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WESTMINSTER, Md. – Down 15 pounds from his playing weight of a year ago, Ray Lewis enters his 14th season with the Baltimore Ravens unequivocally certain he's never been better than he is right now.
Another rigorous offseason training regimen enabled the 34-year-old middle linebacker to breeze through the team's first full training camp practice Friday. Lewis signed a seven-year contract last March, and the 10-time Pro Bowler talks as if he intends to keep playing until the deal expires.
"Anytime I feel as good as I feel, and I can keep leading these men the way I lead these men, life keeps going," Lewis said. "That's why I train the way I train. Only God can tell you when it's over. I'm having too much fun playing this game."
His enthusiasm obviously hasn't waned, and even if Lewis isn't as quick as he was a decade ago, he intends to take full advantage of the knowledge he gained over the course of 13 stellar seasons.
"I think I'm probably better now because I'm just wiser. Talent fades, wisdom never fades. Wisdom grows," he said. "I'm a better player because I can make my team better. I can make guys around me better."
During his first training camp in 1996 — which was also the Ravens' inaugural season — Lewis was a 21-year-old out of the University of Miami who took instruction from veterans such as Eric Turner and Rob Burnett. It didn't take long for Lewis to become the leader of the defense, and there's little question he will maintain that title until he finally decides to call it a career.
The Ravens keep changing defensive coordinators — Greg Mattison is the latest to assume the role — but the leader on the field and in the locker room wears No. 52.
"Ray is the guy that's been here since the beginning. If it's anybody's defense, it's Ray's defense," coach John Harbaugh said. "Obviously a great tradition has been built here, and you've got to say he's the one it's been built around."
The Ravens feared during the offseason that Lewis, as a free agent, would take his act elsewhere. But after flirting with a few other teams, Lewis returned to the place he's always been the most comfortable.
"I flirt with a beautiful woman I see walking down the street. That doesn't mean I talk to her," Lewis said.
Brett Favre, he is not.
"I'm bred here. I started my career here and I'm going to end my career here," Lewis said. "I will never put on another uniform and play for one year, two years. It's just not worth it."
Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan all became head coaches after directing defenses led by Lewis. So maybe there's something to Lewis' assertion that it's not the guy who draws up the plays, but the guys who run them on the field that win football games.
"The last 10 years, we've seen coordinators come in and out. Congratulations to Rex, go ahead and do your thing with the Jets," Lewis said. "We're Ravens. We're Ravens for life, and that's an honor. The way we play defense is our mentality, it's not the coach's mentality. So whoever comes and goes, it was good playing with you but it's time to go on."
Lewis made the Pro Bowl last season, led the Ravens in tackles, had three interceptions and recovered two fumbles. Yet, soon after Baltimore lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC title game, he began working toward the 2009 season.
After consulting with linebackers coach Vic Fagio, Lewis sought to trim his 6-foot-1 frame to be faster from sideline to sideline.
"I think losing the weight has been good for him," Harbaugh said. "He decided he wanted to be a bit lighter and maybe a little more active."
Said Lewis: "First of all, it's just a blessing from God that I can do it year after year — come back with no injuries, no setbacks, things like that. Anytime you can feel as good as I have this past offseason, you really have fun training. That's what I went back to."

His trainer, Monte Sanders, watched practice from the sideline Friday.

"Last year, he wanted to put on some weight. This year, he wanted to come down, get a little bit quicker and faster," Sanders said of Lewis. "For him, it was six miles a day of interval training, a bunch of ladders, a bunch of weightlifting. He's in incredible shape right now."

Looking at Lewis on the practice field, running hard on every play and yelling encouragement to those around him, a rookie can't help but be impressed. The veterans respect him, too.

"Ray is like the Michael Jordan on this team. His work ethic is totally off the charts," safety Ed Reed said. "His intensity and his character, and what he knows about the game, is what makes you want to get better."

ROYAL LYTHAM, England (AFP) –
Scotland's Catriona Matthew, who escaped a French hotel blaze last week, hit back-to-back eagles to share the lead at the halfway stage of the Women's British Open on Friday.

Matthew carded a second round 67 to top the leaderboard with Giulia Sergas, the California-based Italian who also shot five under in the breezy conditions to join the Scotswoman on three under par 141 for the tournament.

They led the final major of the women's season by a stroke from Yuko Mitsuka, who has had a brace of 71s on her first visit to Britain.

Matthew, playing in only her second tournament since the birth of second daughter Sophie in May, put together a brilliant second half run.

She sank a six footer for an eagle three at the long 11th and then had a hole in one with an eight iron at the 152-yard 12th.

The 39-year-old packed in birdies at the 13th, 14th, 16th and from ten feet at the last - she dropped her only shot at the 17th - for a stunning inward half of seven under par 30.

It was the lowest back nine score ever recorded in a Championship at the famous Open links here.

Matthew made her competitive comeback at last week's Evian Masters in France where she and husband Graeme, who is also her caddie, had a scare on the eve of the tournament when they had to run through flames to escape a fire at their hotel.

"Luckily, the girls weren't with us or it could have been even more serious," said Matthew.

"It was about 10.30 and I was in bed and my husband was out on the balcony. I thought the noise was rain, but he said 'no' and when I opened the door there were flames and smoke.

"It was very scary. We ran out and shouted ?fire, fire' and luckily no-one was seriously hurt, although Graeme did have to go to hospital with a burn on his foot."

Matthew went on to finish in the top 30 at Evian, and this week has proved she is ready to claim a fifth European Solheim Cup cap for the match against the USA in three weeks' time.

Matthew has a good track record in majors after childbirth.

When first child Katie was just three months old, she finished tied second in the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Sergas, chasing a first professional victory, also made her score over the downwind back nine.

She birdied the 11th and then had four in a row from the 13th to be home in 32.

"It was definitely playing easier today," said the 29-year-old, who lives in Palm Springs In California.

Sergas, ranked No.79 in the world, needs a good finish to have a chance of making her Solheim Cup debut with European captain Alison Nicholas set to name her team on Sunday.

"The Solheim has been a big motivation ever since I turned professional," said the Italian World Cup player.

"But all I can do is play my best and see what happens."

Meanwhile, American teenager Michelle Wie hit a second round 76 to be five over for the tournament, eight shots off the lead, while world number one Lorena Ochoa was eight over for the two rounds.

NEW YORK (Reuters) –
Forest products company Weyerhaeuser Co (WY.N) on Friday posted a wider second-quarter loss, hurt by weak demand from the construction industry, but results topped Wall Street expectations.

For the period ended June 30, the company posted a net loss of $106 million, or 50 cents per share, compared with a loss $96 million, or 45 cents per share, in the year-earlier period.

Excluding one-time items, Weyerhaeuser posted a loss of 59 cents per share, beating analysts expectations for a loss of 69 cents, according to Reuters Estimates.

Sales at the Federal Way, Washington-based company fell 36 percent to $1.39 billion.

(Reporting by Matt Daily and Ernest Schneyder; Editing by Derek Caney)

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