From surgery to baseball star [AP photo] Northeast product Jeff D'Amico is the hottest pitcher in the National League

Gary Shelton
Direct your attention to this man
BOSTON -- The man on the rings was twisting in the wind. Blaine Wilson was flying and hovering and flipping, half platform diver, half Blue Angel. His arms swelled as he overpowered first his own weight, then the tortuous contraption he has turned into a thrill ride.

Bucs/NFL
Pain likely to keep Odom on sideline
TAMPA -- Although coach Tony Dungy left open the possibility of tackle Jason Odom playing in the season opener Sept. 3 at New England, he admitted the chances are slim. "All we can do now is wait and see," he said. "I think (the season opener) is a long shot, but commissioner (Paul Tagliabue) gets mad when we say someone is out and then they play. Until we definitely know, we wouldn't say it's impossible."

Dilfer happy as a Raven
Backup role can't dampen the former Bucs QB's enthusiasm.

NFL briefs
Lewis fined $250,000

Around the AFC

Around the NFC

Devil Rays/baseball
Cairo's success comes with his chance to play
CHICAGO -- It's no coincidence that Miguel Cairo started playing better after Bobby Smith hurt his knee.

Youthful trio wait for turns
CHICAGO -- Should the story someday warrant re-telling, the moment occurred in the fourth inning Monday night at Fenway Park..

It's the rookie vs. the ailing veteran
There is baseball, and then there is playoff baseball, White Sox slugger Frank Thomas says. Given that, he would rather have veteran Ken Hill in the pitching rotation than rookie Rocky Biddle.

Knoblauch's elbow apparently on mend
TAMPA -- Chuck Knoblauch's sore right elbow is showing signs of improvement.

Golf
Phenomenal pair
After a round with Woods, who shoots 66 to tie Dunlap for the lead, Nicklaus knows how he once made others feel.

Kraft grumbles about late invitation
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It all worked out in the end for Clearwater's Greg Kraft, who got into the PGA Championship as an alternate but still believes it should never have come to that.

Webb rebounds with good British Open start
SOUTHPORT, England -- Top-ranked Karrie Webb bounced back from an off-week in the season's last major to take a two-shot lead Thursday in the first round of the Women's British Open.

Ernest Hooper
Millen gets a taste of officiating
With all due respect to John Madden and Phil Simms, pro football's best television analyst is Matt Millen.

Lightning
Lightning signs Astashenko, Muir
TAMPA -- With the start of training camp less than three weeks away, the Lightning cut the number of remaining restricted free agents in half Thursday by signing Bryan Muir and Kaspars Astashenko to one-year contracts.

Et cetera
This week, golf sites feature Tiger, Tiger and more Tiger
If you're among that faction of the golf world annoyed by excessive coverage of Tiger Woods, it's probably better you stay off the Internet this weekend.

IBF founder guilty on six counts
The founder of the International Boxing Federation was acquitted in Newark, N.J., Thursday of charges he took bribes from promoters and managers to manipulate boxers' rankings.

WNBA/NBA
Cleveland bullies New York
CLEVELAND -- Usually, it's New Yorkers who get accused of being rude and pushy.

Heat commentator Ramsay leaves for ESPN
MIAMI -- Hall of Fame NBA coach Jack Ramsay will leave his job as the Heat's color commentator to work full time for ESPN.

FSL
Rays win in 10th
ST. PETERSBURG -- Tony Pigott stretched a single into a double and scored on a single by Jose Velazquez to give the Devil Rays a 4-3 victory over first-place Dunedin in 10 innings Thursday.

Motorsports
Autos briefs
Williams-BMW drops its Formula One rookie

Olympic trials
Roethlisberger is a flop
The two-time Olympian picks up where he left off at nationals, making glaring mistakes to jeopardize his bid.

Hey, mate,it's cold outside
SYDNEY, Australia -- Less than a month before the Olympics, the word from Sydney is: Brrrrr!

College football
Seminoles RB Chaney gets academic okay
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida State officials ruled Thursday that senior running Jeff Chaney was academically eligible to return after sitting out the first 11 days of practice because of poor grades.

Edwards to retire as BYU coach
PROVO, Utah -- LaVell Edwards, who has won a national championship and built one of the most prolific passing offenses in college football, said Thursday he will retire as coach at Brigham Young after this season.

Preps
FHSAA board denies Barons' appeal
St. Petersburg Catholic was denied its appeal with the Florida High School Activities Association board Thursday in Bartow and will pay the $250 fine and be placed on administrative probation.

County football attendance rises
Bolstered by friendly skies and some renewed enthusiasm for the game, Pinellas County public school football enjoyed its best season at the gate in a decade, according to the 1999-2000 Pinellas County Centralized Athletics Attendance and Financial Report.

Philippines shuts out Inverness
The Senior Softball team falls into the losers' bracket. However, it might forfeit its next game.

Jesuit star transfers to Gaither
TAMPA -- Bryce Wegerle, one of the best prep soccer players in the country, has transferred from Jesuit to Gaither, a move with potentially significant effects. Wegerle, a member of the U.S. under-18 national team pool, scored 29 goals and had 40 assists (98 points) last season for the Class 2A state runner-up Tigers.