Florida Sentinel Bulletin

SAN DIEGO — LeBron James has another ring.

The Miami Heat star married Savannah Brinson at the posh Grand Del Mar Hotel in San Diego on Saturday, according to two people familiar with the details of the ceremony.

About 200 guests were present for the ceremony, said one of the people, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because the wedding was private and the couple had yet to release any details. The ceremony was the highlight of a three-day celebration that will conclude with a brunch on Sunday.

James and Brinson, 27, have been together since high school and have two sons. James, 28, proposed just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2012 in Miami Beach, flanked then by many of his teammates – just as he was again Saturday night for his wedding.

BY TED TAYLOR

The Tennessee State Tigers returned to Bragg Stadium for the first time since 1997 to spoil the home opener for Florida A & M University.

The longtime rivalry took a detour through Atlanta from 1998-2010, resuming last year in Nashville. On Saturday afternoon, the Tigers used the Florida heat, scoring with every phase of the game to wear down the Rattlers 27-7, before 14,237. From the outset, TSU sent a message to FAMU when defensive back David Van Dyke returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown on the fifth play of the game.

On its next possession, runningback Tim Broughton used a 10-yard dash to increase the first quarter lead to 14-0. Early in the second frame, FAMU quarterback Damien Fleming found wide receiver Lenworth Lennon in the end zone to cut the lead in half. The momentum lasted no longer than the timeout as Mart Stevenson returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards up the middle for a 21-7 lead that stood to halftime.

TSU went on a 13-play, 76-yard, 7:00 drive to open the second half, to stretch the lead to 27-7. The point-after kick was no good. The Rattler offense remained in hibernation having the ball for only 3:13 in the third quarter, and just a minute more in the fourth. Despite not scoring anymore, TSU was in control as they wore down the Rattler defense for 105 rushing yards on 15 attempts in the fourth quarter. FAMU was held to 22 yards on the ground on 24 attempts while TSU gained 268 yards on 45 rushes.

Also, FAMU was held to 9 first downs. The Rattlers will be at home again next weekend against Stamford University of Birmingham, Alabama. It will be the first meeting ever between the two schools.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will start off their 2013 season with games against the New York Jets; at home against division foe, the New Orleans Saints, on the road against the New England Patriots, and back home against the Arizona Cardinals.

If Sunday’s performance is any indication of what the season will be, the Bucs just might be 0-4 before their bye week October 6th. The Bucs were leading the Jets 17-15 Sunday with 34 seconds left in the game, and found a way to give the game back to the Jets, losing 18-17. The Buccaneer defense played a steady game, recording sacks against rookie quarterback Geno Smith, and disrupting the Jet offense.

However, the Buccaneer offense sputtered, occasionally getting itself in gear, only to bungle the whole thing later. The just couldn’t get any consistency, and their ground game never materialized. Josh Freeman (pictured) finished the day 15 of 31 for 210 yards, 1 touchdown and interception. Smith finished 24 for 38 for 256 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

The Bucs stumbled with no points on drives, offensive penalties, giving the Jets 16 points on drives with defensive penalties; recording 3 penalties on their opening drive, and recording 13 total penalties for 102 yards.

 Serena Williams got the challenge a defending U. S. Open champion should expect on Sunday.

It took three sets for her to close out a victory over Victoria Azarenka. Final score: 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1. It’s the fifth Open title for Williams and her only difficult match in two weeks at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. She hadn’t lost a set in her previous six matches, but was bothered by the swirling air and Azarenka’s strong play.

“Vika’s such a great opponent; she’s such a fighter,” Williams said after the match. “It was never over until match point.” The match started with a pair of breaks as first Azarenka and then Williams failed to hold serve. In a tight first set, Williams notched the decisive break in the 11th game and then served out the set to love.

A mammoth fourth game in the third set ended with Williams breaking Azarenka to lead 3-1 and the defending champion did not look back to move within one major victory of matching Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (both 18 majors).

Williams smashed 36 winners during the final, compared to just 17 from Azarenka, but Williams finished with 35 unforced errors to Azarenka’s 27.