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LAW ENFORCEMENT

Sheriff vows 8-liner war

By JASON BUCH THE ZAPATA TIMES Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez says he’s launching a campaign to rid the county of maquinitas establishments that pay out more than the $5 allowed by law.

Gonzalez said he will seek felony charges against illegal maquinitas in Zapata County.

Charging owners and gamblers

with misdemeanor gambling charges has not been enough of a deterrent, and his office will charge people who run maquinithat pay out GONZALEZ tas more than the legal amount with engaging in organized criminal activity, Gonzalez said.

“To me, it’s a slap in face to law

enforcement, to the whole community,” Gonzalez said. “My job is to enforce the law, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

The gambling machines, also known as 8-liners, are legal in Texas, but can only pay out $5 in cash prizes. The establishments that break the law are a drain on the community and a catalyst to violent crime, Gonzalez said.

“They’re intended for entertainment purpose only, but when peo-

ple go out there and spend their whole Social Security check in a few days, they don’t have any money for food, to pay their bills,” he said.

And maquinitas places taking in thousands of dollars in cash each night make tempting targets for armed robbers, he said.

“You’re talking lots and lots of money that’s coming out of there,” he said.

Two armed men from Starr

County held up a Falcon maquinitas spot in 2006, firing into the ceiling during the robbery, Gonzalez said.

In September, a husband and wife at a game room in Lopeño were tied hand and foot by their captors, who stole $5,000 from them, he said.

And another establishment in Falcon was taken down by armed

See MAQUINITAS | PAGE 7A

A SPLASHING

High Ed Center on track

By ERIKA LAMBRETON THE ZAPATA TIMES

Despite obstacles, the Higher Education Center in Zapata has begun to move forward with development plans and is slated to open its doors in March 2010.

The center will now be constructed across from the County Courthouse. Originally, it was to be located in a renovated vacant Zapata Independent School District school building.

The Zapata Economic Development Center secured about $1.6 million for the project, and received another $1.5 million in state funds to build a brand new UMPHRES facility.

MOFFET “We had to overcome a road block and that was having to combine the funds and still meet the guidelines of both agencies,” said Peggy Umphres Moffet, the economic development center’s president.

The idea for the center was born after the center realized the need for a more knowledgeable, better prepared and skilled workforce within the county, said Umphres Moffet.

GOOD TIME

EDUCATION

Needs of the community The first steps the center needed to take were to identify and determine the needs within the community as well as securing a facility, Umphres Moffet said.

Programs are currently being developed through an Education Steering Committee, which includes representatives of ZCISD and county officials, along with several community leaders. “(The committee) makes recommendations to the county as far as the design and facility programs that will be taught … as an ongoing process to help keep the project moving and (will) focus on any issues and areas (it) needs to focus on,” said Umphres Moffet.

The project involves Laredo Community College and Texas A&M International University, which plan to provide educational and

Photos by Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times

TOP: Javier Benavidez enjoys his first experience at the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Swimming Complex with the help of his mother, Martha Benavidez, on a scorching Friday afternoon. ABOVE: The sparkling waters of the new complex, which just opened Thursday, are sure to be filled with swimmers soon.

See CENTER | PAGE 7A

AGRICULTURE

Thriving Zapata farms beat the norm

By ZACH LINDSEY LAREDO MORNING TIMES

While other counties in Texas are seeing a decrease in farmland, ranches and forestland, Zapata County is seeing some increase, according to a recent study released by the American Farmlands Trust.

In 1997, there were 380 farms and 420,931 acres devoted to agriculture in Zapata.

In 2007, the most recent year with complete data, Zapata had 459 farms and 459,440 acres of agriculture.

The concentration of agriculture has stayed in the same general areas.

“That area close to San Ygnacio, that’s always been VELA agricultural land,” said County Commissioner Jose Vela. “But I do see that they have more farmland there than in the past.”

One thing that makes that particular area so successful for farming is irrigation practices.

Statewide, the amount of acreage that made up large farms decreased. Zapata saw a rise in farms larger than 2,000 acres, and also a rise in the amount of acreage those farms took up.

Steady growth In 1997, Zapata had 51 farms with more than 2,000 acres. By 2007, that number had risen to 58.

Some of those farms appear to have lost some acreage. Although there are seven new farms with 2,000 acres, there is an increase of

only 21,314 acres from the number of acres held by 2,000-plus-acre farms.

The amount of land in mid-sized farms, farms of between 500 and 2,000 acres, declined by about 250,000 acres a year statewide.

Again, although Zapata lost one farm between 1,000 to 2,000 acres since 1997, in general, Zapata increased in acreage. Mid-sized farms in Zapata increased their acreage by 9,634 acres.

Like much of the state, Zapata saw an increase of farms of between 1 and 500 acres. However, in the case of the rest of the state, the

increase in small farms came from a breakup of mid-sized and large farms.

More small farms Zapata saw 7,551 new small farms emerge from 1997 to 2007.

While Webb to the northwest and Starr to the southeast both saw a trend toward fragmentation of larger farms, Zapata was one of the only counties in the region the study identified as “South Texas

See FARMS | PAGE 7A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief

CALENDAR

SATURDAY,JUNE 27,2009

TODAY IN HISTORY

AROUND TEXAS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY,JUNE 27 Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society invites those interested in genealogy to join them and John Campbell for a genealogy workshop. Anyone needing help in tracing his or her family roots is welcome.The event will be held at the TAMIU Special Collections Library.For more information, call 326-2404.

THURSDAY,JULY 2 The Gateway Zapata Clinic, 210 N. Rathmell Ave.,will be having an open house today from 8 a.m.to noon. There will be numerous free screenings, including dental and medical for children, glaucoma, retinopathy, laboratory for CMP 12+8 and PSAfor men,Accu-Checks and pregnancy tests, among others. A variety of health information also will be provided. For more information, call 765-4367.

SATURDAY,JULY 11 Border Battle I, a charity football game designed to raise money for Border Region MHMR, will be held today in Laredo. The Border Patrol “BrushDogs” will stand off against the U.S. Customs and Border Protection “FrontLine Force”on the gridiron in a full-contact football game.The event will be held at the UISD Student Activity Complex starting at 7 p.m.

First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. in Laredo, is having its monthly book sale from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Widener Room. For more information, call 722-1674.

SATURDAY,JULY 26 Serving Children and Adolescents in Need (SCAN) Inc. is organizing a Bowling Tournament with the proceeds to benefit SCAN’s Trauma Programs. The event is scheduled for today at Jett Bowl North. Trophies for the first, second and third places will be awarded. There will also be door prizes.The fee is $125 per team, five players per team. For more information, call Sandra Hernandez or Sylvia Flores at 725-2522.

SATURDAY,AUG.1 The second annual Whiskers & Tails Kids “Free” Fishing Tournament is scheduled for today from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Zapata County Public Boat Ramp. For more information,call the Zapata Chamber of Commerce at 765-4871.

First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. in Laredo, is having its monthly book sale from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Widener Room. For more information, call 722-1674.

WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 5 The AgriLIFE Extension in cooperation with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association presents: How the New Law Affects Ranch Estate Planning, a seminar which will be held today at the College Station Conference Center in College Station, Texas.

The seminar will last from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and participants will discuss basic estate planning devices, with Wayne A. Hayenga serving as special guest speaker.This seminar is offered to provide participants enough information on tax and estate planning matters to help them make difficult estate planning decisions.Aregistration fee of $125 is required to attend the seminar. To register, e-mail Connie at 979-8452226 or csmotek@tamiu.edu.

THURSDAY,AUGUST 6 The AgriLIFE Extension in cooperation with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association presents: How the New Law Affects Ranch Estate Planning, a seminar which will be held todayat the College Station Conference Center in College Station, Texas. The seminar will last from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.with lunch to be served at noon.Dr.Wayne A.Hayenga will serve as special guest speaker. A registration fee of $125 is required to attend.To register contact Connie at 979845-2226 or csmotek@tamiu.edu.

WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER 2 The USS Missouri (BB-63) Association is a nonprofit organization made up of sailors, marines, officers and midshipman that have served aboard this famous battleship.Shipmates that served aboard the battleship USS Missouri (BB63) will hold their annual reunion in Norfolk,Va.starting today,and lasting until Sept.8.All veterans and interested parties, along with their family and friends are invited. For more information, call Bill Morton, vice president of the association,at (803) 469-3579 or e-mail him at Mo63@ftc-i.net.

Photo by David J. Phillip | AP

Billionaire R. Allen Stanford is escorted into the federal courthouse Thursday in Houston. Stanford faces federal charges that he ran a $7 billion scheme to defraud investors with his international banking empire.

Judge delays financier Stanford’s release on bond ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Texas financier R. Allen Stanford, facing trial on charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion, will spend at least the weekend behind bars after a federal judge Friday ruled to delay his release on bond.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner granted a prosecution request to delay a magistrate’s order granting Stanford, once considered one of the richest men in America, a $500,000 bond.

Hittner, who is presiding over Stanford’s

Michael Jackson’s cardiologist identified LOS ANGELES — A newspaper reports the doctor whose car was towed from Michael Jackson’s house is a cardiologist who practices in California, Nevada and Texas.

A woman who answered the phone Friday at Dr. Conrad C. Murray’s clinic in Houston confirmed to The Associated Press that Murray was Jackson’s cardiologist. The woman, who refused to give her name, would not confirm the Los Angeles Times report that Murray was performing CPR on Jackson when paramedics arrived at the entertainer’s home Thursday.

The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners Web site shows no complaints filed against Murray in the four years he’s been a licensed cardiologist in Texas.

case, ordered a hearing for Monday to hear arguments on whether Stanford’s bond should be revoked.

The Stanford and three executives of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group are accused of orchestrating a fraud by misusing most of the $7 billion they advised clients to invest in certificates of deposit from the Stanford International Bank in Antigua.

Prosecutors argue that Stanford, who holds Antiguan citizenship and may have access to vast wealth, is a flight risk. But DeGuerin said his client wants to stay and fight the charges.

Former Texas House speaker Some border residents get Lewis facing DWI charge new shot at passport AUSTIN — Former Texas House speaker Gib Lewis is facing a drunken driving charge after he was pulled over in Austin’s downtown entertainment district with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.

Police pulled over the 72-yearold Lewis after he drove straight through a turn-only lane Thursday night.

Sgt. Richard Stresing said the arresting officers’ report noted Lewis was “swaying, staggering, stumbling” with slurred speech and red, bloodshot eyes. He also had an alcoholic beverage in a plastic cup in his car.

The arrest report said Lewis was cooperative but failed a field sobriety test. He was arrested and taken to jail where he submitted a breath sample, which showed a blood alcohol level of .16. The legal limit is .08.

McALLEN — The State Department has agreed to change the way it scrutinizes passport applications from people who were delivered by midwives along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Hundreds of border residents had their passport applications denied or simply closed without explanation in recent years because they were delivered by midwife. The government had identified some midwives who fraudulently registered births in the U.S. The settlement reached between State Department and the American Civil Liberties Union and immigration attorneys representing those without passports awaits court approval.

—Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Iranian cleric urges executing some protesters A senior cleric on Friday urged Iran’s protest leaders to be punished “without mercy” and said some should face execution — harsh calls that signal a nasty new turn in the regime’s crackdown on demonstrators two weeks after its disputed election.

Hard-liners have ordered long sentences and hangings before, and some fear those awaiting trial by a judiciary whose verdicts reflect the will of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the most severe punishments the Islamic system can dish out.

“Anyone who takes up arms to fight with the people, they are worthy of execution,” Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, a ranking cleric, said in a nationally broadcast sermon at Tehran University.

Motorcycle bombs kill 20 in Baghdad attacks BAGHDAD — Motorcycle bombs killed at least 20 people in separate attacks in Baghdad Friday, at least 19 of them in a crowded bazaar, part of

Photo by Vahid Salemi | AP

A man, stood at center, prays among other worshippers, as they perform their Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran, Friday. A senior Iranian cleric called Friday for harsh punishment for leaders of the country’s post-election protests, even as a G8 foreign ministers meeting in Italy urged Iran’s rulers to seek a peaceful resolution to the tense two-week confrontation over the disputed presidential vote. an apparent trend toward increased use of motorcycles to thwart stepped-up security measures.

12 killed in shootout in central Mexico MEXICO CITY — A shootout between police and gunmen killed

12 people on Friday in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, the state’s governor said.

At least one police officer was wounded in the clash, Gov. Juan Manuel Oliva said. Oliva said that soldiers and federal and state police were on patrol in the town of Apaseo el Alto when assailants opened fire.

—Compiled from AP reports

Today is Saturday, June 27, the 178th day of 2009. There are 187 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On June 27, 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Ill. On this date: In 1846, New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires.

In 1893, the New York stock market crashed.

In 1944, during World War II, American forces completed their capture of the French port of Cherbourg from the Germans.

In 1950, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North.

In 1957, more than 500 people were killed when Hurricane Audrey slammed through coastal Louisiana and Texas.

In 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village; patrons fought back in clashes considered the birth of the gay rights movement.

In 1977, the Supreme Court, in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, struck down state laws and bar association rules that prohibited lawyers from advertising their fees for routine services. The Republic of Djibouti became independent of France.

In 1984, the Supreme Court ended the NCAA’s monopoly on controlling college football telecasts, ruling such control violated antitrust law.

In 1988, 57 people were killed in a train collision in Paris.

Ten years ago: George Papadopoulos, the head of Greece’s 1967-74 military dictatorship, died of cancer in Athens at age 80. Juli Inkster shot a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam (the first was Pat Bradley). The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the final game at the Kingdome.

Five years ago: NATO leaders gathered in Turkey closed ranks on a pledge to take a bigger military role in Iraq; President George W. Bush declared that the alliance was poised to “meet the threats of the 21st century.”

Insurgents threatened to behead Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, a U.S. Marine who’d vanished in Iraq, in a videotape that aired on Arab television.

One year ago: North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons program, the cooling tower at its main atomic reactor at Yongbyon. (However, North Korea announced in September 2008 that it was restoring its nuclear facilities.) In Zimbabwe, roaming bands of government supporters heckled, harassed or threatened people into voting in a runoff election in which President Robert Mugabe was the only candidate.

Today’s Birthdays: Business executive and former presidential candidate Ross Perot is 79. The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, is 73. Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is 71. Singermusician Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) is 67. Actress Julia Duffy is 58. Actress Isabelle Adjani is 54.

Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 50.

Actor Brian Drillinger is 49. Writerproducer-director J.J. Abrams is 43.

Olympic gold and bronze medal figure skater Viktor Petrenko is 40. TV personality Jo Frost (“Supernanny”) is 39. Actor Yancey Arias is 38. Actor Christian Kane is 35. Actor Tobey Maguire is 34. Gospel singer Leigh Nash is 33. Actor Drake Bell is 23. Actor Ed Westwick is 22. Actress Madylin Sweeten is 18.

Thought for Today: “A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean question: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well — or ill?” — John Steinbeck, American author (1902-1968).

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green . . . . . . . . . . . .728-2501 Business Manager Dora Martinez. . (956) 324-1226 Chief Accountant,Thelma Aguero . . . . . . .728-2553 General Manager,Adriana Devally . . . . . . .728-2510 Retail Adv. Manager,Alice Arce . . . . . . . . . .728-2511 Classified Manager, Sandra Valderrama . .728-2525 Adv. Billing Inquires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728-2531 Circulation Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728-2550 Creative/Production Director, Raul Cruz .728-2528 MIS Director, Michael Castillo . . . . . . . . . . .728-2505 Editor, Diana Fuentes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728-2581 City Editor,Julie Daffern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728-2565 Sports Editor, Dennis Silva II . . . . . . . . . . .728-2579 Business Journal Editor,Joe Rutland . . . .728-2529 A&E Editor, Kirsten Crow . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728-2543

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555

AROUND TEXAS ’Jena 6’beating case wraps up with plea deal

Prominent NYC skyscraper secures nearly $1.3B loan

JENA, La. — Five members of the Jena Six pleaded no contest Friday to misdemeanor simple battery and won’t serve jail time, ending a case that thrust a small Louisiana town into the national spotlight and sparked a massive civil rights demonstration.

NEW YORK — Experts say a nearly $1.3 billion loan for one of New York City’s tallest new skyscrapers is one of the biggest real estate financing deals since the economic crisis began last fall. The refinancing deal for the 55-story Bank of America tower was announced Friday.

—Compiled from AP reports

The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of Laredo Morning Times and those who buy LMT at newstands.The Zapata Times is inserted inside.

The Zapata Times is free.

The Zapata Times is published by Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956)728-2500 The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Highway 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2; Zapata, TX, 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes@att.net

The Zapata Times

PAGE 3A

Zlocal

SATURDAY,JUNE 27,2009

Schieffer: Border wall, troops a no-go my would decrease the number of people coming to the United States seeking jobs, he said.

“We need to stop demonizing Mexico and Mexicans for all the problems in America,” Schi-

well as cooperation among state, local and federal agencies, will help cut down on drug trafficking on the border, Schieffer said. The state can play an important role in bringing all sides to the table, he said.

effer said.

Gov. Rick Perry and the governors of New Mexico, Arizona and California have called on the federal government to deploy National Guard Troops to the border. Congressman Henry Cuellar has pushed funding for those troops, but cautioned that he wants them used only for drug interdiction.

International cooperation, as

The former ambassador to Australia and Japan touted his diplomatic experience, saying it would help him facilitate the international and interagency cooperation necessary to fight drug trafficking.

“I saw when I was abroad the value of sharing knowledge between various agencies,” Schieffer said.

“We’re all in this together,” he added later. “Were we to share in-

By JASON BUCH LAREDO MORNING TIMES A change in policy would be a more effective step toward halting illegal immigration than interdiction efforts such as a border wall and deploying national guard troops to the border, Democratic gubernatorial contender Tom Schieffer said Friday during a stop in Laredo.

Against the border wall Schieffer would not rule out the deployment of troops, but his adamant stance against the border wall drew applause from the small crowd gathered in La Posada’s Tesoro Club.

Helping Mexico build its econo-

SCHIEFFER

His diplomatic experience

formation, we’d have a better chance.”

Schieffer lauded Mexico’s deployment of troops to violencewracked cities such as Juarez, across the border from El Paso.

Schieffer appeared in Laredo after announcing his candidacy for governor Wednesday in Fort Worth. The gubernatorial election is slated for 2010. Schieffer’s remarks focused primarily on education. Schieffer pointed out that public school dropout rates in minority and low-income neighborhoods can run from 40 to 60 percent, and said programs like art, music and science need to be present in public schools to keep students engaged.

Students who do not speak Eng-

lish need to be reached out to at a very young age so they do not slip through the system without an education, Schieffer said.

Adequate funding Community colleges and public universities need adequate funding as well so education is available to everyone, he said.

Schieffer is a former state representative and a member of George W. Bush’s investment group that purchased the Texas Rangers.

Bush appointed him to ambassadorships in Australia and Japan.

His brother is CBS’ Bob Schieffer.

(Jason Buch may be reached at 728-2547 or jbuch@lmtonline.com)

Uribe does good work NWS looking for a few good weather watchers at veterans’ office

BY DORA MARTINEZ

COLUMN

Manuel Uribe graduated from Zapata High School in 1963. For the love of his country, he joined the U.S. Air Force.

For four years, he was stationed in Alaska, then 18 months in Missouri. During that time he received the Presidential Citation for outstanding unit.

He decided to come home at the end of 1968. Manuel, on a visit to his home town, went to work for Laredo Independent School District at the media center. He moved to Houston in 1969 to work for Westin House.

In 1983, Manuel joined the U.S. Postal Service and and stayed with the agency until he retired in 2005.

In 2009, Manuel was elected Commander of the American Legion Post 486 in Zapata. His duties include seeing that all funerals for veterans go well, conducting meetings and attending conventions.

Manuel is the Veterans County Service Officer, and his office is at the Zapata County Courthouse. The office is open Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.

He and his wife, Diola Castañeda Uribe, have been blessed with two beautiful girls: Angela Palos Uribe, who works for Bank of America; and Romana Uribe, who works for Harlingen Medical Center.

Manuel likes to go golfing, watching sports and spending time with his family.

This Fourth of July, they will meet at the VFW for the traditional flag-raising ceremony and firing of weapons to honor our heroes.

Thanks, Manuel, for a job well done.

(Dora Martinez is a native of Zapata who was publisher of Hispanic News in San Antonio for 21 years. She can be reached at thezapatatimes@att.net)

THE BLOTTER BURGLARY

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Deputies received a report June 19 of a burglary of a residence in the 300 block of Elm. Deputies received a report Sunday that someone broke into a 2008 Chevy Tahoe in the 1700 block of Hidalgo Boulevard and stole a purse.

Deputies received a report on June 20 that someone broke the windows and punctured all four tires of a vehicle at the corner of 24th and Iturbide.

Deputies received a report Monday that someone broke the windows to a vehicle in the 1700 block of Guerrero Avenue.

HITAND RUN Deputies on June 19 received a report of a hit and run at the Polo Muffler Shop in the early morning hours.

Deputies received a report Sunday night of a fight between two people that ended with one of them backing his vehicle into another vehicle near the corner of 7th and Zapata Avenue.

ASSAULT Deputies at about 10 p.m.June 19 arrested Alberto Chapa in the 400 block of Falcon Shore Drive on a misdemeanor assault charge.

POSSESSION OFA CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE Deputies at about 3:30 a.m.

June 20 arrested Enrique Garcia on a possession of a controlled substance charge.

THEFT Sheriff’s deputies received a report June 19 that someone stole the mirrors from a 2009 Chevy Silverado in the 2000 block of Carla.

Deputies received a report on June 20 of a stolen tiller in the 900 block of Hidalgo Boulevard.

Deputies on Sunday received a report that someone stole a red Craftsman air compressor from the 1000 block of Juarez.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Deputies at about 1:30 a.m.

Sunday arrested Victoriano Martinez Sanchez at the corner of 2nd Street

and Miraflores Avenue.

DEADLY CONDUCT Deputies at about 10:30 p.m.

Sunday arrested Daniel Lozano in the 400 block of Laredo on charges that he shot a gun through the window of his house.

Deputies arrested Helen Jean Byrn at about 3 p.m.June 10 on deadly conduct charges after receiving a report that she fired warning shots at her ex husband after he took pictures of her home in the 100 block of Riverside.

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network and the National Weather Service office in Brownsville are seeking weather enthusiasts in Jim Hogg and Zapata Counties.

The agencies need assistance in reporting rainfall that occurs in the two counties. This program will help meteorologists, forecasters, and researchers, among others, to study the variability of precipitation across the region, help improve monitoring of drought and verify precipitation estimates from Doppler radars.

Volunteers of any age are welcome to join the network. Here are the requirements: Have an official National Weather Service/Network rain gauge, which can be ordered from the network’s Web site Have a good site on your property with open space to place the gauge, as tree and obstruction free as possible Be willing to submit precipitation data on a daily basis between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., including reports of “zero” (no rain).

Internet access is preferred, as data is typically submitted online.

However, you can still join without Internet ac-

“

Volunteers of any age are welcome to join the network ... as network officials say, ‘every drop counts.’

cess, as data can also be called in to local coordinator.

To sign up to become a rainfall observer, log on to www.cocorahs.org and click on “Join” to fill out the application or call Juan Alanis Jr., Webb County Coordinator at (956) 251-3996 or Geoff Bogorad, the Rio Grande Valley Regional Coordinator for the network at the National Weather Service in Brownsville at (956) 5041432.

The network, based at Colorado State University, was started in 1998. It’s a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteer weather observers of all ages and backgrounds

working together to measure and report precipitation amounts (rain, hail and snow).

By using low-cost and self-provided measurement tools and stressing training and utilizing an interactive Web site, the aim of the community network is to provide the maximum amount of data for natural resource education as well as research applications, because, as network officials say, “every drop counts.”

The network expanded into Texas in 2007 and is now operating in 44 states, with plans to expanded into the remaining six states by 2010.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY,JUNE 27,2009

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Cancer’s not quite a laughing matter

By JOHN KELSO COX NEWSPAPERS

A

USTIN — There aren’t many funny things that happen when you find out you’ve got cancer, but I’ve got one I can share with you.

When I first went in to one of my two family doctors to have the hot spot under my tongue checked out, he looked in my mouth and said he couldn’t see anything unusual. Then he checked my charts, and gave me a prostate exam.

I’m thinking, “Buddy, wrong end.”

So Lance Armstrong and I now have two things in common. We both know how to ride a bike, although he’s better at it than I am. And we’ve both been diagnosed with cancer, although he’s over his. And I may be over mine, Or not.

That’s why Monday I began six weeks of radiation treatment.

No call for sympathy I’m not telling you this for your sympathy, although prayers and well wishes are accepted. I’m telling you this so you’ll know what’s going on. If there’s a column missing now and then, you’ll know why.

This started when I noticed a nagging sore way back in my mouth, underneath my tongue. I’ve had these before, but this was more persistent than most.

Folks, if you notice something odd like that, get it checked out, and get it checked out yesterday. If I hadn’t, I’d be in a lot worse shape than I am now. Because I hopped on it real quick, the tumor never got that big. I caught it at the first stage.

It’s now gone. That explains the scar on my neck, which is mostly healed up.

For a few weeks there, a steak for me was no more than a photo opportunity.

As the cliche goes, the tests showed they got it all. Except there may be some microscopic stuff they couldn’t see in the tests still lurking about. That explains the radiation, which is designed to kill off whatever’s left. \

Positive prognosis They say the outlook is good — 86-88 percent.

I’m not looking forward to the radiation. First of all, it means I have to drive to hell and gone to North Austin on Monday through Friday for about six weeks, have this weird mesh mask fitted over my face, and get zapped in the mouth for a few minutes. They tell me for the first four weeks I won’t notice much.

They also tell me that for the last two weeks of treatment, and for the two weeks after, I’ll suffer the sore throat from hell. I’ll be trying to drink a lot of dietary supplement drinks to try to keep my weight up. Is col’ beer a dietary supplement? And don’t be inviting me out for barbecue during that month or I’ll have to slap you.

Here’s hoping everything’s back to normal when the Longhorns kick off in September. My goal is to be able to eat a sausage wrap at a tailgate party by the home opener. Hook ‘em.

(To reach John Kelso, who writes for the Austin American-Statesman, email jkelso@statesman.com)

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EDITORIAL

Cuba supporters make strange spies THE BOSTON GLOBE

W

hatever else they may have been guilty of, former State Department intelligence analyst Walter Kendall Myers and his wife, Gwendolyn, who were charged earlier this month with conspiracy, wire fraud, and being agents of Cuba, were also guilty of oldfashioned gullibility.

The couple, known in their social circle as the Kendalls, were caught on tape telling an FBI un-

dercover agent posing as a Cuban intelligence officer how their service to Fidel Castro’s regime had given meaning to their lives.

Rewarding their devotion, Castro said recently on a Cuban web site that he admires the Kendalls’ “disinterested and courageous conduct on behalf of Cuba.”

At least three times, the uppercrust couple proved just how obtuse political romantics can be.

The first time came during a trip that Walter took in 1978 to Cuba, where his guide was a

Cuban intelligence officer who initiated the tourist’s romance with the Castro revolution.

The second time was when another Cuban agent visited the Kendalls in South Dakota, recruiting the patrician Kendall to seek an intelligence job in the US government and pass classified information to Havana — for love, not money.

The final display of credulity was this spring, when an FBI agent approached Walter Kendall, handed him a Havana ci-

gar, and said Cuba wanted to renew contact. Husband and wife couldn’t confide enough to their new friend about techniques they used to pass coded information to the island.

Walter Kendall apparently had no access to names of US agents in Cuba, but he could have transmitted sensitive material from allied intelligence agencies.

Yet the Kendalls were not charged with espionage. And there is no criminal statute for political naivete.

COLUMN

Democrats may doom health reform A

merica’s political scene has changed immensely since the last time a Democratic president tried to reform health care. So has the health care picture: With costs soaring and insurance dwindling, nobody can now say with a straight face that the U.S. health care system is OK. And if surveys like the New York Times/CBS News poll released last weekend are any indication, voters are ready for major change.

The question now is whether we will nonetheless fail to get that change, because a handful of Democratic senators are still determined to party like it’s 1993.

And yes, I mean Democratic senators. The Republicans, with a few possible exceptions, have decided to do all they can to make the Obama administration a failure. Their role in the health care debate is purely that of spoilers who keep shouting the old slogans — Government-run health care! Socialism! Europe! — hoping that someone still cares.

Public option The polls suggest that hardly anyone does. Voters, it seems, strongly favor a universal guarantee of coverage, and they mostly accept the idea that higher taxes may be needed to achieve that guarantee. What’s more, they overwhelmingly favor precisely the feature of Democratic plans that Republicans denounce most

“

PAUL KRUGMAN

fiercely as “socialized medicine” — the creation of a public health insurance option that competes with private insurers.

Or to put it another way, in effect voters support the health care plan jointly released by three House committees last week, which relies on a combination of subsidies and regulation to achieve universal coverage, and introduces a public plan to compete with insurers and hold down costs.

Failure possible Yet it remains all too possible that health care reform will fail, as it has so many times before.

I’m not that worried about the issue of costs. Yes, the Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary cost estimates for Senate plans were higher than expected, and caused considerable consternation last week. But the fundamental fact is that we can afford universal health insurance — even those high estimates were less than the $1.8 trillion cost of the Bush tax cuts.

Furthermore, Democratic leaders know that they have to pass a health care bill for the sake of their own survival. One way or another, the numbers will be

brought in line.

The real risk is that health care reform will be undermined by “centrist” Democratic senators who either prevent the passage of a bill or insist on watering down key elements of reform.

I use scare quotes around “centrist,” by the way, because if the center means the position held by most Americans, the self-proclaimed centrists are in fact way out in right field.

Bait-and switch What the balking Democrats seem most determined to do is to kill the public option, either by eliminating it or by carrying out a bait-and-switch, replacing a true public option with something meaningless. For the record, neither regional health cooperatives nor state-level public plans, both of which have been proposed as alternatives, would have the financial stability and bargaining power needed to bring down health care costs.

Whatever may be motivating these Democrats, they don’t seem able to explain their reasons in public.

Thus Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska initially declared that the public option — which, remember, has overwhelming popular support — was a “deal-breaker.”

Why? Because he didn’t think private insurers could compete: “At the end of the day, the public plan wins the day.” Um, isn’t the purpose of health care reform to

DOONESBURY /FLASHBACK | GARRY TRUDEAU

protect American citizens, not insurance companies?

Nelson softened his stand after reform advocates began a public campaign targeting him for his position on the public option.

And Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota offers a perfectly circular argument: We can’t have the public option, because if we do, health care reform won’t get the votes of senators like him.

“In a 60-vote environment,” he says (implicitly rejecting the idea, embraced by President Barack Obama, of bypassing the filibuster if necessary), “you’ve got to attract some Republicans as well as holding virtually all the Democrats together, and that, I don’t believe, is possible with a pure public option.”

Honestly, I don’t know what these Democrats are trying to achieve. Yes, some of the balking senators receive large campaign contributions from the medicalindustrial complex — but who in politics doesn’t?

Old dreams If I had to guess, I’d say that what’s really going on is that relatively conservative Democrats still cling to the old dream of becoming kingmakers, of recreating the bipartisan center that used to run America.

But this fantasy can’t be allowed to stand in the way of giving America the health care reform it needs. This time, the alleged center must not hold.

PAGE 5A

Zlifestyle

SATURDAY,JUNE 27,2009

The mysticism of Monterrey

WITH A REBEL YELL: BILLY IDOL TO ROCK AUTMUS

By ZACH LINDSEY LAREDO MORNING TIMES

C

AP photo

Billy Idol, shown here in an AP file photo, has been confirmed as the headliner for the Texas A&M International University 2009 Autumn Music Festival, better known as AutMus Fest, on Oct. 10 at the TAMIU grounds. Other confirmed acts in the lineup include Vince Neil of Motley Crue, Nico Vega and Crooked X, according to Roy Granados, president of Eleven Promotions.Also, crews from music channel VH1 and social networking site MySpace.com are expected to document the ever-growing music festival and fundraiser for TAMIU scholarships, organized by the TAMIU Alumni Association.More details to be announced.Check www.myspace.com/autmusfest and twitter.com/autmusfest for updates.

In the MX: Festival boasts big Latin lineup at the LEC LAREDO MORNING TIMES

Presented by Las Cananas Revolution Bar and hosted by Adal Ramones, the MX Live Fest is set to take the stage at the Laredo Entertainment Center at 7 p.m.

The lineup

Photo by Chris Polk | AP

Alejandra Guzman performs at the Reventón Super Estrella concert at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles in 2006.

Sunday in a lineup boasting some of the biggest stars the Latin music world has to offer: DJ Flex, Kalimba and Nikki Clan, with rockpop singer Alejandra Guzman headlining.

Tickets are available for $33, $43, $53, $73 and $93 via Ticketmaster.com and the LEC box office.

onsul General Miguel Angel Isidro brought the hybrid, almost surreal photographs of Erick Estrada to Laredo to show people that Nuevo León is more than just the industrial hub of Monterrey.

But, to many Laredoans at the opening of Estrada’s exhibit at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, his photos weren’t new insights into an unknown landscape, but a reminder of the beauty of a familiar state.

Many people at the exhibit recognized the names of creeks and mountains, and tried to guess where photos were taken. One city official even identified a location in one of the photos as an old stomping ground of his youth.

The art Estrada is a photographer, first and foremost. His methods have changed over the years, but he always begins with a photograph.

These days, he uses digital, and, with photo manipulation software, makes his work slightly abstract. For the Border Heritage Museum exhibit, he has printed out all his photos on canvas to blend the line between photography and painting.

By the end of the process, “it’s practically a painting,” Estrada said in Spanish.

“It’s a transformed photograph.”

No matter how long you stare at his work, you are sometimes tempted to touch it to know if it has the thick texture that paint leaves behind. It does not.

The scenes Of course, many of his

Photo by Ricardo Segovia | Laredo Morning Times

Photographer Erick Estrada poses in front of his exhibit,“Landscape of Nuevo León,” at the Border Heritage Museum. works feature twisted and eroded mountains, often black as the sun melts into oranges and reds behind them.

“Monterrey is a city kneeling in the mountains,” Estrada said.

But his work doesn’t stop at the mountains. His photos paint lush forests and rivers to the southeast of Monterrey, on the way to Mexico City.

They also portray the sharp reds and muted greens of the northern desert.

The subject of his composition is the most precise part, as far as raw technique is concerned. Any creative individual might be able to replicate the graining and texture of the photos with a good photo manipulation program; but it takes a skilled photographer’s eye to identify the often simple, but always mystical, focal points of his photos.

Estrada’s work has been featured in magazines and on book covers, and has been displayed in museums in California, Mexico and Texas.

The photographer, who

has been shooting photos for more than 30 years, explained that his next work will not be landscapes, but, rather, black-and-white female nudes. That project, he said, with a small, mysterious grin, would probably be the last he had in him.

A Laredo debut Estrada’s “Landscapes of Nuevo León” premiered at the Casa de Nuevo León in San Antonio. The gallery opened in Laredo on June 18, and will remain on display until late August.

The Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St., is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission on Tuesdays is free.

For a year and a half, Angel Isidro has promoted Mexican culture in Laredo, but Estrada’s work has a “special interest” for the Consul General.

“It’s the best face we can show,” Angel Isidro said.

“We welcome Texas to our country with open arms.

Mexico is a friendly country for international travelers.”

PÁG.6A

Zfrontera

Agenda en Breve SÁBADO 27 DE JUNIO ZAPATA— El Abierto de Zapata 2009 inicia hoy y continúa hasta el domingo 28 de junio.

El Festival de Culturas Populares de los Estados de Oaxaca, Yucatán y Chiapas se presenta hoy en la Explanada Cívica de la Independencia, junto a la Plaza Hidalgo de Nuevo Laredo, de 10 a.m. a 10 p.m.A las 6 p.m.

Clausura del Taller gratuito de música de Ecuador; Clausura del taller gratuito de Danzas de la Guelaguetza; a las 7 p.m.Música tradicional de Ecuador; Trova de Oaxaca y Danzas de Oaxaca.

Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de Texas A&M International University y disfrute “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure”a las 6 p.m.; “Black Holes” a las 7 p.m.; y, “enTRANCEd” a las 8 p.m. Más información llamando al 326-2444 ó visite www.tamiu.edu/planetarium.

El Departamento de Parques y Entretenimiento de la Ciudad de Laredo y el Laredo Instituto for Theatrical Education (L.I.T.E) presenta hoy Mulan Jr. de Disney en el Laredo Civic Center a las 7:30 p.m. Compre su boleto en la puerta a 5 dólares.

Peggy Phelps y el Laredo Little Theatre (4802 Thomas Ave.) presentan “Annie Jr.” a las 8 p.m. Los boletos tienen costo de 5 dólares. Más información llamando al 324-2186.

DOMINGO 28 DE JUNIO Mulan Jr., una producción del Laredo Instituto for Theatrical Education se presenta hoy a las 3 p.m. en el Laredo Civic Center (2400 San Bernardo Ave.).Más información llamando al 794-1700.

El Festival de Culturas Populares de los Estados de Oaxaca, Yucatán y Chiapas se presenta hoy en la Explanada Cívica de la Independencia, junto a la Plaza Hidalgo de Nuevo Laredo, de 10 a.m. a 10 p.m.

SÁBADO 27 DE JUNIO DE 2009

Tienen últimos días de campaña Por MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

A una semana un día del proceso electoral para elegir Diputado Federal por el I Distrito de Tamaulipas, las principales contendientes dan a conocer sus propuestas principales.

El Partido Acción Nacional tiene en Iliana Medina a una joven que acepta que la política mexicana transita en una grave crisis.

El Partido Revolucionario Institucional continúa los recorridos por la frontera chica con Cristabell Zamora.

PAN Medina dijo que en lo que lleva de campaña electoral, en miras a la elección del domingo cinco de julio, que ha percibido una desconfianza de los electores hacia los partidos y sus candidatos.

“El 10 por ciento de los electores es realmente representado”, dijo Medina.

Siendo que ella busca ser Diputada Federal, aseguró que el problema que existe ahora es que los legisladores cobran tres años y trabajan uno en proyectos de la nación.

“Cuando arriban a la Cámara Legislativa, en el primer año aprenden, en el segundo trabajan y en el tercero buscan en donde seguir trabajando en el gobierno”, dijo.

Destacó que un grave problema del país es la ineficiente estrategia de los ingresos tributarios, es decir, el problema del déficit en el gasto corriente.

La carga tributaria en México, dijo es del 11 al 12 por ciento del producto interno bruto, mientras que los países de la Unión Europea, cubren el 32 por

ciento del PIB”.

Finalmente, y en cuanto a materia laboral, sostuvo que el marco jurídico de la Reforma Laboral Integral data del siglo pasado.

“Las nuevas formas de vida han generado impacto negativo en el país”, dijo Medina. “Los lideres sindicales han traicionado el espíritu por el cual fueron creados”.

Se orilló hacia una Nueva Ley Federal del Trabajo que implique no discriminar a personas con capacidades diferentes y que las Juntas de Conciliación y Arbitraje administren justicia con más agilidad.

Estuvo de acuerdo que debe elevarse el ingreso de trabajadores con salarios dignos y que exista la enumeración en base a la competencia de su responsabilidad.

PRI Zamora ha estado recorriendo desde Nuevo Laredo a Camargo, pasando por Guerrero, Mier y Miguel Alemán, todas ciudades del I Distrito Electroal.

El fin de semana en Miguel Alemán, ante unas 200 personas representantes de los cuatro municipios de la frontera chica, presentaron propuestas específicas para mejorar su calidad de vida.

Se solicitaron modificaciones específicas a la Norma Oficial Mexicana en cuanto a las cuotas de pesca. Se solicitó la ampliación de horarios para la recolección de redes, con horarios de verano e invierno, y se urgió a un estudio de viabilidad de la presa Marte R. Gómez, para conocer su situación actual.

Ganaderos solicitaron la aprobación de la Ley General Agropecuaria.

Foto por Ricargo Segovia | The Zapata Times El artesano Jacobo Vázquez muestra algunas de sus piezas de Oaxaca conocidas como ‘alebrijes’, un animal mítico de la cultura oaxaqueña, en la Plaza Hidalgo de Nuevo Laredo, durante la exposición especial que cierra el martes 30 de junio.

Oaxaca llega a Nuevo Laredo Por JULIETA CHIQUILLO TIEMPO DE LAREDO

Alebrijes – coloridas esculturas de madera mexicanas en forma de creaturas mitológicas – son formadas gracias a la imaginación del artista, ya sea en forma de árbol o los trazos de un sueño.

Jacobo Vázquez, quien generalmente vente sus alebrijes en parques en Oaxaca, México, viajó aproximadamente 1,000 millas para traer los colores oaxaqueños a Nuevo Laredo.

“Son sueños que hemos tenido que hemos olvidado”, dijo Vázquez, en su mesa de exhibición cubierta con dragones, caballos alados y gacelas con cuellos de jirafas, en la Plaza Hidalgo Vázquez, junto con otros artesanos, artistas y vendedores, son parte de un festival cultural de dos semanas en el cual se exhiben artesanías y tradiciones de los estados sureños mexicanos Oaxaca, Chiapas y Yucatán. El festival es patrocinado por Nuevo Laredo, el gobierno federal mexicano y Grupos Jornadas Culturales, una organización que informa acerca de Oaxaca, Yucatán y Chiapas.

Además de las artesanías y gastronomía, tales como el mezcal y los tradicionales dulces y panes oaxaqueños, el festival también presenta talleres culturales gratuitos de danza y para hacer papalotes, por ejemplo. Los papalotes tienen un significado especial para los oaxaqueños debido a que creen que la cuerda del papalote los conecta con sus sere queridos que han fallecido.

Abril Sánchez, directora del Fideicomiso

del Centro Historico de Nuevo Laredo, dijo que debido a que Nuevo Laredo se encuentra en la frontera de EU con México, es una “ciudad híbrida” que ha perdido parte de sus tradiciones mexicanas. La meta del festival es traer de regreso parte de ésa cultura, expresó.

A pesar de las altas temperaturas, el festival es visitado por aproximadamente 1,000 personas diariamente, con familias permaneciendo después de las 10 p.m. hora del cierre, señaló Sánchez.

“No nos podemos cegar a esas situaciones, pero éste es un nuevo rostro que Nuevo Laredo está mostrando”, comentó Sánchez.

El festival también promueve la economía de Nuevo Laredo, conforme los vendedores y los comercios aledaños a la plaza se benefician del flujo visitantes al festival, expresó Sánchez.

El festival culmina el cierre oficial el domingo (aunque termina hasta el martes) con la reconocida celebración oaxaqueña la Guelaguetza, la cual incluye un desfile por la plaza, un concierto de banda y danzas oaxaqueñas tradicionales. La palabra Guelaguetza singnigica “intercambio de regalos” en zapoteco, un dialecto oaxaqueño.

María Luisa Cuevas, residente de Nuevo Laredo visitando la feria, dijo que Nuevo Laredo necesita más presentaciones culturales y artísticas como el festival.

“Es lo que le hace falta a Nuevo Laredo”, expresó.

Nuevo Laredo se beneficiará de las actividades promoviendo la cultura de distintos estados mexicanos durante el año, dijo.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009

THE ZAPATA TIMES | 7A

Giant alien robots start life as sketches

By SANDY COHEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Giant alien robots don’t actually exist. So the dozens featured in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” had to be built from the ground up.

That effort took hundreds of artists, thousands of hours and even caused one computer to explode.

“We lost some machinery,” visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar said with a smile. “The thing just kind of gave up.”

A high-tech blockbuster, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is practically two movies in one.

There’s the live-action element, which took director Michael Bay and his cast to Egypt, Jordan and New Mexico. Then there’s the animated aspect, encompassing all the robots, which were built by artists at Industrial Light & Magic and Bay’s visual effects company, Digital Domain.

Countless hours Computers, and the artists operating them, worked countless hours to craft battle scenes between the giant ‘bots, bring menacing Megatron to life and show the ancient pyramids being dismantled by the gargantuan Devastator.

It all started with a few sketches.

Before any work on the film began, before the script was even written, Bay hired a team of artists to draw the robot characters he saw in his head.

“The fun thing about Transformers is it’s anything your mind can imagine,” he said.

Those images were given to the writers as inspiration, and later to the visual effects creators, who used them as blueprints for the film’s biggest characters, said Farrar, a 28-year veteran of ILM. “It’s not unlike a building, where you’ve got to have a good blueprint and you spend a long time on the foundation,” he said. “Then all the sudden, boop, the building goes up.”

Not that simple Of course, it’s not quite that simple. First, artists transform each of Bay’s 2-D drawings into 3-D digital images. They note the size specifics of each character (for example, Megatron’s feet are 15 feet long and seven feet wide) and how they might look behind various lenses.

Before shooting begins, though, Bay and his crew choreograph where the cameras will be, where robots will be, where the actors will be and how they’ll all interact with each other. Everything is preplanned, Farrar said.

Because when filming starts, and star Shia LaBeouf runs through a forest to escape a robot fistfight, he’s actually alone.

“There’s nothing there,” the actor said in an interview. “This time we didn’t even have dudes reading lines back. There’s literally nothing.”

All that’s there, Farrar said, are window-washing poles stretched up to 30 feet high. The actors talk to the poles and must react as though giant robots are responding.

“The actors do have to sell it,” he said. “It would be a hoot to show what the sequence looks like with the actors talking back and forth

Photo by Jaimie Trueblood/Paramount Pictures | AP

In this image released by Paramount Pictures, Megan Fox, left, and Shia LaBeouf are shown in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." but with nothing there other than a couple of sticks and poles.”

Maybe on the DVD, he joked.

Meanwhile, artists spend about 12 weeks building each digital robot, then another 12 to 15 weeks rigging up the skeletal structures that hold all the parts together. Next comes the paint and texture.

Chrome or brushed aluminum?

Copper or glass?

ADVICE

“

JUDITH MARTIN Miss Manners

ly on the topic of social networking. But while these can cause problems, especially if people don’t use it intelligently (setting security levels to keep what needs to be private sequestered away, and being respectful of other people’s personal space), there are wonderful benefits to be had.

Personally, I feel that it’s very nice to be informed of details of the lives of those living far away: I love to see friends and family’s posts of their more random thoughts and actions during the day.

These are the things that distance would deprive you of otherwise, and while they are nice to know, these small things are not the stuff that good conversations are made of. It’s also nice to be able to inform those with whom one is not close enough to talk on a weekly basis, but who nevertheless take interest in your life, of some of the larger events: such as new relationships that, while public, are not yet cause enough to call everyone one knows about.

meticulously built by hand. It can take weeks to design a transformation seen for just seconds on screen.

After animation comes lighting, which lends even more realism to the robots. Then comes the compositor, “the finish carpenter of the whole process,” who adds dust, debris, missiles and other details, Farrar said.

FARMS | Continued from Page 1A

Face-to-face beats Facebook for meeting people DEAR MISS MANNERS — My younger sister and I have a close relationship, so when she told me that she was interested in someone, I was happy to hear the details of the blossoming of a new relationship. Sadly, both her and my classes will keep her from introducing him to me for a few months at least.

Facebook, however, makes the world a little bit flatter: Since her relationship has been posted, with a click of a button I can send him a message.

Is this a good thing to do, or will an e-mail introducing an older sister (who is hoping for a response in kind) be inappropriate?

My sister will almost certainly not mind this; and furthermore, I trust my sister’s judgment on matters of the heart. This is not an attempt to give or withhold my seal of approval: I’m driven by an interest to meet the person who my sister is so fond of.

However, I don’t want to send anyone into a state of panic or to give a bad first impression. What should I do, introduce myself by email or wait a few months until I can be introduced in person?

It seems that you often come down slightly negative-

“It’s just the same as you building things in the garage by hand, only it’s in the computer,” Farrar said. “It’s no different. All the tasks are the same, and the same disciplines apply.”

Once the live-action shots are complete, robot animation begins.

All those detailed transformations, which dramatize how the toy Transformers really work, are

As a side note: It is also a nice, not particularly harmful way for one to broadcast to those who would be suitors that they are not single.

While networking certainly should not be used as a substitution for meeting in person or a phone call, many of these things really enrich the lives of users.

GENTLE READER — What do you mean, your sister would “almost certainly not mind” your jumping into her courtship? Couldn’t you use one of those substitute methods of communication to ask her?

It strikes Miss Manners that the issue here is not networking, but meeting the family. The timing of that tends to be delicate, and surely the person most concerned should have some say in that. Would you, for example, consider it desirable for your parents to introduce themselves to your sister’s beau — whether through Facebook, or by calling him, texting him, or tracing him down and knocking on his door — without asking her?

As for your side note — Miss Manners is fervently hoping that this is a mere theoretical example, and that your sister is single.

Brush Country” to suggest a trend toward consolidation of farmland.

The fact that areas in the Rio Grande Valley region that used to produce a lot of onions, for example, have been turned into subdivisions or public golf courses, means that there’s a high demand for farm products formerly produced in the valley region, according to Vela.

“To make up for those products, they’re looking into Zapata County as a source of their farmland,” he said.

One place where Zapata lost out, however, was in market land value.

The population growth in Zapata was 42

percent. The rest of the state saw much lower population growth, 22 percent.

However, market land value did not keep up with the population growth. Over 10 years, market land value went up from an average of $303 to $418 dollars, whereas the state average more than doubled, from about $500 to about $1,100.

According to the study, Texas has the second-largest agricultural industry in the country. The agricultural industry provides more than $73 billion in revenue. As much as 84 percent of the state contains private farms, ranches and forestlands. That’s approximately 142 million acres.

MAQUINITAS | Continued from Page 1A robbers recently, Gonzalez said.

He’s given fair warning to owners of illegal establishments, Gonzalez said, taking out full-page ads in local newspapers ordering them to “cease and desist,” and saying undercover officers from other agencies, as well as private citizens, are providing his office with information about illegal maquinitas operations.

The gaming machines gained notoriety in 2007 in Laredo when former Police

Chief Agustin Dovalina III, Lt. Eloy Rodriguez and Sgt. Alfonso Santos admitted to taking bribes from maquinitas owners to protect them from raids.

A judge in 2008 ordered Dovalina to serve three years in prison. Rodriguez and Santos received similar sentences.

Laredo police raided two establishments, and later reported that some of the machines they seized were rigged in favor of the house.

CENTER | Continued from Page 1A technical programs as well as adult education such as home improvement courses at the new educational center.

Once the facility opens its doors, the Zapata school district would be responsible for administering the site,” said Superintendent Romeo Rodriguez Jr. Currently, ZCISD is working in conjunction with the county in order to address local educational concerns in order to serve the general community, said Rodriguez,

adding that the center will also minimize travel needs for students within the county. “(We are) very excited (for this) joint venture and we are looking forward to the success this is going to bring to our community and our students,” Rodriguez said.

Advertising for bids begins June 29, with a groundbreaking set for July 27.

For more information call the Zapata Economic Development Center at 765-1113 or visit www.zapatacountyedc.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009 5

8A | THE ZAPATA TIMES

PUBLIC NOTICE CEASE-and-DESIST Notice To all Zapata County “Maquinitas” Establishments and Zapata County Residents These so called “maquinitas” have been in existence for many years are intended for entertainment purposes only. Winnings usually include stuffed animals, keychains, and other toys. Because of a loophole in the law, these gambling machines are now practically everywhere in Zapata County. The only problem is that some, if not all of these establishments, give out somewhat huge amounts of cash. This makes it illegal (Texas Penal Code Section 47.02). This is not for entertainment purposes anymore.

To set the record straight, I have asked for assistance in the past (at least 2 years) from several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to help rid these establishments from Zapata County. Assistance has been very slow in coming. This week I again asked for assistance and as of the publishing of this notice, some local, state and federal agencies have agreed to assist my office in the investigation and hopefully subsequent arrests of individuals involved in paying out illegal proceeds from these “maquinitas”. Other federal agencies may have their own investigations. Sheriff’s offices from around the area have volunteered to send undercover officers to assist my office. I have accepted their offers. Citizens have come forward to act as informants. I have also accepted their offers.

Arrests will be made in as many cases as possible for felonies instead of misdemeanors. (A conviction for a felony could result in prison time (not local jail) for up to ten (10) years and a fine of up to $10,000.) It may take a little bit longer to make the cases, but charges will be filed for Organized Crime and not just for gambling. This means that the owners, operators and gamblers will be arrested. The establishment may also be seized as a nuisance, as prescribed by state law.

There have been at least three reported robberies in these establishments in the past two years. These are robberies, where weapons have been exhibited or threats of death have been made, and not burglaries or thefts. In one case, shots were fired and in the other, the employees were tied up and gagged and placed in a back room while the money was taken.

They were left there to be found by family members at a later time. There is no need to increase crime in Zapata County when my officers are trying their best to reduce it! There is no benefit to anyone in Zapata County except for the owners of these establishments. It is not beneficial for older persons when they spend their monthly social security benefits by the third day of the month in the false hope of “hitting it big”.

Since these “maquinitas” cannot be completely banned from the county, it is my recommendation that our local governing body (Commissioners Court) regulate them. Not by charging a fee to allow for them to remain, but by regulating the amount of them in any one particular establishment, such as not having more than five (5) per establishment.

We are already beginning to make cases for arrests at a later time. In the meantime, this will serve as a public notice to all of these “maquinita” establishments that we are coming after you.

This will serve as a

CEASE-and-DESIST notice.

Refrain from committing illegal acts or face the consequences.

A message from Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo “Sigi” Gonzalez, Jr., Your Humble Public Servant.

The Zapata Times SATURDAY,JUNE 27,2009

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors READY TO SHINE League all-star tourneys set to start

By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — All-America forward DeJuan Blair watched the NBA draft doing sit-ups and cardio in a Pittsburgh hotel gym. By the time the 37th pick came around, he didn’t need to convince the San Antonio Spurs he was healthy.

They simply couldn’t believe the Pitt star was still available.

By CLARA SANDOVAL SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

S

ummer can only mean one thing for any one who loves to watch baseball at the grassroots level… the all-star games are here.

The Zapata County Little League baseball minors all-star team and its softball counterpart to represent will be the youngest groups to represent their town at the District 34 double- elimination tournament in Laredo during the upcoming week.

After two grueling weeks of practice in order to insure that every aspect of their game is fine tuned, the nine and 10-year olds are ready to hit the diamond when they open their all-star run against the Laredo Optimist all-star team on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Eistetter Park in Laredo.

DEJUAN BLAIR: All-America foward was Big East co-player of the year for the 2008-09 season.

Courtesy photos

The 2009 Zapata County Little League Seniors Division all-stars are, kneeling left to right, Roel Ramos, Robert Bustamante, Joey Saenz, Georgie Garcia, Marky Gutierrez and Juan Enrique Martinez; standing, Coach Jose L. Martinez, Rogelio Campos, Manuel Salinas, Luis Jaime GonzalezJr.,Alan Garcia, Ricky Martinez, Eddie Bustamante and Coach Mario Salinas; and, not pictured, Mikey Rivera and Manager Luis J Gonzalez.

All-star debut Coach Luis Elizondo will be making his all-star debut and will be assisted by Coach Javier Flores and Coach Hinkle.

The Zapata all-star minor team members include Emmanuel Elizondo, Romeo Landa, Chris Hinkle, Franco Arce, Javier Flores, David Ray Gonzalez, Carlos Gutierrez, Andrew Flores, Conner Moreno, Danny Bautista and J.J. Vela.

Elizondo feels that the all-star games will come down good pitching. He will have on hand a core of pitchers that includes Flores, Gutierrez, Hinkle, Elizondo, Arce and Moreno.

“We have been focusing on everything but its going to come down to pitching,” he said. “We have a very strong team.”

The Zapata all-star minors know the uphill battle that they will face at the tournament but feel they will have a strong showing and are not looking past any opponent.

Instead, the reigning Big East co-player of the year was nervously working out and waiting for his name to be called. When it finally was, it appeared a perfect fit: Blair, the fierce college rebounder, going to a team that just emptied its frontcourt depth in a trade for Bucks star Richard Jefferson.

“All the teams that didn’t pick me, I’m with the Spurs now,” Blair said. “I’m going to make them regret it.”

The Spurs also drafted Miami guard Jack McClinton with the

The 2009 Zapata County Little League 10-11 Division all-stars are, kneeling left to right, Eric Elizondo, Christian Buruato,Jake Gutierrez, Pepito Ramirez, Robert Salinas; standing, Frankie Molina,Arturo Ramirez,J.J. De Jesus, Clyde Guerra, Marcos Zamora,Al Chapa; and, not pictured, Maneger Clyde Guerra and Assistant Coach Pepe Ramirez.

See TOURNEY | PAGE 4B

See SPURS | PAGE 2B

Mavs thrilled with pick

By JAIME ARON ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — When the Dallas Mavericks’ head honchos studied Rodrigue Beaubois, they could hardly believe what they were seeing.

A 6-foot-2 guard with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. A backcourt player

RODRIGUE BEAUBOIS: The 2009 Zapata County Little League Softball Juniors Division all-stars are, kneeling left to right, Chavelita Espinoza,Ashley Garcilazo, Nikki Gonzalez, Daniella Lopez; and, standing, Gaby Chapa, Estella Molina,Jeana Jasso, Kristina De Leon,Jackie Gutirrez, Liana Flores, Sammy Valadez

10-11 team ready for challenges Coach Clyde Guerra Jr. is no stranger to success as the head coach of the Zapata Lady Hawks basketball team.

His Lady Hawks teams have been at the top of the district standings for the past couple of years and even broke a 40-year playoff drought during the 2006-2007 season.

“It’s no secret there are medical issues. Obviously that was a deal that didn’t work in DeJuan’s favor,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “But we’re the fortunate recipients of that.”

Durability concerns after two reconstructive knee surgeries dropped Blair into the second round Thursday night and into the stunned arms of the Spurs, who liked the 6-foot-7 forward but thought he’d be long gone by the time they picked.

Unexpected wait

Optimistic outlook “We are going to take one game at a time, but I feel that we can get past the Optimist all-star team,” Elizondo said. “We can take on Optimist, and I don’t see a problem getting past them.”

Elizondo also noted that the success of the team will depend on the team unity and if they cooperate well during the game.

“Our success will depend if the team plays together,” he said.

In order to ensure their success on the field Elizondo and his coaching staff have been focusing on all aspects of the game that include batting, pitching, catching and even throwing in a occasional scrimmage against some of the older all-star teams.

“We scrimmaged one of the older all-star teams, and I think that we did very well,” Elizondo said.

The Zapata all-stars are ready to play ball but would not be able to take the field with out a crucial supporting cast that make their trip to Laredo possible.

“We would like to thank our sponsors for their financial support and to the league board for their support,” Elizondo said. “Also a thanks goes out to all the parents who take the time to take their sons to practice everyday. Without them, all this could not be possible.”

Spurs draft Blair

The 2009 Zapata County Little League Majors Divison all-stars are, kneeling left to right, Eric Elizondo, Christian Buruato,Jake Gutierrez, Pepito Ramirez, Robert Salinas; standing, Joel Rodriquez, Mario Gutierrez, Carlos Saenz, Chris De Leon, Raul Ruiz, Darren Rodriguez; and, not pictured, Manager Ferny Rodrique and Assistant Coach Hector Garcia.

Mavs first pick is a 6-foot-2 point guard with a 6-foot-10 wingspan.

whose vertical leap came within an inch of Blake Griffin, the big guy taken No. 1 overall, on the drill where they try touching the top of the backboard.

And then there was his foot speed, just a fraction of a second behind Devin Harris, one of the fastest guards in the NBA. A native of the Caribbean island of Guadaloupe and seasoned with three years of pro ball in France, Beaubois is still a raw talent. But those physical tools — size, youth, energy — made him too good of a package to pass up. So the Mavs targeted him for the draft and got their guy Thursday, even after essentially trading down twice.

“The NBA is very kind to athletes and he’s a big-time athlete,” team president Donnie Nelson said. “He’s a little bit of a sleeper.

He’s also a great, great kid. We’re pretty fired up.”

The Mavs figured they valued Beaubois more than others and were confident they could get him within a range of picks. Shrewdly, they did, also picking up several second-rounders.

See MAVS | PAGE 4B

PAGE 2B

Zscores

ULB All Times EDT W L Pct. GB Amarillo 9 5 .643 — San Angelo 9 5 .643 — Coastal Bend 8 6 .571 1 Edinburg 7 7 .500 2 Harlingen 6 8 .429 3 Laredo 3 11 .214 6 Thursday’s Games Harlingen 6, Edinburg 4 Coastal Bend 10, San Angelo 5 Amarillo 10, Laredo 1 Friday’s Games Coastal Bend at San Angelo, 8:05 p.m.

Edinburg at Harlingen, 8:05 p.m.

Amarillo at Laredo, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Edinburg at Harlingen, 8:05 p.m.

Coastal Bend at San Angelo, 8:05 p.m.

Amarillo at Laredo, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Amarillo at Coastal Bend, 7:05 p.m.

San Angelo at Edinburg, 7:05 p.m.

Laredo at Harlingen, 8:05 p.m.

MLB AMERICAN LEAGUE All Times EDT East Division W L Pct GB Boston 44 28 .611 — New York 40 32 .556 4 Toronto 40 34 .541 5 Tampa Bay 39 35 .527 6 Baltimore 32 40 .444 12 Central Division W L Pct GB Detroit 41 31 .569 — Minnesota 37 37 .500 5 Chicago 35 38 .479 6½ Kansas City 31 40 .437 9½ Cleveland 30 44 .405 12 West Division W L Pct GB Texas 39 32 .549 — Los Angeles 38 32 .543 ½ Seattle 37 35 .514 2½ Oakland 31 40 .437 8 Thursday’s Games Detroit 6, Chicago Cubs 5 Houston 5, Kansas City 4 Chicago White Sox 6, L.A. Dodgers 5, 13 innings Minnesota 6, Milwaukee 4 Seattle 9, San Diego 3 Washington 9, Boston 3 Pittsburgh 3, Cleveland 2 Cincinnati 7, Toronto 5 Tampa Bay 10, Philadelphia 4 Florida 11, Baltimore 3 N.Y. Yankees 11, Atlanta 7 Texas 9, Arizona 8, 12 innings Friday’s Games Chicago Cubs 5, Chicago White Sox 4 Cincinnati at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

Washington at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 7:35 p.m.

Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:38 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 8:05 p.m.

San Diego at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

Colorado at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Philadelphia (Happ 4-0) at Toronto (Mills 0-0), 1:07 p.m.

Minnesota (Slowey 10-2) at St. Louis (Wellemeyer 6-7), 1:10 p.m.

Boston (Wakefield 9-3) at Atlanta (J.Vazquez 5-6), 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Dempster 4-5) at Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 7-2), 4:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Lackey 2-3) at Arizona (D.Davis 3-8), 4:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (H.Bailey 0-0) at Cleveland (Ohka 0-1), 7:05 p.m.

Detroit (Figaro 1-0) at Houston (F.Paulino 1-4), 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City (Chen 0-0) at Pittsburgh (Maholm 4-4), 7:05 p.m.

Washington (Martis 5-2) at Baltimore (Guthrie 5-7), 7:05 p.m.

Florida (Volstad 5-7) at Tampa Bay (Niemann 6-4), 7:08 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (A.Burnett 5-4) at N.Y. Mets (Redding 1-2), 7:10 p.m.

San Diego (Correia 4-5) at Texas (Holland 1-4), 8:05 p.m.

Colorado (De La Rosa 3-7) at Oakland (Cahill 5-5), 9:05 p.m.

Seattle (F.Hernandez 7-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Milton 2-0), 10:10 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Cincinnati at Cleveland, 1:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 1:07 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 1:35 p.m.

Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 1:35 p.m.

Washington at Baltimore, 1:35 p.m.

Florida at Tampa Bay, 1:38 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, 2:05 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 2:05 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 2:15 p.m.

Colorado at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Arizona, 4:10 p.m.

Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 8:05 p.m.

San Diego at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Monday’s Games Boston at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.

Detroit at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE All Times EDT East Division W L Pct GB — Philadelphia 37 33 .529 New York 37 34 .521 ½ Florida 38 36 .514 1 Atlanta 34 38 .472 4 Washington 21 49 .300 16 Central Division W L Pct GB 40 34 .541 — St. Louis Milwaukee 38 34 .528 1 Chicago 35 35 .500 3 Cincinnati 35 36 .493 3½ Houston 33 37 .471 5 Pittsburgh 33 39 .458 6 West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 47 26 .644 — San Francisco 39 32 .549 7 Colorado 37 35 .514 9½ San Diego 31 40 .437 15 Arizona 30 43 .411 17 Thursday’s Games Detroit 6, Chicago Cubs 5 N.Y. Mets 3, St. Louis 2 Houston 5, Kansas City 4 Chicago White Sox 6, L.A. Dodgers 5, 13 innings Minnesota 6, Milwaukee 4 Seattle 9, San Diego 3 Washington 9, Boston 3 Pittsburgh 3, Cleveland 2 Cincinnati 7, Toronto 5 Tampa Bay 10, Philadelphia 4 Florida 11, Baltimore 3 N.Y. Yankees 11, Atlanta 7 Texas 9, Arizona 8, 12 innings Friday’s Games Chicago Cubs 5, Chicago White Sox 4 Cincinnati at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

Washington at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 7:35 p.m.

Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:38 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 8:05 p.m.

San Diego at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Milwaukee, 8:05 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

Colorado at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Philadelphia (Happ 4-0) at Toronto (Mills 0-0), 1:07 p.m.

Minnesota (Slowey 10-2) at St. Louis

(Wellemeyer 6-7), 1:10 p.m.

Boston (Wakefield 9-3) at Atlanta (J.Vazquez 5-6), 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Dempster 4-5) at Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 7-2), 4:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Lackey 2-3) at Arizona (D.Davis 3-8), 4:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (H.Bailey 0-0) at Cleveland (Ohka 0-1), 7:05 p.m.

Detroit (Figaro 1-0) at Houston (F.Paulino 1-4), 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City (Chen 0-0) at Pittsburgh (Maholm 4-4), 7:05 p.m.

San Francisco (Zito 4-7) at Milwaukee (McClung 3-1), 7:05 p.m.

Washington (Martis 5-2) at Baltimore (Guthrie 5-7), 7:05 p.m.

Florida (Volstad 5-7) at Tampa Bay (Niemann 6-4), 7:08 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (A.Burnett 5-4) at N.Y. Mets (Redding 1-2), 7:10 p.m.

San Diego (Correia 4-5) at Texas (Holland 1-4), 8:05 p.m.

Colorado (De La Rosa 3-7) at Oakland (Cahill 5-5), 9:05 p.m.

Seattle (F.Hernandez 7-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Milton 2-0), 10:10 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Cincinnati at Cleveland, 1:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 1:07 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 1:35 p.m.

Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 1:35 p.m.

Washington at Baltimore, 1:35 p.m.

Florida at Tampa Bay, 1:38 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, 2:05 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 2:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Milwaukee, 2:05 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 2:15 p.m.

Colorado at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Arizona, 4:10 p.m.

Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 8:05 p.m.

San Diego at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Monday’s Games Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m.

Washington at Florida, 7:10 p.m.

San Francisco at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

Houston at San Diego, 10:05 p.m.

Colorado at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

Team-by-Team Disabled List (Provided by Major League Baseball) (x-60-day all others are 15-day) Through June 25 AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore SS Cesar Izturis, June 4 OF Luis Montanez, May 23 RHP Dennis Sarfate, May 2 RHP Alfredo Simon, April 15 Boston RHP Miguel Gonzalez-x, March 27 SS Jed Lowrie, April 12 RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, June 20 Chicago RHP Bartolo Colon, June 8 OF Carlos Quentin, May 26 Cleveland RHP Rafael Betancourt, June 1 INF Asdrubal Cabrera, June 3 LHP Aaron Laffey, May 23 LHP Scott Lewis-x, April 11 RHP Anthony Reyes-x, May 23 RHP Jake Westbrook-x, March 26 Detroit RHP Jeremy Bonderman, June 9 SS Carlos Guillen, May 5 C Matt Treanor-x, April 24 LHP Dontrelle Willis, June 15 Kansas City SS Mike Aviles, May 24 C John Buck, May 31 OF Coco Crisp, June 13 RHP Kyle Farnsworth, June 26 3B Alex Gordon, April 16 RHP Sidney Ponson, May 30 RHP Doug Waechter, April 18 Los Angeles RHP Kelvim Escobar, June 7 RHP Shane Loux, May 17 RHP Dustin Moseley-x, April 18 RHP Ervin Santana, June 12 C Scott Shields, May 27 Minnesota RHP Boof Bonser, March 27 RHP Pat Neshek-x, Feb. 21 New York LHP Damaso Marte, April 26 C Jose Molina, May 8 OF Xavier Nady, April 15 Oakland 3B Eric Chavez-x, April 25 RHP Joey Devine-x, April 4 RHP Justin Duchscherer-x, March 27 2B Mark Ellis-x, April 29 RHP Dan Giese-x, May 16 LHP Josh Outman, June 20 Seattle LHP Erik Bedard, June 8 SS Yuniesky Betancourt, June 25 LHP Ryan Feierabend-x, March 15 LHP Cesar Jimenez-x, March 29 C Kenji Johjima, May 26 RHP Shawn Kelley, May 6 RHP Carlos Silva-x, May 7 Tampa Bay RHP Chad Bradford, March 27 RHP Jason Isringhausen, June 14 INF Akinori Iwamura-x, May 25 LHP Scott Kazmir, May 21 RHP Troy Percival, May 22 CF Fernando Perez-x, March 27 C Shawn Riggans, April 10 LHP Brian Shouse, May 25 Texas RHP Joaquin Benoit-x, April 5 OF Josh Hamilton, June 1 RHP Eric Hurley-x, April 5 RHP Brandon McCarthy, June 5 RHP Dustin Nippert-x, March 27 Toronto C Michael Barrett, April 18 LHP Scott Downs, June 17 RHP Roy Halladay, June 13 RHP Casey Janssen, June 14 RHP Jesse Litsch, April 14 RHP Shaun Marcum, March 27 RHP Dustin McGowan, March 27 RHP Robert Ray, May 22 NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona RHP Tom Gordon, May 4 1B Conor Jackson, May 12 RHP Yusmeiro Petit, May 9 1B Chad Tracy, May 30 Atlanta RHP Jeff Bennett, June 25 RHP Jorge Campillo-x, May 29 RHP Buddy Carlyle, May 26 RHP Tim Hudson-x, Feb. 24 SS Omar Infante, May 21 3B Greg Norton, June 11 LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, May 21 Chicago RHP Chad Fox, May 10 RHP Angel Guzman, June 21 OF Reed Johnson, June 21 3B Aramis Ramirez, May 9 LHP Jason Waddell, June 16 Cincinnati INF-OF Wilkin Castillo, June 23 3B Edwin Encarnacion-x, April 28 SS Alex Gonzalez, June 19 RHP Mike Lincoln, June 13 RHP Edinson Volquez, June 2 Colorado INF Jeff Baker-x, April 27 RHP Taylor Buchholz-x, March 27 RHP Manuel Corpas, June 20 LHP Jeffrey Francis-x, March 27 RHP Ryan Speier, April 19 Florida SS Alfredo Amezaga, May 17 RHP Kiko Calero, June 18 LHP David Davidson-x, May 23 RHP Matt Lindstrom, June 24 LHP Renyel Pinto, May 23 RHP Scott Proctor-x March 27 RHP Anibal Sanchez, June 3 Houston 3B Geoff Blum, June 13 3B Aaron Boone-x March 27 RHP Doug Brocail, May 4 LHP Mike Hampton, June 14 RHP Felipe Paulino Del Guidice, June 8 Los Angeles LHP Hong-Chih Kuo, April 30 1B Doug Mienkiewicz-x, April 17 LHP Eric Milton, June 6 LHP Will Ohman, May 28 OF Xanvier Paul, May 21 RHP Jason Schmidt-x, March 30 LHP Eric Stults, May 31

RHP Claudio Vargas-x, April 6 Milwaukee RHP Dave Bush, June 21.

RHP David Riske-x, April 10 2B Rickie Weeks-x, May 18 New York OF Carlos Beltran, June 22 1B Carlos Delgado-x, May 11 RHP John Maine, June 7 INF Ramon Martinez-x, June 3 OF Angel Pagan, June 1 LHP Oliver Perez, May 3 RHP J.J. Putz, June 5 SS Jose Reyes, May 21 LHP Billy Wagner-x, March 27 Philadelphia RHP Clay Condrey, June 23 LHP Scott Eyre, June 12 OG Raul Ibanez, June 18 RHP Brett Myers, May 28 Pittsburgh C Ryan Doumit, April 20 LHP Phil Dumatrait-x, March 27 RHP Craig Hansen-x, April 20 LHP Donnie Veal, May 30 RHP Tyler Yates, May 16 St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia, March 27 3B Troy Glaus, March 27 RHP Kyle Lohse, June 4 San Diego RHP Cha Seung Baek-x, March 30 OF Cliff Floyd-x, June 19 OF Brian Giles, June 19 RHP Luke Gregerson, June 8 RHP Shawn Hill-x, April 26 C Nick Hundley, June 18 RHP Jake Peavy, June 9 RHP Chris Young, June 15 RHP Mark Worrell-x, April 1 San Francisco LHP Noah Lowry-x, March 26 RHP Joseph Martinez-x, April 10 Washington CF Roger Bernadina-x, April 19 LHP Matt Chico-x, March 27 C Jesus Flores, May 10 LHP Scott Olsen, May 17 1B Dmitri Young, April 1 RHP Terrell Young-x, March 27

NBA Team-by-Team Draft Glance A team-by-team breakdown of the players each team ended up with in the draft: Atlanta Hawks 1 (19) Jeff Teague, g, Wake Forest.

2 (49) Sergey Gladyr, g, Mykolaiv (Ukraine).

Boston Celtics 2 (58) Lester Hudson, g, TennesseeMartin.

Charlotte Bobcats 1 (12) Gerald Henderson, g-f, Duke.

2 (40) Derrick Brown, f, Xavier.

Chicago Bulls 1 (16) James Johnson, f, Wake Forest.

1 (26) Taj Gibson, f, Southern California.

Cleveland Cavaliers 1 (30) Cristian Eyenga, g-f, DKV Joventut (Spain).

Dallas Mavericks 1 (25) Rodrigue Beaubois, g, Cholet (France) — (From Oklahoma City) 2 (56) Ahmad Nivins, f, Saint Josephs.

Denver Nuggets 1 (18) Ty Lawson, g, North Carolina.

(From Minnesota) Detroit Pistons 1 (15) Austin Daye, f, Gonzaga.

2 (35) DaJuan Summers, f, Georgetown.

2 (39) Jonas Jerebko, f, Sweden.

Golden State Warriors 1 (7) Stephen Curry, g, Davidson.

Houston Rockets 2 (32) Jermaine Taylor, g, UCF. (From Washington) 2 (34) Sergio Llull, g, Real Madrid (Spain) — (From Denver) 2 (44) Chase Budinger, f, Arizona.

(From Detroit) Indiana Pacers 1 (13) Tyler Hansbrough, f, North Carolina.

2 (52) A.J. Price, g, Connecticut.

L.A. Clippers 1 (1) Blake Griffin, f, Oklahoma.

L.A. Lakers 2 (59) Chinemelu Elonu, F, Texas A&M. Memphis Grizzlies 1 (2) Hasheem Thabeet, c, Connecticut.

1 (27) DeMarre Carroll, f, Missouri.

2 (36) Sam Young, f, Pittsburgh.

Miami Heat 2 (60) Robert Dozier, f, Memphis.

2 (42) Patrick Beverley, g, BC Dnipro (Ukraine) — (From L.A. Lakers) Milwaukee Bucks 1 (10) Brandon Jennings, g, Lottomatica Roma (Italy).

2 (41) Jodie Meeks, g, Kentucky.

Minnesota Timberwolves 1 (5) Ricky Rubio, g, DKV Joventut (Spain).

1 (6) Jonny Flynn, g, Syracuse.

1 (28) Wayne Ellington, g, North Carolina.

2 (45) Nick Calathes, g, Florida.

2 (47) Henk Norel, f, DKV Joventut (Spain).

New Jersey Nets 1 (11) Terrence Williams, g-f, Louisville.

New Orleans Hornets 1 (21) Darren Collison, g, UCLA. 2 (43) Marcus Thornton, g, LSU. (From Miami) New York Knicks 1 (8) Jordan Hill, f, Arizona.

1 (29) Toney Douglas, g, Florida State. (From L.A. Lakers) Oklahoma City Thunder 1 (3) James Harden, g, Arizona State.

1 (24) B.J. Mullens, c, Ohio State.

(From Dallas) 2 (54) Robert Vaden, g, UAB. (From Charlotte) Orlando Magic None.

Philadelphia 76ers 1 (17) Jrue Holiday, g, UCLA. Phoenix Suns 1 (14) Earl Clark, f, Louisville.

2 (46) Danny Green, f, North Carolina.

2 (48) Taylor Griffin, f, Oklahoma.

2 (57) Emir Preldzic, f, Fenerbahce Ulker (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Portland Trail Blazers 1 (22) Victor Claver, f, Pamesa Valencia (Spain).

2 (31) Jeff Pendergraph, f, Arizona State. (From Sacramento) 2 (33) Dante Cunningham, f, Villanova.

2 (55) Patrick Mills, g, St. Mary’s, Calif.

Sacramento Kings 1 (4) Tyreke Evans, g, Memphis.

1 (23) Omri Casspi, f, Maccabi Electra (Israel).

2 (38) Jon Brockman, f, Washington.

(From Portland) San Antonio Spurs 2 (37) DeJuan Blair, f, Pittsburgh.

2 (51) Jack McClinton, g, Miami.

2 (53) Nando De Colo, g, Cholet Basket (France).

Toronto Raptors 1 (9) DeMar DeRozan, g, Southern California.

Utah Jazz 1 (20) Eric Maynor, g, Virginia Commonwealth.

2 (50) Goran Suton, c, Michigan State.

Washington Wizards None.

NFL Training Camp Dates Rookie and veteran reporting dates (Dates subject to change) American Football Conference BALTIMORE RAVENS—McDaniel College, Westminster, Md., July 27; July 29.

BUFFALO BILLS—St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, N.Y., both July 25.

CINCINNATI BENGALS—Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky., both July 30.

CLEVELAND BROWNS—Browns

Training Facility, Berea, Ohio, July 24; July 31.

DENVER BRONCOS—Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Centre, Englewood, Colo., both July 30.

HOUSTON TEXANS—Methodist Training Center, Houston, July 26; July 31.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS—RoseHulman Institute, Terre Haute, Ind., both Aug. 2.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS—Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla., both Aug. 2.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS—Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, Wis., both July 31.

MIAMI DOLPHINS—Dolphins Training Center, Davie, Fla., both Aug. 1.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS— Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass., July 26; July 29.

NEW YORK JETS—Cortland State, Cortland, N.Y., July 27; July 30.

OAKLAND RAIDERS—Napa Valley Marriott, Napa, Calif., both July 29.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS—Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa., both July 31.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS—Chargers Park, San Diego, July 26; July 31.

TENNESSEE TITANS—Baptist Sports Park, Nashville, Tenn., both July 30.

National Football Conference ARIZONA CARDINALS—Northern Arizona U., Flagstaff, Ariz., both July 29.

ATLANTA FALCONS—Falcons Training Facility, Flowery Branch, Ga., both July 31.

CAROLINA PANTHERS—Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C., both Aug 2.

CHICAGO BEARS—Olivet Nazarene, Bourbonnais, Ill., both July 31.

DALLAS COWBOYS—Alamodome, San Antonio, both July 29.

DETROIT LIONS—Lions Training Facility, Allen Park, Mich., both July 31.

GREEN BAY PACKERS—St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wis., both July 31.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS—Minnesota State-Mankato, both July 30.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS—New Orleans Saints Training Facility, Metairie, La., both July 30.

NEW YORK GIANTS—U. of Albany, N.Y., both Aug. 3.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES— Lehigh U., Bethlehem, Pa., July 26; July 29.

ST. LOUIS RAMS—Russell Training Center, Earth City, Mo., July 30; July 31.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS—Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center, Santa Clara, Calif., July 28; July 30.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS—Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Renton, Wash., July 30; July 31.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS—One Buccaneer Place, Tampa, Fla., both July 31.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS—Redskins Park, Ashburn, Va., both July 29.

Preseason Schedule All Times EDT Subject to Change Sunday, Aug. 9 Buffalo vs. Tennessee at Canton, Ohio, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 13 New England at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Washington at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.

Arizona at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.

Dallas at Oakland, 10 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 14 St. Louis at N.Y. Jets, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

Cincinnati at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Denver at San Francisco, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15 Atlanta at Detroit, 4 p.m.

Chicago at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Cleveland at Green Bay, 8 p.m.

Houston at Kansas City, 8 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Tennessee, 8 p.m.

Seattle at San Diego, 10 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 17 Jacksonville at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Carolina at N.Y. Giants, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 20 Cincinnati at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Indianapolis, 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 21 Tennessee at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Atlanta at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Kansas City at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22 Carolina at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.

Buffalo at Green Bay, 8 p.m.

New Orleans at Houston, 8 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Oakland at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m.

San Diego at Arizona, 10 p.m.

Denver at Seattle, 10:30 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 24 N.Y. Jets at Baltimore, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 27 Jacksonville at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

St. Louis at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Miami at Tampa Bay, 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 28 New England at Washington, 8 p.m.

Green Bay at Arizona, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 29 Indianapolis at Detroit, 1 p.m.

New Orleans at Oakland, 4 p.m.

Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Tennessee at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

San Diego at Atlanta, 8 p.m.

Baltimore at Carolina, 8 p.m.

N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants, 8 p.m.

San Francisco at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Seattle at Kansas City, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30 Chicago at Denver, 8 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 31 Minnesota at Houston, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 3 Detroit at Buffalo, 6:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets, 7 p.m.

Baltimore at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Washington at Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Green Bay at Tennessee, 8 p.m.

Kansas City at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Miami at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Carolina, 8 p.m.

Arizona at Denver, 9 p.m.

Oakland at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 4 Houston at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

San Francisco at San Diego, 10 p.m.

Free Agent Signings List ARIZONA CARDINALS—Signed Dominque Byrd, TE; Anthony Becht, TE; Mike Leach, LS; Rodney Leisle, DT; Keith Lewis, S; Bryant McFadden, CB; Donovan Raiola, C; Oliver Ross, OT; and Jason Wright, RB. Re-signed Bertrand Berry, DE; Elton Brown, OL; Ben Graham, P; Clark Haggans, LB; Dan Kreider, FB; Brian St. Pierre, QB and Kurt Warner, QB. Agreed to terms with Ralph Brown, CB. ATLANTA FALCONS—Signed Jeremy Newberry, C; Mike Peterson, LB; and C Brett Romberg. Re-signed Chauncey Davis, DE; Jamal Fudge, S; Tony Gilbert, LB; Jason Jefferson, DT; Justin Peele, TE; Ben Wilkerson, OL; and Coy Wire, LB. BALTIMORE RAVENS—Signed John Beck, QB; Matt Birk, C; Chris Carr, CB/KR; Domonique Foxworth, CB; and L.J. Smith, TE; and Kelley Washington, WR. Re-signed Ray Lewis, LB; and Samari Rolle, CB. BUFFALO BILLS—Signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB; Drayton Florence, CB; Geoff Hangartner, OL; Terrell Owens, WR; and Dominic Rhodes, RB; and Pat Thomas, LB. Re-signed Kirk Chambers, OL; and Corey McIntyre, FB.

SATURDAY,JUNE 27,2009 CAROLINA PANTHERS—Resigned Jordan Gross, OT; Nate Salley, S; James Anderson, LB. CHICAGO BEARS—Signed Josh Bullocks, S; Glenn Earl, S; Michael Gaines, TE; Marcus Hamilton, DB; Frank Omiyale, OL; Orlando Pace, OT; Kevin Shaffer, OT; and Pisa Tinoisamoa, LB. Re-signed Kevin Jones, RB. CINCINNATI BENGALS—Signed Laveranues Coles, WR; Jeremi Johnson, FB; Tank Johnson, DT; J.T. O’Sullivan, QB; and Roy Williams, S. Resigned Cedric Benson, RB; Darryl Blackstock, LB; Chris Crocker, S; DeDe Dorsey, RB; and Jamar Fletcher, CB; and Brandon Johnson, LB. CLEVELAND BROWNS—Signed Eric Barton, LB; David Bowens, LB; Rod Hood, DB; George Foster, OT; Mike Furrey, WR; Noah Herron, RB; Corey Ivy, CB; C.J. Mosley, DT; David Patten, WR; Hank Poteat, CB; Robert Royal, TE; John St. Clair, OL; and Floyd Womack, T. Re-signed Mike Adams, S. DALLAS COWBOYS—Signed Keith Brooking, LB; Igor Olshansky, DE; Gerald Sensabaugh, S; and Matt Stewart, LB. Re-signed Miles Austin, WR; Stephen Bowen, DE; Alonzo Coleman, RB; Rodney Hannah, TE; and Cory Procter, G. DENVER BRONCOS—Signed J.J. Arrington, RB; Correll Buckhalter, RB; Andra Davis, LB; Brian Dawkins, S; Ronald Fields, DT; Jabar Gaffney, WR; Andre’ Goodman, CB; Brandon Gorin, OL; Nick Greisen, LB; Renaldo Hill, S; LaMont Jordan, RB; Brandon Lloyd, WR; J’Vonne Parker, DT; Lonie Paxton, FS; Kenny Peterson, DL; Darrell Reid, DT; Chris Simms, QB; Darius Walker, RB; and Scott Young, OL. Re-signed Jeb Putzier, TE. DETROIT LIONS—Signed Phillip Buchanon, CB; Ronald Curry, WR; Larry Foote, LB; Will Heller, TE; Grady Jackson, DT; Bryant Johnson, WR; Eric King, CB; Daniel Loper, OL; Maurice Morris, RB; Terrelle Smith, FB; and Cody Spencer, LB. Re-signed Aveion Cason, RB; Damion Cook, OL; Jason Hanson, K; and Stephen Peterman, G. GREEN BAY PACKERS—Signed Mike Montgomery, DE; Duke Preston, OL; and Anthony Smith, S. Re-signed Tory Humphrey, TE. HOUSTON TEXANS—Signed Shaun Cody, DT; Buster Davis, LB; Boomer Grigsby, FB; Rex Grossman, QB; LB Cato June; Darrell McClover, LB; Dan Orlovsky, QB; and Antonio Smith, DE. Re-signed Rashad Butler, T; Joel Dreessen, TE; Nick Ferguson, S; Chris White, C; and Eugene Wilson, S. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS—Signed Adam Seward, LB. Re-signed Ed Johnson, DL; Freddie Keiaho, LB; Matt Giordano, S; Lance Ball, RB; Kelvin Hayden, CB; Jeff Saturday, C; Tyjuan Hagler, LB, Dan Federkeil, OL. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS— Signed Todd Bouman, QB; Sean Considine, S; Torry Holt, WR; Marlon McCree, S; Tra Thomas, T. Re-signed Brad Meester, C; Scott Starks, CB; and Joe Zelenka, LS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS— Signed Monte Beisel, LB; Terrance Copper, WR; Tony Curtis, TE; Travis Daniels, CB; Bobby Engram, WR; Eric Ghiaciuc, C; Mike Goff, G; C.J. Jones, WR; Jon McGraw, S; Corey Mays, LB; LS Tanner Purdum; Darrell Robertson, LB; Sean Ryan, TE; Zach Thomas, LB; and Rodney Wright, WR. MIAMI DOLPHINS—Signed Joe Berger, G; Eric Green, CB; Jake Grove, C; and Jason Taylor, LB. Resigned Yeremiah Bell, S; Vernon Carey, OT; and Channing Crowder, LB. MINNESOTA VIKINGS—Signed Cedric Griffin, CB; Glenn Holt, WR; and Karl Paymah, CB. Re-signed Fred Evans, DT; Heath Farwell, LB-OTis Grigsby, DL; Jimmy Kennedy, DT; Jim Kleinsasser, TE; and Benny Sapp, CB. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS— Signed Vinnie Ciurciu, LB; Chris Baker, TE; Leigh Bodden, CB; Joey Galloway, WR; Nathan Hodel, LS; Al Johnson, C; Paris Lenon; LB; Brandon McGowan, S; Tom Malone, P; Shawn Springs, CB; and Fred Taylor, RB. Resigned Matt Cassel, QB (f), and traded him to Kansas City; re-signed Eric Alexander, LB; Wesley Britt, OL; Chris Hanson, P; Russ Hochstein, OL; James Sanders, S; Ray Ventrone, S; Mike Wright, DL; and Tank Williams, S. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS—Signed Dan Campbell, TE; Rod Coleman, DT; Darnell Dinkins, TE; Heath Evans, FB; Jabari Greer, CB; Nick Leckey, C; Pierson Prioleau, S; Paul Spicer, DL; Darren Sharper, S; and D’Juan Woods, WR. Re-signed Joey Harrington, QB; Devery Henderson, WR; Courtney Roby, WR-KR; Jon Stinchcomb, T; Jonathan Vilma, LB; and Troy Evans, LB. NEW YORK GIANTS—Signed Rocky Bernard, DT; Michael Boley, LB; C.C. Brown, S; Chris Canty, DE; Allen Patrick, RB; Lee Vickers, TE; and George Wrighster, TE. Re-signed David Carr, QB; Kevin Dockery, CB; and Brandon Jacobs, RB (f).

NEW YORK JETS—Signed Marques Douglas, DE; Howard Green, DT; Larry Izzo, LB; Jim Leonhard, S; Bart Scott, LB; and Donald Strickland, CB. Re-signed Ahmad Carroll, DB; Jay Feely, K; Bubba Franks, TE; Brandon Moore, G; and Tony Richardson, FB. OAKLAND RAIDERS—Signed Khalif Barnes, T; Ryan Boschetti, DT; Greg Ellis, LB; Jeff Garcia, QB; Jason Horton, DB; Marcus Johnson, T; Lorenzo Neal, FB; Erik Pears, T; and Gary Russell, RB. Re-signed Nnamdi Asomugha, DB; Cooper Carlisle, G; Isaiah Ekejiuba, LB; Chris Johnson, CB; William Joseph, DT; Shane Lechler, P; Justin Miller, CB; and Sam Williams, LB. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES— Signed Stacy Andrews, OT; Rashad Baker, S; Sean Jones, S; and Leonard Weaver, FB. Re-signed Tank Daniels, LB; Joselio Hanson, CB; Nick Cole, OL; and Hank Baskett, WR. PITTSBURGH STEELERS— Signed Piotr Czech, K; Jayson Foster, WR; Dirk Johnson, P; Shaun McDonald, WR; Keiwan Ratliff, CB; Resigned Charlie Batch, QB; Fernando Bryant, CB; Willie Colon, T; Keyaron Fox, LB; Andre Frazier, LB; Trai Essex, T; Arnold Harrison, LB; Chris Kemoeatu, G; and Max Starks, T (f).

ST. LOUIS RAMS—Signed Billy Bajema, TE; Kyle Boller, QB; Jason Brown, OL; James Butler, S; and Mike Karney, FB. Re-signed Oshiomoghe Atogwe, S (f); Ron Bartell, CB; Adam Goldberg, G; and Mark Setterstrom, G. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS—Signed Kevin Burnett, LB. Re-signed Kynan Forney, G. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS—Signed Demetric Evans, DE; Marques Harris, LB; Damon Huard, QB; Brandon Jones, WR; and Marvel Smith, T. Resigned Moran Norris, FB; Allen Rossum, CB-KR; and Takeo Spikes, LB. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS—Signed Colin Cole, DT; Justin Griffith, FB; T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR; Mike Hass, WR; D.D. Lewis, LB; Ken Lucas, CB; John Owens, TE; Ryan Senser, LS; and John Tereshinski, TE. Re-signed Leroy Hill, LB (f); and Ray Willis, OL. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS— Signed Angelo Crowell, LB; Byron Leftwich, QB; Mike Nugent, K; and Derrick Ward, RB. Re-signed Michael Clayton, WR; Cortez Hankton, WR; Luke McCown, QB; Jermaine Phillips, S; and Jerramy Stevens, TE. TENNESSEE TITANS—Signed DeMarcus Faggins, CB; Jovan Haye, DT; Craig Hentrich, P; Mark Jones, WR/KR; Patrick Ramsey, QB; TE Bo Scaife (f); and Nate Washington, WR. Re-signed Rob Bironas, K; Kerry Collins, QB; and Vincent Fuller, DB. WASHINGTON REDSKINS— Signed Derrick Dockery, G; Dominique Dorsey, KR; Albert Haynesworth, DT; Dirk Johnson, P; Dave Rayner, K; Mike Williams, G; Roydell Williams,

WR; and Renaldo Wynn, DE. Resigned Ethan Albright, LS; Phillip Daniels, DE; Reed Doughty, S; Alfred Fincher, LB; DeAngelo Hall, CB; and Shaun Suisham, K. f-franchise player Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents Unsigned free agents with more than four years of NFL experience: ARIZONA — Karlos Dansby (f); Scott Peters, OL; Jerame Tuman, TE. ATLANTA — Wayne Gandy, OT; Lawyer Milloy, S; Marcus Pollard, TE. BALTIMORE — Chad Slaughter, OL; Matt Stover, K; Terrell Suggs, DE/LB (f); Daniel Wilcox, TE. BUFFALO — Melvin Fowler, OL; Teddy Lehman, LB; J.P. Losman, QB; Jason Whittle, OL. CAROLINA — Donte’ Curry, LB; Jason Kyle, LB; Julius Peppers, DE (f); Darwin Walker, DT. CHICAGO — Mike Brown, S; Fred Miller, OL; Cameron Worrell, S. CINCINNATI — John Thornton, DT. CLEVELAND — Lennie Friedman, G/C; Kris Griffin, LB; Daven Holly; CB; Willie McGinest, LB; Shantee Orr, LB. DALLAS — Brooks Bollinger, QB; Keith Davis, S; Carlos Polk, LB. DENVER — Tatum Bell, RB; Ebenezer Ekuban, DE; Darrell Jackson, WR; Tom Nalen, C; Michael Pittman, RB; Edell Shepherd, DB; Nate Webster, LB. DETROIT — Keary Colbert, WR; Rudi Johnson, RB; Andy McCollum, G/C; Langston Moore, DT; Ryan Nece, LB; Stanley Wilson, CB. GREEN BAY — Mark Tauscher, T. HOUSTON — Mark Bruener, TE; DeMarcus Faggins, CB; Scott Jackson, OL; Bryan Pittman, OL; Dunta Robinson; CB (f); Cecil Sapp, RB; Jimmy Williams CB; Jeff Zgonina, DT. INDIANAPOLIS — Hunter Smith, P; Josh Thomas, DE. JACKSONVILLE — Chris Naeole, G; Reggie Williams, WR. KANSAS CITY — Jason Babin, LB; Rocky Boiman, LB; Oliver Celestin, S; Adrian Jones, G. MIAMI — Tab Perry, WR; Derek Smith, LB. MINNESOTA — Kenderick Allen, DT; Michael Boulware, S; Napoleon Harris, LB; Dontarrious Thomas, LB; Ellis Wyms, DT. NEW ENGLAND — Rosevelt Colvin, LB; Deltha O’Neal, CB; Lewis Sanders, CB; Junior Seau, LB; Kenny Smith, DT; Barry Stokes, OL. NEW ORLEANS — Mark Campbell, TE; Aaron Glenn, CB; Martin Gramatica, K; Terrence Holt, S; Antwan Lake, DT; Mike Lehan, CB; Matt Lehr, G; James Reed, DT; Aaron Stecker, RB. N.Y. GIANTS — John Carney, K; Jerome McDougle, DE; R.W. McQuarters, CB/KR; Grey Ruegamer, G/C; Rich Scanlon, LB; Amani Toomer, WR; Anthony Wright, QB. N.Y. JETS — Jesse Chatman, RB; Ty Law, CB; J.R. Reed, S. OAKLAND — Drew Carter, WR; Ashley Lelie, WR; Marques Tuiasosopo, QB. PHILADELPHIA — Jon Runyan, T. PITTSBURGH — Mitch Berger, P; Orpheus Roye, DE. ST. LOUIS — Oshiomogho Atogwe, S (f); Fakhir Brown, CB; Jason Craft, CB; Anthony Davis, OL; La’Roi Glover, DT; Dante’ Hall, WR/KR; Nick Leckey, OL; Dane Looker, WR; Ricky Manning Jr., CB; Travis Minor, RB; Rob Pettiti, OL; Gary Stills, LB; Cory Withrow, OL. SAN DIEGO — Darren Sproles, RB/KR (f).

SAN FRANCISCO — Damane Duckett, DT; DeShaun Foster, RB; Roderick Green, DE; Jamie Martin, QB. SEATTLE — Charlie Frye, QB; Chris Gray, G; Leroy Hill, LB (f); Wesly Mallard, LB; Steve McKinney, G; Jeff Robinson, TE; Koren Robinson, WR. TAMPA BAY — Will Allen, S; Antonio Bryant, WR (f); Kevin Carter, DE; Patrick Chukwurah, LB. TENNESSEE — Reynaldo Hill, CB; Tyrone Poole, CB. WASHINGTON — Ryan Boschetti, DT; Khary Campbell, LB; Jason Fabini, OL; Mike Green, S; Pete Kendall, G.

WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Indiana 4 2 .667 — Washington 4 2 .667 — Chicago 4 3 .571 ½ Connecticut 3 3 .500 1 Atlanta 3 4 .429 1½ New York 2 4 .333 2 Detroit 1 4 .200 2½ WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Seattle 5 2 .714 — Phoenix 6 3 .667 — Minnesota 5 3 .625 ½ San Antonio 2 3 .400 2 Los Angeles 2 4 .333 2½ Sacramento 1 5 .167 3½ Wednesday’s Game No games scheduled Thursday’s Games Phoenix 93, Washington 87 Friday’s Games Detroit at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Indiana at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Sacramento at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Saturday’s Games New York at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Connecticut, 7 p.m.

Washington at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Sacramento at Detroit, 6 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m.

MLS All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA D.C. 5 3 8 23 25 24 Toronto FC 6 5 4 22 21 22 Chicago 5 3 6 21 21 19 Kansas City 5 5 4 19 19 17 Columbus 4 3 7 19 20 20 New England 4 4 4 16 15 20 New York 211 4 10 14 27 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Houston 8 2 4 28 20 9 Chivas USA 8 4 3 27 19 12 Seattle 5 3 7 22 21 15 Colorado 5 2 6 21 21 15 Real Salt Lake 4 6 4 16 19 17 Los Angeles 2 3 9 15 16 18 FC Dallas 3 7 5 14 18 24 San Jose 3 8 3 12 17 27 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Wednesday’s Games Toronto FC 2, New York 0 Colorado 1, FC Dallas 1, tie Saturday’s Games New York at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

Toronto FC at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Colorado at Seattle FC, 4 p.m.

Houston at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.

Friday, July 3 San Jose at Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 4 D.C. United at Columbus, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Houston at Kansas City, 9 p.m.

New York at FC Dallas, 9 p.m.

New England at Los Angeles, 11 p.m.

FIFA Confederations Cup Glance All Times EDT FIRST ROUND GROUP A GP W D L GF GA Pts x-Spain 3 3 0 0 8 0 9 x-South Africa3 1 1 1 2 2 4 Iraq 3 0 2 1 0 1 2 New Zealand 3 0 1 2 0 7 1 x-advanced to semifinals

Sunday, June 14 At Johannesburg South Africa 0, Iraq 0 At Rustenburg, South Africa Spain 5, New Zealand 0 Wednesday, June 17 At Bloemfontein, South Africa Spain 1, Iraq 0 At Rustenburg, South Africa South Africa 2, New Zealand 0 Saturday, June 20 At Johannesburg Iraq 0, New Zealand 0 At Bloemfontein, South Africa Spain 2, South Africa 0 GROUP B GP W D L GF GA Pts x-Brazil 3 3 0 0 10 3 9 x-United States 3 1 0 2 4 6 3 Italy 3 1 0 2 3 5 3 Egypt 3 1 0 2 4 7 3 x-advanced to semifinals Monday, June 15 At Bloemfontein, South Africa Brazil 4, Egypt 3 At Pretoria, South Africa Italy 3, United States 1 Thursday, June 18 At Pretoria, South Africa Brazil 3, United States 0 At Johannesburg Egypt 1, Italy 0 Sunday, June 21 At Rustenburg, South Africa United States 3, Egypt 0 At Pretoria, South Africa Brazil 3, Italy 0 SEMIFINALS Wednesday, June 24 At Bloemfontein, South Africa United States 2, Spain 0 Thursday, June 25 At Johannesburg Brazil 1, South Africa 0 THIRD PLACE Sunday, June 28 At Rustenburg, South Africa Spain vs. South Africa, 9 a.m.

FINAL Sunday, June 28 At Johannesburg United States vs. Brazil, 2:30 p.m.

World Cup Qualifying Glance All Times EDT AFRICA FINALS Winners qualify GROUP A GP W D L GF GA Pts Gabon 2 2 0 0 5 1 6 Togo 3 1 1 1 1 3 4 Morocco 3 0 2 1 1 2 2 Cameroon 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 Saturday’s Games At Libreville, Gabon Gabon vs. Cameroon, ppd.

At Rabat, Morocco Morocco 0, Togo 0 GROUP B GP W D L GF GA Pts Tunisia 3 2 1 0 4 1 7 Nigeria 3 1 2 0 3 0 5 Kenya 3 1 0 2 3 6 3 Mozambique 3 0 1 2 1 4 1 Saturday’s Games At Nairobi, Kenya Kenya 2, Mozambique 1 At Rades, Tunisia Tunisia 0, Nigeria 0 GROUP C GP W D L GF GA Pts Algeria 3 2 1 0 5 1 7 Zambia 3 1 1 1 2 3 4 Rwanda 2 0 1 2 0 1 1 Egypt 2 0 1 1 2 4 1 Saturday’s Game At Chililabombwe, Zambia Zambia 0, Algeria 2 Sunday, July 5 At Cairo, Egypt Egypt vs. Rwanda, 2:30 p.m.

GROUP D GP W D L GF GA Pts 3 3 0 0 5 0 9 Ghana Mali 3 1 0 2 4 4 4 Benin 3 1 0 2 2 4 3 Sudan 3 0 1 2 1 4 1 Saturday’s Game At Omdurman, Sudan Sudan 0, Ghana 2 Sunday’s Game At Bamako, Mali Mali 3, Benin 1 GROUP E GP W D L GF GA Pts Ivory Coast 3 3 0 0 10 3 9 Burkina Faso 3 2 0 1 7 5 6 Guinea 3 1 0 2 5 7 3 Malawi 3 0 0 3 1 8 0 Saturday’s Game At Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Burkina Faso 2, Ivory Coast 3 Sunday’s Game At Conakry, Guinea Guinea 2, Malawi 1

Tennis Wimbledon Results Friday At The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Wimbledon, England Purse: $20.5 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Grass-Outdoor Singles Men Third Round Robin Soderling (13), Sweden, def.

Nicolas Almagro, Spain, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 64.

Roger Federer (2), Switzerland, def.

Philipp Kohlschreiber (27), Germany, 63, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1.

Fernando Verdasco (7), Spain, def.

Albert Montanes (32), Spain, 4-6, 6-1, 64, 7-6 (2).

Ivo Karlovic (22), Croatia, def. JoWilfried Tsonga (9), France, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5).

Dudi Sela, Israel, def. Tommy Robredo (15), Spain, 7-6 (8), 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.

Novak Djokovic (4), Serbia, def.

Mardy Fish (28), U.S., 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Tommy Haas (24), Germany, vs.

Marin Cilic (11), Croatia, 7-5, 7-5, 1-6, 67 (3), 6-6, susp., darkness.

Igor Andreev (29), Russia, leads Andreas Seppi, Italy, 6-1, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 55, susp., darkness.

Women Third Round Virginie Razzano (26), France, def.

Vera Zvonareva (7), Russia, walkover.

Serena Williams (2), U.S., def.

Roberta Vinci, Italy, 6-3, 6-4.

Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, def.

Ai Sugiyama, Japan, 6-4, 6-3.

Elena Dementieva (4), Russia, def.

Regina Kulikova, Russia, 6-1, 6-2.

Nadia Petrova (10), Russia, def.

Gisela Dulko, Argentina, 6-3, 6-4.

Elena Vesnina, Russia, def. Dominika Cibulkova (14), Slovakia, 7-5, 46, 6-4.

Victoria Azarenka (8), Belarus, def.

Sorana Cirstea (28), Romania, 7-6 (2), 63.

Francesca Schiavone, Italy, def.

Marion Bartoli (12), France, 7-6 (5), 6-0.

Doubles Men First Round Travis Parrott, U.S./Filip Polasek (10), Slovakia, def. Pablo Cuevas, Uruguay/Leonardo Mayer, Argentina, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Second Round Mahesh Bhupathi, India/Mark Knowles (4), Bahamas, def. Philipp Petzschner, Germany/Alexander Peya, Austria, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Jamie Delgado/Jonathan Marray, Britain, def. Frantisek Cermak, Czech Republic/Michal Mertinak (13), Slovakia, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (9), 6-2.

Prakash Amritraj, India/Aisam-ulHaq Qureshi, Pakistan, def. Rameez Junaid, Australia/Philipp Marx, Germany, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-7 (3), 8-6.

Bob/Mike Bryan (1), U.S., def. Johan Brunstrom, Sweden/Jean-Julien Rojer, Netherlands Antilles, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4.

Martin Damm, Czech Republic/Robert Lindstedt (15), Sweden, def. James Cerretani, U.S./Victor Hanescu, Romania, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (12), 75.

Bruno Soares, Brazil/Kevin Ullyett (5), Zimbabwe, def. Alex Bog-

danovic/James Ward, Britain, 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Andrei Pavel/Horia Tecau, Romania, def. Eric Butorac/Scott Lipsky, U.S., 6-4, 6-7 (9), 3-6, 6-4, 15-13.

Max Mirnyi, Belarus/Andy Ram (7), Israel, def. Sanchai/Sonchat Ratiwatana, Thailand, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

Daniel Nestor, Canada/Nenad Zimonjic (2), Serbia, def. Robert Kendrick/Sam Querrey, U.S., 3-6, 6-3, 64, 6-4.

Lukasz Kubot, Poland/Oliver Marach (8), Austria, def. Chris Guccione, Australia/Frank Moser, Germany, 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4).

Christopher Kas, Germany/Viktor Troicki, Serbia, def. Marcelo Melo/Andre Sa (11), Brazil, 7-6 (1), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Women Second Round Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia/Amelie Mauresmo (16), France, def. Laura Robson/Georgie Stoop, Britain, 6-3, 6-4.

Samantha Stosur/Rennae Stubbs (3), Australia, def. Maria Elena Camerin, Italy/Anna Chakvetadze, Russia, 6-3, 7-5.

Kaia Kanepi, Estonia/Ipek Senoglu, Turkey, def. Vera Dushevina, Russia/Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukraine, 6-4, 46, 6-2.

Anabel Medina Garrigues/Virginia Ruano Pascual (2), Spain, def. Anastasia Rodionova, Australia/Galina Voskoboeva, Kazakhstan, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Germany/Vania King (12), U.S., def. Jocelyn Rae/Melanie South, Britain, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Iveta Benesova/Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic, def.

Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan/Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Serena/Venus Williams (4), U.S., def. Sabine Lisicki, Germany/Aleksandra Wozniak, Canada, 6-1, 6-4.

Kristina Barrois, Germany/Tathiana Garbin, Italy, def. Sara Errani, Italy/Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Cara Black, Zimbabwe/Liezel Huber (1), U.S., def. Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosolska, Poland, 7-5, 6-2.

Mixed First Round Fabrice Santoro, France/Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spain, def. Frantisek Cermak/Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Colin Fleming/Sarah Borwell, Britain, def.

Dusan Vemic, Serbia/Flavia Pennetta, Italy, 7-5, 4-6 75.

Philipp Petzschner, Germany/Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic, def. Scott Lipsky, U.S./Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, 6-4, 6-4.

James Auckland/Elena Baltacha, Britain, def. Travis Parrott, U.S./Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, 76 (5), 6-2.

Eric Butorac, U.S./Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, def. Johan Brunstrom, Sweden/Vera Dushevina, Russia, 6-3, 6-4.

Jean-Julien Rojer, Netherlands Antilles/Galina Voskoboeva, Kazakhstan, def. Jeff Coetzee, South Africa/Jill Craybas, U.S., 4-6, 6-3, 15-13.

James Cerretani, U.S./Sybille Bammer, Austria, def. Dick Norman, Belgium/Liga Dekmeijere, Latvia, 6-3, 6-4.

Bruno Soares, Brazil/Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, def.

Ross Hutchins/Anne Keothavong, Britain, 64, 6-2.

Andrei Pavel/Monica Niculescu, Romania, def. Jordan Kerr, Australia/Vania King, U.S., 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

Second Round Marcin Matkowski, Poland/Lisa Raymond (3), U.S., def. Paul Hanley/Anastasia Rodionova, Australia, 61, 6-3.

Transactions BASEBALL International Baseball Federation IBF—Banned Kansas City RHP Sidney Ponson from international competition for two years for testing positive for a stimulant during the World Baseball Classic.

Major League Baseball MLB—Suspended Boston hitting coach Dave Magadan for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for inappropriate actions during a game on June 24 against Washington.

Suspended RHP Johan Romero (N.Y. Mets) for 50 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program.

American League KANSAS CITY ROYALS—Placed RHP Kyle Farnsworth on the 15-day DL. Recalled LHP Bruce Chen from Omaha (PCL).

TEXAS RANGERS—Activated RHP Willie Eyre from the 60-day DL. Optioned OF Brandon Boggs to Oklahoma City (PCL). Released INF German Duran.

National League CINCINNATI REDS—Traded OF Norris Hopper to the White Sox for C Corky Miller.

FLORIDA MARLINS — Named Jennifer Diliz director of foundation development.

NEW YORK METS—Assigned INF Wilson Valdez outright to Buffalo (IL).

SAN DIEGO PADRES—Activated RHP Luis Perdomo from the 15-day DL. Optioned LHP Wade LeBlanc to Portland (PCL).

American Association EL PASO DIABLOS—Signed RHP Josh Neitz.

LINCOLN SALTDOGS—Released INF Ernesto Gonzalez and C Andrew Barbaro.

SIOUX FALLS CANARIES—Released RHP Matt Minor.

Can-Am League NEW HAMPSHIRE AMERICAN DEFENDERS—Released RHP Brett Palanski.

QUEBEC CAPITALES—Signed LHP Mike Joyce.

United League RIO GRANDE VALLEY WHITEWINGS—Traded OF Alfred Joseph to Coastal Bend for a player to be named.

BASKETBALL National Basketball Association UTAH JAZZ—Made a qualifying offer to F Paul Millsap.

FOOTBALL National Football League CAROLINA PANTHERS—Signed RB Mike Goodson and S Tony Fiammetta to four-year deals. Waived LS Patrick MacDonald and DT Babatunde Oshinowo.

SOCCER Major League Soccer NEW YORK RED BULL—Terminated the contract of MF Juan Pietravallo.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS—Signed G Terry Boss.

COLLEGE ARCADIA—Named Erin Livingston field hockey coach.

AUGUSTA STATE—Named Chris Cooper baseball coach.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS—Named Matt Jordan athletic marketing director.

DREW—Named Bob Koppenol men’s and women’s cross country coach.

FURMAN—Named David Willson men’s assistant basketball coach.

GEORGE WASHINGTON—Named Craig Jones men’s assistant soccer coach.

HENDERSON STATE—Announced the retirement of athletic director Sam Goodwin, effective March 2010.

LONG BEACH STATE—Announced the resignation women’s golf coach Sue Ewart, but announced she would remain as an assistant.

PRESBYTERIAN—Named Klay Killingsworth linebackers coach.

SPURS | Continued from Page 1B 51st pick and guard Nando De Colo from France with the 53rd pick.

Like Blair, the sharp-shooting McClinton is another rookie who has the chance to contribute as soon as this season.

“I don’t know how we could have gotten better fits for what we needed,” Buford said.

San Antonio was hardly counting on the second round to snare a player who could make the roster right away. But the Spurs may have caught a break with Blair: their frontcourt needs replenishing after dealing Kurt Thomas and Fabricio

Oberto in a the Jefferson trade.

Jefferson came over Tuesday as the Bucks unloaded $29.2 million owed to the scoring swingman over the next two years. In return, San Antonio only gave up Thomas, Oberto and Bruce Bowen, three aging bench players.

Blair averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds for Pitt. He was the only Pitt player in the last 50 years to make first-team All-America.

But while the Spurs were thrilled to get him, Blair said he was little upset being passed up in the first round.

The disappointment, apparently, didn’t last long.

“It upset me, but at the same time, I knew I was going to get drafted,” Blair said When he declared for the draft in April after just two seasons at Pitt, the 20-year-old was confident that it would be NBA commissioner David Stern calling his name, saying at the time that “nobody’s got me going in the second round.”

Blair said he knew his knee troubles plummeted his stock. But he was grateful the Spurs took a

chance.

“Since they believed in me, I’m just going to give them 1,000 percent,” Blair said. “I’m going to do whatever they want me to do.”

Blair himself didn’t want to risk another knee injury one after two years at Pitt. He also struggled with his weight, ballooning to more than 300 pounds before settling to around 260 in college.

But Blair also led the nation in offensive rebounds and was fourth in rebounds overall. Tim Duncan has been asking the Spurs to get

him help on the boards.

Buford said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was equally glad to get Blair so late, especially after San Antonio couldn’t swing a deal to move up in the first round.

“He likes having a guy who led the country in rebounding,” Buford said.

McClinton averaged 19.3 points as a senior for the Hurricanes and set an ACC record with a career 3point percentage of .440. DeColo, 22, spent the past three seasons playing for Cholet Basket and averaged 12.3 points a game last season.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009

THE ZAPATA TIMES | 3B

Sports

ADVICE | HELOISE Dear Heloise: We travel quite a bit and either take our dog, Bo, with us or have him stay with a family member. He has his own TRAVEL BAG that stays filled with a toy, blanket, small bed, leash, and medical and veterinaryclinic information.

All I have to do is add enough food and treats for the duration of our stay. When he sees his bag, Bo knows he is going somewhere. As we leave the house for a trip, everyone has his own travel bag, including Bo. — Stella R., Colorado We have a doggie bag for our Cabbie, too. She knows if she sees it, she’s going to the coast or the “spa.” — Heloise BYE-BYE, DUCKS Dear Heloise: Here is a hint we just stumbled upon. We had mallard ducks landing every day and spending time in our swimming pool and yard. Just by accident, our granddaughter left her small blowup ball that she was playing with in the pool. The ball floats around in the pool with the wind currents.

This seems to have discouraged the ducks from returning to our pool and yard. — Rick, Tustin, Calif.

EASY CLEAN Dear Readers: There is an easy way to remove hard-water deposits on your pet’s drinking bowl. Just heat white or apple-cider vinegar, pour it into the bowl and watch the deposits bubble off ! Scrub with a brush and rinse well. — Heloise FALLING BIRDSEED Dear Heloise: I read in your column about the person seeking a solution to keep birdseed from falling on the ground and all the weeds springing up underneath

“

HELOISE

the feeder. I dealt with this problem for years, as I love to watch all the pretty birds that come to feed.

We purchased a resin plant plate that goes under potted plants and is larger than the feeder. My husband, being very handy with projects, inserted a screw in the middle of the plant water catcher and attached it to the feeder’s post, and then the feeder also was attached to the middle of the plant plate. Problem solved! — Shirley A. Dudley, Palmdale, Calif.

PET PAL Dear Readers: Mike and Meg McGrew of Seguin, Texas, sent a photo of their 6-year-old golden retriever, Schuyler, holding two yellow tennis balls in his mouth. The McGrews say: “Schuyler’s favorite things in life are his tennis balls and his humans. He sits at the edge of our yard when he sees our neighbor come home from playing tennis Saturday mornings in hopes that he’ll receive a tennis ball or two. He’s not often disappointed!”

— Heloise NEW COLLAR Dear Readers: When you select a new collar for your pet, get one that expands as your pet grows.

Make it a point to check the fit periodically. Slip two fingers between the neck and the collar. If you can’t get two fingers in, you need to enlarge the collar or buy a bigger one. — Heloise

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:

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DENNIS THE MENACE

FAMILY CIRCUS

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4B | THE ZAPATA TIMES

Sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009

TOURNEY | Continued from Page 1B Now in a new venue, he will now attempt to sprinkle the formula of success and apply it to the Zapata County Little League 10-11 baseball all-star team in the doubleelimination district all-star tournament that will be played in Laredo during the upcoming week.

The Zapata all-stars will open up play against the Laredo Del Mar all-stars at Rangel Field at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The Del Mar all-stars are the defending district and sectional champions as they made a run that end at the Texas West Little League State Championship in Waco last year.

Guerra, with the collaboration of the league coaches selected the following athletes to represent Zapata: Frankie Molina, Arturo Ramirez, J.J. De Jesus, Clyde Guerra, Marcos Zamora, Al Chapa, Eric Elizondo, Christian Buruato, Jake Gutierrez, Pepito Ramirez, and Robert Salinas.

While many coaches emphasize winning at all costs, Guerra sees this as an opportunity to continue to teach the game of baseball at its grass roots level.

“The all-star games are an extension of the league and we need to make sure these young athletes get the basics and have to remind the fans that these kids are only 10 and 11 years old and they will make mistakes,” Guerra said.

The all-stars have been practicing and trying to find the right team chemistry that will allow them to be successful on the field.

Guerra also noted that his athletes are very excited to travel to Laredo to play in the all-star tournament.

“The kids have been preparing to play in the allstar tournament and look forward to traveling to Laredo.

The 10-11 year old all-stars baseball team is sponsored

by Med-Loz. Coach Pepe Ramirez will assist Guerra on the field at the district tournament.

Majors to face Hillside The Zapata County Little

League Majors Division allstar team will start its playoff run against the Laredo Hillside all-star team on Monday at 8 p.m. at Cruz Field.

These all-stars, who are 11 and 12 years old, will be coached by Fernie Rodriguez and assisted by Hector Garcia.

Team members are Joel Rodriguez, Mario Gutierrez, Carlos Saenz, Chris De Leon, Raul Ruiz, Darren Rodriguez, Carlos Meza, Moe Torres Jr., Jesse Trevino, Jesse Garcilazo and Esteban Lopez.

Rodriguez will carry four pitchers, including Darren Rodriguez, Joel Rodriguez, Gutierrez and Torres Jr. “We have four solid pitchers and a couple of other guys who can come in if we need them,” Rodriguez said.

One of the biggest attributes that will make the difference on the field is the team chemistry that the all-stars have displayed in the two weeks that they have been practicing for the all-star games.

“The team unity and how well they get along is going to determine how we do in the tournament,” Rodriguez said.

At the plate, the big bats of Joel Rodriguez, De Leon and Garcilazo will lead the allstars.

Rodriguez likes the opportunities that the all-stars have to advance to the next level.

“If we play fundamental defense and hit the ball well we can win,” he said.

He also noted that the District 34 tournament is going to be tough, especially with all the Laredo leagues and the number of athletes that they can choose from.

“The tournament will be tough,” Rodriguez said.

“Laredo has a lot of players from many teams to choose from, but we are going to go out there and give it all we got.”

Zapata County Commissioner Joe Rathmell is sponsoring the all-star team

Juniors deep on pitching The boys of summer will take their first crack at the all-star games as the Zapata County Little League Juniors Division all-star team travels

to Laredo on Tuesday to face the Laredo National all-star team at Krueger Field at 6 p.m. in its District 34 Tournament opener.

Coach Cesar Ramos and his assistant Oscar Garcia have been fine-tuning the Zapata all-stars for the past two weeks in order to prepare them for a very tough tournament.

The 13 and 14-year olds have been concentrating on all the aspect of the game.

Ramos will field a deep pitching rotation that can go seven deep for the tournament.

“We are fair in our pitching wise as we have seven pitchers on the team,” Ramos said.

The Zapata all-stars are a very strong defensive unit that allows minimal runs, while they have a solid line at the plate that can hit the long ball at any given time.

“We have a balanced team on both ends, but I feel that out strongest attribute is on defense,” Ramos said.

Ramos is no stranger to the all-star scene as he has been involved with the allstar team since he moved to Zapata in 2004.

In 2007, he took an all-star team to the district tournament and half of his current players were on that team.

This year selecting the allstar team proved to be a tough task because of the large amount of players who played well during the season, but Ramos and his staff narrowed it down to eleven players.

Making the Zapata junior baseball all-star team were Luis Elizondo, Oscar Garcia, Cesar Ramos Jr., Damien Guajardo, Any Gonzalez, Edgar Peña, Rene Alvarez, Alonso Gutierrez, Billy Morace, Xavier Paredes and Gaudencio Mata.

Alternates for the team are Robert Martinez and Alvaro Lopez.

Ramos also noted that this is the most evenly matched team that he has ever coaches as no one athlete really stands out.

“All the kids stand out,” he said. “They all matched up perfectly on the field.”

The success of the Zapata Hawks’ baseball team this

MAVS | Continued from Page 1B The dealing started Wednesday when the No. 22 pick went to Portland for No. 24 and second-rounders this year and next. Then Dallas used No. 24 on Ohio State center B.J. Mullens, the guy Oklahoma City wanted. So the Thunder took Beaubois with the next pick and the teams swapped, with the Thunder throwing in a future second-rounder.

Dallas also ended up with forward Ahmad Nivins of St. Joseph’s, the Atlantic 10 player of the year, and the rights to Florida guard Nick Calathes.

Calathes went 45th to Minnesota, then was acquired for a future second-rounder.

Nelson called Calathes a first-round talent who slipped because he’s already signed to play next season in Greece. That’s just fine by Dallas, which didn’t want two rookie guards anyway.

“He’ll have a chance to go overseas and expand his game,” Nelson said.

Beaubois was discovered

by Orlando’s Mickael Pietrus

at a camp in their native island. He’s played for Cholet in France since 2006-07, when he was 18, and has been on France’s junior national team.

He entered the NBA draft in ‘07 and ‘08, then pulled out.

Now he’s ready, as evidenced by this description of his game: “I can run. I like to run the floor. I can finish at the basket or make a couple of assists. I’m a good passer for my teammates. I can shoot the ball. I can do a lot of things. I have long arms, so I can defend, I can do things on defensive boards. I will try to bring everything, you know.”

Asked for someone his

style could be compared to, he said, “Everybody says Rajon Rondo, but I think I am a better shooter than him.”

Nelson said that if Beaubois can’t earn time in the Mavericks’ rotation, he’ll get seasoning in the D-League.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle is hoping Beaubois can quickly become a weapon in the battle against all the star point guards in the Western Conference.

“This is a younger player that is going now to be coming into a situation where he’s going to learn an awful lot in a short period of time,” Carlisle said.

past year can be traced to the early involvement in the little league.

“The all-star games and the little league is a great experience for these kids. It will prepare them for high school baseball,” Ramos said.

“The games itself is really intense at any level that you play it.

“I want to thank all the parents for their support.

Also, a great big thanks goes out to all the sponsor for the 13-14 year old all-star team.”

Seniors look for continued success The Zapata County Little League Seniors Division allstar team would like to continue the legacy and success that the Zapata High School baseball team experienced during its run in the University Interscholastic League Texas state playoffs this year.

The Hawks captured the district and bi-district titles this past year with many of the current players that make up this year’s 15 and 16year-old all-star team.

“Most of the team that we are carrying for the all-star team were involved in high school varsity sports,” Zapata all-star Coach Luis Gonzalez said. “We have very high expectations since the varsity team did well this past year.”

Gonzalez and assistant coaches Jose Luis Martinez and Mario Salinas have been intensely practicing the team for the past two weeks in the hot Zapata sun in preparation for the task They have a strong defensive team whose outfielders can gun down anyone trying to make their way home or can easily turn around and play the short game.

“Defensively, we are very strong,” Gonzalez said. “I expect the athletes to play strong on defense and not make any mistakes.”

Gonzalez has been involved with the Zapata County Little League since 1997 and has coached the all-star team for the past six years.

He will rely on his experience to get the Zapata allstars past one of the strongest opponents at the

District 34 Tournament, the Laredo Del Mar all-star team.

The Zapata all-stars will open the tournament against Del Mar on Monday at 8:30 p.m. at the United Independent School District Student Activity Complex baseball field located off Highway 359.

Last year, the Zapata allstars made the finals of the district tournament but faced a heavily favored Del Mar all-star team.

Del Mar captured the district and sectional titles to earn a trip to the state tournament.

They were untouchable as they mowed down the competition on rout to the state championship.

Del Mar beat San Antonio Northwest 10-6 in the championship game of the Texas West Little League Tournament for a second year in a row.

“Our team will be play tough in the all-star tournament,” Gonzalez said. “Del Mar, especially in this age division, is very tough. They have always managed to some how win the district tournament.

The Zapata senior all-star team consists of Robert Bustamante, Mikey Rivera, Roel Ramos, Luis Jaime Gonzalez Jr., Ricky Martinez, Eddie Bustamante, Alan Garcia, Marky Gutierrez, Juan Enrique Martinez, Joey Saenz, Georgie Garcia, Manuel Salinas, and Rogelio Campos.

Softball juniors excited for tourney The girls of summer are ready to make their mark in the softball world as the allstar season is upon us.

Colors will mesh, as players who were heated rivals during the regular season will now unite to represent Zapata at the double-elimination District 34 Softball Tournament.

With the summer in full swing, the Zapata County Little League Softball Juniors Division all-star team is ready to compete at the next level.

Coach Maria Isabel Espinoza and her coaching staff, which includes Leonor Chapa and Sergio Navarro,

will lead the Zapata all-stars into the first round of the state softball tournament.

Espinoza was selected to coach the all-star team because her team, the Lady Rangers, finished in first place at the end of the regular season Players were chosen for the all-star team because they displayed great athletic ability through out the season and were regarded as one of the best athletes on their respective teams.

Espinoza has depth in her pitching rotation, as she will carry four pitchers throughout the tournament.

The Zapata all-stars will rely on the arms of the fantastic four, Estela Molina (Lady Rangers), Gabby Espinoza (Lady Rangers), Kristina De Leon (Lady Longhorns) and Liana Flores (Lady Longhorns).

Espinoza feels that the current all-star team is one of the strongest teams in recent memory that Zapata has ever put together.

“We have a good mix of players that are committed to bringing back a district title,” Espinoza said. “We have some great pitchers that will have many teams on the ropes.”

The first test in their journey to reach the state tournament will start in Laredo.

They will face some stiff competition but are very confident in their abilities to head into the sectional tournament that will be held in Corpus Christi the following week.

“We are going to win (in Laredo) so we can go to Corpus,” Espinoza said.

The team has been practicing diligently for the past two weeks preparing for their first all-star game.

They have been fine tuning their batting and working defensively on the outfield.

“Everyone has been pulling their weight and they are very anxious to start the all-star tournament,” Espinoza said.

Zapata will open district play in Laredo against the Gateway Little League allstars on Monday at 6 p.m. at Base Field 1.

The team invites all of Zapata to come out and watch them play.