A change of plea hearing is set for Wednesday for 20-year-old Joaquin Amador Serrapio Jr. He had previously pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutors say Serrapio posted threats on Facebook in February coinciding with a speech Obama gave at the University of Miami. Serrapio attends a different school, Miami-Dade College.

One post threatened to put a bullet in the president’s head. Another asked if anyone wanted to help with a presidential assassination.

There’s no indication Serrapio intended to act on the threats. His lawyer has said Serrapio never wanted to hurt the president. The lawyer didn’t immediately respond to an email Thursday.

Serrapio faces a maximum five-year maximum prison sentence.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

MIAMI (AP) — U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan questioned Thursday why the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring districts to continue tutoring services that have not proven effective.

Florida was one of nearly a dozen states that received a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law earlier this year. That waiver included lifting a requirement for the state to set aside 20 percent of Title I funds for special tutoring services.

In remarks in Washington before the Florida Council of 100, a nonprofit organization, Duncan noted a new study showing the mandated tutoring had no impact on student performance. He said a cottage industry of tutoring companies has emerged around the mandate.

“But there has never been accountability for results,” Duncan said. “Districts don’t know if individual companies are actually having an impact on student achievement.”

The Florida Legislature passed a law that will take effect in July requiring 15 percent of Title I funds be used for supplemental education services in the upcoming school year. Title I funds are provided to schools with large numbers of low-income students, and the tutoring program is designed to offer extra help to students at schools deemed in need of improvement.

As part of the Florida law, districts must contract with state Department of Education approved tutoring providers.

“I find it ironic that Washington is offering flexibility but Tallahassee is taking it away,” Duncan said.

In a statement, Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said the state had sought the No Child Left Behind waiver in order to make decisions that are “right for Florida.”

“Suggesting that our state and our legislators were not acting in the best interest of Florida’s children reinforces how important it is that our state be allowed to chart a course that is right for Florida,” he said.

Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said a critical problem with the tutoring services is that there is no system in place to evaluate them.

“We really believe there needs to be some major reform,” she said.

A U.S. Department of Education study released in early May analyzed results from No Child Left Behind tutoring programs in six districts in Connecticut, Ohio and Florida. It found that for students in grades three through eight, there was “no statistically significant impact” on performance in reading or math.

“Why is Florida keeping the set-aside for tutoring that is showing little or no impact on children?” Duncan asked. “Is it because of pressure from the industry?”

Duncan said the Department of Education believes decisions on how to intervene at low performing schools should be made locally, not through a “one size fits all” solution. He said it would be better for districts to be able to decide on their own whether options like extending the school day or adding instructional opportunities are the best solution.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could face dire consequences if it fails to involve Florida lawmakers before deciding whether to approve a dramatic rate increase for new policyholders, the state-backed firm’s board president warned Thursday.

The corporation’s Board of Governors is scheduled in July to consider raising rates on new policies covering hurricane damage and other perils an average of nearly 55 percent in coastal areas and 19 percent in inland regions for those who buy coverage after Jan. 1.

That could add about $100 million to Citizens’ annual balance sheet. Citizens is Florida’s largest provider of property insurance, mainly for homeowners, with 1.45 million policies, but corporate officials say it doesn’t bring in enough money to cover losses if Florida should sustain serious hurricane damage.

Board Chairman Carlos Lacasa, a former Republican legislator, told the board’s Actuarial and Underwriting Committee what to expect if lawmakers are left out of the discussion.

“They will pass legislation that undoes what we do or prevents us from moving in that direction in the future,” Lacasa said during the conference call meeting. “And then we have yet that much more of our hands tied behind our back. This has to be a very deliberative process.”

Several lawmakers and consumer advocates have criticized the plan, which would circumvent a 10 percent cap on rate increases ordered by the Legislature. The argument for the proposal is that starting new policies at a higher rate is not an increase for those policies.

Board members criticized news media reports on the proposal and the opposition to it. Lacasa said it’s been “explosive” and “exaggerated.” John Rollins called it “media hyperventilating.”

Lacasa, though, also reminded panel members what happened when Citizens last year asked for an increase of more than 400 percent for sinkhole coverage. State regulators approved only a 32.8 percent increase after an outcry by lawmakers, customers and consumer advocates.

That episode tarnished Citizens reputation and credibility, Lacasa said.

“I hate to see a very well-run institution with great performance metrics for our policyholders be compromised by the publicity that follows bad planning and lack of collaboration with other stake-holders like the Legislature,” he said.

Citizens Chief Financial Officer Sharon Binnun responded by saying the corporation would hold a workshop on or about July 16 to let lawmakers and others have their say before the board meets on July 27.

Gov. Rick Scott and many other Republican politicians have been pushing Citizens to increase its revenues and reduce its customer base.

They point out that if the company doesn’t have enough money to cover claims, it can make up the difference through assessments against most other insurance customers, including automobile policyholders.

Citizens was created to provide an alternative for residents who could no longer get coverage from private companies, which have pulled out of the state or reduced their customer base because of the hurricane risk.

The rate cap, though, also has attracted customers because Citizens’ rates now are lower than similar coverage from many private companies.

Citizens has been exploring ways to “depopulate” by switching customers to private companies.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Rays assistant trainer Paul Harker tried to get Rhymes talking, asking him questions “to make sure he was there,” recalled Rays manager Joe Maddon.

“Hark had him cradled behind the neck,” Maddon later told the media,  “and he just said, ‘Talk to me, talk to me.’ ”

Rhymes’ response?

“I told them I was Batman just to mess with them,” he joked later with reporters at his locker, following Tampa Bay’s 2-1 victory over the Red Sox.

His kidding aside, the situation was certainly no laughing matter when Rhymes collapsed moments after taking first base following the brutal impact on his right forearm. But after briefly losing consciousness – trainers attributed his passing out to a sudden rush of adrenaline – he came to and was carted off the field to loud applause from the crowd of 20,000-plus.

It appeared that the Rays were about to lose yet another player to the disabled list, where nine of their players – including key starters such as Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings, Kyle Farnsworth and Jeff Niemann – currently are shelved with injuries.

But good news followed after the game when X-Rays revealed that Rhymes did not suffer a bone break, simply a bad contusion that likely will only keep him out of action for several games.

Holy blackout, Batman!

That’s news Rhymes and the Rays can live with.

The Celtics captain put in 24 points in Boston’s 101-91 Game 3 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia, putting his knee injury behind him and getting aggressive when it came to pretty much every aspect of the game.

“Whether I shot the ball well or not, everything I was going to do was being with aggression,” Pierce said.

Aggressive might be an understatement. Pierce was in attack mode early on, even if his shots weren’t falling. Early in the first quarter, he missed four shots from close range, but it was the fact he fought for the three put-backs in the paint that showed he was determined to make a difference after scoring just seven points in Boston’s Game 2 loss.

He continued to go strong to the basket, following up his early misses with two ferocious dunks. Pierce finishing with nine points in the first 12 minutes of the game. He ended up hitting six of his 17 attempts from the floor, but did most of his damage at — and getting to — the free throw line. After just two trips to the charity stripe on Monday, Pierce found his way to the line 14 times in Game 3, scoring 11 of his points at the line.

Special Coverage: NBA Playoffs

He made it known to all of Philly when he was making his way to the line, following each drive to the hoop with an aggressive scream that would make Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” jealous.

“Everything I was going to do was going to be aggressive because they were really collapsing on me on the down-screens, on my jumpers,” said Pierce. “I just tried to get to the hole and I was able to get to the line; able to get to the rim a number of times. It’s something I have to continue to do.”

“Paul is just a grinder,” head coach Doc Rivers said following the win. “He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, ‘How is this guy getting open?’ He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He’s a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our ‘professional scorer’ and that’s what he is in a lot of ways.”

“[Pierce] played great for us tonight,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 23 points of his own while dishing out 14 assists. “Paul has been struggling scoring, but he has been doing the intangibles. On those [first-quarter] drives, he didn’t get some calls early in the game and thought they were fouls, so he went out and was aggressive and finished strong.”

Recap: Thunder Go Up 2-0 On Lakers

Pierce had been just 5-for-20 in the series in the first two games, but helped the Celtics send a message as they took a 2-1 series lead. While he only added four assists, he credited the team’s ball movement for getting the offense going.

“Our offense finally came alive,” Pierce said. “We moved the ball. We knew that’s what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.”

“We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,” Pierce said.

They certainly did that. Now they just need to keep it going on Friday night.

Box Score | Playoffs Schedule

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Game 2 Photo Gallery (Photo:Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

After struggling throughout the second half, the Thunder suddenly came alive after Scott Brooks called timeout following Bynum’s basket that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game.

James Harden drove for a layup before Durant used his height advantage to reach up and tip away a pass from Bryant, who he was guarding. Durant ran out for a right-handed dunk at the other end before Russell Westbrook forced another turnover by aggressively challenging an outlet pass to Bryant along the sideline.

Harden made the next stop, blocking Bryant’s jumper on the next Lakers possession and getting a layup in transition off it to cut the deficit to one in the final minute.

Bryant couldn’t connect again, this time on a 3-pointer, to give the Thunder the ball back with the chance to take the lead and Durant was able to make it happen.

Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the right side with about 5 seconds left after Metta World Peace couldn’t get the ball to Bryant on the inbounds play. Durant was then fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made his first try before missing the second on purpose – failing to hit the backboard or rim for a violation.

The Lakers got a desperation try but World Peace’s long pass for Bynum was intercepted by Harden.

Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win.

Historically, the loss makes a huge difference. Los Angeles is 29-12 when splitting the first two games of a seven-game series and has lost 17 of 19 when falling into a 2-0 hole. The Lakers’ last comeback was in the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio.

The Thunder have won all nine of their series after leading 2-0, dating back to the franchise’s days in Seattle.

In a game that was nip-and-tuck throughout, the Lakers started inching away early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench.

Bryant drilled a jumper from the left wing and Blake followed with a 3-pointer before World Peace hit one of two free throws for a 69-63 advantage with 7:27 remaining – the Lakers’ largest lead to that point.

Westbrook returned then but only provided the briefest of sparks for the struggling Oklahoma City offense, and Bynum’s second straight basket – on a left-handed hook shot at the left block – made it 75-68 with 2:09 to play.

Until that point, Oklahoma City had made only 7 of 27 shots in the second half while committing eight turnovers.

After getting ripped apart by the Thunder’s pick-and-roll attack and giving up 119 points in Game 1, the Lakers made it an emphasis to put up more resistance in the rematch and it showed. Matt Barnes shuffled back and forth around three Nick Collison screens to contest Harden’s jumper and preserve the Lakers’ 22-21 lead after one quarter.

The Lakers’ defense was at its best just after halftime as they got out of a 48-45 deficit by holding Oklahoma City scoreless for the first 4 minutes and allowing just two baskets in the first 8 minutes. But Los Angeles still couldn’t create any sort of a cushion and Westbrook’s wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner – after World Peace airballed a similar shot on the opposite end – had the Thunder back within 57-56 with 3:31 left in the third.

Notes: The NBA on Wednesday fined Devin Ebanks $25,000 for actions related to his Game 1 ejection and Bynum $15,000 for failing to speak to reporters Tuesday. Bynum, who has had recent disciplinary issues within the team, talked at the Lakers’ morning shootaround Wednesday and called it a make up for skipping the previous day. “I think he’s learning. Is he going to be a perfect citizen the rest of his career? I don’t know,” coach Mike Brown said. “He’s bound to make mistakes. I think everybody makes mistakes.” … World Peace has said he supported Scott Brooks to become Sacramento’s coach back in 2007, when Brooks had been an assistant under Eric Musselman. “Little does he know, if I would have got the job, I was going to ask for him to be traded,” Brooks joked. He then called World Peace, or Ron Artest at the time, the third-best two-way player at the time behind Bryant and Kevin Garnett. … Harden caught World Peace with an inadvertent elbow to the face in the first quarter.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A prosecutor says two defendants accused of hazing a Florida A&M University band member are expected to plead guilty to lesser charges.

Assistant State Attorney Stefanie Walters says they’ll be appearing in court Thursday with a third defendant, whose case is expected to be delayed.

Walters says medical records did not support felony hazing charges that require proof of serious bodily injury.

Police say fellow band members beat Bria Shante Hunter on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

Aaron Golson and Sean Hobson, initially charged with felonies, are expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor hazing. Further negotiations are expected in the case of James Harris.

Golson also is one of 11 former band members charged with felony hazing in the Nov. 19 death of drum major Robert Champion in Orlando.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — National foreclosure trends took a positive turn in April, as the number of homes seized by banks declined and fewer properties entered into the foreclosure process.

But state-level data point to potentially more home repossessions ahead in Florida and many of the 25 other states where courts are required to sign off on foreclosures.

All told, the number of U.S. homes taken back by lenders in April declined 7 percent from March, the third consecutive monthly decline, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday. Home repossessions fell 26 percent versus April last year.

The number of homes that lenders placed on the foreclosure path last month also declined, falling 4 percent from March and 2 percent from April 2011, the firm said.

While the figures suggest foreclosure trends are improving nationally, state data tell a different story.

“You absolutely have a tale of two different types of foreclosure trends happening across the country,” said Daren Blomquist, a vice president at RealtyTrac.

The divide comes down roughly between the 26 states where courts play a role in the foreclosure process and places like California and the other 23 states where the process generally moves quicker because judges are not required to sign off on foreclosures.

Last year, foreclosure activity, as measured by the number of homes receiving foreclosure-related notices, slowed sharply as lenders grappled with allegations that they had been processing foreclosures without verifying documents.

A $25 billion settlement reached in February between the nation’s biggest mortgage lenders and state officials has since cleared the way for banks to take action on unpaid mortgages.

In California, Arizona, Nevada and many other so-called non-judicial foreclosure states, foreclosure activity has been declining because they didn’t build a huge backlog of pending foreclosure cases last year.

In contrast, the slower foreclosure process in states like Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania helped build a logjam of pending foreclosure cases that now has lenders playing catch-up.

As a result, foreclosure activity in all the judicial foreclosure states combined jumped 15 percent versus April last year. Taken together, non-judicial states saw foreclosure activity fall 29 percent, RealtyTrac said.

While 27 states recorded increases in the number of homes entering the foreclosure process last month, it appears the properties represent largely homes where borrowers missed payments for two or three years, and lenders are now getting around to taking action against them.

“The good news there, is we don’t see a lot of evidence that there are a lot of new people who are just not making their payments who are entering foreclosure,” Blomquist said.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported on Wednesday that the percentage of mortgages that were one payment past due as of March 31 declined to the lowest level since mid-2007. While the share of home loans that were at least three months past due at the end of the first quarter fell to the lowest level since the end of 2008.

Home loans taken out at the peak of the housing boom continue to comprise the majority of problem loans. In the first quarter, some 60 percent of all mortgages past due 90 days or more, or in foreclosure, were originated between 2005 and 2007, the MBA said.

Meanwhile, banks are increasingly agreeing to short sales rather than foreclosing on homes. In a short sale, the bank agrees to accept less than what the seller owes on their mortgage.

In the first three months of this year, short sales grew while foreclosures declined. Short sales are now on pace to outnumber sales of bank-owned homes in California, Arizona and 10 other states, RealtyTrac said.

That could help slow the pace of home repossessions, which are on pace to be just over 700,000 this year. Last year, about 1 million homes ended up foreclosed-upon.

All told, foreclosure-related notices were reported on 188,780 U.S. properties last month, the lowest monthly total since July 2007, RealtyTrac said. That’s a decline of 5 percent from March and down 14 percent from April last year.

Lenders took back 51,415 homes and began the foreclosure process on 97,665 homes last month.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Homeless shelters across the state will receive more than $2 million dollars in federal grants.

The Department of Children and Families says the money will go to 25 emergency homeless shelters in rural areas.

The money will help fund 42 shelter sites, including 602 emergency beds and 436 transitional beds. Secretary David Wilkins estimated Wednesday the money could serve 5,639 individuals by the end of June. The grants also cover meals and shelter renovations.

The funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

It worked twice, and the Eastern Conference finals are all even, as a result.

David Clarkson scored a tip-in goal off Adam Henrique’s shot 2:31 into the third period to break a tie and lift the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers that squared the series at one game apiece on Wednesday night.

“It’s a very hard building to play in, and 1-1 sounds much better than down 2-0,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We’re happy. We would have liked to have snuck out of here with two wins, but it didn’t happen.

“We’ll take 1-1.”

For the third straight series, the Rangers are wondering what went wrong in Game 2 after they took the opener. They stressed how important it would be to grab a 2-0 lead, which would have been their first two-game edge in this postseason, but didn’t provide the necessary effort to get it done.

New York was riding high after its 3-0 series-opening win on Monday night, but now has relinquished home-ice advantage again.

“You need to improve as a hockey team every game,” said succinct and disappointed coach John Tortorella, who declined to say what areas were deficient.

Game 3 will be Saturday in New Jersey.

Clarkson built off the momentum created by Ryan Carter’s deflected goal late in the second that tied the game, 2-2. Ilya Kovalchuk had given the Devils a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first. Defenseman Bryce Salvador added two assists, and Martin Brodeur stopped 23 saves for his 108th playoff win.

Clarkson has three goals in this postseason, and every one has been a winner, including the clincher against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the second round.

“Mr. Clutch? I don’t know about that,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to skate up and down and finish the checks and just bounce off people. It’s just a great feeling to be able to contribute. To get a tip on that felt pretty good.”

New Jersey had 26 attempted shots blocked in Game 1, five more than they got through to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils cut the blocks to 16 on Wednesday and managed to get 27 on goal — two more than New York.

“That team blocks so many shots,” Clarkson said. “It’s unbelievable how many. I think we found a way to shoot it and get sticks on it, and definitely that was big for us.”

Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the second for the top-seeded Rangers, who received 24 saves by Lundqvist.

New Jersey got even at 2 when Salvador wound up for a shot at the blue line and fired a drive that Carter — with his back to the net — brilliantly deflected past Lundqvist with 1:51 left in the second. Marian Gaborik stood up straight in front of Salvador, but didn’t drop down as many of his teammates have to try to block the shot. For that, he was pinned to the bench by Tortorella, even through New York’s power play in the third.

Gaborik returned to the ice with 8:40 remaining as the Rangers pressed to tie.

The Devils kept the pressure on the Rangers at the start of the third and wiped out the good work the Rangers displayed in the second.

“It was a much different reaction when we went down by a goal than it was in the first game,” Parise said. “We didn’t change the way we played, and I think that was a big difference. We were comfortable with how we were playing.

“All I think they got was really on their power play.”

After spending much of the first trapped in their own end, the Rangers rebounded to erase their early deficit and briefly take the lead thanks to the previously inept power play.

With Alexei Ponikarovsky off for interference, Staal fired a shot that sailed wide of the net and struck the back boards before popping back in front and pinballing into the net off Salvador and Brodeur at 2:23. The goal was originally credited to Derek Stepan, who was in front, but the puck managed to miss him both on the way toward the net and on the bounce back.

“I saw most of the pucks, but the Rangers came out hard,” Brodeur said. “They were around me a lot, and there were some bad bounces. It’s such a tough place to play sometimes here. There are bad bounces, and the boards are terrible.”

Staal nearly netted another moments later when he ripped a drive that Brodeur had to lunge fully to his left to snare with his glove.

Kreider, the rookie from Boston College, scored for the second straight game to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 12:19. Anton Stralman let go a shot from above the right circle that ticked Kreider’s stick and fluttered past Brodeur for the rookie’s fourth goal. He had to wait to get it because it was first given to Stralman before being changed during a commercial break.

But that was hardly the longest delay of the night. Before Kreider’s power-play goal, the action was stopped for about eight minutes as arena workers struggled to get the door to the Devils’ penalty box opened. Travis Zajac stood patiently as he waited to have a seat in the box. He even managed to laugh as did New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer and the usually stoic and agitated Tortorella.

Zajac, who first was sent to the Rangers’ box, stayed in New Jersey’s sin bin for only 1:47 before Kreider scored the Rangers’ second power-play goal of the night.

New York registered the first six shots of the period before New Jersey had its first about eight minutes in, but the teams were even at 17 through 40 minutes.

Lundqvist had a bit of glove magic of his own midway through the second when a shot by Anton Volchenkov was deflected by Kovalchuk but tracked and grabbed by Lundqvist.

The Devils got their elusive first goal of the series, and the all-important lead in the game, when Kovalchuk connected on the power play late in the first period.

After Brian Boyle was sent off for slashing Parise, the Devils continued their puck-possession prowess in the Rangers’ end. New Jersey moved the puck all around the zone in search of a clean shot that could get past the diving New York defense and perhaps challenge Lundqvist, who made 21 saves in the series-opening win.

Marek Zidlicky curled with the puck to the center of the blue line and slid a pass down to the left circle to Kovalchuk, who calmly and patiently drifted in and snapped a shot up and under the crossbar in the upper corner of the net for his sixth goal of the playoffs and fourth on the power play.

“We had to keep going to the net, and I think we were doing some good things,” Clarkson said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey and we’ve got to continue to do it. That is a big win for us.”

The Devils didn’t record a shot on goal until 6:01 in when Patrik Elias put a wrist shot in on Lundqvist, but New Jersey finished the first period with an 8-5 edge in shots — despite having six more blocked by the Rangers.

Whether Brodeur was kidding or not about wanting Rangers to be injured by blocking shots, the home team wasn’t deterred from getting in front of drives. New York forward Brandon Prust was doing a bit of a dance in front of the dangerous Kovalchuk, trying to deny any potential drive, even though he was defending without a stick.

“We have to try to get in lanes,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. “Try to limit their time with the puck. If we do that, they are not going to have time to shoot.”

When Kovalchuk finally scored later in the period, he let out a big yell — part celebration and an exclamation of relief — as he skated in front of the glass behind the net.

“We have built some momentum,” Brodeur said. “And now, we have to try to take that into our building, and make our building a tough place to play.”

NOTES: The Rangers were 10 for 61 (16.4 percent) on the power play in the postseason before Wednesday. This marked the second time they netted a man-advantage goal in consecutive games, but the fourth time they scored two in a game. … The Devils returned defenseman Peter Harrold to the lineup and sat rookie Adam Larsson. Harrold replaced Larsson in the lineup late in the season and started the first nine postseason games. Larsson played in the previous five games.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida tourism officials say numbers for the first quarter of the year are up slightly over the same period a year ago.

Visit Florida, the state’s marketing division, released numbers Wednesday showing a 2.4 percent boost for the first three months of the year. Those 23.4 million visitors included a 2.7-percent increase in Canadian tourists and a 13-percent increase in people visiting from overseas.

Tourism employment showed growth for the 24th straight month, with the industry adding more than 19,000 jobs in the past year.

Tourism is Florida’s leading industry, generating $60 billion annually and employing more than a million people.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

FORT MEADE, Fla. (AP) — Polk County has confirmed its sixth positive rabies case this year.

A Fort Meade resident found his two dogs with a dead raccoon. The raccoon was tested for rabies, and it was confirmed positive for rabies by the state laboratory on Wednesday.

The announcement was made by the Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Section.

The first case in the county was reported on Jan. 12 when a two-year old dog attacked and killed a raccoon in Lakeland. Another case involved a bat.

Authorities say bats and raccoons are considered as high risk species or “rabies vector species.” Residents are urged not to approach any animal which is acting in an unusual or suspicious manner.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb chuck roast
16 oz frozen pearl onions
8 oz whole button mushrooms
750 ml white wine
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground, black pepper
Arborio rice, 1 cup, uncooked
1 TB olive oil
2 TB cold butter
1 medium tomato
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
parsley for garnish

Method

Empty the bag of frozen onions into a crock pot or dutch oven. Season the chuck roast with the salt and pepper and put on top of the onions. Add the thyme and mushrooms over the top. Pour the white wine over the roast. Cook according to crock pot directions. If using a dutch oven, bring up to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for two to two and half hours. Remove the roast to a plate and keep warm.

Using a two quart saucepan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and 1 TB of the butter. When the butter is melted, add 1/2 cup of cooked onions from the roast and 1/4 cup of the mushrooms. Cut the tomato into 1/4″ dice and add to the pot. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes, until the rice almost starts to toast. Ladle one cup of stock from the roast into the rice and stir slowly with a wooden spoon. Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is al dente (about 18 minutes). Take off the heat and stir in the other TB of butter and the parmesan. Serve on a platter with the beef shredded over the top.

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years and has been a talk show host for two years at Food Nation Radio. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page at http://elizabethdougherty.com 

The 33-year-old Thompson was active for Wednesday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox. To make room on the roster, outfielder Brandon Guyer was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain, and right-hander Jeff Niemann was transferred from the 15- to the 60-day DL.

Thompson has spent 13 seasons in the minor leagues. He has not appeared in the majors since 2004, when he was with the Kansas City Royals for six games. He was batting .307 with no homers and 11 RBIs in 29 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.

With nine players currently on the DL, the Rays were in the market for a backup center fielder.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Rhymes left in the eighth inning of the Rays’ 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night after being hit by a pitch near his right elbow. While standing at first base he gestured that he wanted to come out of the game, took a couple of steps and collapsed into the arms of first base coach George Hendrick. Trainers worked on Rhymes in the coach’s box before he was assisted to a utility cart and left the field.

The Rays said Rhymes briefly fainted, but that he is fine, remained at the ballpark for X-rays on his arm and was not taken a hospital.

“He got kind of rubber-legged right there,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “That stuff hurts. I know it’s in the arm, but that can definitely take your breath away. It was described to me as kind of an adrenalin rush that caused that reaction.”

X-rays were negative and the team said Rhymes is day to day with a bruised right forearm.

Hellickson pitched six solid innings and Luke Scott had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly as Tampa Bay snapped the Red Sox’s five-game winning streak.

“Hellickson’s change up made that fastball look like it’s a 100 (mph),” Boston manager Bobby Valentine said.

Hellickson (4-0) allowed one run and five hits en route to winning a career-best sixth consecutive decision, dating to Sept. 4. He struck out six and walked two.

After Jake McGee and Joel Peralta both threw a scoreless inning, Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 12th save.

Clay Buchholz (4-2) gave up two runs and six hits over five-plus innings for Boston. Buchholz, who took a grounder off his foot during the sixth, had allowed four or more runs in all seven of his previous starts this season.

“No,” said Buchholz when asked if the foot was an issue. “I think it was more after I came out. It’s a little sore. It’s nothing (to worry about).”

Matt Joyce opened the sixth with an infield single that went off Buchholz’s leg. He went to third on a single by Carlos Pena. Andrew Miller replaced Buchholz and gave up Scott’s sacrifice fly that put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1.

Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross appeared to have problems with the roof on Scott’s shallow fly.

“I wasn’t really planning on going until I saw Cody Ross kind of backpedal,” Joyce said. “The Trop can be tough sometimes for outfielders. It’s hard to see the ball when you’re not used to it. He started backpedaling. As an outfielder, I know it’s hard to get a lot on your throw and make a really good throw when you’re on the heels of your feet and backpedaling. I took a shot and it worked out.”

The Rays, winners of four straight, loaded the bases with two outs later in the sixth, but Miller struck out Elliot Johnson on a 3-2 pitch.

Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the second when Buchholz was called for a balk on a pickoff move to first with runners on the corners and two outs. Pena, who had a leadoff single, scored on the play.

“I was going to go third to first, and my cleat sort of got caught,” Buchholz said.

The Red Sox wound up with three balks overall.

“Crazy,” Valentine said.

Daniel Nava’s fourth-inning RBI single got Boston even at 1-all.

Valentine said left-hander Felix Doubront, who was hit on the ear by a ball during batting practice Tuesday, was cleared to make his start Thursday.

Meanwhile, Boston left-hander Rich Hill left the field after being struck by a ball in batting practice before Wednesday night’s game. The team said Hill is OK.

NOTES: Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey (right thumb) is set to resume throwing next week. … Boston 3B Kevin Youkilis (lower back) started a rehab assignment as the DH with Triple-A Pawtucket and could play in the field Friday. … Valentine doesn’t believe RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (right elbow), scheduled to start for Pawtucket Thursday, is close to pitching in the majors. … Rays 3B Evan Longoria (left hamstring) took batting practice, but has not started running. … Red Sox LF Carl Crawford (left wrist) could start swinging a bat next week. … The Rays acquired OF Rich Thompson from Philadelphia for minor league OF Kyle Hudson.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Summary

The latest clash came Wednesday when aides to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee blocked the reporters who cover Romney daily from asking him questions at the “rope line” separating him and his supporters.

The incident was a prime example of the pattern of tense interactions with the press that have marked the Romney campaign for months. The candidate often seems eager to chat about mundane things — the food on the charter airplane, whether he has a lucky tie — with a press corps he’s come to know well and readily recognizes.

But his staff frequently limits access to a candidate known for making awkward, if not politically troublesome, statements during unscripted moments — and Romney very rarely answers challenging questions on the issues of the day as he campaigns.

“You have some work to do here,” Romney told reporters on his campaign plane, waving at a basket of snacks as he selected a package of Grandma’s Vanilla Cream sandwich cookies.

But asked a question about Vice President Joe Biden’s attacks on his record at Bain Capital during a speech in Ohio, the former Massachusetts governor simply said: “No interviews.”

Instead, Romney did a lengthy interview with Ed Morrissey, a conservative blogger.

It’s a window into how he might conduct himself as president. After he was elected governor of Massachusetts, for example, Romney closed off a set of public elevators in the Boston statehouse and prohibited press access to the lobby outside the governor’s office. The area was previously open to the press, and his successor, Gov. Deval Patrick, re-opened the elevator and the lobby after he took office.

Wednesday’s incident came after Romney delivered brief remarks to Florida supporters and walked over to where supporters were cordoned off and waiting to meet him. A group of reporters left an area designated for the media and tried to get within earshot of Romney when a campaign staffer put out her arms to keep reporters from walking past her.

After a brief standoff, reporters from a number of national outlets circumvented the staffers and moved close enough to hear Romney.

A few hours later, Romney’s campaign acknowledged a mistake.

“This was an error on the part of the campaign staff and volunteers. We have reminded them that press is allowed on the rope line to record the governor’s interactions with voters,” spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in a statement.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan, making clear the agency wasn’t responsible for the policy, said: “The Secret Service does not restrict movement of the press into a general public area or their movement within the general public area.”

Rope lines are a staple of political campaigns, but a candidate’s presence there can lead to some memorable moments — and Romney has sometimes been candid in such situations. As Democrats marked the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, Romney told traveling reporters that “even Jimmy Carter” would have made that decision — a sharp quip that the campaign later softened as they muted their criticism of the Obama team’s focus on the occasion.

And earlier this year, Romney was on a rope line during the Daytona 500 when an Associated Press reporter asked him about his familiarity with the sport.

“I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners,” he said, a comment that later drew criticism from Democrats seeking to cast him as out of touch.

Trying to control a campaign’s message isn’t unique to Romney’s campaign. White House reporters traveling with Obama sometimes are limited in how they can approach the president on a rope line. Still, reporters are able to observe Obama interacting with voters on airport tarmacs when he walks over to greet waiting crowds.

Obama often doesn’t answer questions on rope lines, though he sometimes will chat with reporters. He recently told some that he won a basketball game he played with actors George Clooney and Tobey Maguire. The president prefers taking questions in formal interview settings.

Romney rarely does interviews with print media, preferring conservative broadcast outlets. He also regularly tapes interviews with local TV and radio reporters when he visits different states. But he doesn’t often allow himself to be grilled by the reporters who know him and his record best and who tend to ask the toughest questions.

The campaign also limits opportunities to watch Romney interact with voters. It says he regularly meets with middle-class families before events, but those meetings always take place in private. The campaign does not release the names of those attending.

His campaign insists that almost all interactions between reporters and campaign staff be either anonymous or completely off the record. And he’s only just now starting to allow his traveling press corps to share his campaign plane regularly. News organizations that travel with presidential candidates pay their own way, including plane fare, meals, hotels and other expenses, often thousands of dollars per day.

His aides are tight-lipped on even the most mundane issues, like travel logistics. And they are visibly averse to allowing the candidate to step into unscripted situations.

Even Romney finds a little humor in the sometimes tense relationship. While talking to reporters at the rear of his plane recently, Romney looked a few rows back at Rick Gorka, his traveling press secretary. “Rick is about to pass out. Gorka is,” he said with a laugh and added, as if speaking for Gorka, “‘What are you doing?’”

Gorka responded by waving his hand in a “wrap it up” motion.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — An insurance agent who authorities say scammed senior citizens of more than $2 million has been charged with grand theft.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrest Wednesday of 49-year-old Neal Seth Smalbach of Palm Harbor.

Smalbach was booked into the Pinellas County Jail after his arrest Tuesday. Bond was set at $250,000 bond. It’s not known if he has an attorney. If convicted, Smalbach faces up to 54 years in prison.

Jail records show he was arrested last year on a charge of organized fraud insurance.

Investigators say Smalbach misrepresented the factual details of investment products to multiple senior citizens for personal gain. Almost $5 million was invested by seniors in products that were unsuitable for them. Smalbach is also accused of falsifying two applications for insurance.

(©Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Florida is calling on county election supervisors to remove more than 53,000 dead people from the state’s voting rolls.

State officials this year checked Social Security files and concluded that people who died were still registered to vote. This was the first time the state checked the files. It was allowed under a controversial election law that passed the GOP-controlled Legislature last year.

An attorney with the Department of State told election supervisors on Wednesday they have seven days to remove a deceased voter from the rolls.

But some supervisors want to know if they will be given more proof that the voter is dead.

The move to remove dead voters comes at the same time when state officials are pushing to remove thousands non U.S.-citizens from the rolls.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

This index measures quarterly shifts in the financial condition of the average household. Looking at the numbers, Tampa is well below the United States averages for housing and employment. In addition, Tampa ranks below the national average of household budget, net worth, credit and overall consumer stability.

“Unemployment is high and underemployment is also high,” Scott Scredon, Director of Public Relations at CredAbility said. “13.2 percent of houses are delinquent on their mortgages, which is down a little from the previous quarter.”

Numbers are assigned to each of these areas – anything below 60 is considered a crisis and higher numbers dictate a more stable situation.

Tampa’s best scoring category is credit, but with a score of 74.6, it is still considered to be in a state of risk. This score is also nearly 13 points below the national average of 87.

Scredon added that “The average household in Tampa spends 42 percent of its income on housing — a (financially) healthy household spends about 25 percent.”

In the third quarter of 2007, Tampa’s job market was its strength, sitting with a score over 90. Since then, that score has dropped over 40 points from a “secure” market to a “crisis” market.

Besides household budget, every single category for Tampa households has dropped since 2007.

With an overall score of 57.9 — 12 points below the national average — Tampa is in dire need of stability in all facets of the economy.

Broward County Public Schools officials say the students were all in the same classroom at McArthur High School in Hollywood on Wednesday morning when they started complaining about an itching rash.

Paramedics were called to the school and the students and two teachers were being decontaminated and sent to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood for examination.

District spokeswoman Nadine Drew says the school is on lockdown and the building where the classroom is located has been evacuated. Students are being relocated to the gym as authorities continue to investigate the cause.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Niemann was seen in the clubhouse Tuesday on crutches borrowed from the Toronto Raptors. The 6’9″ Niemann needed special, extra long, crutches that niether the Rays nor Blue Jays had available.

The Rays have been absolutely ravaged with injuries this season. In spite of the 8 players placed on the DL, the Rays currently sit tied for first place with the Balitmore Orioles in the American League East.

For the time being, the Rays have called up reliever Josh Lueke from Triple-A Durham. Lueke has a rough first stint with the Rays this season, allowing 7 earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in 2 games. He was brought up to provide a much needed fresh arm for a bullpen that had just got done pitching 8 innings in relieve of Niemann.

With Niemann out of the rotation for at least a month an a half, what do the Rays do now?

Well to start, lets go over the possibilities and when the spot needs to be replaced. The Rays use a 5-man rotation that gives them until Saturday to set their roster in time to replace Niemann’s spot in the rotation.

The three legitimate contenders are minor-leaguers Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, or currently on the roster, (but in the bullpen) Wade Davis.

Davis obviously has the most experience as a starter, but Joe Maddon has said that he’d like to keep Davis in the bullpen. He has started 29 games in each of the last two seasons but has excelled out of the bullpen this season posting a 2.04 ERA in 17 innings.

I believe Maddon would like Davis to continue working at his new role and doesn’t want to interrupt his growth and yank him back and forth between the rotation and bullpen. I think the Rays look at Davis as a future back of the bullpen guy and no longer as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

“Probably it’s going to come from the minor-league area,” Maddon said.

The replacement is likely to come from the minors (as I’ve heard above). If there’s a team that has the depth to have more than one of it’s 5 previous season starters on th DL, and another to the pen and still be alright, it’s the Rays.

Chris Archer was most recently awarded with the International pitcher of the week. Archer has had trouble with consistency in finding the strike zone all of his career, this season hasn’t been any different.

Archer has issued 28 walks in just 42 innings this season with a 4.71 ERA. He does have 40 strikeouts over that same span, so the ability is their, but I believe Archer still needs sometime in the majors to work on his accuracy.

The situation that would make the most sense is to bring Alex Cobb up to replace Niemann this Saturday. Cobb’s next scheduled start would be Saturday, which mean the Rays wont have to shuffle their rotation and can plug him in without skipping a beat.

Cobb has somewhat struggled this season at Durham with a 1-4 record and a 4.14 ERA in 8 starts. During two stints with the Rays last season Cobb went 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 9 starts.

The 23-yr. old has the most polished stuff of anyone in the Rays minor league system. I do believe Archer has more potential as a top of the rotation guy then Cobb, but for now, Cobb is the guy the Rays should go with.

His below average stats this season have been partly a product of being rusty and coming back from an injury and a little bad luck. Cobb has been better then his stats have shown.

Bringing Cobb up just makes the most sense. You don’t have to reconstruct your bullpen and change roles by yanking Wade Davis out of it and you don;t have to pitch anyone on shorter rest then there used to for the rotation.

The Rays always seem to make moves that leave you scratching your head, and those usually work out. They’ve been known as the smartest organization at baseball, but this is a no-brainer. The Rays should promote Alex Cobb to take Niemann’s spot.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A new Royal Caribbean cruise ship will begin sailing from Tampa in 2013.

The Brilliance of the Seas will sail four- and five-night Western Caribbean itineraries, stopping in Cozumel on the four-night cruises. On the longer sailings, Cozumel, the Cayman Islands and either Key West or George Town are on the itineraries.

The ship will replace the company’s Jewel of the Seas.

The Tampa Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/JDnMtP) that before coming to Tampa, the 2,112-passenger Brilliance of the Seas will undergo a major renovation. New amenities will include a more dining and entertainment options, revitalized staterooms, Wi-Fi, digital way-finding stations and an outdoor LED video wall.

Passengers will be able to book cruises on the Brilliance of the Seas cruises starting May 17.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A museum celebrating Tampa’s rich baseball history could be opening up in a Hall of Fame player’s boyhood home.

The Tampa Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/IWtkwh ) that a local museum society will ask Hillsborough County commissioners Wednesday to lease a plot of land it owns to the city of Tampa.

Then the boyhood home of famed player and manager Al Lopez would be moved to the site for the museum. The Florida Department of Transportation has already agreed to move the house.

Lopez, who died in 2005, was the first Tampa native to play in the major leagues. He was followed by many others. Fellow natives Fred McGriff and Tino Martinez told the Tribune they are excited about the prospect of a baseball museum in the city.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Playing for the sixth time in 11 days, Los Angeles gave San Antonio its toughest first half of the playoffs before fading fast. And unlike their stunning Game 1 comeback at Memphis in the first round, the Clippers didn’t have the wind this time.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points for the Spurs, who’ve won 15 in a row. It’s the longest winning streak sustained in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs won 17 straight.

“It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be physical. We knew that coming in,” Duncan said. “We just expected to attack the basket as much as possible.”

Eric Bledsoe led the Clippers with 23 points.

Game 2 is Thursday night.

That gives the beat-up and banged-up Clippers one full day of rest — which is all the time they’ve had to recover between games for the past week and a half.

Los Angeles couldn’t even fly home first after knocking out the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 7 of a grueling series that had the Clippers hobbling next to Texas. Blake Griffin scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling “80 percent” at best.

The Clippers said the injury is bad enough that their All-Star and leading scorer might be missing up to two weeks if this were the regular season. But unlike in Game 7 on Sunday, Griffin didn’t take a seat in the fourth quarter until the Spurs were safely ahead in the final minutes.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 16 points, hitting all three of his 3s, and Danny Green added 15 points for the Spurs.

The marquee matchup of the series — All-Star point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul — was a fizzle. Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn’t make a single basket in the second half. Parker had seven points and 11 assists.

Caron Butler scored 15 points and Nick Young had 13 for the Clippers. Los Angeles cut the deficit to single digits with a 10-burst in the fourth quarter before San Antonio, which hasn’t lost in a month, ran away with its 11th double-digit victory during this dominating winning streak.

The Clippers didn’t even need San Antonio’s help getting more bumps and bruises: Mo Williams, already playing with his sore right fingers taped, took a lump on the head when teammate Reggie Evans kicked him with an errant foot after Williams fell on his back in the lane.

Williams wobbled when he tried standing, sat back down, and the Clippers burned a timeout. He never left the game, but the Clippers weren’t getting any fresher.

Parker, meanwhile, finally felt the hard knocks and slow-him-down shoves that Utah repeatedly promised but never delivered in the first round. Sometimes, the All-Star looked in vain to officials when the whistle didn’t blow. When that didn’t work once in the first quarter, he kept jabbering about a no-call on the last possession while lining up to shoot free throws on the current one.

Popovich, pacing and sensing an impending technical foul, silenced his leading scorer.

“Tony!” Popovich snapped from the sideline. “Shoot!”

Parker waved off the NBA Coach of the Year — he was under control. But his frustrations didn’t end there. He was 1 for 9 despite playing 38 minutes, scoring all but two of his points at the foul line.

Notes: Before this became the deepest Spurs team yet under Popovich, Butler said he came so close to signing with the Spurs after the lockout that he canceled a flight to San Antonio when the Clippers counteroffered. “They made a great pitch,” Butler said. …Leonard finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, the highest finish for a Spurs player since Ginobili finished fourth in 2003. Said Popovich: “He’s done a good enough job to make me trust him to be in the starting lineup. I’m happy for him.”

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers’ 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Bosh’s absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after Wade missed a jumper, James was fouled by Granger — his sixth — battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldn’t connect on either, and the Heat didn’t score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. Without him, James and Wade combined for 52 points — and no other Miami player scored more than five.

A dreadful third quarter by Miami — 3 for 17 shooting — allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indiana’s Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami.

The Heat scored the next six points, James — who got hit in the head by Granger with 7:25 left, sparking a bit of shoving that led to double-technicals given to both players — added a putback off an offensive rebound and Wade did the same about a minute later, getting Miami within 69-66 with 5:57 left.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers weren’t rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miami’s lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid quick dividends.

Three baskets at the rim — a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, followed by a Wade touch pass to James for another slam — erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collison’s jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indiana’s first half was offensively, Miami’s third quarter was equally dreadful — the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

They finished the swing 4-4, even as they placed two more players on the disabled list. Outfielder Desmond Jennings (left knee) and right-hander Jeff Niemann (fractured right leg) are the latest injury victims, leaving Tampa Bay with eight players on the DL.

“We could have easily gone 1-7 on this road trip,” said winning pitcher David Price. “I feel like that was a pretty good road trip for us, especially with us dealing with the injuries that we’re dealing with right now.”

Price, coming off a loss at the New York Yankees, continued his mastery of the Blue Jays. The left-hander is 11-2 with a 2.26 ERA in 14 career starts against Toronto, including a 5-0 mark in six starts north of the border.

Price (6-2) allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings, ending his outing by retiring 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. He struck out six with no walks.

Joel Peralta worked the eighth and Rodney closed it out in the ninth to remain perfect in 11 save opportunities.

Edwin Encarnacion homered for the Blue Jays, who made a season-high four errors. Toronto has lost three straight and seven of 10.

Not all Toronto’s defense was poor. Encarnacion fell into the seats to catch B.J. Upton’s foul popup in the first, and left fielder Rajai Davis threw out Ben Zobrist at the plate to end the third with a strong one-hop throw to catcher Jeff Mathis.

Having helped keep the Rays off the scoreboard, Davis promptly helped put the Blue Jays on it, leading off the bottom half with an infield single, taking second on a throwing error by shortstop Elliot Johnson, stealing third and scoring on a two-out single by Jose Bautista. Encarnacion followed with a first-pitch homer to center, his 12th of the season.

The Rays got their comeback started in the fifth when Will Rhymes led off with a single and scored on Zobrist’s two-out double, a ball that dropped in front of Toronto center fielder Colby Rasmus, who broke back on the play and couldn’t recover.

Tampa Bay took the lead and chased Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez (3-3) with a three-run seventh, taking advantage of two Toronto errors. Rodriguez led off with his third homer, a drive to center, and Rhymes followed with a single.

Jose Molina hit a grounder to short, but both runners were safe when shortstop Yunel Escobar fumbled the ball. Johnson followed with a single to left that Davis dropped for the second error, allowing Rhymes to score without a throw. Zobrist singled off the glove of second baseman Kelly Johnson, loading the bases for Upton, who grounded into a double play that brought Molina home with the tiebreaking run.

“That was not my intention at all,” Lawrie said. “I’ve never, ever done anything to go at an umpire before in my life, and I didn’t mean to tonight. I apologize for that.

“It’s just my passion for the game,” he said. “I wanted to help my teammates out as best I could. That’s the pride I have in this game. I leave my emotions out on the field.”

Miller was later hit by a drink thrown by a fan while walking off the field after the game.

The trouble began with one out in the ninth and Lawrie trying to work a walk off Rays closer Fernando Rodney. On a 3-1 pitch, Lawrie started toward first base but was stopped short as Miller called strike two. Rodney stared in at Lawrie, and Miller helped settle the tension.

On a full-count pitch that he thought was ball four, Lawrie again headed toward first base. When Miller called strike three, Lawrie crouched in disbelief. Lawrie dropped his bat, gestured at Miller and shouted, and was ejected.

Lawrie then started toward Miller, wound up with his right arm and threw down his helmet. It bounced at the umpire’s feet and ricocheted up into him.

“Upon seeing that he was ejected, he took several steps toward me and fired his helmet. It hit me in the right hip,” Miller said.

“That’s a bit extreme,” Miller said.

Miller said he has already filed his report with MLB about the incident.

Lawrie said he felt Miller made “kind of a late call” on strike three.

Toronto manager John Farrell came out to restrain his 22-year-old third baseman, who’s in his first full season in the majors. After Lawrie returned to the dugout, Farrell was ejected for arguing the call.

“The bat was taken completely out of Brett’s hands, not only the 3-1 pitch but the 3-2 pitch as well,” Farrell said. “Those are not strikes.”

Miller was hit by a drink as he left the field. Police and stadium security were seen pointing into the crowd after that incident, and Miller shouted something at the fan before exiting.

ANOTES: The Rays placed RHP Jeff Niemann (fractured right leg) on the 15-day DL and recalled RHP Josh Lueke from Triple-A Durham. The 6-foot-9 Niemann is using a pair of crutches borrowed from the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said minor leaguers Alex Cobb and Chris Archer are candidates to start when Niemann’s turn in the rotation comes up next for Saturday’s game against Atlanta. … Rays OF/DH Hideki Matsui played his first game at Triple-A Durham Tuesday night, batting fourth. He went hitless in four at-bats and struck out once.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Los Angeles dominated the opener and was even better in Game 2, withstanding Phoenix’s initial push and string of penalties for a 2-0 series lead.

Dwight King scored his third goal in two games and Quick tied a team record with his third career playoff shutout to give the Kings a dominating lead heading into Game 3 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The Kings have won nine straight road playoff games in two seasons, matching the NHL record set by the New York Islanders from 1982-83.

The Islanders won the Stanley Cup both of those years.

Quick matched Felix Potvin’s team record for playoff shutouts and Carter finished off his first career playoff hat trick in the third period, securing the Kings’ seventh straight win overall.

The Coyotes played better early and fell apart late, becoming frustrated after being unable to contain the more-skilled Kings.

Phoenix was hit with a string of penalties starting late in the second period, including a game misconduct to captain Shane Doan for boarding Kings center Trevor Lewis. Martin Hanzal also received one for boarding Dustin Brown in the third period and the Coyotes had 13 penalties for 56 minutes — most coming after the final 5 minutes of the second period.

The Kings won the opener 4-2 by outplaying and outhustling Phoenix.

Knowing Phoenix’s makeup, the Kings figured to get more of a pushback in Game 2.

And the Coyotes were much more aggressive early, winning some of the individual battles they lost in Game 1 while creating some decent scoring chances.

Even with all of Phoenix’s hard work and a couple of line changes by coach Dave Tippett, the Kings still managed to score first. King got it, redirecting a shot by Drew Doughty that beat Mike Smith stick side late in the period.

Hard work in the corners by Mike Richards set up Los Angeles’ second goal, by Carter. He muscled the puck past Smith’s glove side as he was going down on a feed from Dustin Penner that made it 2-0 early in the second period.

“I’ve been working hard in practice to get my game where I wanted it,” Carter said.

Then things completely unraveled for the Coyotes.

Doan, who was suspended three games for elbowing earlier in the season, was given a game misconduct and a five-minute boarding penalty for ramming Lewis from behind. Defenseman Keith Yandle was already in the penalty box and Daymond Langkow joined him after a slashing penalty, giving Los Angeles a two-man advantage for more than 2 minutes.

Brown was sent off for diving on a slash by Smith, but that didn’t bother the Kings. Carter scored his second a few seconds later on a redirect of a shot by Anze Kopitar, putting Los Angeles up 3-0.

“It’s no secret we been struggling a bit with the power play and to get some goals will give us confidence on it,” Carter said. “We have some pretty skilled guys out there on the power play.”

With the Coyotes racking up penalties seemingly on every shift, Carter finished them off with his fifth career hat trick, punching in a rebound with the Kings on a two-man advantage after Hanzal’s hit on Brown.

Notes: The Kings were without D Colin Fraser, out of the lineup attending to a family matter. … Coyotes LW Ray Whitney played in his 100th career playoff game. D Michael Stone played his first with Adrian Aucoin still out of the lineup and David Schlemko still not fully healthy. … Rocker Alice Cooper, who lives in the Valley, attended the game. … The last team to win seven straight road playoff games in one season was Chicago in 2010.

How do I describe the goodness and complete satisfaction of a hot arepa? It looks like an English muffin but tastes like a tender, warm variation on cornbread. The elusive arepa. They are not hard to make at home and you don’t need any special equipment. Here’s how to do it:

 Ingredients

1 cup PAN – Pre-cooked cornmeal
(sold in the ethnic section in Publix and other stores in a yellow package)
1 cup finely shredded Mexican-style cheese
9 oz milk
generous pinch of sea salt
2 TB canola or vegetable oil
shredded chicken (see below)
lobster meat (see below)
shredded pork (see below)

Extra ingredients for chicken and pork (pork takes a while to cook see below)

1 15 oz can of black beans or you can boil your own dry beans
1/3 green pepper, cut in 1/4″ dice
1/2 TB oilive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
salt to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
1 small container sour cream
one lime
1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
4 tomatillos
1 tsp cilantro
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped

Extra ingredients for lobster

1 tsp fresh, finely chopped tarragon
2 TB mayo or make your own
1 TB finely diced celery
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the PAN with the cheese and salt. Add the milk and allow to sit for a few minutes. Form the arepas into four large patties, the size of English muffins. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Fry the arepas until golden on both sides then put into the oven for 12-15 minutes. Watch them! When they are firm to the touch they are done.

Chicken – Method (see separate ingredient list above)

Buy a rotisserie chicken or roast your own, using one of my chicken recipes here.

Shred the chicken. Take the skins off the tomatillos and roast at 400 degrees F until soft. While that is happening, saute the green pepper in the oil, add the black beans, oregano, cumin and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and it’s done. Combine tomatillos in a food processor with the juice of half a lime, cilantro, jalapeno and salt to taste. To the sour cream, add the rest of the juice of the lime. Cut open the arepa (not all the way, add some shredded chicken, tomatillo salsa, black beans, some shredded cheese and a little bit of the lime sour cream.

Pork – Method

Roughly chop one onion and put it in a crock pot (you can also do this in an oven at 300 F in a roasting pan, but it will not be as moist).
Add a pork butt (or shoulder), 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of chicken stock, 2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp of cumin. If the liquid doesn’t come up 3/4 of the way in the crock pot, add more orange juice. You won’t be able to add enough for the roasting pan, so stick with the 1 cup orange juice/1 cup stock. Cook in the crock pot for about 8 hours or the oven for at least 6 hours or until a thermometer reads 170 degrees F. Shred the pork. Make the black beans and sour cream detailed under chicken arepas. Cut open an arepa, not all the way. Stuff with some pork, black beans, shredded cheese and a little sour cream.

Lobster – Method

Boil lobster for 10 minutes (no longer or it will be tough). Let cool and chop the lobster meat into bite-sized pieces. Combine with the mayo, tarragon and celery. Check for seasoning. Cut open an arepa and stuff with this yummy goodness.

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years and has been a talk show host for two years at Food Nation Radio. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page at http://elizabethdougherty.com 

ABC News reports the medical records were part of evidence released Tuesday that prosecutors have in the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman. He has entered a plea of not guilty and claims self-defense in the Feb. 26 shooting. A message left Tuesday evening with Zimmerman’s attorney was not immediately returned.

Zimmerman was treated Feb. 27 at Altamonte Family Practice. A phone call made Tuesday evening to the practice rang unanswered.

Some of the injuries were previously reported by The Associated Press based on video of Zimmerman at a jail sally port.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Amazingly, while the rest of main-street USA has been downsizing, holding on to their cars longer, getting behind on debt and mortgage payments, minimizing weddings, and looking for every possible way to cut corners in their family budgets, the American higher education system continues to grow at an astounding rate.  Furthermore,  our government and the educational system as a whole has created the assumption that in order to be successful in life, a college education is a must-have which ultimately encourages even more students and families to go into debt every year just to afford it. 

For the past 20 years,  higher education costs have been spiraling out of control, well BEYOND the rate of inflation and at an even greater rate than even health care costs, yet it appears to be a taboo topic among the media who seemingly are abstaining from confronting or recognizing it as a problem.

Consider some of these shocking statistics:

*In 1990, the average tuition and fees for a typical public 4 year college or university was about $2,500/year.  Today, in 2012, that number is approximately $8,000/year according to national estimates.  This number DOES not include housing, food, books, fee’s, health insurance (required) and other normal living expenses.  When these basic’s are included, the 2012 total skyrocket’s to over $19,800 per year (*source : University of Florida  http://www.sfa.ufl.edu/basics/cost-of-attendance/) .

*Since 1978, costs to attend college have risen at over 9 times the rate of inflation.

*In 1990, the average college graduate earned approximately $31,000 per year right out of college.  Comparatively, the median household income for the State Of Florida in 1990 was $21,685. (source: U.S. Census Bureau).

*Today, in 2012, 20 years later –  the average college graduate will earn approximately $46,000 straight out of college, compared with an average Florida median household income of $44,243. (source: U.S. Census Bureau)

*Among current graduating 4-year undergraduate students who applied for federal student aid, 86.3% borrowed to pay for their education and the average cumulative debt was $24,651. (source: 2007-2008 National Center for Education Statistics at the US Department of Education)

*Recently published statistics indicate that the total national student loan debt has eclipsed $1 Trillion in 2012.  Compare that against the TOTAL U.S. National Deficit that is estimated to be $17 Trillion.

Much like the housing boom that started with congressional mandates instructing banking institutions to relax their lending policies and procedures to ensure “fairness” and guarantee that “everyone” have an opportunity at home ownership, higher education has taken the exact same path in creating a nearly identical unsustainable economic scenario. 

Higher educational institutions have seemingly taken advantage of this existing situation of free-flowing cash with unabashed enthusiasm by continuously raising rates, building massive lecture halls & athletic stadiums, paying exorbitant salaries, and further promoting and marketing their own agenda by playing on the fears of well-intentioned parents who want what is best for their children’s occupational future.

As parents and taxpayers underwriting the $1 Trillion student loan debt, we should be demanding that our government and the higher educational institutions that are taking and using our money be required to answer some of the very difficult questions that Wall Street and corporate mortgage lenders had to answer after the housing bust.  Considering the current state of our economy and the projected earnings potential of the average college graduate, it may be safe to assume that the value ratio of higher education compared to its cost burden is a bit out of whack.

How far is Florida and America from being bankrupted by higher education?  By looking at history to determine the course of the future, it appears we may be much closer than many Americans actually realize.

Follow Ira Pickett on twitter @irapickett

Judge Robert Meale made his recommendation Tuesday.

The state refused to certify the 51-year-old rapper although he’s been volunteering as an assistant coach with local approval in Miami. Education officials cited his songs’ raunchy lyrics, a string of arrests and a performance with two women who removed their clothing in South Carolina.

Meale, though, noted the charges were dropped except for a couple of misdemeanor gun crimes more than 25 years ago. He also wrote that Campbell has coached inner-city youth and high school football without incident for years.

Campbell can take his case to an appellate court if Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson rejects Meale’s recommendation.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

According to an article in The Tampa Bay Times, five members of the 2011 team falsified addresses in order to be eligible to play for Armwood’s football team.

Was this a matter of recruiting? Negligence? Justin Pawlowski, The Commish, was joined by John Cotey of the Times to discuss the details and possible ramifications for the violations surrounding Armwood.

“Recruiting, fortunately or unfortunately, goes on,” Pawlowski said. “The question is, did Armwood have any knowledge of those players that transferred?”

It is still unclear how much the school’s employees had to do with the false addresses or how much of the blame hinges on the parents of these players. What is clear, however, is that Armwood is caught up in a violation that gave it an advantage over other schools.

“Public schools have zones. You can go to private school anywhere,” Cotey said. ”This is really just about parents falsifying addresses and not doing a complete move.”

As far as penalties are concerned, according to the article, Armwood has 10 business days to respond before possible penalties are handed down. Consequences could include forfeiting wins or incurring even fines.

Still, Cotey told Pawlowski that he think didn’t the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) would try to make an example out of Armwood.

The 44-page report of FHSAA’s findings can be found here.

Sean Callahan, football coach of Armwood, declined to discuss specifics relating to the claims.

The Commish with Justin Pawlowski airs Monday-Friday from noon-3pm on 1010Sports. For live blogging and sports news, follow 1010Sports on Twitter here.

Around 400 media representatives were in town Monday for a “walk-through” of the Tampa Bay Times, the arena where the nominating convention will take place Aug. 27 through Aug. 30. They also got to see the Tampa Convention Center, where reporters will have work space during the four-day event.

Many of the visitors were technical advance people for some of the 15,000 journalists expected to cover the convention. About 50,000 people total are expected to come to town for the week, filling nearly every available hotel room on both sides of Tampa Bay.

The Democratic Party will stage its convention a week later in Charlotte, NC.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Two teens are suspects in a fire that destroyed a home in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg police on Monday asked anyone with information about the May 6 fire to contact them.

The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/JDW8f7 ) reports Jessica Ryan heard a popping noise around 5 a.m. and got up to look outside. She noticed a glow outside the window and saw the carport was on fire. She told police the popping continued as aerosol cans exploded. Flames ripped through the walls near where her 6-year-old daughter was sleeping. The family, including husband Richard, made it safely outside.

Police say they believe the teens also broke into the Ryan’s two vehicles.

Police spokesman Mike Puetz says two teens were captured on surveillance video at a nearby 24-hour laundry early that morning.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

]]> http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/st-pete-fire-teen-suspects-home-destroye/feed/ 0 http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/police-mom-calls-kids-back-from-neighbor-to-fatally-shoot-them/ http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/police-mom-calls-kids-back-from-neighbor-to-fatally-shoot-them/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 16:54:33 +0000 mhigginscbs http://tampa.cbslocal.com/?p=41121 A Florida mother who fatally shot her four children before killing herself Tuesday called three of the kids who had sought help from a neighbor back to the house before firing the fatal shots, authorities said.]]> PORT ST. JOHN, Fla. (AP) — A Florida mother who fatally shot her four children before killing herself Tuesday called three of the kids who had sought help from a neighbor back to the house before firing the fatal shots, authorities said.

Thirty-three-year-old Tonya Thomas fatally shot her four children, who ranged in age from 12 to 17, said Lt. Tod Goodyear, a spokesman for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Three of the children had gone to a neighbor’s front door before dawn to say their mother had shot them. The mother then called the children back to the house and killed them, Goodyear said.

“It appeared they had been shot,” Goodyear said. “The mother of the children came out of the residence next door, called for the children to return home, at which time they left and went back to the house.”

The neighbor then heard gunshots and called 911.

Another neighbor told deputies that Thomas sent a text message in the middle of the night saying she wanted to be cremated with her children, Goodyear said.

The shooting happened in Port St. John, about 15 miles west of Cape Canaveral in an area known as the “Space Coast” because it is the home of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the location of numerous famed shuttle launches.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Turner finished with 10 points, including his layup that put the Sixers up 76-75. He added two free throws with 12 seconds to go.

Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and Andre Iguodala added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Sixers, who blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter as the Celtics won Game 1.

Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Ray Allen scored 17 points for the Celtics.
Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia won its first playoff game in Boston since 1982 despite committing a playoff-high 19 turnovers and getting outrebounded 47-36.

Spencer Hawes finished with eight points and 10 rebounds and Lavoy Allen scored 10 points for the Sixers.
Brandon Bass had 12 points for the Celtics, who couldn’t quite repeat their comeback in the series opener. The Sixers led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter of Game 1 before the Celtics rallied for a 92-91 victory.

It was starting to look familiar for Philadelphia on Monday, but the Sixers were able to hold off the Celtics down the stretch in a tight finish.

Philadelphia led 57-49 entering the fourth, but Boston tied it twice before going up 72-71 on Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer, setting off a series of shots from beyond the arc.

Holiday answered with a 3 for the Sixers, then Ray Allen got the lead right back for the Celtics on a 3-pointer with 1:40 left. The Celtics had a chance to extend the lead after forcing the Sixers into a 24-second shot clock violation, but Rondo missed a shot and Iguodala got the rebound, leading to Turner’s layup to put the Sixers up 76-75 with 40.4 seconds to go.

Rondo and Allen both missed shots that would have put Boston ahead, then Rondo fouled Turner with 14.4 seconds left as the shot clock was winding down.

The Celtics fouled Turner again with 12 seconds and he hit both free throws to extend the lead to 78-76.
Fans grew restless as the second half opened with sloppy, choppy play by both teams. Boston led 38-36 at halftime and nearly 7 minutes into the third quarter the score was just 43-41 with the Celtics still ahead.

When the shots finally started falling, they were all for Philadelphia. The Sixers scored 14 straight points, turning a 47-43 deficit into a 57-47 lead in the final minute of the period. Boston went without a point for 4:40, finally scoring when Pierce made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left in the period.

The Celtics committed seven turnovers during the quarter and made just 4 of 17 shots.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers was named the 2012 Rookie of the Year, beating out another point guard Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The ascent has been rapid for the 19-year-old former New Jersey high school player from St. Patrick’s who last year, due to an injury, played just 11 games as a freshman at Duke.

Irving, who had averages of 18.5 ppg, 5.4 apg and 3.7 rpg while shooting at a .469 clip would have likely won, but Rubio’s season-ending injury two-thirds through the compacted campaign may have cinched it for the number one overall selection of the most recent draft. His first-place finish also prevented a trend of having a player not selected in the preceding draft class win the award. Last season, Blake Griffin won after missing his entire first year due to a knee injury and then Spaniard Rubio, although drafted in 2009 played the previous two seasons in Europe.

However, the rivalry between Irving and Rubio may not end with this single award. The two players represent the poles of how to play the point guard. Irving is the scorer who can distribute whereas Rubio is the distributor who can score.

Rubio plays with a languid and giddy delight like that captured by Miles Davis’ triumphant album “Sketches of Spain” as he sets up teammates for baskets with passes through a byzantine wall of defenders. Irving, on the other hand, plays with mercurial steeliness who astounds as he finishes at the rim by slithering through a nascent crack or absorbing contact from larger men as he scores.

The toughness and quiet resolve Irving possesses may stem from his past. He grew up without his mother, Elizabeth, who died when he was just four years old leaving his father, Drederick, who played professional basketball in Australia (where Irving was born) to raise him. His father escaped death not too long after that in 2001 when he was working at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attack.

His father taught him the game of life and basketball and the end result on the court seems to be a cross between the raw explosiveness of Derrick Rose mixed with the wiry strength of Allen Iverson. But while these two MVP award winning point guards would serve as the heights that Irving could attain, there are ominous pitfalls that have stricken his kind.

Two previous point guards highly drafted from the state of New Jersey who also played for Duke had misfortune ruin their careers. It may even be a curse. Former Jersey schoolboy standout (St. Anthony’s) and Duke star Bobby Hurley, in the midst of his rookie season for the Sacramento Kings suffered injuries in an automobile accident that for all intents and purposes ended his career. A few years later, Jay Williams (St. Joseph’s) after leaving Duke was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls. However, following his rookie season, he had an offseason motorcycle accident and he never played another minute in the NBA. Hopefully, the hex is over.

Martin Sumners is an NBA columnist for IamaGM.com. Find out more about Martin at sumsoul.com and follow him on Twitter @sumsoul.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook had 27 points and nine assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder blasted the weary Los Angeles Lakers 119-90 on Monday night in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder took a 15-point halftime lead, then opened the third quarter with a 15-2 blitz filled with crowd-pleasing 3-pointers and dunks.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 35 points, getting a measure of vengeance for the elbow Metta World Peace delivered to the head of the Thunder’s James Harden three weeks earlier — and without needing dirty tactics to do it.

Thunder starting center Kendrick Perkins limped off after aggravating a hip injury from the first round.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points each for the Lakers and Bynum had 14 rebounds.

The Thunder committed a franchise-record four turnovers.

Two games after trailing by as many as 28 points in a blowout loss in Game 6 in Denver, it got even worse for the Lakers. They responded to that loss by beating the Nuggets 96-87 in a thrilling Game 7 on Saturday night.

They’ll need another big bounce back for Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

While the Lakers were making a quick turnaround less than 48 hours after ending the first round, the Thunder had eight full days off following their first-round sweep of defending NBA champion Dallas.

It got out of hand just after halftime, in highlight-reel fashion.

Durant lobbed the ball to Westbrook for a two-handed slam, then connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing to draw a timeout from Lakers coach Mike Brown.

That still didn’t slow down Oklahoma City, which got what could have been a costly two-handed dunk from Perkins on its next trip and then another 3 from Durant before Thabo Sefolosha swiped the ball from Bryant and ran out for a layup that made it 74-46 with 8:39 left in the period.

Both coaches started going to their benches with 8½ minutes left, and Los Angeles reserve Devin Ebanks ended up getting ejected with 2:18 to play after walking up to a scrum for the ball after the whistle. Official Greg Willard said at the scorer’s table that he was ejected for “what he said” in drawing a technical foul.

It ended up tying for the 12th-worst blowout in Lakers playoff history.

Perkins returned to the bench but did not come back into the game after getting hurt. He had missed most of the week of practice after straining a muscle in his right hip in the final game of the Dallas series.

The buildup to the game focused largely on it being the first meeting between the teams since World Peace gave Harden a concussion by elbowing him in the head three weeks ago, in the final stretch of the regular season.

World Peace got a seven-game suspension, returning just in time to help L.A. win Game 7 against Denver.

A sold-out crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena wasn’t nearly as happy to see him back, although World Peace — who changed his name from Ron Artest — was hardly fazed by the chorus of boos that greeted him during pregame introductions or again whenever the ball came his way.

World Peace knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key amid boos the first time he touched the ball, set up a two-handed jam by Bynum and drilled another 3 within the first 2½ minutes.

The Thunder turned an early six-point deficit around with a 19-7 run punctuated by Harden’s driving layup that led to a three-point play and a 25-19 lead, and they never trailed again.

If the Lakers’ legs were weary, it showed most on the defensive end. Oklahoma City shot 53 percent and the league’s most turnover-prone team committed only one — Harden’s failed alley-oop pass for Durant that banged off the glass and was grabbed by World Peace — while building a 59-44 halftime lead.

Notes: Bryant tied former teammate Shaquille O’Neal for the third-most playoff games in NBA history with 216. … Perkins was called for a lane violation in the first quarter after arguing with Willard about a call and then walking up to his spot along the lane while Bynum was shooting. Bynum made both foul shots when awarded the extra chance. … Toby Keith’s daughter, Krystal, sang the national anthem.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

NEW YORK (AP) — After 14 games and two nail-biting playoff series wins, the New York Rangers insist they have plenty left to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

If any proof was needed, Henrik Lundqvist provided it with a shutout victory over the well-rested New Jersey Devils in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night.

Lundqvist made 21 saves in his fifth career playoff shutout. Rookie Chris Kreider, defenseman Dan Girardi, and Artem Anisimov all had a goal and an assist in the third period as the Rangers turned a scoreless game into a 3-0 win. It came two days after New York outlasted the pesky Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the second-round series.

“I don’t know where you guys get all this stuff about being tired,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “If we’re tired this time of the year, there’s something the matter. We still have a month to play. You might as well not even ask me questions about being tired.”

The Rangers said during their one day off before facing the Devils that they liked the rhythm of playing every other day, and didn’t think the quick turnaround would affect them. The Devils, however, had been off for five days since they knocked out the Philadelphia Flyers in five games.

“It’s always tough to come from a Game 7. So emotional, and everything around it, and then start over,” Lundqvist said. “(Sunday) was all about regrouping, and move your focus to a new team and just a different type of game.

“I didn’t really know what to expect from this game, honestly.”

No team forced to play seven-game series in each of the first two rounds has gone on to win the Stanley Cup, but the Rangers are determined to be the first. The Rangers slogged through two scoreless periods and pulled out a win with a dominating third period.

The Rangers are in the conference finals for the first time since 1997, and they haven’t reached the Stanley Cup finals since 1994, when they beat 22-year-old goalie Martin Brodeur and the Devils in a classic seven-game series that backed up captain Mark Messier’s guarantee.

Brodeur and the Devils are making their first conference finals appearance since 2003, the year they won the Cup for the third time.

Game 2 is Wednesday night in New York.

Girardi, who struggled at times with his defensive duties, got a perfect setup from Kreider and scored 53 seconds into the third period. Playing in just his 13th NHL game, all in these playoffs, Kreider sent a pass back from the right circle in the Devils’ zone to the point. Girardi took long strides as he charged up ice and stepped into a shot that ripped through a screen in front by teammate Derek Stepan.

“I saw (Kreider) coming up the wall, and I was delaying to see what he was going to do,” Girardi said. “I saw no one go to the point, and I kind of stepped into it and got it through.”

The shot beat Brodeur for Girardi’s second playoff goal this season and second in 47 career postseason games. It was a drive Brodeur said he never saw.

“We didn’t finish Kreider down the board,” Brodeur said. “We didn’t close him out and get him off of the puck. Nobody went to him, probably a miscommunication, and he was able to lay a puck to Girardi and for a bomb.”

The other assist went to 21-year-old defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who along with Kreider was only 3 when these teams last met in the conference finals in `94.

Girardi also earned a secondary assist on Kreider’s power-play goal with 8 minutes remaining that made it 2-0. New York’s slumping power play connected after Girardi was drilled hard from behind into the boards by Devils forward Steve Bernier.

Anisimov, who also assisted on Kreider’s goal, scored into an empty net to make it 3-0 with 1:27 left.

Brodeur heard sing-song chants of “Mar-ty, Mar-ty” before the game started. Those got much louder after Girardi’s goal, and even more taunting after Kreider scored as the blue-shirt wearing, towel-waving fans’ excitement grew. Brodeur finished with 25 saves.

Lundqvist showed no signs of fatigue and was solid throughout in posting his second shutout of these playoffs — helped by 26 blocked shots by his teammates.

“Hank is huge for us back there,” Girardi said. “We were struggling a little bit in our defensive zone and he was there to bail us out. That’s what happened. He made some big saves, and in the third period we came out hard and got a couple of goals for him.”

To no one’s surprise, the teams were still tied heading into the final frame, but not because of a lack of chances.

Lundqvist was sharp in turning aside pucks that sneaked through the wall of teammates that blocked so many shots. He was at his best while the Rangers were on a power play late in the second period.

Zach Parise had the puck to the left of the net and snapped off a forehand that Lundqvist blocked. Parise got another whack at the rebound, and was again denied. Given one more chance with a backhander, Parise failed to break the deadlock with a short-handed goal.

“I tried to go 5-hole on the first one and it just kept popping back to me,” Parise said. “I tried to go up, and he made the save. It came back, and I tried to go high, and he made another save. It was unfortunate. It was a few of those opportunities we had. We just didn’t capitalize.”

It wasn’t the first bit of frustration in the series opener for the Devils captain. Parise was caught from behind by hard-charging defenseman Ryan McDonagh to thwart a first-period breakaway before Parise could get a shot on Lundqvist

McDonagh made the most of his 22-year-old legs, and showed no signs of fatigue from 14 previous playoff games this season, when he also chased down Ilya Kovalchuk in the first period. Lundqvist made a stop at the end of the charge.

The Devils also peppered Lundqvist in the opening minutes of the second period. Lundqvist fought to see between a maze of players and even gave a shove to the back of teammate Anton Stralman, trying to move the defenseman out of his line of sight.

Brodeur also was sharp at the other end, even shaking off a collision with teammate Marek Zidlicky, who got tangled with Rangers forward Brandon Prust. Brodeur’s mask was knocked off after the whistle.

Notes: The Rangers held an 18-17 edge in shots through 40 minutes, but New York also blocked 18 other Devils attempts. … Brodeur, who has 24 postseason shutouts, made his 183rd consecutive playoff start for the Devils. He is the only player from the 1994 series still in the NHL. … Kreider, who made his debut on April 16 at Ottawa after winning the NCAA championship with Boston College, has three goals in the playoffs.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)