SPORTS BRIEFS ...more

February 24, 2009

New York manager Joe Girardi decided to give his players a break Monday and put together a team trip for a pool-shooting tournament. ...more

February 23, 2009

At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Rays first baseman Carlos Pena sports some broad shoulders. ...more

February 22, 2009

This wasn't the way Avon Park baseball coach Mort Jackson wanted to start the season. ...more

February 18, 2009

Last season, the Chamberlain and Plant softball teams met four times on the diamond. The powerhouse programs split during the regular season and although they lost to Chamberlain in the Class 5A-District 10 tournament championship game, the Panthers upset the Chiefs in the Class 5A state region semifinals. ...more

February 17, 2009

DISTRICT OUTLOOK Class 6A-District 7 This should end up being a very competitive district. Alonso and Sickles both return some key players and definitely have the talent to reach the playoffs, but you can never count out Frank Permuy's Gaither squad, which always seems to find a way to win at the right time and has made the postseason four consecutive years. ...more

February 16, 2009

A pair of seniors led the way for the Avon Park baseball team in Friday night's First Pitch Classic at Head Field. ...more

February 15, 2009

It's Friday the 13th – potentially bad news for the flocks of superstitious folks involved in sports. Here's a look at how this day – and superstitions in general – have affected the world of sports: ...more

February 13, 2009

When Gaither High School's baseball program began 25 years ago - where has the time gone? - the Cowboys couldn't even claim a homefield advantage. ...more

February 8, 2009

Former Seminole High graduate Casey Kotchman and the Atlanta Braves avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2,885,000. Kotchman could earn an additional $100,000 in performance bonuses under the deal agreed to last week and announced Monday. He hit a combined .272 with 14 homers and 74 RBIs last season for the Braves and the Los Angeles Angels. The first baseman, who turns 26 on Feb. 22, hit only .149 with no homers in his first 22 games after he was acquired by the Braves on July 29 in the trade that sent Mark Teixeira to the Angels. Kotchman hit .305 with two homers and 15 RBIs in September. He has a .997 career fielding percentage with just eight errors in 357 games. After making $1.45 million last year, Kotchman had asked for a raise to $3.25 million in arbitration. He had been offered $2,475,000. ...more

February 2, 2009