Gary Shelton
Game is teaser to promising season
TAMPA -- After a while, it was not the plays themselves that were important. It was the idea that what you were watching, really, were previews.

Offense: passing grade [Times photo: Toni L. Sandys] Shaun King completes 10 of his 11 attempts, including three to Keyshawn Johnson.

Bucs
Free safety makes limited time pay
Dexter Jackson fills in for injured Damien Robinson by making two interceptions.

Hamilton up to challenge in comeback
TAMPA -- A rookie quarterback not expected to play much this season marches Tampa Bay to a narrow preseason victory over the Redskins.

Devil Rays/baseball
Rays fall short in marathon 10-9
Tampa Bay rebounds from 8-1 deficit, but succumbs to Baltimore in 15th.

Former top pick set for surgery
ST. PETERSBURG -- Outfielder Josh Hamilton, the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, is scheduled for surgery Monday to repair the knee he injuried Monday during a Charleston RiverDogs game.

Ex-Ray Martinez on move again
TORONTO -- Former Devil Ray Dave Martinez was traded from Texas to Toronto, tying a major-league record by joining his fourth team this season.

Motorsports
History evident all over Indianapolis
The Brickyard is the biggest part, but the whole town embraces auto racing.

Mayfield knocked out of race
INDIANAPOLIS -- A hard crash during practice for the Brickyard 400 sent Jeremy Mayfield to the hospital Friday and will keep him out of today's race.

Earnhardt wins another IROC title
INDIANAPOLIS -- Dale Earnhardt had a great view of history while making his own Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Best auto racing towns
Times auto racing writer Kevin Kelly rates the top sites in the United States:

Who's hot
Dale Jarrett has finished in the top nine in the last 10 races to pull from 131 points behind leader Bobby Labonte in the standings to 53 entering the Brickyard 400 today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

'Iron Man' Labonte sitting out
INDIANAPOLIS -- The lingering effects of a concussion sustained in a crash during the Pepsi 400 on July 1 at Daytona International Speedway will keep Terry Labonte out of today's Brickyard 400, ending the longest streak of starts in the Winston Cup series.

Seven to watch
Drivers who might make a splash in the seventh running of the Brickyard 400 with comments from the Times' Kevin Kelly:

Storm
Storm in market for free agents
A new labor deal is expected to clear the way for rebuilding with a vengeance for a team that has lots of holes to fill.

Mutiny
Bounty on the Mutiny?
Tampa Bay, scrapping to hold on to first place, plays its second Central Division opponent in a row.

Horse racing
Legendary Florida horse racing owner / breeder dies at 102
BAL HARBOUR -- Fred Hooper, who won the 1945 Kentucky Derby with the first thoroughbred he purchased and helped develop Florida's breeding industry, died in his sleep Friday. He was 102.

NFL
Around the NFC

Around the AFC

Outdoors
Captain's corner
Grouper fishing remains spotty. One day there seems to be no end to the fish, the next may cause you to scratch your head in wonder. That's summer.

Et cetera
Sampras, Rafter are ousted from Masters event
There isn't going to be an anticipated rematch of this year's Wimbledon final between Pete Sampras and Patrick Rafter at the $2.95-million Tennis Masters Series-Canada at Toronto.

WNBA
New York likely Lobo-less for rest of season
When Rebecca Lobo went down with a season-ending knee injury during the New York Liberty's opening game last season, she didn't know that she might miss two seasons.

Olympics
Sotomayor is steamed over new accusation
HAVANA -- High jump star Javier Sotomayor angrily denied he ever used cocaine and said new accusations by an international track official were aimed at harming his character.

Preps
Pinellas football stars commit to Florida State
How good a football player is Marcello Church? The No. 1 college football team in the nation has offered him a scholarship without ever seeing him play in person.

Season for Andrews one of ups, downs
Former Seminole star Clayton Andrews is becoming accustomed to bouncing between the minor and major leagues.

Post 278 wins slugfest
In a slugfest that spanned almost 24 hours because of a rain delay, Brandon Post 278 finally won 18-15 over Fort Pierce Post 358 in the American Legion state tournament at Lakeland's Henley Field.