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Caraviello: Brickyard turns on a spin at the wheel (NASCAR.com)

Paul Menard leads Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon. (Getty Images)

Throughout its relatively brief history as a NASCAR venue, the calling card of Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been its ability to identify greatness. Winning the Brickyard 400 is often a step toward winning the Sprint Cup championship—hoisting that golden brick in late summer a precursor to possibly lifting a sterling silver trophy in late fall. There are no flukes, no gifts, no excuses at a race track that always been so demanding, so unforgiving, that only the best prevail.

Sunday, that entire concept was turned on its head in a strange Brickyard 400 that was not only won by Paul Menard, but had its endgame set in motion by a crash sparked by Landon Cassill. This kind of thing just isn’t supposed to happen in Indianapolis—the place is too hard, requires a too-perfect combination of engine and handling, has been too dominated too often by teams that will go on to slug it out for the big prize at the end of the season. Regardless of whatever chaos or surprises have erupted elsewhere on the schedule, Indianapolis is the place where order is restored.

Not any more. This Brickyard 400 felt different from the very beginning, with all the focus on the “super weekend” debuting next season, with all the questions about attendance, with the announcement of a forthcoming title sponsor. And it certainly ended unlike any other NASCAR event here, with the unsung and previously winless Menard using an epic fuel run to hold off a charging Jeff Gordon and strike a blow for everyman drivers at the most famous race track in the world.

“It’s pretty crazy,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., concisely summing up the afternoon.

And it was, like a movie you had watched for 90 minutes that for the final half-hour suddenly featured a completely different cast. The first two-thirds of the race were the Brickyard as we’ve always known it, with the obvious power brokers up front taking turns trying to run away from one another. Then on Lap 120, everything changed. Cassill and David Ragan found themselves side-by-side entering Turn 3, and on older tires Cassill’s No. 51 car couldn’t hold the position. He turned sideways, and vehicles went skidding to the apron or through the grass in his wake. The accident required a lengthy cleanup, and afterward a few drivers ducked on to pit road to fill up, willing to sacrifice their track position for a shot at glory in the end.

“Those guys who made it topped off at the very end of that, and gave up all their track position. But they didn’t have any to start, so it didn’t matter,” said Alan Gustafson, Gordon’s crew chief. “I think Paul had to come in and clean the grass off the grille. That just gave him the opportunity to save fuel and make it, because he was able to stop and go. We were running obviously a lot better than that, so we couldn’t take that risk to get the fuel and give up the track position.”

Neither could the other top contenders at the time, who waited another 10 laps or more to come in for their final pit stops. One by one, they found themselves dumped out into deep traffic—the worst possible place at Indianapolis, where it’s notoriously difficult to pass—and pinned behind rivals who had decided to either stretch fuel as long as they could, or try and make it to the end. “How did we get all the way back here behind all these people?” Juan Montoya asked on the radio after he gave up a top-five position to pit, and emerged in 32nd. Earnhardt, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, David Ragan and others who had comprised the class of the field to that point could relate.

“We cycled around and didn’t have the track position at the end, and that is all it was,” said Earnhardt, who finished 16th. “Everybody was on a lot of different strategies, too.”

Suddenly it was a different race, with completely new contenders, and an outcome about as uncertain as debt-ceiling talks. Richard “Slugger” Labbe, Menard’s crew chief, knew his car had successfully made a 22-lap fuel run in practice on Saturday, and wondered about gambling to try and make the final 35 in the race. Last Monday at the team’s meeting, they had talked about potentially taking some risks on pit road to try and qualify for the Chase. Here was a gamble right in front of them, ready to be taken. As soon as the jack dropped, Labbe set the plan in motion, telling his driver to save fuel and use long gears.

“Seems to be a trend in the Cup Series, that people take gambles on pit road,” Labbe said. “It was our turn to get aggressive. I told Paul he had to support me. He supported me a hundred percent [Sunday]. Three times he had an occasion where he could have said ‘No, I don’t want to do that,’ but he did. Fortunately it worked out.”

Others followed suit. After the Cassill accident, Regan Smith said he had to come in and get grass cleaned off the front grille of his No. 78 car. Crew chief Pete Rondeau looked at the fuel strategy taking shape, and decided to top off. Smith estimated that he saved about two laps’ worth of fuel from that point on, and wound up third. He wanted to push it and try to go for the victory, but Rondeau—mindful of a dry tank that had ruined a potential top-10 effort two weeks earlier at New Hampshire—overrode his driver.

“We knew we had a lot of fuel saved. We saved a lot,” Smith said. “A Hail Mary would have been to go for the win. That’s what I wanted to do. Sometimes you’ve got to go for the points. That’s tough here, though.”

Parked right behind Smith on pit road was the car of defending Brickyard 400 champion Jamie McMurray, who used the same tactic to salvage his first top-five finish of a miserable season. “They told me when the caution came out that we were going to be two laps short,” said McMurray, who placed fourth, “and I told them in our team meeting [Sunday] that this was a track where I thought we could save two laps of gas. So it was very ironic that those were the two numbers.”

And it was stunning to some that the gambles paid off. “What surprised me really was those guys that were running up front and running hard and making it,” said Kyle Busch. “The No. 27 [car of Menard] made it; the No. 78 [car of Smith] made it. Those guys, I expected them to run out. But they must have had just enough.”

They did. For Menard, though, there were no guarantees, certainly not with Gordon steadily chewing up the distance between them. Like many of the early-race leaders, Gordon had been buried in traffic by the pit cycle, but his car was good enough that it was able to steadily make up ground between him and others who were going easy on the throttle, trying to make their fuel last. Gustafson estimated that the fuel-saving drivers were about a second a lap slower, allowing Gordon—and Matt Kenseth, who also charged back through the field—to get themselves back in the mix at the end.

They simply ran out of laps. It was an electric conclusion, with the No. 24 car flying past one vehicle after another, and closing to within .686 seconds of Menard at the while flag. It seemed to have all the makings of a heartbreaking finish of the kind Indianapolis specializes in, but by that time Labbe had already turned his driver loose. They had saved enough to get to the finish. They knew it, and the No. 27 car was a blur beneath the checkers, even if Menard was so fixated on his fuel pressure gauge he didn’t even notice.

“Paul did a great job saving fuel, because when I got there, even Regan and other guys, they were still pretty much checking up when I got there,” said Gordon, who came up .725 seconds short of a record-tying fifth Indianapolis victory. “It was easy to get by them. But Paul had saved enough to where he could go back to a full pace. By that time, my car was just too tight behind him.”

It was a popular and emotional victory, particularly given how active Menard’s family has been in the Indianapolis 500 over the years, but in some corners of the NASCAR garage competitors shook their heads and offered wry smiles that seemed to ask—what else do we have to do? It was an understandable sentiment, given what it typically takes to win at Indianapolis, and what transpired in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon. No one questioned Menard’s worthiness as champion; in fact, other drivers went out of their way to complement someone who’s often received too much attention for his last name and sponsorship, and not enough for his prowess behind the wheel.

But for Indianapolis, of all events, to feature such a surprise winner and be decided in such a topsy-turvy fashion, seemed alien. What’s next—Nationwide cars at the Brickyard? Then again, this has been a topsy-turvy season, one from which evidently the most celebrated venue in motorsports is not immune.

“Us and [Gordon] probably had the two best cars overall for the day. It’s a shame one of us couldn’t get a win,” lamented Kenseth, who rallied to finish fifth. “But we ran pretty good, and hopefully we’re keeping ourselves in position like this, and hopefully there will be more races that come down to performance at the end of the race and we can be in the mix of things and have a shot at some wins.”

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer

Sprint Cup Series Standings 1. — Carl Edwards 682 — 2. — Jimmie Johnson 671 -11 3. +1 Kevin Harvick 670 -124. +1 Kyle Busch 666 -16 5. +1 Matt Kenseth 666 -16

Caraviello: Brickyard turns on one spin at the wheel (NASCAR.com)

Paul Menard leads Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon. (Getty Images)

Throughout its relatively brief history as a NASCAR venue, the calling card of Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been its ability to identify greatness. Winning the Brickyard 400 is often a step toward winning the Sprint Cup championship—hoisting that golden brick in late summer a precursor to possibly lifting a sterling silver trophy in late fall. There are no flukes, no gifts, no excuses at a race track that always been so demanding, so unforgiving, that only the best prevail.

Sunday, that entire concept was turned on its head in a strange Brickyard 400 that was not only won by Paul Menard, but had its endgame set in motion by a crash sparked by Landon Cassill. This kind of thing just isn’t supposed to happen in Indianapolis—the place is too hard, requires a too-perfect combination of engine and handling, has been too dominated too often by teams that will go on to slug it out for the big prize at the end of the season. Regardless of whatever chaos or surprises have erupted elsewhere on the schedule, Indianapolis is the place where order is restored.

Not any more. This Brickyard 400 felt different from the very beginning, with all the focus on the “super weekend” debuting next season, with all the questions about attendance, with the announcement of a forthcoming title sponsor. And it certainly ended unlike any other NASCAR event here, with the unsung and previously winless Menard using an epic fuel run to hold off a charging Jeff Gordon and strike a blow for everyman drivers at the most famous race track in the world.

“It’s pretty crazy,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., concisely summing up the afternoon.

And it was, like a movie you had watched for 90 minutes that for the final half-hour suddenly featured a completely different cast. The first two-thirds of the race were the Brickyard as we’ve always known it, with the obvious power brokers up front taking turns trying to run away from one another. Then on Lap 120, everything changed. Cassill and David Ragan found themselves side-by-side entering Turn 3, and on older tires Cassill’s No. 51 car couldn’t hold the position. He turned sideways, and vehicles went skidding to the apron or through the grass in his wake. The accident required a lengthy cleanup, and afterward a few drivers ducked on to pit road to fill up, willing to sacrifice their track position for a shot at glory in the end.

“Those guys who made it topped off at the very end of that, and gave up all their track position. But they didn’t have any to start, so it didn’t matter,” said Alan Gustafson, Gordon’s crew chief. “I think Paul had to come in and clean the grass off the grille. That just gave him the opportunity to save fuel and make it, because he was able to stop and go. We were running obviously a lot better than that, so we couldn’t take that risk to get the fuel and give up the track position.”

Neither could the other top contenders at the time, who waited another 10 laps or more to come in for their final pit stops. One by one, they found themselves dumped out into deep traffic—the worst possible place at Indianapolis, where it’s notoriously difficult to pass—and pinned behind rivals who had decided to either stretch fuel as long as they could, or try and make it to the end. “How did we get all the way back here behind all these people?” Juan Montoya asked on the radio after he gave up a top-five position to pit, and emerged in 32nd. Earnhardt, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, David Ragan and others who had comprised the class of the field to that point could relate.

“We cycled around and didn’t have the track position at the end, and that is all it was,” said Earnhardt, who finished 16th. “Everybody was on a lot of different strategies, too.”

Suddenly it was a different race, with completely new contenders, and an outcome about as uncertain as debt-ceiling talks. Richard “Slugger” Labbe, Menard’s crew chief, knew his car had successfully made a 22-lap fuel run in practice on Saturday, and wondered about gambling to try and make the final 35 in the race. Last Monday at the team’s meeting, they had talked about potentially taking some risks on pit road to try and qualify for the Chase. Here was a gamble right in front of them, ready to be taken. As soon as the jack dropped, Labbe set the plan in motion, telling his driver to save fuel and use long gears.

“Seems to be a trend in the Cup Series, that people take gambles on pit road,” Labbe said. “It was our turn to get aggressive. I told Paul he had to support me. He supported me a hundred percent [Sunday]. Three times he had an occasion where he could have said ‘No, I don’t want to do that,’ but he did. Fortunately it worked out.”

Others followed suit. After the Cassill accident, Regan Smith said he had to come in and get grass cleaned off the front grille of his No. 78 car. Crew chief Pete Rondeau looked at the fuel strategy taking shape, and decided to top off. Smith estimated that he saved about two laps’ worth of fuel from that point on, and wound up third. He wanted to push it and try to go for the victory, but Rondeau—mindful of a dry tank that had ruined a potential top-10 effort two weeks earlier at New Hampshire—overrode his driver.

“We knew we had a lot of fuel saved. We saved a lot,” Smith said. “A Hail Mary would have been to go for the win. That’s what I wanted to do. Sometimes you’ve got to go for the points. That’s tough here, though.”

Parked right behind Smith on pit road was the car of defending Brickyard 400 champion Jamie McMurray, who used the same tactic to salvage his first top-five finish of a miserable season. “They told me when the caution came out that we were going to be two laps short,” said McMurray, who placed fourth, “and I told them in our team meeting [Sunday] that this was a track where I thought we could save two laps of gas. So it was very ironic that those were the two numbers.”

And it was stunning to some that the gambles paid off. “What surprised me really was those guys that were running up front and running hard and making it,” said Kyle Busch. “The No. 27 [car of Menard] made it; the No. 78 [car of Smith] made it. Those guys, I expected them to run out. But they must have had just enough.”

They did. For Menard, though, there were no guarantees, certainly not with Gordon steadily chewing up the distance between them. Like many of the early-race leaders, Gordon had been buried in traffic by the pit cycle, but his car was good enough that it was able to steadily make up ground between him and others who were going easy on the throttle, trying to make their fuel last. Gustafson estimated that the fuel-saving drivers were about a second a lap slower, allowing Gordon—and Matt Kenseth, who also charged back through the field—to get themselves back in the mix at the end.

They simply ran out of laps. It was an electric conclusion, with the No. 24 car flying past one vehicle after another, and closing to within .686 seconds of Menard at the while flag. It seemed to have all the makings of a heartbreaking finish of the kind Indianapolis specializes in, but by that time Labbe had already turned his driver loose. They had saved enough to get to the finish. They knew it, and the No. 27 car was a blur beneath the checkers, even if Menard was so fixated on his fuel pressure gauge he didn’t even notice.

“Paul did a great job saving fuel, because when I got there, even Regan and other guys, they were still pretty much checking up when I got there,” said Gordon, who came up .725 seconds short of a record-tying fifth Indianapolis victory. “It was easy to get by them. But Paul had saved enough to where he could go back to a full pace. By that time, my car was just too tight behind him.”

It was a popular and emotional victory, particularly given how active Menard’s family has been in the Indianapolis 500 over the years, but in some corners of the NASCAR garage competitors shook their heads and offered wry smiles that seemed to ask—what else do we have to do? It was an understandable sentiment, given what it typically takes to win at Indianapolis, and what transpired in Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon. No one questioned Menard’s worthiness as champion; in fact, other drivers went out of their way to complement someone who’s often received too much attention for his last name and sponsorship, and not enough for his prowess behind the wheel.

But for Indianapolis, of all events, to feature such a surprise winner and be decided in such a topsy-turvy fashion, seemed alien. What’s next—Nationwide cars at the Brickyard? Then again, this has been a topsy-turvy season, one from which evidently the most celebrated venue in motorsports is not immune.

“Us and [Gordon] probably had the two best cars overall for the day. It’s a shame one of us couldn’t get a win,” lamented Kenseth, who rallied to finish fifth. “But we ran pretty good, and hopefully we’re keeping ourselves in position like this, and hopefully there will be more races that come down to performance at the end of the race and we can be in the mix of things and have a shot at some wins.”

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer

Sprint Cup Series Standings 1. — Carl Edwards 682 — 2. — Jimmie Johnson 671 -11 3. +1 Kevin Harvick 670 -124. +1 Kyle Busch 666 -16 5. +1 Matt Kenseth 666 -16

Bills, LB Barnett agree on 3 years, $12M

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP)—Linebacker Nick Barnett(notes) didn’t last long in freeagency after agreeing to a three-year, $12 million contract with the BuffaloBills on Sunday.

Barnett had agreed to the contract earlier in the day, and the Billsannounced the signing just after the start of their evening practice. A personfamiliar with the contract provided The Associated Press the monetary terms,speaking on the condition of anonymity because the team did not disclose theamount.

The deal came two days after Barnett was released by the Green Bay Packers.And it was reached hours after the eight-year veteran watched a Billswalkthrough at training camp in suburban Rochester. Wearing his 2011 Super Bowlring, Barnett spent much of the session chatting with assistant coach DaveWannstedt, who doubles as the team’s inside linebackers coach.

The Bills were in need of an inside linebacker after Paul Posluszny(notes) signedwith Jacksonville last week.

Barnett had already begun posting notes hinting at the agreement on hisTwitter account.

“You bills fans are great here on twitter. How bout in the stadium?”Barnett had written. He also added: “GO BILLS.”

Barnett and general manager Buddy Nix were scheduled to discuss the signingafter the evening practice.

Under NFL rules regarding veteran free agents this offseason, Barnett willnot be allowed to practice with the team until the collective bargainingagreement is formally ratified. That is expected to occur by Thursday.

Shortly after signing the contract, Barnett made his way on the field towatch his new teammates practice. Several fans immediately recognized him andbegan chanting his name, while a few asked to see his ring.

Barnett responded with a fist pump and a smile to the crowd. He then madehis way up the sideline, where he was greeted by Wannstedt, who shook theplayer’s hand and asked, “How are you, good?”

Barnett was a cornerstone of the Packers’ defense since being drafted in thefirst round in 2003 out of Oregon State. Injuries, however, have limited hisperformance and he’s ended two of the past three seasons on injured reserve.

That includes last year, when a right wrist injury limited him to only fourgames. His 2008 season was cut short following a right knee injury.

Barnett had a solid season in 2009, when he had a career-best 4 sacks, whilebeing credited with 105 tackles. Overall, he has 15 1/2 sacks and nineinterceptions in 107 career games.

The Bills continue revamping a defense that finished last against the runlast year, while also giving up an average 26.5 points a game. It was apatchwork and injury-plagued unit that took much of the blame for the team’s4-12 finish.

Bills players were upbeat about the possibility of Barnett’s signingfollowing their walkthrough.

“He’s a special kind of player and you can’t help but be excited about thepossibility of playing with him,” linebacker Shawne Merriman(notes) said.

Rookie linebacker Kelvin Sheppard(notes) was impressed after Barnett introducedhimself.

“For him to actually come up to me and say, `What’s up Shep?’ That’sexciting,” Sheppard said. “How could you not want a guy like that on yourteam?”

Barnett’s release by the Packers was not a surprise. Scheduled to make morethan $5 million this season, Barnett proved to be the odd-man out, especiallyafter the Packers reworked linebacker A.J. Hawk’s(notes) deal in March.

Barnett also proved to be a distraction in Green Bay. In January, he andtight end Jermichael Finley(notes) had complained on Twitter that injured playersweren’t going to be allowed in a team photo scheduled to be taken days beforethe Super Bowl in Dallas. The Packers eventually relented and allowed theinjured players to take part in the photo session.

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Stewart leads late, finishes 6th at Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Tony Stewart held onto a sliver of hope that he could claim his third Brickyard 400 title when he took the lead late in Sunday’s race.

He didn’t have enough fuel to stay up front.

Stewart stayed on the track when other drivers refueled and he took the lead on lap 134. He rocketed out to a 13.5-second lead before it became clear he couldn’t finish without making a stop. With 15 laps to go, he finally pulled in. Paul Menard won, and Stewart eventually finished sixth.

“We knew it was a borrowed lead, but it sure was nice to lead here again at Indy,” said Stewart, who won here in 2005 and 2007.

Stewart had a rough day at times, but he somehow salvaged it. He was penalized for running into a speed-limit cone early in the race, then he later collided with Kyle Busch on pit road.

“It’s a long pit road, it’s a narrow pit road,” Stewart said. “I feel bad for Kyle and those guys because they had a good day going at the time.”

When he went to the pits for the final time, he knew he had no chance at a win. He said a caution wouldn’t have helped because the other drivers near the front had already refueled and had fresher tires, so they likely would have stayed on the track, and he still would have had to stop for gas.

Despite starting 24th and making several mistakes, Stewart ended up with what he considered a good finish.

“That’s the hard way to do it, man,” he said. “We had to fight from the back a couple of times to get up there. I don’t even know how we finished sixth.”

MONTOYA’S LUCK: For the third straight year, Juan Pablo Montoya spent much of the race near the front of the field.

Once again, he faded late.

Montoya was running as high as third with 40 laps to go, but had to make a fuel stop, got mired in traffic and finished 28th. It was Montoya’s first race with new crew chief Jim Pohlman, who replaced Brian Pattie last week.

“It (stinks) when you run good all day, but I think Jim Pohlman and all the guys did a really good job all day,” Montoya said.

Two years ago, he led 116 laps and built a 5-second lead over the competition before getting flagged for speeding on the final pit stop. He finished 11th.

Last year, the Colombian dominated again, leading a race-high 86 laps before taking four tires instead of two during a late caution. The move dropped Montoya from first to seventh. He struggled on the restart and eventually crashed out and finished 32nd.

EARNHARDT STREAK: When Dale Earnhardt Jr. took an early lead, the popular driver gave his fans hope that his 112-race winless streak would end.

He led seven laps total, ran inside the top three for some time, but eventually finished 16th.

Earnhardt’s last victory was at Michigan in 2008.

He said passing was difficult on the narrow Indianapolis track, and he knew he didn’t have a chance once he fell back.

“Some guys were fast enough to get up there, and some of us didn’t,” he said. “We played it out, and that was the result we got. I don’t know what to be angry about if I was going to be angry.”

BIG-TIME SMITH: Regan Smith had never placed in the top 10 since beginning his NASCAR Sprint Cup career in 2007.

This year, he has placed in the top 10 in four of NASCAR’s crown jewel races. He was seventh at Daytona, earned his first career victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, took eighth at the Coca-Cola 600 and finished third at the Brickyard 400 Sunday.

In his other 16 races this season, he hasn’t placed higher than 15th.

“We’ve just got to figure out how to perform on the rest of the stages,” he said.

GRAND-AM CHAMP: Reigning Grand-Am Rolex Series champion Scott Pruett looks forward to his debut at the Speedway next July 27.

Pruett raced in the Indianapolis 500 four times and finished 10th in the Brickyard 400 in 2000. Now, after he vowed not to drive Indy cars again, Grand-Am has gave him an unexpected chance to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after agreeing to hold Rolex and Continental Series events there next year as part of three days of racing at the track.

“There’s something magical about the Speedway,” Pruett said before Sunday’s race. “I love this place; I love Indy. Racers love Indy. If you just mention the word Indy, they know what it is—Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Brickyard—even people who may not be race fans.”

SOLO DRIVES: U.S. women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo enjoyed her run as the pace car driver.

Race director David Hoots thanked Solo over the radio for getting the race started. She replied: “No problem guys; this is pretty amazing.”

Solo helped the U.S. national team advance to the Women’s World Cup final in Germany. She was named to the 2011 World Cup all-tournament team and was named the top goalkeeper of the tournament.

STENHOUSE THE SPOKESMAN: Nationwide driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., has agreed to lend his voice to radio announcements promoting driver safety for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Stenhouse also will participate in the Distracted Driver Simulator Tour for ODOT. He will demonstrate the difficulty of driving while distracted while using the simulator Monday at the Ohio State Fair.

It is part of the state’s “Every Move You Make, Keep it Safe” roadway safety campaign.

SUMMER SHOWDOWN: With his win Sunday, Menard positioned himself to earn an additional $3 million payout through Sprint.

Menard’s victory qualified him for the Sprint Summer Showdown. If Menard can also win at Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, he will earn $1 million for himself, another million for his designated charity and another million for a randomly chosen fan who went online and picked him to win Sunday’s race.

There are four remaining chances for fans to get online and pick a winner. Another finalist will be picked among those who choose the winners of the races at Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol. If any of those race winners also claim victory in Atlanta, that driver will earn the payout for himself, his charity and the fan.

MISCELLANEOUS: Denny Hamlin qualified 14th, but he was forced to the back of the field at the start as a penalty for changing his engine. The original engine blew up late in Friday’s final practice. He finished 27th. … David Ragan, who won the pole less than a month after earning his first career Sprint Cup Series victory in July at Daytona, finished 23rd … Jamie McMurray, last year’s winner, finished fourth. … NASCAR’s attendance estimate was 138,000.

Keenum headlines talented QBs in C-USA

MEMPHIS (AP)—Houston coach Kevin Sumlin sat down for breakfast with hisstar quarterback Case Keenum on Sunday morning. Very quickly, he realized theirconversation was unlike most between a college coach and player.

“He’s a grown man,” Sumlin said laughing. “He’s married. He’s graduatedfrom college. He’s got all the same problems that somebody like me or you has.”

Such are the luxuries of having a 23-year-old, sixth-year quarterback. Andwhile Keenum might have some new grown-up problems, so do opposing defenses inConference USA after the NCAA granted the prolific passer another season.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Keenum headlines a deep and talented group ofquarterbacks in Conference USA, several of whom gathered on Sunday forConference USA Media Day. Tulsa senior G.J. Kinne, who was C-USA’s offensiveplayer of the year last season, returns after throwing for 3,650 yards and 31touchdowns. So does Central Florida’s Jeff Godfrey, the conference freshman ofthe year who threw for 2,159 yards and 13 touchdowns as the Knights won thechampionship.

But no one’s resume can touch Keenum’s. He already ranks in the NCAA careertop 10 with 14,448 career yards of total offense, 13,586 passing yards, 107touchdown passes and 1,118 pass completions. He’s one of only two players inDivision I history to have multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons.

“He’s just a surgeon with the football,” Tulsa coach Bill Blankenshipsaid. “And when he lines up on the field, his team believes in him. You canfeel it. He’s got the kind of presence you want in a quarterback.”

Keenum was granted a sixth season by the NCAA after tearing his ACL againstUCLA in the third game of last season on Sept. 18. He wasn’t able to go throughspring practice, but says the knee is nearing full strength.

“It’s obviously not the knee that God gave me anymore,” Keenum said.“It’s got some modifications, courtesy of my doctors. But honestly, I thinkit’s stronger. The further along I go, the more it gets to being my normalknee.”

Sumlin said he won’t push Keenum during preseason practice because he knowswhat the veteran brings to the offense.

“There’s three ways that I evaluate quarterbacks—accuracy, gamemanagement and his ability to make and extend plays,” Sumlin said. “If you’vegot a guy who can do two out of those three things, you’ve got yourself a reallygood player. If you’ve got a guy who can do all three, you’ve got yourself asuperstar like Case.”

Keenum’s return should help push Houston back into C-USA’s elite. After thequarterback’s knee injury last season, the Cougars struggled to a 5-7 record.

But with Keenum back under center, the Cougars can go back to the punishingoffensive pace that buried opponents in 2009, when Keenum threw for 5,671 yards,the third highest total in Football Bowl Subdivision history.

“As much as it means to us, it probably means even more for him,” Sumlinsaid. “The sound of his voice when I called to tell him the news wasunbelievable. He’s truly grateful for the opportunity. I couldn’t be happier forhim.”

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Browne makes few mistakes to win U.S. Senior Open (PGATOUR.com)

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP)—After a stoic week, Olin Browne finally let loose.

Browne showed little emotion until rolling in a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to clinch a three-shot victory over Mark O’Meara in the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday.

After Browne’s last putt dropped and a large gallery around the final green at Inverness Club roared its approval, he raised his arms in triumph. It was the biggest victory of the journeyman’s 27 years as a professional.

Browne’s closing even-par 71 followed rounds of 64, 69 and 65 and left him at 15-under 269.

Making few mistakes, he parred the first seven holes. After a bogey dropped him into a tie with O’Meara (72), he played the last 10 holes in 1 under, while O’Meara made two costly bogeys.

Mark Calcavecchia shot a 69 and was alone in third at 273. Ageless Hale Irwin had a 68 and was another shot back along with Joey Sindelar (70).

Browne changed his approach in the final round. He had made 15 birdies and two eagles to blitz the field and take a two-stroke lead into the final round. But in the last 18 holes, he played within himself and was content to settle for pars while everyone else tried to catch him.

O’Meara, winner of the 1998 Masters and British Open, caught up but couldn’t hang on.

With Browne typically finding the fairway, hitting the green in regulation and then making two putts for par, it was O’Meara who blinked in their final-round, head-to-head matchup in the last pairing.

With Browne and O’Meara tied for the lead, O’Meara lost his share for good when his drive on the par-4, 461-yard 13th ended up behind a tree left of the fairway. He was forced to hit a low draw around the tree that hit another tree and ended up in the deep rough right of the green. He muscled the chip shot out of the high grass, but it rolled 45 feet past the pin, leading to a two-putt bogey.

Browne maintained his one-stroke lead until Inverness’ most difficult hole, the long and uphill par-4, 488-yard 16th. While Browne was splitting the fairway and hitting a hybrid pin high on the green, O’Meara’s long-iron approach came up 30 yards short of the green. He chipped to 20 feet below the hole and failed to make the par putt as the lead doubled.

Playing keep-away with the lead, Browne made a 12-foot par putt on the 17th green. At the 18th hole made famous by Bob Tway’s sand shot that broke Greg Norman’s heart to win the 1986 PGA Championship, Browne drove into the first cut of rough and calmly put a wedge on the green. Safely below the hole, he stroked the putt into the middle of the cup.

Browne, who did not begin playing golf until he was 19, became just the second player in tournament history to go wire-to-wire by matching the accomplishment of Dale Douglass (1986).

His best showing in his two previous U.S. Senior Opens was a tie for third last year at Sahalee. He was 10th the previous year at Crooked Stick.

O’Meara was thwarted in his bid for a second Champions Tour major to go with his Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship he won last year in Maryland. Instead, he finished second for the 10th time in his five seasons since joining the over-50 circuit.

Peter Senior (71) was at 275. Corey Pavin (69) and Michael Allen (70) were another shot back. The group at 277 included Steve Pate (68), John Huston (69), Nick Price (70) and defending champion Bernhard Langer (70).

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Stallings wins Greenbrier Classic in playoff

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia (AP)—PGA Tour rookie Scott Stallings wonthe Greenbrier Classic on Sunday, sinking a birdie putt on the first playoffhole to beat Bob Estes and Bill Haas.

After watching Estes and Haas miss their birdie attempts on the 168-yard18th hole, Stallings curled in a 7-footer for his first tour victory. He flippedhis putter, then hugged and high-fived his caddie.

Stallings made six birdies on the back nine to make the playoff, where heearned a winner’s check of $1.08 million and a spot in the BridgestoneInvitational.

It marked the second straight week that a tournament was won in suddendeath. Sean O’Hair beat Kris Blanks on the first playoff hole a week ago at theCanadian Open.

In just its second year, the Greenbrier Classic produced another dramaticfinish. Stuart Appleby shot 59 in last year’s final round, including a birdie onthe last hole to beat Jeff Overton by a stroke.

Haas earned his fourth top-10 finish of the season, while the 45-year-oldEstes missed out on his first tour win since 2002 and fifth overall. Estesbattled a wrist injury earlier this year and was playing in just his seventhtournament.

Estes shot 6-under 64 and was the clubhouse leader at 10 under, then watchedas Haas birdied the par-5 17th six groups later to join him after a 67.

Stallings, who shot 69, bogeyed the par-5 17th after his drive went out ofbounds and he needed a birdie at No. 18 to make the playoff. He sank a 5-footerto do it.

Jimmy Walker (68), Andres Romero (65), Brendon de Jonge (66), CameronTringale (67) and Gary Woodland (69) finished at 9 under.

After last year’s tournament, the course was lengthened more than 200 yardsand the reseeded greens were less receptive to approach shots this time around.Appleby and Phil Mickelson were among those missing the cut, and the low roundsof the tournament were 62s shot by Anthony Kim and Walker on Saturday.

There were birdies to be made Sunday, just not the boatload that Applebyenjoyed last year.

Kim, the third-round leader, missed four birdie tries under 14 feet on thefirst six holes. He three-putted the par-3 8th, then hooked his tee shot intotrees on the next hole and made bogey. He shot 74 to finish at 6 under, tiedwith four others.

Webb Simpson overcame a double bogey on the first hole, made five birdies onthe front nine and took the lead briefly after a 3-footer for birdie at No. 9.It would be his last. He bogeyed the next hole and never recovered. He shot evenpar and finished tied with Kyle Stanley at 8 under.

Simpson relinquished the lead to Haas, who had back-to-back birdies at No. 8and 9. Haas made bogey at No. 15 to give Estes the lead, then tied him two holeslater.

Stallings started the day a shot out of the lead and seemed to take himselfout of contention with three bogeys on the front nine. He responded with fourbirdies on the first five holes on the back, then hit a 103-yard wedge within afoot of the hole on the par-4 16th to move to 10 under before getting intotrouble on No. 17.

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Daily Wrap-up: Round 4, The Greenbrier Classic (PGATOUR.com)

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP)—PGA TOUR rookie Scott Stallings won the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday, sinking a birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat Bob Estes and Bill Haas.

After watching Estes and Haas miss their birdie attempts on the 168-yard 18th hole, Stallings curled in a 7-footer for his first TOUR victory. He flipped his putter, then hugged and high-fived his caddie.

Stallings made six birdies on the back nine to make the playoff, where he earned a winner’s check of $1.08 million and a spot in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

It marked the second straight week that a tournament was won in sudden death. Sean O’Hair beat Kris Blanks on the first playoff hole a week ago at the RBC Canadian Open.

In just its second year, the Greenbrier Classic produced another dramatic finish. Stuart Appleby shot 59 in last year’s final round, including a birdie on the last hole to beat Jeff Overton by a stroke.

Haas earned his fourth top-10 finish of the season, while the 45-year-old Estes missed out on his first TOUR win since 2002 and fifth overall. Estes battled a wrist injury earlier this year and was playing in just his seventh tournament.

Estes shot 6-under 64 and was the clubhouse leader at 10 under, then watched as Haas birdied the par-5 17th six groups later to join him after a 67.

Stallings, who shot 69, bogeyed the par-5 17th after his drive went out of bounds and he needed a birdie at No. 18 to make the playoff. He sank a 5-footer to do it.

Jimmy Walker (68), Andres Romero (65), Brendon de Jonge (66), Cameron Tringale (67) and Gary Woodland (69) finished at 9 under.

After last year’s tournament, the course was lengthened more than 200 yards and the reseeded greens were less receptive to approach shots this time around. Appleby and Phil Mickelson were among those missing the cut, and the low rounds of the tournament were 62s shot by Anthony Kim and Walker on Saturday.

There were birdies to be made Sunday, just not the boatload that Appleby enjoyed last year.

Kim, the third-round leader, missed four birdie tries under 14 feet on the first six holes. He three-putted the par-3 8th, then hooked his tee shot into trees on the next hole and made bogey. He shot 74 to finish at 6 under, tied with four others.

Webb Simpson overcame a double bogey on the first hole, made five birdies on the front nine and took the lead briefly after a 3-footer for birdie at No. 9. It would be his last. He bogeyed the next hole and never recovered. He shot even par and finished tied with Kyle Stanley at 8 under.

Simpson relinquished the lead to Haas, who had back-to-back birdies at No. 8 and 9. Haas made bogey at No. 15 to give Estes the lead, then tied him two holes later.

Stallings started the day a shot out of the lead and seemed to take himself out of contention with three bogeys on the front nine. He responded with four birdies on the first five holes on the back, then hit a 103-yard wedge within a foot of the hole on the par-4 16th to move to 10 under before getting into trouble on No. 17.

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Phils’ Ibanez has 2 HRs, walk-off double

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—New to the area, Hunter Pence(notes) hitched a ride to theballpark with Chase Utley(notes).

Pence knows his way around the bases, though, and when he scored the winningrun on Raul Ibanez’s(notes) double, he found Utley and most of his new teammates at theplate to mob him.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Th… Getty Images – Jul 31, 6:13 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Br… Getty Images – Jul 31, 6:13 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ly… Getty Images – Jul 31, 6:02 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Br… Getty Images – Jul 31, 6:01 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ga… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:42 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ji… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:42 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ga… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:42 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Th… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:32 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ra… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:32 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ra… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:32 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ra… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:25 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ra… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:24 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Hu… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:24 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Ra… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:24 pm EDT Philadelphia Phillies ' Hu… AP – Jul 31, 5:23 pm EDT Philadelphia Phillies ' Ra… AP – Jul 31, 5:21 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Br… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:11 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Hu… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:10 pm EDT Philadelphia Phillies ' Hu… AP – Jul 31, 2:57 pm EDT Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop B… AP – Jul 31, 2:55 pm EDT Pittsburgh Pirates second base… AP – Jul 31, 2:49 pm EDT Philadelphia Phillies right fi… AP – Jul 31, 2:46 pm EDT Pittsburgh Pirates ' Jeff … AP – Jul 31, 2:45 pm EDT 1 of 23 Pit-Phi Gallery Series at a Glance Pittsburgh 3 Philadelphia 10 Fri, Jul 29 – Final Pittsburgh 4 Philadelphia 7 Sat, Jul 30 – Final Pittsburgh 5 Philadelphia 6 Sun, Jul 31 – Final 10th

Two days into his stint with the Phillies, Pence knows this: “They havefun, they work hard, they play hard.”

And they win.

Ibanez homered twice and hit the game-winning double in the 10th inning tolift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates onSunday.

“Any of these guys can carry you for a day,” Pence said. “That’s thebeauty of it,”

The Phillies trailed 5-3 in the eighth when Ibanez hit a two-run shot forhis second homer of the game. He doubled to right off Tony Watson(notes) (0-2) in the10th to score Pence and help the Phillies complete a three-game sweep.

“We stay together and pull together when we need to,” Ibanez said.

Antonio Bastardo(notes) (4-0) struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the win.

Ibanez hit a solo homer in the second off Pirates starter Jeff Karstens(notes) andhis tying blast was off Jose Veras(notes). The Phillies are a season-high 29 games over.500 (68-39) and swept their fifth series of the season.

The Pirates, trying to keep pace in a crowded NL Central race, leftPhiladelphia reeling but with two new bats. A day after they traded for DerrekLee(notes), the Pirates acquired outfielder Ryan Ludwick(notes) from the San Diego Padres.

Pence, acquired Friday from Houston, hit a one-out double in the 10th andIbanez followed with his 21st double of the season. The Phillies increased theirlead to six games over Atlanta in the NL East and are starting to pull away.

“It’s electric,” Pence said. “Everyone has a different charisma aboutthem where you expect it to happen.”

The Pirates are fading in the division and hope Lee and Ludwick can get themback on track.

Lyle Overbay(notes) hit a two-run homer and Karstens pitched seven solid inningsfor the Pirates.

On the brink of losing his starting first baseman’s job, Overbay connectedon a two-run shot off Phillies starter Vance Worley(notes) in the sixth for a 4-3 lead.Overbay, a disappointment in his first season with the Pirates, will hit thebench once Lee joins the team. Lee, acquired from Baltimore on Saturday, shouldtake over at first when the Pirates return home.

The Pirates then got Ludwick from the Padres for a player to be named orcash considerations.

Ludwick batted .238 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 64 RBIs in 378at-bats. He was scratched two minutes before the start of the Padres game Sundayagainst Colorado.

“I’m excited because I’ve got another chance to make the playoffs, going toa team that’s in the pennant race, back in the Central to an area I’m familiarwith,” Ludwick said. “It’s just sad things didn’t work out here.”

Karstens got a big boost when Overbay connected to right to put the Piratesahead. It was one of the few times this season Overbay delivered in the clutchas the Pirates hoped when they signed him a one-year deal in the offseason.

The veteran first baseman was signed to provide Pittsburgh’s offense withsome much-needed pop, but he has struggled in hitter-friendly PNC Park. Heentered the Philadelphia series with just one RBI since July 4, or two fewerthan pitcher Kevin Correia(notes). Overbay was batting only .217 in July and was 2 for22 in his last eight games entering Sunday.

With Lee on the way, he was scheduled to join the team Monday, Overbayshould find himself on the bench.

Asked for an interview, Overbay said, “As long as it’s not about the DerrekLee trade.”

He later said he didn’t know what was ahead for him after a talk withmanager Clint Hurdle.

The Pirates open a seven-game game homestand Monday against the Cubs.

After allowing 17 runs to the Phillies in the first two games of the series,Karstens turned in a nice little outing. But the Pirates couldn’t solve.

“They have a bunch of answers,” Hurdle said. “Today, it was Ibanez.”

He hit his 15th homer in the second, a solo shot, for a 1-0 lead and JimmyRollins(notes) singled in two runs in the fifth that gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead.

The Pirates scored another run in seventh on Garrett Jones’(notes) RBI double offreliever Brad Lidge(notes). Xavier Paul(notes) had a two-RBI single in the fifth.

Worley, coming off his first career complete game, picked up where he leftoff, fanning five straight batters over the first and second innings. With hisglasses and quirky mohawk, Worley has become an instant fan favorite. Hestruggled after his fast start, allowing seven hits and four runs in sixinnings.

Notes: The Pirates transferred C Ryan Doumit(notes) to the 60-day disabled list.… The Pirates have three games left vs. the NL East. … Ibanez had his firstmulti-homer game of the season

Brewers win streak at 6 after sweep

MILWAUKEE (AP)—Prince Fielder(notes) rapped his knuckle once on his wood locker.The way the NL Central-leading Brewers have played at Miller Park this season,Fielder certainly is a little superstitious.

Fielder drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Milwaukee beatthe Houston Astros 5-4 on Sunday to complete their second consecutive three-gamesweep.

Houston Astros ' Jose Altu… AP – Jul 31, 6:35 pm EDT The sun drops behind Miller Pa… AP – Jul 31, 6:15 pm EDT Milwaukee Brewers ' Ryan B… AP – Jul 31, 5:43 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Chris… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:25 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Felip… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:25 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Felip… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:25 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Felip… Getty Images – Jul 31, 5:25 pm EDT Milwaukee Brewers ' Prince… AP – Jul 31, 4:41 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Jose … Getty Images – Jul 31, 4:22 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Chris… Getty Images – Jul 31, 4:22 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Brad … Getty Images – Jul 31, 4:22 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Jason… Getty Images – Jul 31, 4:22 pm EDT Milwaukee Brewers ' Ryan B… AP – Jul 31, 4:01 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Princ… Getty Images – Jul 31, 4:00 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Umpir… Getty Images – Jul 31, 4:00 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Yunie… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:59 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Yunie… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:58 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Yunie… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:58 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: J.D. … Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:58 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Brett… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:58 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Jason… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:46 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Jose … Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:46 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Clint… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:45 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Brett… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:45 pm EDT MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 31: Jason… Getty Images – Jul 31, 3:44 pm EDT Milwaukee Brewers starting pit… AP – Jul 31, 2:48 pm EDT Milwaukee Brewers ' Corey … AP – Jul 31, 2:47 pm EDT Houston Astros starting pitche… AP – Jul 31, 2:45 pm EDT 1 of 28 Hou-Mil Gallery Series at a Glance Houston 0 Milwaukee 4 Fri, Jul 29 – Final Houston 2 Milwaukee 6 Sat, Jul 30 – Final Houston 4 Milwaukee 5 Sun, Jul 31 – Final

Milwaukee is 39-14 at home this season and has won six straight over thebottom of the NL Central, but face a much stiffer challenge when thesecond-place Cardinals begin a series here on Monday night.

“At home, we’re always on a good roll, it seems like,” Fielder said beforeknocking on wood. “So, just keep playing the way we’ve been playing. No matterwhat happens, we can be happy with that. I think we’re playing good baseballoverall.”

Jonathan Lucroy(notes) and Yuniesky Betancourt(notes) drove in two runs apiece beforeFielder’s key single as Milwaukee (60-49) moved 11 games over .500 for the firsttime in more than two years.

The Astros traded two-thirds of their starting outfield in the past 48hours, sending away their strongest defensive player by dealing Michael Bourn(notes) tothe Braves for outfielder Jordan Schafer(notes) and three minor-league pitchers hoursbefore the game’s start. On Friday night, they traded Hunter Pence(notes) toPhiladelphia.

“Everybody understands what’s going on. It’s just kind of the way it is,”said Jason Michaels(notes), who started in Pence’s spot in right field. “It’s tough tolose a teammate. Again, that’s just part of the business.”

Milwaukee has beaten up on the bottom of the NL Central over the past sixgames after also sweeping the Cubs, but the Brewers didn’t make it easy onthemselves against the Astros.

Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez (4-2) failed to protect the lead in theeighth after he threw a wild pitch with runners on second and third with twoouts that allowed Jason Bourgeois(notes) to score and tie the game at 4, costingstarter Chris Narveson(notes) the chance at the victory.

But the Brewers bounced right back off Fernando Rodriguez(notes) (2-1) when Braundoubled off the wall and Fielder punched a single just past the infield intocenter after the Astros decided not to walk him despite falling behind in thecount 3-0. Braun easily beat Bourgeois’ throw to the plate.

“I was really trying to make sure I at the least I got Braunie over,”Fielder said. “I didn’t think they were going to set it up on a tee, but I wasobviously ready to hit something.”

John Axford(notes) converted his franchise-record 28th consecutive save and 31st of33 chances this season with a perfect ninth.

Narveson left with two on and two outs in the seventh, marking this 16thstraight game that a Brewers starter has given up three runs or fewer with therotation posting a 2.10 ERA in the span.

“You kind of look at it as coming in and winning every day. You think aboutthe series at the end, but you try to play it day by day,” Narveson said.

Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead in the second on a double by Betancourt and asuicide squeeze by Lucroy.

Bourgeois, playing in Bourn’s spot, hit his first home run in almost twoyears with a three-run shot in the fourth, but Milwaukee tied it in the bottomof the inning on Lucroy’s double. Milwaukee went ahead 4-3 in the sixth onBetancourt’s fielder’s choice after Fielder broke up a double-play attempt bysliding hard into second base.

The Brewers decided to stay away from major moves at the non-waiver tradingdeadline after kicking off the July action by dealing for Rodriguez just afterthe All-Star game.

Milwaukee swept St. Louis at home in a three-game series in early June,outscoring them 17-6 in the process.

“We played a nice series against them last time. We need to continue tohave a nice series again and just keep playing this type of ball. If we playlike this, we’re going to be fine,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.

Houston, meanwhile, remained busy retooling its team for the second straightyear.

Bourn, a two-time Gold Glove winner, never came to Miller Park after he wastraded four hours before the Astros finished this season-long 10-game trip witha thud at 2-8.

Houston (35-73) is well on its way to its first 100-loss season in franchisehistory. After dealing away Roy Oswalt(notes) and Lance Berkman(notes) last year, they’ve sentBourn, Pence and second baseman Jeff Keppinger(notes) packing in the past 13 days toacquire Schafer, eight minor leaguers and a player to be named.

“Hopefully some of them can be here this year or we see them in springtraining,” Astros first baseman Brett Wallace(notes) said. “You’re not going to tradeMike, you’re not going to trade Hunter unless you believe in the people you’regetting back for the long haul.”

NOTES: Betancourt has hit safely in 12 of his past 13 games. … Brewers 3BCraig Counsell(notes) set the franchise mark for at-bats without a hit at 43 with agroundout in the fourth. He finished without a hit and his skid is at 44at-bats. … Milwaukee is 24-14 in one-run games.

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