
• Captain's corner
  Depths of 70 to 80 feet have produced banner catches of gag and red grouper.
• Tide will tell when best time to fish
  Ever wonder why red drum have spots on their tails, or how to catch a 10-pound snook on 2-pound test? If you have any Outdoors-related questions, we'd like to help you find the answers.
• Try this technique for kings, tarpon
  Who says you need a boat to catch kingfish and tarpon?

Preps
Regional baseball
Class 6A

Eagles preach teamwork in pursuit of title
Brandon has gotten major contributions from Jonathan Pendino and Jay Hollencamp. But everyone must pitch in during the state playoffs.

Regional softball
All games at 7:30 on Tuesday unless otherwise noted.

Warhawks have one thing on their mind
If Seminole is to reach the state tournament, it must exact some revenge against some tough teams.