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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

NHL

Numminen Needs Heart Surgery

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen needs a third surgery to correct a heart condition.

It's not known when Numminen, who's consulting with team physicians, will have the procedure and how much time he will miss. The 39-year-old did not report for team physicals Thursday.

'After undergoing examination in connection with his preseason evaluation, the Buffalo Sabres medical team has determined that Numminen requires surgery to correct a cardiac condition,' General Manager Darcy Regier said in a statement.

Numminen, the team's alternate captain this past season, already has had two heart surgeries for an irregular heartbeat, including one in the summer of 2006 after the condition forced him to miss one game and part of another during a playoff series against Philadelphia. Regier said this third surgery will be different from the two previous.

OUTDOOR GAME: The NHL is set to announce next week the Buffalo Sabres will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1, a person familiar with the event told The Associated Press, in what would be the NHL's second outdoor game.

BLUE JACKETS: Center Alexander Svitov, playing for a team in his native Russia, was suspended by Columbus for failing to report to training camp. Svitov signed a two-year, $2.25 million contract with the Blue Jackets in early July, but has since remained in Russia to play for Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League.

The 24-year-old Svitov, the third overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2001 draft, had seven goals and 11 assists and was a solid player all last season for the Blue Jackets.

TENNIS

Davenport To Face Jankovic In Bali

NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Lindsay Davenport defeated Julie Ditty 6-1, 6-4 to advance to a quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Jelena Jankovic at the Bali Open.

Davenport, who is returning to singles play for the first time since having a child in June, was erratic at times after building a 5-2 lead in the second set. Jankovic started slowly against Casey Dellacqua, trailing 0-4 in the first set before rallying for a 6-4, 6-4 win.

CHINA OPEN: Unseeded Marin Cilic knocked off top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-4 to move into the quarterfinals in Beijing.

ELSEWHERE

Caged Warriors On Tap Saturday

TAMPA - Real Fighting Championships will present its mixed martial arts RFC IX Caged Warriors on Saturday at the USF Sun Dome. The event begins at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m.

The main event will feature Winter Haven's James Edison Berto, 12-4-1, defending his light heavyweight title against Costa Rica's Juan Barrantes, 6-1.

The card will also feature: 145: James Austin (St. Petersburg) vs. J Lee (Winter Haven); 145: Donald Airey (Spring Hill) vs. Jack Murphy (Destin); 205: P.J. Bolanis (Tampa) vs. Lucas Codie (Key West); heavyweight: Angelo Franco (Spring Hill) vs. Chris Adams (Spring Hill); 145: Chris Holder (St. Petersburg) vs. Chino Duran (Homestead); heavyweight: Daniel Viveiros (Brazil) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (Tampa); 185: Shamal McMillin (Tampa) vs. Shelly Cook (Ocala); 155: Ralph Garcia (Tampa) vs. Mike Morris (Tampa); heavyweight: Eddie Boza (Homestead) vs. Eric Swinger (West Palm Beach).

General admission begins at $25, while VIP seating ranges from $44 to $800. USF students get in for $15. Tickets can be purchased through RFC at (813) 964-9818 or Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

WNBA: Cappie Pondexter scored a game-high 26 points, including a driving bank shot with 21 seconds to play, and the host Phoenix Mercury defeated the Detroit Shock 77-76 to force a deciding fifth game in the WNBA finals. The finale is Sunday afternoon in Detroit.

COLLEGE SOCCER: As part of a tripleheader of matches Saturday at the University of South Florida soccer stadium, alumni of the USF men's program will take on former Tampa Bay Rowdies players. This match, slated for 5:30 p.m., will be preceded at 4:30 by a game between USF U-40 Alumni and the Florida Suncoast Soccer All-Stars. After the Rowdies-USF game, the Bulls' current men's team takes on American University at 7:30.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth age 16 and younger, and $2 for groups of 10 or more. One ticket is good for all three matches.

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: Marcela Gurgel had 11 kills and Kristina Fabris added 13 digs as South Florida (6-1) beat Central Florida (6-6) 30-21, 30-25, 30-26 in its home opener and the first match in the Best Western Tournament. USF faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tonight at 7. ... Hillsborough improved to 11-0 as the Hawks opened conference play with a win against Polk Community College 30-22, 30-17, 30-15 on Tuesday. Jasmine Chriss led HCC with 10 kills. The Hawks are ranked No. 9 in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Poll.

A Tribune staff, wire report

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