Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 52

PORT TO CONTACT SPORTS: Phone: (800) 333-7505, ext 8123 Fax: (727) 893-8782 E-mail: sptsnewssptimes.com SECTION WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2 0 0 3 THE TIMES Rays tromig up reining Cy LINE RAYS 9, A'S 3: Tampa Bay rips Barry Zito to tie June total with fifth July win. By MARC TOPKIN Times Staff Writer throughout the lineup. Highlights included a clutch double by Ben Grieve, who'd had only three hits with runners in scoring position all season; three hits by rookie infielder Antonio Perez, who is getting a chance this week to showcase his skills; and three hits and three RBIs by Travis Lee, who had knocked in one run in his previous 17 games. Rob Bell, meanwhile, made a pitch to stay in the rotation, or at least in the bullpen, with a strong outing. With Joe Kennedy coming off the disabled list to start today, the Rays have one starter too many, and sending Bell back to the minors might be the easiest way to create a roster spot.

Please see RAYS 3C he has an invitation to next week's All-Star Game. But the Devil Rays showed plenty of reasons why they did, pounding Zito for a career-worst 15 hits on their way to an impressive 9-3 victory. "Boy, if you would have told me we'd get 15 hits off Zito in five-six innings I would have looked at you a little funny," Rays manager Lou Piniel-la said. "It's a good way to start a road trip." The win was the Rays' sixth in their past nine games and their fifth already of the month, matching their June total. The Rays matched a season high with 19 hits, including a club-record 17 singles, and the offense came from OAKLAND, Calif.

There were a number of reasons to think the Devil Rays didn't have much of a chance Tuesday night against Oakland ace Barry Zito'. The lanky left-hander had shackled them in four previous meetings, he has one of the top winning percentages in baseball history (especially in July), he has the 2002 American League Cy Young Award at home and V9-" i i i AP Starter Rob Bell delivers during a solid six-inning outing against the A's that earned him his first win as a Devil Ray. AP Alessandro Petacchi of Italy won the 103.54-mile third stage of the Tour de France. Tour's Trial At the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong positions himself for todays team time trials, which is "the first decisive move of the race," his team's general manager says. 6C Tampa seeds topple Top seed James Blake and No.

Tampa, lose in the first round of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. 5C Mm Hasek is back to dominate picture The goalie makes his comeback official, giving Detroit a rare surplus. The league's newest $100-million star lives up to expectations in debut By JAMAL THAUI Times Staff Writer Times wires DETROIT The return of two-time league MVP Dominik Hasek gives the Red Wings a unique problem: too many top-notch goaltenders. Hasek, 38, who led Detroit to a Stanley Cup title in 2002, announced Tuesday he plans to come out of re if 0UT0FB0UNDS Found: Gray kitten, slight pine-tar smell Robert Fick was focused on a kitten rather than hittin'. As Atlanta took batting practice Tuesday night, Fick saw something furry in front of the dugout.

A tiny gray cat had been found in a camera bay next to the Braves bench, caught in a tangle of wires and debris. "She barely had her eyes open and she kept falling over when we found her," said Keith De-. Santis, a cameraman for the MSG Network. Fick, a first baseman, took notice before Atlanta's game against the Mets. "I thought it was someone's pet It was playing with a bat," Fick said after Atlanta's 5-3 win.

"When they said it didn't long to anybody, I said I'd take it" Fick said he and his wife, Jennifer, have a couple of cats. il tarn? -v tirement to rejoin the Red Wings. "My batteries are recharged, and I have the fire for competing for the Cup again," he said during a conference call. mm 12 f. hi Dominik Hasek vfJ ORLANDO LeBron James entered his professional debut as all rookies should: lugging his own stuff into the TD Waterhouse Centre on Tuesday.

It was his first, and last, rookie moment Because this kid is good. Good, mind you, not great Not yet anyway. But in Tuesday night's summer-league opener against Orlando, Cleveland's No. 1 overall draft pick, high school legend and $100-million man proved it's not just hype. He can play.

"It's all about the game," he said. "We win. I'm happy." The Cavaliers drummed the Magic's rookies, perennial free agents and other lesser-knowns 107-80. Not that it mattered. There was only one reason why 15,123 fans would attend a summer-league game and why 12,000 of them would pay $5 a ticket and only one reason why 175 media credentials were issued: to see James for themselves.

"He proved me wrong," Orlando's Wesley Morton, 17, said. "I didn't think he was as good as they said he was. I thought it was just hype." It's not James had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes, and maybe solved Cleveland's point-guard problem, too. He made 5 of 11 shots from the floor and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. The only negatives: 0-for-3 from the 3-point line and three turnovers.

James was like a man among, well, men, and his presence was quickly felt The rookie's first shot was a blown layup, one batted back inbounds by Orlando's Alton Ford and into James waiting arms under the basket His one-handed slam ignited the crowd with 9 minutes, 16 seconds left in the first quarter. A minute later James took a i QUESTION 0FTHE DAY Which four baseball players have been two-time All-Star Game MVPs? Answer below. 7iMWii1iiirm QUOTABLE "Ninety percent of the putts that fall short don't go in." YOGI BERRA Who else? -J I Wi Last month the Red Wings exercised an $8-million option on Hasek, who lives in the Czech Republic. It wasn't clear until Tuesday whether he would play this season. Hasek's re-emergence means Detroit has a glut of quality goal-tenders, including two set to earn $8-million each this season.

Likely to be traded is Curtis Joseph, 36, signed last summer to a three-year, $24-million deal as a free agent to replace Hasek. He first would need to waive a no-trade clause in his contract "Ideally, as quickly as possible, I'd like to get a goaltender moved," general manager Ken Holland said. "We're going to have to be creative with some other teams to try to put something together." Joseph has not expressed a preference for a new team. 'We haven't approached that yet," said Don Meehan, Joseph's agent. "I think at the end of the day, he will have a very strong say in where he ends up." In addition to Hasek and Jo-Please see HASEK 2C AT Si-- jmsaoimm CHECK IT OUT BUCS REVISITED: How big are the Bucs in Tampa Bay? WQYK-AM 1010 hopes big enough to help it control sports radio listeners for the rest of the month from 3-6 daily.

Beginning Thursday, WQYK will rebroadcast the 2002 season, beginning with the 14-10 win over Miami in the preseason opener. One game a day will be rebroadcast through coverage of the Super Bowl Aug. l.The Replacement Show, usually on from 3-7, will not air Thursday or Friday. Heidi Heinz, the station's director of marketing and promotions, said no decision had been reached when the show will air, though she said it is expected to return. AP Please see JAMES 2C LeBron James turns a low-key summer-league game into a must-see exhibition against the Magic.

Triumphing over death every day Nearly killed by rare blood disease, former All-Star Chet Lemon has bounced back to coach Eustis to the state tide. ANSWER Gary Carter, Steve Garvey, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken Jr. By KEITH NIEBUHR Times Staff Writer CORRECTION Trent Klatt signed with the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Another team was named Tuesday. I I fielding percentage.

Today, life is much different Lemon takes things a bit more slowly. He has no choice. He lives northwest of Orlando in Umatilla with his wife, Gigi, son Marcus, 14, and the couple's 5-year-old daughter Brianna. A self-described family man and person of faith, he coaches the Panthers as a volunteer (he never has accepted a coaching salary) and is the state's chairman for AAU baseball. But Lemon, 48, isn't healthy.

In fact it's remarkable he's alive. He has polycythemia vera, a rare disease that causes blood clots and shortens lives considerably. It nearly killed Lemon three times, most recently 20 months ago when his spleen was removed. Doctors told him before the procedure he might not live through the day. He lost about 50 Please see LEMON Back page He should.

They keep him alive. When Lemon patrolled the outfield during 16 major-league seasons, he was one of the game's most complete players. He hit for power, drove in runs and was graceful in the field. Lemon's hustling style was his trademark. The three-time All-Star compiled a .273 career batting average, 396 doubles (he led the American League in 1979) and 1,875 hits playing for the White Sox and Tigers.

His defensive instincts were considered to be among the best In 1,988 games, most in centerfield. Lemon made 82 errors. In 1977 he set an AL record for putouts by an outfielder. During the Tigers' world championship season of 1934, he had a .995 Chet Lemon pumped his fist and high-fived his players as he bounded out of the Legends Field dugout His son, Marcus, had just snagged a game-ending pop fly that put their Eustis High School team into the state championship game. Minutes later Lemon, the Eustis coach, was in the interview room.

He spoke of the victory, the community's support for his squad and his disbelief over the little respect the iPanthers had gclW from poll voters xluring the regular season. As Lemon chatted, assistant Paul Niles stood at the doorway and tried to get his attention. Niles waved a pillbox in his hands as if to say, "Remember these?" Today's gamJ Rays vs. Athletics, 3:30 Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, Calif. RADIO: WDAE-AM 620 RAYS TICKETS: (888) FAN-RAYS Times fries Eustis High coach Chet Lemon has polycythemia vera, which forced him to have his spleen removed 20 months ago..