Sports Mad

Rays, as seen by a manatee

2010-07-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Don't think I shared this yet on here. I barely requires an explanation, other than to say, watch out for an appearance by the Rays' finest toward the end...

Marvin the Manatee's Gulf Coast oil report

2010-06-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Bolts (finally) break their streak

2010-01-13T03:37:00.000-08:00

We should be used to the Lightning by now, but even by their standards the 12-game losing streak was beginning to look terminal. And then, out of nowhere, they find seven goals to beat the Capitals at home.

They still shipped four at their end, mind you, but a win is a win is a win. And guess who scored the go-ahead goal...

Yes, it was Martin St. Louis who came the Bolts' rescue yet again after his team had managed to blow a three-goal lead. His 250th career goal put Tampa Bay up 5-4 with 2:32 left in the second period to extend his point streak to 11 games.

This report from AP: 'Steven Stamkos had a pair of power-play goals as the Lightning took a 4-1 first-period lead. Vincent Lecavalier, Stephane Veilleux, Kurtis Foster and Halpern had the other Lightning goals. St. Louis added two assists.

'Washington, which lost to Tampa Bay for the first time since a 5-2 loss on Nov. 16, 2007, got two goals from Mike Green. Alexander Semin and Eric Fehr also scored for the Southeast Division leaders.

'Foster and Halpern extended the Lightning advantage to 7-4 in the third. Lecavalier and Stamkos put the Lightning up 2-0 midway through the first. After Semin scored at 14:05, Tampa Bay went up 4-1 when Stamkos got his 25th goal of the season and Veilleux scored his first goal in 23 games late in the period.

'Green had two power-play goals in the second, including one that tied it at 4 with 7:52 left in the period. Fehr also scored during the second.'

Well, we've said it before, we'll say it again, life is never dull following the Bolts. And in a sort of masochistic way, long may it continue.

To see footage of the game click here

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Lighting shocking

2009-12-18T04:46:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought it was safe to look, the Bolts do it again. Having started in some fine form, Tampa has slipped back to some recent bad habits, like throwing away leads and going on losing streaks of nightmarish proportions.

Here is Erik Erlendsson in the Tampa Bay Tribune telling it like it is.

Tampa Bay's season is dangerously close to dropping into oblivion again.
Tampa Bay's stretch of games with only one win reached 11 on Thursday after falling 3-0 to Detroit, dropping Tampa Bay's record to 1-12-1 all-time at Joe Louis Arena. The shutout loss is the fourth time in the past 10 games the Lightning have been kept off the board.
With four games complete on a season-long, six-game road trip, Tampa Bay is 0-3-1 and has been shut out twice.
The latest loss comes following a game in which Tampa Bay felt some momentum had been built up despite a 7-4 loss in Nashville. And it came against an undermanned Detroit team that featured seven regulars out of the lineup to start the game, a number that climbed to eight after a Mattias Ohlund hit knocked out Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg in the first period.

Check out Erik's always excellent words of wisdom here

But the question remains: what are the Bolts going to do next?

Road trips to St Louis and New York might not yield much in the way of joy just yet. Let's just hope that the four straight home games they have before the start of 2010 will give us reason to be cheerful...

(We're not holding our breath)

Bolts on film - looking great

2009-11-27T02:18:00.000-08:00

Ahh, you know what, this is more like it. There weren't too many highlights from last season - in fact you'd have struggled to make a two-minute vid - but already we've got some great footage to enjoy from the Bolts.

Thanks to the guys at HockeyBay.com who have put it together. And, as is often the case, the very best is saved until last. Just check out the ridiculous goal from Stamkos if you haven't already seen it.

Go Bolts!

Bolts making bright start

2009-11-20T03:56:00.000-08:00

So, it's probably time we took a look at the Bolts, who are going steady if not great so far. But hey, anything's better than last season, right?

Last night the Lightning showed some impressive spirit (something that was never lacking) in coming back from three goals down to tie at Anaheim. Trouble is, they then lost in OT with the Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer scoring on the power-play goal 52 seconds into overtime for a 4-3 win. Jeff Halpern, Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis scored for the Lightning, and Malone and Steve Downie each had two assists.

The loss leaves Tampa (8-4-7) for the season on 23 points in the Southeastern Division, second behind Washington, on 30. Stamkos has 14 goals so far, and St Louis 15 assists, so the numbers are stacking up.

But as ever with the Bolts, it seems, the stats don't tell the whole story. The OT loss meant Lightning kept their streak of games without a regulation loss to seven and battled back from three goals down. That said, it meant a seventh overtime or shootout loss of the season for Tampa. But the Lightning have improved to 4-0-3 in the past seven games, 6-1-5 in the past 12 and are unbeaten in regulation (3-0-2) in their past five games on the road.

So actually, this far, it ain't all bad. Which is more than can be said for certain other Tampa Bay professional sports teams...

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A very sad story

2009-10-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

This latest news just in...

Justice in Tampa, Fl (AP)
A seven-year old boy was at the center of an Hillsborough County courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible..

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Football Team, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

(Come on Bucs, there's only room for one Detroit in the NFL)

Positives from negatives

2009-09-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

There are few positives to take out of the weekend for Tampa sports fans, but we'll have a go.

First, the comeback of Cadillac Williams to the Bucs offense. True, he was part of an outfit which lost 34-21 to Dallas and never looked like doing anything but, but the very fact that Williams was there at all should give Tampa fans some hope this season.
Williams ran for 97 yards, combining with newcomer Derrick Ward (12 carries, 62 yards) to lead a ground game that produced 174 yards on 31 carries. "The loss just spoiled everything," Caddy said. "I didn't come to stand out as an individual and lose ballgames. I'm a winner, and this team is a winner. Unfortunately, we lost, but the team is going to get better."
Er, whatever you say old boy.
And if you follow the Rays, well, take heart in the notion that now the only way is up for a beleaguered team which has now gone 11 straight without a win after dropping both games of a doubleheader to the Red Sox, 3-1 and 4-0, for their 10th and 11th losses in a row.
That's the longest losing streak in the majors this year, and it has dropped the Rays to 12 1/2 games behind the Red Sox just two weeks after they looked like viable contenders for the AL's wildcard playoff berth.
"It's embarrassing," said James Shields after taking the loss in the second game. "Eleven losses is embarrassing. It's not fun right now. We've got to play better baseball from here on out … and end our season on a high note."
Well, and here is the only positive I can find, at least the Rays are above .500 (one game above at 72-71, but above none the less) and have 19 games remaining to add some of those high notes Shields is referring to.
Hands up who thinks they are going to...

Black is the new silver for Maddon

2009-08-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Do not be concerned for your sanity if you tune in to tonight's Rays v Orioles game, Joe Maddon actually does have black hair.
In fact the Rays manager's wife, Jaye, dyed his familiar silver-gray hair jet black ahead of the team's next theme road swing, the "Ring of Fire" trip to Toronto and Detroit next week in which all members of the traveling party will be encouraged to wear all black on travel days in honor of Johnny Cash.
"I was going to wait until Sunday night to do it," Maddon said, "but I thought, why not, in advance, just to get it up there and loosen things up a bit?"
"I didn't recognize him – twice," said shortstop Jason Bartlett after finally recognising Maddon Tuesday. "After I saw him, and then I saw him again in the food room and I did a double [take] – I didn't know who it was. I heard his wife likes it, so that's all that counts."
Designated hitter Pat Burrell admitted he thought the look made Maddon look 10 years younger, and his math was about right. Though Maddon said he started going gray in his 20s, his hair didn't go "full-blown silver" until 1998 or 1999.
"The last time I dyed my hair was 2002," Maddon said. "Angels went to the World Series."
Whether or not is helps the Rays over the line this season remains to be seen, but at least the manager will look stylish trying.

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Lewis suspended for 10 games

2009-08-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

Orlando Magic will be without forward Rashard Lewis after the 29-year-old tested positive for an elevated testosterone level and was suspended Thursday for 10 games.
Lewis claimed in a statement that he took an over-the-counter supplement late last season which included a substance he did not realize was banned by the NBA.
"First and foremost I take full responsibility for the situation and accept the corresponding penalty," Lewis said. "I apologize to Magic fans, my team-mates and this organization for not doing the research that should come with good judgment."
He will be suspended without pay for the first 10 regular-season games for which he is eligible and physically able to play.
Lewis averaged 19.0 points in the playoffs to help lead the Magic to the NBA finals and will leave a huge hole in those first 10 games.

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Rays flouder against Yankees

2009-07-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Optimism is a wonderful thing. And any Rays fans who still think we can get back to the World Series this season might have to do some wishful thinking on an industrial scale right now.

Last night's 11-4 home loss to the Yankees felt just like a return to the bad old days. Admittedly the Yankees had a pitcher, in A.J. Burnett, who simply dominated the Rays' hitters all night, limiting them to a pair of hits and a lone unearned run in his seven innings.

But it was the lack of resistance, especially late on, which will most concern those who have recently learned to think happy thoughts about the Rays.

B.J. Upton's single in the third was the only hit the Rays recorded against Burnett in his first five innings. Their second hit brought the first run in the sixth. When Longoria grounded into a double play, allowing Upton to trot home and trim the deficit to 5-1, it looked like a fight back, but was actually as close as the Rays got all night.

"I think the hyperbole is really not necessary," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "Just go after it, daily. We did a nice job with that last year as a front-runner and I think we can do the same thing trying to catch up."

Let's hope they can. Otherwise this is going to be a very long series against an old foe looking like returning to former glories.

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Rays leave it too late this time

2009-07-21T04:22:00.000-07:00

The Rays may not always bring home to runs, but they sure know how to make a game interesting, as the 4-3 loss to Chicago Monday night again showed.
The White Sox maintained their cool following a three-run homer from Paul Konerko, even though the Rays were at it again in the late innings after rallying to win each of their previous three games. This time, however, the Rays came up short.
Tampa, looked on course for another late steal but they failed to score in the eighth and then loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against Bobby Jenks before Jason Bartlett struck out to end the game.
Konerko's three-run drive in the third gave the White Sox a 4-1 lead, but solo homers from Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria went deep and Carl Crawford had an inside-the-park homer to bring the Rays back to 4-3. Crawford's inside-the-park homer was the first at U.S. Cellular Field since Chris Singleton hit one for Chicago against Kansas City on Sept. 29, 2000. But it was in vain.
The tension mounted when Bartlett worked the count to 3-2 in the ninth before fouling off a pitch. The crowd chanted ''Bobby! Bobby!'' as fast-baller Jenks got him on a slider to end it.
Sure, Rays fans love the way their team makes life fun, but sometimes just batting in those spare runners would be nice too. You don't always have to score off homers - in or out the park - to win you know...

Pena strikes out as Prince rules

2009-07-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena was knocked out early in the 2009 Home Run Derby at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, but Prince Fielder was a king among men in the annual slugfest.
With home big-hitters Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard eliminated early, Fielder won baseball's slugging crown on Monday night in relative comfort - and hit one huge drive estimated to have been 503ft.
The Milwaukee Brewers' first baseman outslugged Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz 6-5 in the final before acknowledging how the home fans must have felt seeing their hometown heroes miss out.
"It's what I expected. This is Albert's stadium and Ryan is from here," Fielder said. "I was just happy I was able to put on a show, and I'm glad I won."
Pujols, the Cardinals' big first baseman, and Howard, who grew up in St. Louis, were knocked out in the second round.
With three outs remaining in the final round, Fielder smacked a drive on to the grassy hill in center field to clinch the crown. He posed for a moment with his bat held high, then embraced Brewers teammate Ryan Braun near home plate.
Pena, Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Pujols each hit five home runs in the first round. In a five-swing tiebreaker, Pena hit one homer and Mauer was shut out and Pujols homered twice to move on.
None of the participants were able to match Josh Hamilton's performance last year at Yankee Stadium, where he hit a record 28 homers in the first round — including 13 on the bounce.

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Four Rays seeing stars

2009-07-07T01:59:00.000-07:00

Tampa Bay fans have got used to only seeing one of their beloved players in the All-Star game.
Nine times in the first 10 years, the then-Devil Rays had only one player picked for the Midsummer Classic - and in those days it would have been hard to justify including any more.
But times have changed and this year there will be at least four Rays players representing the American League under manager Joe Maddon in the July 14 game in St. Louis. That three of those were chosen by either fans around the country or their peers makes it all the sweeter.
And third-baseman Evan Longoria will be the first Tampa Bay player to start an All-Star Game after winning the fan vote. Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford made the team as reserves, voted in by their fellow players. And Ben Zobrist was one of Maddon's picks to fill out the roster.
In addition, Carlos Pena is one of five players vying for the final spot on the AL team in fan voting.
Longoria was an easy selection at third, with his impressive .925 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and 63 RBIs making him an All-Star for the second time in as many big-league seasons.
"Obviously, with the caliber of third basemen that there are in the American League, to be the leading vote-getter is just a tremendous honor," he said.
Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield made his first All-Star roster in his 17th season, one of a major league-high six Red Sox headed to Busch Stadium for the big game. The 42-year-old right-hander is tied for the big league lead with 10 wins.
Cardinals firstbasman Albert Pujols was the leading vote-getter by a long way. The NL MVP is well on his way to another amazing year, leading the majors with 31 homers and 82 RBIs. He collected 5,397,374 votes to finish with the second-highest total in major league history, trailing only Ken Griffey Jr.'s six million votes in 1994.
The AL starting lineup: Teixeira at first, Pedroia at second, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria, outfielders Bay, Josh Hamilton of Texas and Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle, and Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer.
Starting for the NL: Albert Pujols at first, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Florida shortstop Hanley Ramirez, Wright at third, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltran, Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and Philadelphia's Raul Ibanez in the outfield. Ibanez has been sidelined by a groin injury and could sit out.
Should be a special occasion...

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Rays' triple double delight

2009-06-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

We know the Rays are quick right? But this quick! This is a whole new level.
The Rays made Major League history Sunday with B.J. Upton's third-inning home in a series-sweeping 5-2 victory against the Marlins. Thanks to that hit Tampa Bay reached triple digits in home runs and stolen bases earlier than any team before.
The Rays have done it in 77 games (100 home runs, 118 stolen bases), seven games earlier than the 1994 Indians and 1977 Reds, to become only the fifth team to reach 100/100 before the All-Star break.
In front of 29,459 witnesses at Tropicana Field, the Rays won their fifth straight and finished 5-1 during a home stretch against the World Series winning Phillies and a Marlins team that had won nine of 12.
They also passed the Blue Jays to move into third place in the American League East for the first time this season.
Things are certainly looking up for the Rays, but for how long remains to be seen. Tampa Bay is scheduled to face Toronto ace Roy Halladay (10-1) Monday night. The right-hander, who has been out with a groin injury, is set to be reinstated from the 15-day disabled list to make the start. "I'm looking forward to that like a root canal," said Rays manager Joe Maddon.

Bartlett streaking away

2009-06-26T01:52:00.000-07:00

Jason Bartlett set a new Bays club record by extending his hit streak to 19 games in Thursday night's 10-4 victory over the Phillies with a single in the fifth inning.
The hit broke the Rays' previous record of 18 games, set by Quinton McCracken in 1998.
"I'm happy about it, but I'd rather not think about it," Bartlett said. "It's not that I'm putting pressure on myself, but it's in my head and I'd rather it not be."
It's now the longest active streak in the Major Leagues, after the Cubs' Derrek Lee failed to connect Thursday against the Tigers to curtail his streak to 21 games.
Bartlett is hitting .384 with 21 RBIs over the stretch, which began on May 15 and was interrupted by his 19-game stay on the disabled list with a sprained left ankle.
He also ranks second among all shortstops in stolen bases (14) and RBIs (35).
He's having quite a season, but thankfully doesn't plan on taking the souvenir game ball tossed into the dugout after his fifth-inning single. "I don't plan on stopping," he said.

Mets left high and dry in the rain

2009-06-22T04:18:00.000-07:00

The skies are looking clearer for the road-weary Rays who awoke from an offensive slumber Sunday with a 10-6 victory over the New York Mets at Citi Field. In a series twice interrupted by rain B.J. Upton homered and matched a career high with four RBIs, while Carl Crawford drove in a pair of runs to give the Rays a hard-fought 2-1 win.
"When B.J. gets going, it gives guys a little more confidence," said Evan Longoria, who, like Upton, had four hits. "It was just one of those days where we felt pretty locked in."
The highest-scoring team in the majors managed only three runs in each of its last four games, but got four in the fifth inning and four more in the seventh, when Upton's two-run shot off Bobby Parnell (2-3) helped the Rays regain a lead they'd squandered an inning earlier.
Joe Nelson (2-0) won despite allowing a run for the first time in his last nine appearances, while the New York bullpen dropped to 1-7 in June.
The top three spots in the Rays order combined to go 11 for 16 with seven RBIs. A little further down, Jason Bartlett had a pair of hits and Gabe Kapler drove in two runs.
On Saturday Carlos Pena hit a tiebreaking homer off Johan Santana in the seventh inning for a rain-soaked 3-1 victory. Starter James Shields allowed three hits in seven innings and retired his final 14 batters.
Keep it up lads, you've got your chance for revenge over the Phillies at home soon enough...

Rays back on level terms

2009-06-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

It might not be pennant winning form, but the Rays got back to .500 Thursday night with an 11-1 demolition of the LA Angels at Tropicana Field.
Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs, and Dioner Navarro homered and had three RBIs as Ervin Santana (1-3) allowed six runs and eight hits over 4 2-3 innings.
Navarro homered to lead off the eighth and Pena followed with his 19th homer of the season off Rich Thompson to make it 11-1. Pena also had a third-inning sacrifice fly.
In the midst of a dismal 3-for-34 slide, Navarro gave Tampa Bay a 4-0 lead on a two-run double during the fourth. Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford then both hit solo homers as Tampa won the final two games of the three-game series.
Rays starter David Price left with one out in the fourth because of a high pitch count (105). The first overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft gave up one run, two hits, six walks and had six strikeouts.
Gabe Gross put the Rays up 1-0 on a run-scoring single in the second. He had another RBI single during a two-run fifth.
Torii Hunter's run-scoring single off Grant Balfour (3-1) got the Angels within 4-1 in the top of the fifth. The inning ended when Bobby Abreu was doubled off second on Vladimir Guerrero's liner to short.
Longoria hit his 14th homer of the season to stop an 0-for-19 slide in the fifth, and Crawford went deep one inning later.
Tropicana Field (30 games) and the new Yankee Stadium (29 games) are the only major league stadiums to have at least one homer hit in every game this season. Just glad we were able to keep that record going...

Luck be a Rays day tonight...

2009-06-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

You might think another losing series from the Rays would give cause for some rampant pessimism among Tampa baseball fans. But you might be wrong.
Tampa Tribune writer Martin Fennelly believes the starting pitchers are beginning to turn things round for the Rays, and despite the loss here's why.
"Granted, the Rays didn't sweep the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field this weekend, losing 3-2 on Sunday.
But Matt Garza pitched well enough to win.
James Shields pitched well enough to win on Friday.
And David Price pitched well enough to win Saturday.
Not only that, Shields and Price won.
Want to know how this season turns around?
It's the starting pitching, stupid.
Yes, there's the bullpen and defense, and there are some of those sleepy bats.
But it starts with the starters.'

Okay, so it starts with the starters, we get that. But you also need a bit of luck sometimes, and that old lady just seems to have left us right at the moment.
''I set out to do my job and wasn't able to squeak through it. ... It's one of those losses you just have to choke down,'' said Garza, who felt he pitched well despite the result.
''He had great stuff. They just got a couple of knocks and they eeked out their three runs,'' Rays manager Joe Maddon said. ''We hit the ball really well, but without any luck. That's how this game works sometimes.''
That at least means that our luck will change soon, and it can only go one way...

How did they lose that?

2009-05-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Making history is generally considered a good thing. But as the Rays proved on Monday night, that is not always the case.
In an astonishing sequence of events, four Rays relievers failed to record the final three outs of what should have been a comfortable victory, allowing seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to author the biggest collapse in franchise history. Victor Martinez's sharp single up the middle off Jason Isringhausen brought home the final two runs in a stunning 11-10 triumph for Cleveland. Ouch!
It all seemed so unlikely when the Rays led 10-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Indians somehow rallied for their 14th consecutive home victory against Tampa Bay. In doing so the Indians became the first team to make up a 10-run deficit and win since the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 16-15 on May 8, 2004.
Ryan Garko's two-run homer off David Price in the fourth started the comeback. His three-run shot in the ninth off Grant Balfour made it 10-7.
The rest is history. Unfortunately for the Rays, it's all bad.

Pinch-hitter deluxe

2009-05-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Ben Zobrist is fast becoming the pinch-hitter's pinch hitter.
The 27-year-old came off the bench and tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, before Carl Crawford won it for the Rays with an RBI single for a 6-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
"He's turning into a cult figure," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Zobrist, who is 4 of 12 with three homers and nine RBIs as a pinch hitter this season.
"For me sometimes, it's freeing to know that you've got one shot and might as well take your hacks," Zobrist said. "It's pretty easy not to get a hit in the situation. It's a tough situation. I kind of tell myself I've got nothing to lose. Go up there and look for something hard to hit, and if it's in the zone just try to put a good swing on it."
After Dioner Navarro doubled and B.J. Upton walked against Brad Ziegler (0-1), Crawford lined the game-winning single to center.
Tampa's Matt Garza allowed two runs and seven hits in six 2-3 innings, while Oakland left-hander Dallas Braden gave up three runs and six hits over seven innings.
Just for the record, the AL best for pinch-hit homers in a season is five, set by Boston's Joe Cronin in 1943. Who would bet against Zobrist going some better?

Gruden going national

2009-05-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

Is Jon Gruden to be the next John Madden? The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach might be some way off yet, but he's well on the way to making his mark behind the mic as an analyst on ESPN 'Monday Night Football'.
Gruden replaces Washington Post sports columnist and 'Pardon The Interruption' co-host Tony Kornheiser as the third man in the booth alongside play-by-play man Mike Tirico and fellow analyst Ron Jaworski for what will be the 40th season of national prime-time Monday broadcasts.
"Today's a new beginning for me, a change of life," Gruden said. "Whether it's me being critical or me being myself, I'll do the preparation and do everything I can to do a good job."
Gruden will make his debut when ESPN begins its fourth season of Monday Night shows with an August 13 pre-season match between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gruden might just have the right stuff to make his mark on the small screen, but Madden is still the king - he's even been on Letterman.
Or has he....

Rays roll Sox over

2009-05-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Evan Longoria homered and drove in five runs as the Rays swaggered to a 14-5 win over the Red Sox on Saturday. It sent the young third-baseman out to a total of 44 RBIs, the best in the major league.
"I feel good," said Longoria, last year's AL Rookie of the Year. "My swing is right where I want it to be and the guys have been getting on a lot. That helps a lot. It seems like when I come to the plate somebody is in scoring position."
Pat Burrell, Carlos Pena, Ben Zobrist and Akinori Iwamura each drove in two runs for Tampa, which has won seven of 10. The Rays, who lost Friday night's series opener 7-3, also have won six of nine against Boston this season.
Longoria's homer off Jon Lester hit the top of the center-field wall and bounced over after Carl Crawford walked, making it 2-0 three batters into the game. It was his 11th of the season and fifth against the Red Sox.
Rocco Baldelli and Julio Lugo hit solo homers for Boston, which lost for just the fourth time in 16 games in Fenway Park this season. Three of those losses have come against the Rays, who once upon a time could not have bought a win in Bean Town.

Twins take it to Rays

2009-04-30T16:39:00.002-07:00

Scott Kazmir, getting little help from his defense, allowed eight runs (six earned, and two on wild pitches) in four innings, as the Rays (8-14) dropped a sixth consecutive series heading home to play the in-form Boston Red Sox.
"We're not really pleased with what's going on," said Rays coach Joe Maddon. "We should have been able to win more than one series to this point. But it's early, and I'm very optimistic we're going to turn this around."
In the first inning alone, Kazmir gave up a run on a bases-loaded wild pitch, second baseman Akinori Iwamura and right fielder Ben Zobrist allowed a run when a pop fly fell between them, and ex-Ray Delmon Young helped get a run home on a strikeout.
And then there was the Twins' three-run fourth inning during which Iwamura, who didn't commit an error in his first 74 games last year, was charged with two on one play. His fielding and throwing errors on a Kubel grounder let Justin Morneau score from second.
Before the double-error, Kazmir gave up a one-out triple to Tampa's Denard Span, an RBI single to Brendan Harris and an RBI double to Morneau in succession. When the flat-looking Rays headed to their dugout, the Twins led 8-1.
The Rays managed single runs in the third, seventh and ninth innings. Evan Longoria drove in runs with ground outs in the third and ninth, but he grounded out to end the eighth with the bases loaded. Gabe Gross drove in a run with a single in the seventh.
Shortstop Jason Bartlett, the Rays' leading hitter with a .368 average, came out of the game in the fifth inning with left hamstring tightness.

Niemann pitches in as Rays topple Twins

2009-04-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Fifth starter he might be, but Jeff Niemann turned in a third consecutive strong show in a 7-1 victory against the Twins on Monday night. And right on cue the Rays' offense turned up to more than double their run production of the two previous games combined.
The victory stopped a two-game losing streak and gave the defending American League champions (8-12) a chance to win a series – something they haven't done since their opening trip to Boston – and bring some momentum back for a home stand against the Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees.
"That's exactly what we're looking for to get things going our way," said first baseman Carlos Pena, who hit his ninth home run and had a triple and three RBIs to tie a club record for most RBIs through April with 24. "Momentum is important. When you have a good positive energy and you can roll with it, it can do wonders for you."
Niemann (2-2) pitched 5 2/3 innings in his sixth major-league start and allowed one run on three hits. Joe Crede's two-out solo homer in the sixth accounted for the only damage, although Niemann did tie a career record with four walk and hit a batter. Since an opening loss at Baltimore on April 11 in which he pitched well after the first inning, Niemann has gone 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA.

Early run lasts all night

2009-04-24T03:14:00.000-07:00

It seemed unlikely at the time, but pity poor James Shields, who was left to consider the damage done only by his second pitch on Thursday evening against Seattle.
A pretty standard fastball held up and invited the Mariners' lead-off man, Ichiro Suzuki, to dispatch it high into the right-field seats. Okay, these things happen. But at the bottom of the first there is plenty of times to turn it round.
Or maybe not.
So much for the fact that Shields never encountered even a hint of trouble after that, with only one Seattle runner making it past first base in the balance of his seven innings. On the mound for the Mariners was Felix Hernandez and he dominated the Rays' hitters for seven innings, giving up nothing.
"It's tough to lose, period," said Pat Burrell. "But when you get that kind of effort from your starter you'd like to be able to at least scrape one across."
When the Rays did get a man on base, the 23-year-old they call King Felix pounded his fastball relentlessly and prevented them from scoring.
It was the second time in his career Shields was charged with a loss after allowing only one run, although he did know he would have to be on tip-top form with Hernandez on the other side.
"My job after that is to shut 'em down and give the team a chance to come back at any point in the game," Shields said. "Unfortunately, Felix was pretty nasty tonight."
Scoring isn't getting any easier for the Rays, and a three-game trip to Oakland might not help matters any.

Solutions required for ragged Rays

2009-04-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

This is turning into slightly more than a blip. Gavin Floyd took a shutout into the seventh inning, and Carlos Quentin and Jim Thome hit back-to-back homers as the Chicago White Sox beat the Rays 12-2 on Sunday.
Fingers across the state are hovering over the panic button, but what could be done to arrest this slide that has seen the Rays slip to 5-8? Tampa Bay Online's Joe Henderson offers some answers in his column. Read the whole thing and comment on the article here

The Tampa Bay Rays would be a better offensive team this season than they were a year ago.
I was certain of that.
But then they went out and scored four runs or less in nine of their first 13 games, and all the guys that were supposed to lead this great offensive explosion got the wrong memo and were imploding instead.
So what happened?
More importantly, can it be fixed?
In order: A) They're just two weeks into a six-month season; B) Of course it can be fixed, but there are little warning signs – even this early – that should make Rays' fans at least a little uneasy. Take last Thursday, for instance, when Gabe Gross came up in the bottom of the ninth, tying run at third, winning run at second.
Last year, Gross would have put the ball in the seats, or at least in the gap, in a spot like that
This year, he grounded weakly to first.
They start a nine-game road trip tonight with a game at Seattle, and while a 5-8 overall record is hardly time for panic, it is time for concern. They're just not playing well right now, and they aren't doing the little things that won a lot of games in 2008.
Ever wonder how a team that was ninth last year among American League teams in runs scored and next-to-last in team batting average could win 97 games and go to the World Series? They walked a lot, stole a lot of bases, and moved runners along with what Manager Joe Maddon likes to call "productive outs."
It also seemed like they got a clutch hit whenever they needed one.
That magic has yet to appear this season.
Lots Of Strikeouts
The Rays of 2008 actually struck out a lot, and then they added Pat Burrell to the middle of the lineup. He strikes out a lot, too.
Look it up yourself if you want, or take my word for it. Burrell has averaged 137 strikeouts per season over the last four years. B.J. Upton struck out 134 times last year. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria fanned 166 and 122 times respectively, and neither played a full season.
Akinori Iwamura even struck out 131 times.
Those numbers probably won't vary much this season.
"That's just how we're built. But I would prefer that we learn if we have runners in scoring position I don't want us to get so big necessarily," Maddon said. "Just move the ball, get the knock, and play to the middle of the field. That's what a good RBI guy does."
I thought Burrell might struggle a bit as he adjusts to a full-time DH role, and he has. That's always a concern when you take a guy used to playing every inning and reduce his workload to basically four at-bats per night.
"It's not easy to do. He's been working at it since spring training. He did it in the off-season by calling other DH's to see what they do. He's fine. He just needs to have more at-bats. Overall, I think he has had a lot of good at-bats," Maddon said.
"If you look at Pat's career, historically there are periods where he gets cold and others where he gets hot. I believe the hot stuff is coming soon."
He could be right.
Burrell may strike out a lot, but he also has a lifetime on-base percentage of .379. Right now his OBP is .319, so if you're a glass-half-full sort, take comfort in that. The numbers say Burrell will get on base and he will be productive.
In case you're thinking that Maddon ought to give him some time in the outfield, though, just to snap him out of it, don't your breath.
"We have plenty of right fielders, so that's not part of the plan," he said.
Waiting To Get Hot
You can pick this thing to death, but basically here's how the problem looks to me.
B.J. Upton has started slowly because he missed a lot of spring training, but I think he'll be fine. I still think he can be quite a weapon at the top of the order.
"Just from my perspective, B.J. does take pitches – I'm good with that. A lot of time people want him to start becoming more aggressive and opening up the zone, but I don't want him to," Maddon said.
"He's going to get hot like he always does. He's basically in the latter stages of spring training. The pitchers are a step ahead of him but he'll catch up."
Carl Crawford has looked lost hitting at times behind Upton, but I don't think anyone is really worried about him. We don't know for sure that Burrell will successfully make the transition to DH, but he hasn't had fewer than 29 home runs or 86 RBIs in the last four seasons.
Pena and Longoria will strike out a lot, but they'll also hit 70 or more homers between them. Sometimes we forget how long a baseball season really is.
So yeah, even if they have looked futile, I still think this is a much better offensive team than last year.
All the Rays have to do now is prove that's right.

Rays lose scoring touch

2009-04-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

It all started so well for the Rays. So well, in fact, that manager Joe Maddon is refusing to push the panic button just yet despite his offense showing worrying signs of misfiring.
Thursday's 3-2 loss to the White Sox was the Ray's third on the bounce and while it would appear that his pitchers are the ones underperforming, Maddon laid the blame for this latest setback at the feet of his hitters.
"These are three games in a row pretty much cut from the same cloth, whereas we could have won all three with a little more offense," Maddon said. "We're facing good pitching, but we've got to figure out a way to put more runs on the board."
Since whacking the Yankees with 15 runs on 17 hits in their home opener, the Rays have managed just seven runs and 14 hits in three games.
Chicago starter John Danks surrendered only a sixth-inning solo homer by Carlos Pena in the series opener, counteracted by a two-run Jermaine Dye homer off Jeff Niemann.
The Rays finally put multiple men on base in the ninth, but managed just one run as Gabe Gross grounded out with two in scoring position to end it.
"We went through this last year a little bit, too," Jason Bartlett said. "We're going to start winning the close games; that's what we did last year. We just kept battling and got a big hit here and there."
Sounds something like a plan. Let's hope it comes to fruition sooner rather than later.

Fifteen ways to beat the Yankees

2009-04-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

On a night they raised the first championship banners in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays also exhibited why they feel capable of making it to post-season at the first attempt.
Carlos Pena hit a grand slam and drove in six runs Monday night, helping Scott Kazmir beat Chien-Ming Wang and the New York Yankees 15-5 in the home opener for the AL champions.
The Rays homered three times, ran up 17 hits, stole four bases, made some nice defensive plays and impressed manager Joe Maddon.
It got so bad for the Yankees that first baseman Nick Swisher pitched a scoreless eighth inning, the first New York position player to take the mound since Wade Boggs used his knuckleball in 1997.
The Rays toasted last year's achievements by hanging two large blue and white division and league championship banners above the left-field stands during a pre-game ceremony at a sold-out Tropicana Field.
Kazmir (2-0) allowed three runs and six hits in six 2-3 innings, including Swisher's solo homer in the fourth and Melky Cabrera's RBI single in the fifth. The left-hander struck out six and walked none.
Pena had a two-run double in the first off Wang (0-2), while Burrell and Jason Bartlett also homered for the Rays, who got two more RBIs from Evan Longoria.
It was quite a night, here's to many more at Tropicana this season. And perhaps this time next year we will be looking back to another night of banner unfurling.

Rays get off to flying start

2009-04-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

If last season ultimately meant disappointment for the Tampa Bay Rays, they have swiftly put that behind them in notching a win in their opening three-game series against Boston Red Sox.
Matt Garza pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, and the Rays hit three homers off Daisuke Matsuzaka to 4-3 on Thursday. Evan Longoria had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Matt Joyce and Shawn Riggans also homered for the defending AL champions.
"We just wanted to establish ourselves early in the season, set the tone and let the people know it wasn't a fluke," said Garza (1-0), who allowed one run and three walks, striking out five to improve to 6-1 in his career against Boston. "We're here to battle for a while."
No one really thought that last season was a fluke, but it is nice to see the first win on the board all the same.
Matsuzaka (0-1) gave up four runs, nine hits and three walks in 5 1-3 innings. The Japanese star was MVP of the World Baseball Classic for the second straight time, but his season debut more closely resembled his performance in Game 5 of last year's AL championship series, when he gave up three homers in four innings before the Red Sox rallied from a seven-run deficit to win 8-7 and force the series back to Tampa Bay.
Boston had not lost an opening series since 1988, but the Red Sox have now lost consecutive regular-season series at Fenway Park to the Rays; Tampa Bay had not won a series in Boston in its previous 25 visits. In all, the Rays have won 13 of their last 19 games against the Red Sox, including the seven game AL championship series in which Garza beat Boston twice to earn MVP honors.
Tampa Bay now heads to Baltimore to play the Orioles, a team the Rays have beaten 12 straight times.

Rain delay, back today

2009-04-07T05:10:00.000-07:00

After what seems like an eternal wait for the season to begin, Rays fans were forced to hang on just another day for the first pitch of the 2009 campaign.
Monday's opener, an ALCS rematch against the Red Sox was pushed back to today because of heavy rain forecast for the area around Fenway Park throughout Monday afternoon and evening.
The decision was announced just four hours before the scheduled first pitch, with most of the Rays players and coaches still at the team hotel, and no one seemed concerned that the delay would have any impact today's events.
"The weather's not going to be good, and I much prefer that we wait under those circumstances," Rays manager Joe Maddon said Monday as the drops began to fall. "As opposed to battling through inclement weather again, I'd rather do it this way."
Considering the last official contest they played, way back in game five of the World Series, took three days to complete because of poor weather, the Rays are used to this sort of delay.
Starting pitcher, James Shields, was not the only one to mention that this situation could have been avoided if the Rays had been the home team. "We definitely wouldn't mind being at the Trop right now because we wouldn't have this problem," Shields said.
Hopefully they won't have any problems today, and we can get the season off to a winning start. It's been a long time since Rays fans looked forward with such optimism, let's hope it is well founded.

Lecavalier's work is done for now

2009-04-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

Tampa Bay Lightning will be without inspirational captain Vince Lecavalier for the final five games of the season after the team announced last night he will undergo arthroscopic surgery on a wrist injury.
Lecavalier will be having the same procedure he was scheduled to undergo last summer before he injured his shoulder in the penultimate game of the season in Washington.
"I'm sure this is something that has managed throughout the year,'' said Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet to Tampa Bay Online. "Maybe mentally [it had an affect on his game] but it's hard for me to say it has because he never came to me and used it as an excuse because he's that type of player. But I'm sure it must have bothered him somewhat, mentally and physically.''
The surgery will be performed by A. Lee Osterman at the Philadelphia Hand Center later today. Osterman previously operated on Lecavalier's left wrist to repair damage to the triangular fibro cartilage during the summer of 2007 with a successful result.
"Obviously, it is disappointing that Vinny will not be able to finish the season, but we feel that it is in both his and the team's best interest to have the wrist operated on now," said Lightning general manager Brian Lawton. "Vinny has been battling this injury all season and I really can't say enough about his ability to play through the pain and discomfort."
Lecavalier's season ends one goal short of 30. But by getting the procedure done now, it ensures that he will have a full summer to train and be ready for the 2009-10 season.
He misses games at the Devils tonight, then in New York with the Islanders, before home games against the Penguins and Capitals and the season-ender at the Atlanta Thrashers.

Buccs coach looking for new direction

2009-03-31T01:55:00.000-07:00

The new head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raheem Morris, admits he is looking for a slight change of direction during the mandatory mini camp in California.
"We're looking to create angry workers and tough guys," said the rookie.
Morris was referring in particular to the recent addition of free agent linebacker Angelo Crowell, but his remarks reflected an overall theme.
"I think we've done a good job," he said. "We've made our team tougher, more physical, faster and more ready to finish down the stretch. We've brought in good guys, guys that were part of winning teams. We've lost some great leaders, and now we have to find some new leaders. Some guys on our team have to step up and assume those roles - and we think they're ready to do that."
And he was in no mood to entertain notions that somehow the Bucs will enter the 2009 season with low expectations.
"Those people obviously haven't talked to myself and [general manager] Mark Dominik," he said. "People are entitled to their own opinions. It'll all be determined in September with wins and losses."
Well, er, yeah. As it was this year...

Fifth element still unknown

2009-03-17T03:39:00.000-07:00

There are just a few remaining issues for the Tampa Bay Rays to resolve before the regular season starts. One of those is the identity of their fifth starting pitcher.
Three of the six who were in contention for the final spot in the starting rotation were cut Monday, and there is every indication that one of the three who is still around - David Price - probably isn't going to win the job.
That leaves Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann, and only one of the two right-handers is scheduled to get a start the next time through the spring training rotation. Hammel will start Wednesday against Cincinnati. Niemann threw a bullpen session Monday and is unsure when his next Grapefruit League appearance will come.
According to Tampa Bay Online, there are a couple reasons the Rays might want to open the season with Hammel in the rotation and Niemann as the long reliever.
First, Hammel served an apprenticeship of sorts last year when he filled in admirably for Scott Kazmir early on and spent the balance of the season working out of the bullpen.
Second, the general assumption is whoever earns the fifth starter's spot out of the gate will give way to Price at some point this season. While the Rays would prefer to keep both Hammel and Niemann in the organization, Niemann might have a higher ceiling - perhaps evolving into a late-inning reliever.
Both pitchers say they're in the dark about where they stand and probably will be the last to know when a decision is made.

No favors from Tampa

2009-03-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is no time of year for charity. And just because the Lightning are not going to be involved in the post-season this year, that does not mean they should be giving those near-neighbor Florida Panthers any gimmes.
The Panthers are in the middle of a playoff drive, attempting to qualify for the postseason for the first time in eight seasons, but Tampa's involvement will end in April.
But knowing time is at a premium can focus the mind, and in coming back from a two-goal third-period deficit to rally for a 4-3 shootout victory Tampa proved that theirs is solidly on the present.
Karri Ramo, who stopped 34 shots through regulation and overtime, halted all three shootout attempts while Steven Stamkos scored the lone shootout goal for Tampa Bay, which improved to 3-8 this season in shootouts.
It had looked like it would be so much different when Florida Michael Frolik trailed behind the play and took a pass from David Booth. Frolik was unchecked in the slot and beat Ramo with 4:11 left.
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead late in the second on Booth's 50th career goal, coming on the power play. After Stephen Weiss split the Tampa Bay defense, he drew Ramo outside his crease. With the net open, Cory Stillman banked a backhand shot off the post but the rebound fell to Booth, who slid the puck underneath a scrambling Ramo.
Tampa pulled one back with its third power-play goal this season against Florida 70 seconds later to cut the lead to 2-1. With Ville Peltonen in the penalty box for tripping, Marty St. Louis extended his scoring streak to five games when he slid a pass along the boards to former Florida defenseman Cory Murphy, who sent a quick wrist shot past the glove side of Tomas Vokoun. The goal was Murphy's fifth of the season.
Booth scored his second of the game 5:35 into the third period for a 3-1 lead, but St. Louis on a redirection from Lukas Krajicek with 6:18 left cut the deficit to one.
Petiot wasn't done contributing, however, as he found Jeff Halpern with 3:30 left to tie it.

Perez out for three months

2009-03-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Not all has run smoothly in spring training, and now the Rays have lost their first choice to play center field if B.J. Upton isn't ready to start the season.
Speedy Fernando Perez, reports Tampa Bay Online, injured while diving for a line drive in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto, has a dislocated left wrist and will miss about three months, the club said Thursday.
"I don't think it's going to trigger another move," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "We are fortunate that we have depth. That said, I'm starting to think there's no such thing as depth; there's only lack of depth."
The Rays have a fair number of options. Newcomer Gabe Kapler and utility man Ben Zobrist can play center. Matt Joyce, who is fighting tendinitis, and Justin Ruggiano provide additional outfield depth.
There is a chance that Upton, who had surgery in November to repair the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, will be ready.
Perez said he was using a slightly longer glove, which he liked better for fielding ground balls, and that he caught it on the ground while attempting a play he has routinely made without incident. That caused his wrist to snap.
Manager Joe Maddon was quick to point out that the team's first significant injury of 2009 could have been worse. But a clean break probably would have healed in about a month because it wouldn't have had the ligament involvement.

Lighting go on offensive

2009-03-10T01:54:00.001-07:00

So after the failure of the defensive at Carolina, now the Lighting go on the offensive. This time, however, they are trying to get over their fans.
After some encouraging signs Tampa Bay has dropped nine of its last 11 and the Lightning are only four points ahead of the Islanders in an effort to avoid another last-place finish.
So the players, coaches and executives are going on a marketing blitz aimed at stimulating season-ticket purchases for next season.
Tampa Bay Online reported that even Lightning owner Oren Koules participated as the organization made surprise deliveries to long-time club supporters, hoping they renew their faith by signing up for season-ticket packages featuring significantly lower prices.
"The idea is to thank everybody for sticking with us over the years," said Patrick Duffy, the Lightning's Senior VP of Sales. "Our players were happy to jump on board with today's plan."
Most 2009-10 season-ticket packages went out last week, but some were held back so that club personnel could deliver the renewal forms in person.
"We've got some very good hockey fans and we appreciate their support," captain Vince Lecavalier said before heading out on an errand. "We have people who have been with this team since that first season in 1992 and it's nice to see."
Such charm offensives are made more vital following 9-3 home losses to teams like the Hurricanes. It could have been worse, however. Tampa Bay trailed 9-1 after two periods
Interim head coach Rock Tocchet said: "We have 16 games left and I'm looking to find out who wants to be here next season. If you're here just to punch the clock, it's not gonna happen. This stuff has to stop. We have to get our fans to believe in what we're doing."
There is one good way to do that. But perhaps Tampa's fans have just come to expect less in the hope that more is on its way.

Vince joins 300 club

2009-03-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

Vince Lecavalier. Remember him? He's the guy who isn't going anywhere and will be with the Lightning for the foreseeable future.
Well, now he's scored his 300th career goal, and it came 15 seconds after getting hit in the mouth with Robyn Regehr's errant high stick in the third period.Lecavalier's second goal of the game at the Saddledome saw the Lightning home to an 8-6 victory over the Calgary Flames but the milestone came as some surprise to him.
"They just told me about the 300. I've been with the Lightning for a lot of years. I'm pretty proud of my teammates and all the pretty passes they sent me. It's great honor," Lecavalier said.
"It's just nice to get a win. We haven't scored that many goals this year, so to come out and get a few power-play goals is a great team effort. Everybody produced and everybody had a great game. It's nice to have a win going home on a long flight."
Down 4-2 midway through the second period, Lecavalier and his team-mates scored with three goals in less than five minutes to take a 5-4 lead after two periods.
Lecavalier's first sparked the rally, then Steven Stamkos scored on a great pass from Recchi and Vinny Prospal notched a power-play goal to take the lead.
Stamkos' goal from a perfect pass from Recchi was his 13th of the season, equalling the total Lecavalier scored in his rookie campaign a decade ago. Ryan Malone also scored for the Lightning, and Recchi finished with five assists.

Rays not started yet

2009-02-27T02:37:00.000-08:00

Mixed reports from the Grapefruit League home opener for the Rays against the Yankees Thursday.The Rays gave a run out to minor league pitcher Calvin Medlock in the seventh inning and he surrendered a three-run homer to Shelley Duncan as the Rays fell to 0-2 in spring training with a 5-1 loss.
The Tampa Tribune posted this report:
Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry and Goose Gossage were among the former Yankees greats introduced before the game and The Boss, George Steinbrenner, was in the owner's box. The line-ups on the field, however, were not quite as star-studded.
Designated hitter Jorge Posada hit a solo shot off Chad Orvella in the third and doubled in a run off Winston Abreu in the fifth. The Rays managed their lone run in the seventh, when Jon Weber singled off the glove of shortstop Eduardo Nunez to score Elliott Johnson.
Rays manager Joe Maddon started righthander Wade Davis of Lake Wales and he impressed, retiring the six batters he faced, including strikeouts of Yankees Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano.
"When I saw him last year, he didn't look nearly as aggressive as he was today," Maddon said. "The first part of this camp is to look at people like that in game opportunities, and they need to take advantage of their opportunities, and Wade did today."
Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey also was impressed and declared Davis, who came on late last year at Triple-A Durham, and pronounced him a candidate for the No. 5 spot in Tampa Bay's starting rotation.
Medlock, a non-roster invitee who made 41 appearances out of the Durham bullpen last year, surrendered three hits, including the homer, in his one inning of work.
The Rays' lineup consisted mostly of backups and players hoping to make an impression. The exceptions were left fielder Carl Crawford, who went 0-for-2, and newcomer Gabe Kapler, who debuted in center field and went 0-for-2.

Vinny going nowhere - Lawton

2009-02-24T02:10:00.000-08:00

Lightning GM Brian Lawton has again stated that captain Vince Lecavalier will not be one of those players leaving on a trade this month. And he certainly did not mince his words.
"We're not going to trade Vinny Lecavalier," Lawton said Monday. "I'm going to say, 'never,' so I don't have to deal with it."
Lawton restated his vision for Lecavalier, who has an 11-year, $85million contract extension with a no-movement clause that kicks in July 1. Lecavalier's current deal does not include a no-trade.
"I'll say never right now," Lawton again said Monday, before the team departed for a three-game road trip to western Canada. "You can usually say you should never say never, but because people have taken such liberties with that whole deal, we never shopped Vinny Lecavalier. Did people ask about him? Of course. Who wouldn't? Were we actively calling teams? No. We never did and we never will.
"Let's leave it at that, so I don't have to answer any questions."
With veterans such as Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts and Marek Malik – each of whom could add valuable depth to a playoff team – Tampa Bay will be the target of those teams with more games to play. At 20-28-12, the Lightning are out of the postseason race in the Eastern Conference.
"I think we'll be pretty active because of our situation," Lawton said. "We've got some real good veteran players capable of helping teams down the stretch. I think people are going to have interest in them. The clock is ticking and we have until a week from Wednesday to make some decisions."

Bucs put faith in Bryant

2009-02-20T02:26:00.000-08:00

So the Bucs have done what we all suspected they might and placed the franchise tag on Antonio Bryant - and both parties will be keen to sign him to a long-term deal sooner rather than later.
"It's an honor to have been named the franchise player, and it's a great sign of respect that they've shown me," Bryant said after the news broke. "It shows a commitment to me, but at the end of the day I most definitely would like to see them show me more of a commitment than just the franchise tag."
"I'm not out here worrying about it," he added. "They're in the process of getting something done, and I believe the Bucs and my agent will come up with something."
If they don't, Bryant may have to play under the one-year, $9.884 million tender he was tagged with.
The Bucs GM, Mark Dominik, said this week that the Bucs tagged Bryant simply to protect themselves from losing what they believe would have been the best free agent on the market.
"Antonio is one of those guys who can almost take over a game, and we want him for us," Dominik said. "We want him scoring touchdowns in Tampa and so our thought was, let's make sure we have him here."
Having dealt with Bryant for now, the Bucs will turn their attention to coming up with packages to hold on to fellow receiver Michael Clayton, cornerback Phillip Buchanon and left tackle Donald Penn.
"We're trying to figure out if we have any common ground to bring them back," Dominik said. "That's really our goal first. How many will actually hit the market, it's still too early to tell."

A-Rod set to come straight

2009-02-17T03:59:00.001-08:00

All eyes will be on a small tent behind the third-base stands at Steinbrenner Field today as Alex Rodriguez addresses the media.
A-Rod will be talking to the media following his admission that he used banned drugs, although the Yankees still didn't know how many specifics of his drug use. They are about to find out.
"I don't think it's necessary in my eyes that he answer every detail," Manager Joe Girardi said Monday.
But don't expect Rodriquez to be all alone in front of the cameras, as Tampa Bay Online reports, he will just be the center of a much larger three-ring circus of advisors.
The image-conscious Rodriguez appears to be formulating his strategy surrounded by an entourage large enough to fill a television series. Even before Sports Illustrated reported on its website February 7 that Rodriguez tested positive for a pair of steroids during baseball's anonymous survey in 2003, Team A-Rod included agent Scott Boras and his staff, manager Guy Oseary and the William Morris Agency.
He has retained James E. Sharp, a lawyer who represented Pettitte and Sammy Sosa before Congress and then-President George W. Bush in front of a federal prosecutor. Rodriguez also brought in Outside Eyes, a media strategy and crisis management company based in Newport Beach, California, that includes communications specialists from Republican campaigns.
What we are hoping for is straight answers, but with that lot behind, beside and in front of A-Rod, there seems little hope of that.

Leafs fall to spirit of St Louis

2009-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

Martin St Louis had a night to remember for the Lightning Thursday. Nearly everything the 5-foot-9 All-Star forward got a stick on resulted in a goal as Tampa ran out 6-4 winners over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier added third-period goals, but St Louis had already done the damage in the first period, firing his side to a 4-1 lead.
The Lightning scored four times in a 4:13 span, the second-fastest that has been done in franchise history. St Louis assisted on the first three and scored the fourth on a power play with a backhander over Vesa Toskala's shoulder.
Ryan Malone scored twice in a 54-second span in the first, and Mark Recchi also scored. "Marty definitely had a different gear than everybody out there," Malone said. "He was buzzing."
Stamkos, the No1 overall pick in the draft last summer, scored on a power play to give Tampa Bay a 5-3 lead at 6:01 of the third, and Lecavalier added his team-high 25th goal with 6:32 left.
Lee Stempniak scored twice for Toronto, and Niklas Hagman and Nikolai Kulemin added goals.
But the night belonged to one man only - and after a shaky run from the Lightning, here's hoping St Louis can keep it going.

Garcia expecting a cut

2009-02-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

It looks as if Jeff Garcia is probably out as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback for next season. Garcia would be the most high-profile Bucs player to be cut following the disappointing finish to the 2008-09 regular season.
The team re-signed Luke McCown, a backup since arriving via trade in 2005, to a two-year deal on Monday.
"It looks like they have decided to go in another direction with the signing of Luke," Garcia said to the Tampa Tribune. "I'm happy for him and his family. He has worked hard and is a talented player."
Garcia, who led the Bucs to the playoffs two years ago and was their starter in six of their nine victories last season, is expected to become a free agent at the end of the month.
The Bucs are expected to add at least one more quarterback to their roster before training camp begins, but for now they have veteran Brian Griese, second-year pro Josh Johnson and McCown.
"Luke is a talented and athletic quarterback who we have gotten to know well over the last four years," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "I know he is looking forward to the opportunity to be an integral part of our quarterback group this season."

Best ads from SB42

2009-02-06T02:33:00.000-08:00

Well, what a game that was. But for many the best bits were found on TV between the action as Pittsburgh and Arizona battled it out for Super Bowl XLII.
Check out the best bits from the Super Bowl ads this year, some of them were real classics, others not so. Either way, they all added to the fun of another great day on the sofa in front of the TV.

Just the ticket for watching Rays

2009-02-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Ever been to watch the Tampa Bay Rays? Well, next season might be the time to start thinking about it as the AL champions have just launched the first of two 2009 marketing campaigns with an innovative focus on selling season tickets, designed to capitalize on local interest built last season during the team's first-ever run to the World Series.
According to Tampa Bay Online, Rays management has set a priority on enhancing business and individual season ticket sales with the initial marketing campaign focusing purely on season ticket sales, said Mark Fernandez, senior vice president/chief sales officer. That differs from previous years when the team pushed one marketing campaign and a slogan intended to capture the fans' expectations. Last year, that evolved into a 'Feel The Heat' slogan when the Rays moved closer to playoff contention.
A second campaign will begin this year around opening day in April to carry the Rays through the season.
"We intend to allocate 40 percent of our marketing budget on the season ticket sales drive this year," said Tom Hoof, vice president, marketing/community relations.
The print ads that began Monday and the TV ads on Tuesday are intended to drive home multiple messages to prospective season ticket buyers, who can save 35 per cent on various packages compared with the cost of individual game tickets. The lowest price is $213 for a 20-game package.
Package ticket purchasers also get other benefits: weekend packages, choosing seat locations, priority in purchasing tickets for post-season games, personal service for questions and a wrist band to get on the field for concerts following Saturday games.
Rays Manager Joe Maddon provides the voice for the TV ads, which combine new clips for TV and new still photos for print ads, most of which were filmed at Progress Energy Park showing players like Scott Kazmir and Carlos Pena working out for the 2009 season, along with action clips from 2008.

Oh what a night

2009-02-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

It was the occasion we all hoped it would be. Super Bowl XLIII proved to be just as good as last year's end-of-season extravaganza and really put Tampa back on the map. It's a shame the Bucs couldn't be there, but in their absence the Steelers and Cards did a pretty good job of putting on a show.
But Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said it is too early to talk about an encore for his side next season.
The Press Association reports: "You won't hear me say words like repeat or defending because it will be brand new," Tomlin said in the wake of his team’s thrilling 27-23 win in Tampa.
"This group will always be special to me, but sometime soon, that group will assume its place with others in history. It will be just that – history."
The 36-year-old Tomlin became the youngest coach to lead a team to a world championship, guiding one of the league’s flagship franchises to a record sixth Super Bowl title in his second year at the helm.
It was the second Super Bowl crown in four years for the Steelers, who won four championships in a six-year span in the 1970s.
With the salary cap and player movement of the current NFL, Tomlin said it is impossible to compare the Pittsburgh franchise of today to the 'Steel Curtain' teams that ruled the NFL landscape 30 years ago.
"I think repeating and defending Super Bowl champions in today’s NFL is somewhat of a misnomer," Tomlin said. "When I walk down the hallway and look at the championships of the Steelers from the '70s, it's the same pictures and same positions in those photos in terms of the 'Steel Curtain' and so forth. That’s not the reality of today’s NFL, to be quite honest with you."

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The other side of the NFL

2009-01-28T02:52:00.000-08:00

With the big game coming this weekend and the world's media descended on Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII, spare a thought for the guys who are pivotal figures all week, and then fade into the background come game day.
NASN.com has a really interesting piece with some of the Steelers' practise squad, including the rookie lineman Doug Legursky.
Here's a snatch from it:
Doug Legursky is sitting in the stands during media day at Raymond James Stadium, wearing a Super Bowl cap and gazing down on the Steelers everyone knows so well: Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, James Harrison.
The rookie lineman is used to the view.
''This is exactly how it is on Sundays,'' Legursky said, musing about his plight. ''Hopefully I'll get there one day.''
For now, he's a weekday warrior.
Legursky and his ilk are members of the practice squad, those on-the-fringe, oft-rejected guys who spend the week helping their teammates get ready to play, then morph into spectators once the game actually kicks off. They can do all the work in practice - actually, they probably do more than the regulars - but they don't share in the glory.
On Tuesday, they mostly just lounged in the seats, yukking it up with each other while hordes of reporters, television crews and D-list celebrities descended on the Pittsburgh and Arizona players who'll actually be suiting up for the title game.
Legursky is a center hoping to make it with the Steelers; defensive lineman Keilen Dykes is another rookie who's been on the Cardinals' practice squad all season.
''It's a very humbling experience,'' Dykes said. ''But some players have to go through it. Some players have to go through the back door. We can't all go through the front door.''

To read the whole piece click here but you can also read many other interesting articles from the NASN reporters ahead of Super Bowl XLIII. When the world's eyes will be on Tampa, Florida

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Fight game up for discussion

2009-01-26T02:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend's NHL All-Star weekend threw up some interesting issues, not least the current hot potato of fighting among players.
Following a meeting Saturday with the board, the NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, showed no sign that the league's board of governors were ready to change hockey by eliminating fighting.
The recent death of a Canadian amateur and the hospitalization of an AHL player, who had a seizure after a bout Friday night, have raised concerns that fighting has become too dangerous to still be considered a useful part of the game.
"It's a fascinating question," Bettman said during a news conference. "I think it's become integral in terms of how the game is played. I think it acts as a bit of a thermostat, if you will, as to what takes place on the ice. And I believe that most of our fans enjoy that aspect of the game.
"I don't think it's the be-all and end all of our game. I always believed it is an incidental part of the game. But it is a part of the game."
Don Sanderson, was a 21-year-old Whitby Dunlops defenseman who hit his head on the ice after losing his helmet while fighting in December during an Ontario Hockey Association game, and died on January 2.
"We're not going to have any immediate knee-jerk reactions," Bettman said. "We're going to have to study things before we make changes, if we decide to make changes. I don't think that there's any appetite to abolish fighting from the game, and there are lots of reasons for that, including the fact that it's been a part of the game.
"I do think what we're going to have to take a good, hard look at is what I described to the board is, for lack of a better term, the rules of engagement, how a fight gets initiated, what happens with chin straps and helmets, what happens with takedowns."
In the big game itself, Alex Kovalev gave Montreal and Canadiens fans something new to cheer about after scoring two breakaway goals and then one in the shootout to help give the Eastern Conference All-Stars a wild 12-11 victory over the West on Sunday night.

Lightning turning season around

2009-01-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas it was impossible. That it is now merely improbable is something of a minor miracle - and a lot of the credit for turning round the Lightning's season must go to interim head coach, Rick Tocchet.
At the start of December, Lightning has lost three on the bounce and were looking like a team devoid of passion, skill and hope. But since Tocchet has taken his chance after a long wait, things seem to be going right for Tampa Bay. So much so that one or two of us are starting to cast an eye to the, wait for it, play-offs.
Tocchet has asked his players to "empty their tanks" with the all-star break coming up, and after a thrilling 5-3 defeat of Buffalo Sabres earned a fifth win in seven, reiterated his belief the Lightning can make the playoffs.
"I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel," he said. "We've dug ourselves our hole that we're just trying to get out of. But if we start looking at weeks ahead at a time, we'll be in trouble."
It was the first time Tampa Bay had beaten Buffalo at home since March 18, 2004, a span of eight games, and came from a most unlikely source.
On a night when Vince Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis failed to find the net the scoring came from defensemen Steve Eminger, Lukas Krajicek and Cory Murphy, along with center Jeff Halpern and right wing Steve Downie.
But who cares who scores? Now we have a short break to consider the unlikely event of the Lightning making post-season. In December you would have only got odds on one Tampa team doing that - and look what happened to them...

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Goodell times ahead

2009-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

The gloomy economy may have most of us looking over our shoulder for the next crisis but some things are recession-proof it seems. Certainly, according to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the Super Bowl is one of those.
Goodell, who has been in the Tampa area recently in the run-up to the February 1 jamboree at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Buccs, said the game will at least allow the country a three-hour break from the worry of the economy.
"We're really excited, and I'm confident we'll have a great event," Goodell said. "The Super Bowl is the one time everyone wants to get away from their daily troubles and we all come together. It's a unifying event."
"For a few hours on Super Bowl Sunday, we all forget about our problems. There will be thousands of people coming into the Bay area, spending money. Will they spend as much as they would have a year ago? Maybe not, but this event will still have a significant economic impact on the community."
Goodell also made mention of Saturday's hiring of Raheem Morris as coach of the Buccaneers in applauding the league's recent trend toward younger coaches.
"It's one of the things we stress," he said. "When you have a vacancy, whether it be head coach or general manager, go through a process, because there's a lot of qualified people out there you may not initially be aware of."
The big match is certainly intriguing if nothing else, with the huge defense of Pittsburgh Steelers coming up against the random offensive flair of Arizona Cardinals. It promises to be a thriller, and one which we hope will live up to expectation.

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Bowled over for Tampa

2009-01-19T01:53:00.000-08:00

Hello there sports fans!
Well, it looks like we've got the Super Bowl we wanted, a slightly bizarre mix of the expected and completely unexpected. On the one hand, the Steelers: all that tradition, the chance to become the third franchise in history to win six SBs, a team built on rock-solid defense; and then we have the Cards: not a sensible bone in their bodies, never been to a Super Bowl before and never looked likely. They last won a championship in 1947.
Then Sunday night, the Cardinals beat Philadelphia 32-25 at Univesity of Phoenix Stadium and the dream was on. It was no less than the players deserved, but they were quick to thank those who had kept faith in them for so long.
"I like the way that sounds: Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl," said Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, thanking God first, and the fans second. "When nobody else believed in us, when nobody else believed in me, you guys did and we're going to the Super Bowl."
Sense will still prevail and say that Arizona are favorites, having beaten Baltimore Ravens 24-13 in the AFC title game.
You could feel some sympathy for the Ravens' rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco, who threw three interceptions and he was increasingly forced into difficult situations as the Ravens were left chasing the game. But the impressive efficiency of the Steelers D won through, and few would bet against that happening on Feb. 1.
But if last year's Super Bowl taught us nothing else, it's expect the unexpected.
So we will.

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Lightning pair make good headlines

2009-01-13T02:07:00.001-08:00

Lightning players Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier have been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late. Thankfully they both added some positives to another road victory, this time 3-1 over Los Angeles Kings.
Lecavalier, the constant subject of trade rumours scored a goal and Stamkos, three days after coach Rick Tocchet said he will periodically rest the rookie center to allow him to build strength, had an assist as the Lightning improved to 3-1 on this trip.
"We had a good, solid effort, and that's two (wins) in a row for us," Stamkos said. "The main thing is we're looking for wins and getting back in the playoff hunt, and Los Angeles was a team that we needed to get two points against. We're on the right track."
Lecavalier has been a constant source of rumors for the national media members, and even though he has stated he is not leaving, they are strong enough to have attracted two Montreal-based reporters to LA.
But, to their credit, the players have carried on as normal. Stamkos assisted on the Lightning's first goal, scored by Evgeny Artyukhin, for his first point in his last six games, and Lecavalier scored in the second period to make it 3-0, after Mark Recchi had beaten Kings goalie Erik Ersberg with a backhand shot.
The Kings, who tied the Lightning for fewest points in the NHL last season, provided only sporadic resistance. Mike Smith, back in goal after being rested in Friday's victory over Anaheim, stopped 29 of 30 shots.

Rocco close to Sox signing?

2009-01-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Tampa Bay Rays look to have lost out in the race for Rocco Baldelli, their first round pick in the 2000 draft, according to Tampa Bay Online.
The website cites an ESPN report that Baldelli was close to signing with the Boston Red Sox, on the eve of the Boston Baseball Writers Dinner where he was to be presented with the Tony Conigliaro Award.
The article explains: 'That honor goes to a player who has overcome adversity, and Baldelli's battle through an energy-sapping disorder to return to the Rays on a limited basis late in 2008 certainly qualifies. Questions over how often Baldelli will be able to play persist even after he recently received what he described a clarified, more positive diagnosis that suggests his ailment should be more treatable than previously thought.
The Rays maintained an interest in bringing back the 27-year-old, their first-round pick in the 2000 draft, but their signing of Pat Burrell this week essentially left them too short on funds to compete with Baldelli's other suitors. The Pirates, Reds and Yankees also were believed to have varying degrees of interest in the Rhode Island native.
The Red Sox, however, seemed most intrigued by Baldelli all along, to the point that the outfielder had an in-person meeting with general manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona to discuss his situation.'
Let's hope the Rays don't live to regret letting Baldelli slip through their fingers...

Lightning strikes twice in Atlanta

2009-01-05T03:09:00.000-08:00

What a way to start 2009! Two things changed Sunday night for the Lightning: first they won for the first time in Atlanta for almost two years; second they moved off the bottom of the division with a 4-1 victory over the Thrashers.
Martin St. Louis scored twice, and Mike Smith made 27 saves to help the Lightning move out of the Southeast Division basement with 32 points (11-18-10), which is one more than Atlanta (13-22-5).
Steve Eminger and Ryan Malone also scored for Tampa Bay, which had lost six straight games in Atlanta. The Lightning were two-for-four on the power play, with Eminger scoring in the first period and St. Louis early in the third.
The last time Tampa Bay won in Atlanta was a 5-4 overtime decision in February 2007 but since then it lost the final game of that season in Atlanta, all four games last season and 4-3 on its first visit this season.
Smith's bid for a shutout ended with 21.2 seconds left when Erik Christensen scored off a rebound during a scramble in front of the net.
"It didn't matter," said Smith, who has two shutouts this season. "The win is what's important. (A shutout) is just a bonus."Well done guys, let's hope it's a habit you can get into.

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Shot down in a shootout again

2008-12-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

Tampa Bay Lightning have given us plenty of reasons to be cheerful over the past few weeks so it's hard to feel too down about its most recent shootout loss.
This time they went down 2-1 to Montreal to snap a three-game winning streak but at least the final eight possible points of 2008 have yielded seven - not bad given what went before it.
Lightning interim coach, Rick Tocchet, admitted it was hard to be too down on his players, but said it would be nice to win a shootout for a change.
"We grabbed a point, and it was really a great hockey game," said Tocchet. "Shootouts are really tough, because they are confidence-builders if you win them, you can really take off when you win those things. We've been on a little bit of a streak, but we needed the two points, bad, really bad."
Goaltender Mike Smith was solid in net for Tampa Bay all night, stopping 29 shots, but the overall result made it 2-7 to Lightning in shootouts this season (3-10 in overtime).
"I think we still played like we have been, and we did a lot of good things tonight," said Smith, who has allowed 15 shootout goals on 40 attempts this season. "We have to come out of this game with a positive, and that's a top team in this league and we are battling to find our mojo. I think we played a pretty decent hockey game, so we can't get too down."

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It's all gone horribly wrong

2008-12-29T03:52:00.000-08:00

How the Bucs wish they could have a December do-over. Four straight losses culminating in Sunday's 31-24 defeat to Oakland Raiders has seen their season disappear in smoke. And a sickening injury to returning receiver 'Caddy' Williams did nothing to lift the mood.
''There's disbelief. There's shock. There's emotions, I'm sure, that I can't really describe,'' said the veteran running back Warrick Dunn of the biggest collapse in franchise history. ''To be 9-3, and you lose four in a row when all you have to do is win one and you're in, it's tough to swallow. The guys in this locker room have prepared hard, played hard. Things haven't gone our way.''
Tampa Bay (9-7) was tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December but was outscored 62-19 in the fourth quarter and overtime of losses to Carolina, Atlanta, San Diego and Oakland down the stretch. If there is one area that coach Jon Gruden might want to concentrate on now, it's there for all to see.
''It's very disappointing. ... I'm sick for our players, and our fans, more than anything,'' Gruden said.
The Bucs gave up 564 yards rushing and allowed Carolina, Atlanta and San Diego to convert 21 of 37 third downs the previous three weeks. Oakland finished with 192 yards rushing and converted 6 of 13 third downs.
Quarterback Jeff Garcia threw for 257 yards, including a 58-yarder to Michael Clayton for a third-quarter touchdown that erased Oakland's 14-7 half-time lead. Williams finished with a season-best 78 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Williams sustained a severe injury to his left knee after being tackled along the sideline by CB Chris Johnson at the end of a 28-yard run, and immediately grabbed his knee. Gruden said it was "serious" but did not get specific. But his team-mates indicated Williams tore his patella tendon, the same he tore in his right knee against Carolina last season.

Still, it could be worse (just). We could be Lions fans...

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Lightning send us perfect gift

2008-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Finally a Christmas present no Lighting fans expected - a win!
Tampa finally wrapped up a result with a 2-0 victory against Pittsburgh. Mike Smith stopped 15 shots in snapping an 11-game winless streak, while rookie Paul Szczechura enjoyed his first career two-point night to help Lightning pick up just its third victory in 17 games under interim coach Rick Tocchet.
Smith made 15 saves to earn his second shutout of the season, Szczechura had a goal and an assist, Matt Pettinger had a goal and Mark Recchi recorded two assists to give him 1,401 points for his career as the Lightning won for the second time in their past 14 games.
The Penguins, who hadn't been shut out at home since January 18 when the Lightning beat them 3-0, were held to seven shots in the final two periods as Tampa Bay set a season-low with 15 shots allowed.
''It's like a sigh of relief,'' said Smith. ''You almost forget how to win.''

Well done guys, that his given us a merry Christmas!

Bucs going backwards

2008-12-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

The wheels are coming off Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the once unstoppable juggernaut has shifted into reverse. The Bucs lost their third straight Sunday, this time a 41-24 reverse to the San Diego Chargers at Raymond James Stadium, and a team once shoo-ins for a playoff spot are beginning to look anything but.
At least the situation seems to have dawned on the players, who are beginning to realize that taking a playoff spot for granted is not going to get them one.
"I have to harness my inner Jim Mora here,'' cornerback Ronde Barber said. "I mean, to heck with the playoffs. Right now we just have to find a way to win a game, period.''
The report from Tampa Bay Online just about sums it up.
They didn't get it done in the running game, the Bucs rushing for 111 yards overall but getting only 50 on 19 carries by running backs Warrick Dunn, Cadillac Williams, Clifton Smith and B.J. Askew.
They didn't get it done in the passing game, Garcia completing 21 of 35 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown but throwing two interceptions while at least four passes were dropped by receiving targets.
And they didn't get it done on defense, the Bucs limiting the Chargers to just 90 yards rushing but allowing them to convert 54 percent of their third downs while also allowing several big plays.
One of the biggest was a 25-yard Rivers pass to Vincent Jackson just before halftime. That set up a 57-yard Nate Kaeding field goal that did more than just extend a Chargers half-time lead to 20-10.
It's hard to imagine, but the Bucs were 9-3 three weeks ago. If they are to be more than a one-show wonder in the post-season - provided they can get past Oakland Raiders next weekend - they may have to look to the past before going forward.

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Buccs waiting on Garcia

2008-12-18T08:55:00.001-08:00

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are crossing fingers, clutching lucky clovers and rubbing rabbits' feet this week, in the hope that QB Jerry Garcia recovers from injury in time for Sunday's critical game against the Chargers. Bucs coach Jon Gruden couldn't say for sure on Wednesday whether Garcia's sore calf will allow him to stick to his preferred game plan and so he is preparing for every eventuality.
"We have good reason to do that," Gruden said. "We have an obvious injury at the quarterback position, and it's a little more serious than we all thought."
Garcia, who claimed it felt season-ending against Atlanta on Sunday, has now changed to a more optimistic tune. "I feel fine," Garcia said. "I feel like I can do more now. I know I'm heading in the right direction."
If that changes between now and the weekend, Gruden will most likely call upon Brian Griese, who took four critical sacks, but completed 26 of 37 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown, while playing for the first time in eight weeks against the Falcons.
"You don't complete 27 passes for nearly 300 yards if you're not a pretty good player," Gruden said. "Brian Griese is not the reason we lost that game. We have a number of things we have to do better."
At least some of the other problem areas are sorting themselves out for the Buccs, with defensive tackles Chris Hovan and Jovan Haye returning to work, they are also hopeful that linebacker Derrick Brooks will play.

Bucs down but not out

2008-12-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

Two successive defeats have certainly put a dent in Tampa Bay Buccaneers confidence but the facts remain pretty clear: if the Bucs win their final two games, they'll not only reach the playoffs, but also could win the NFC South.
"That really is the silver lining in all this," linebacker Barrett Ruud said to the Tampa Tribune. "I mean, you hate to go into the last two games needing five teams to lose and this or that team to win. This way, it's still on us."
While both games are against teams with losing records - San Diego (6-8) and Oakland (3-11) - and both are at home - where Tampa Bay is unbeaten - the Bucs have a long list of issues to address.
Of most concern to coach Jon Gruden will be the mountain of injuries that grew even larger Monday when it was announced linebacker Derrick Brooks could miss Sunday's game against the Chargers with a rib injury. Brooks has not missed a start in his 14 NFL seasons.
Add Brooks to a list including safety Jermaine Phillips (broken arm), defensive linemen Chris Hovan (knee), Jovan Haye (knee), Gaines Adams (ankle) and the Bucs could have a hard time winning even one game. The Chargers, who remain in the AFC playoff hunt, still have one of the game's premier running backs in LaDainian Tomlinson, and the Bucs have allowed 474 rushing yards the past two games.
But at least the Bucs have destiny in their own hands, let's hope they can run with it.

Gators turn the Tide

2008-12-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

In the end, it came down to who wanted it most. And once the dust had settled on the Gators' historic 31-20 win for the SEC Championship and an expected shot at the BCS National Championship game, that was clearly the visiting team.

Everyone played their part in an historic win for the Gators, one which coach Urban Meyer said would 'will go down as one of the great wins in Florida football history'.

Tim Tebow led the Gators - and from their first possession it was clear they were unfazed by the enormity of the situation. The Gators went 59 yards in nine plays for a touchdown from the kick-off, when Tebow threw three yards to Carl Moore for the touchdown on third and goal.
It was the ninth time this season Florida had scored on its first look at the ball.

Alabama responded with a touchdown from Glen Coffee and a 30-yard field goal to lead 10-7 but a three-yard pass to David Nelson gave the Gators a 17-10 half-time lead. But Tide rolled back after Mark Ingram scored on a two-yard run and Leigh Tiffin booted his second field goal, a 27-yarder that pushed Alabama ahead going to the final period.

But with just over nine minutes remaining the Tebow found Jeff Demps for a two-yard run and the inspirational QB finished the scoring with a pass that couldn't have been thrown any better, hitting Riley Cooper for a five-yard TD with under three minutes left.

Not surprisingly, Tebow was named man of the match, and earned a glowing endorsement from his coach. ''I think he's the best college football player in America,'' said Meyer.

You won't find too many folks down here who disagree.

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Greased Gators up against Alabama slammers

2008-12-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Football fans in Anna Maria and southern Florida are getting ready for the match of the season tomorrow as the Gators take on Alabama for the SEC Championship.
The game looks to be shaping up as a meeting of speed vs power - and something has to give as Florida's offensive speedsters Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps meet the 12-0 power players of Alabama.
''They have a lot of speed,'' Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. ''They have probably three or four players that are unique space players in terms of speed and quickness. They have some good runners. They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of speed on defense. I think we have pretty good team speed.''
The game is taking place on the turf of the Georgia Dome so both sides will benefit from an improvement in foot speed.
''It's not just guys running fast, it's guys blocking and the team you're playing,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said. ''I am very eager to have those guys get up there. And that's going to be a fast track, but the team we're playing is going to be fast as well.''
Gary Danielson, who is covering the game for CBS, reckons this is a match made in TV heaven. ''This is the most intriguing match-up I've ever done and basically it's because of the styles,'' said Danielson. ''This is Frazier versus Ali. This is ugly versus pretty. This is new versus old. This is spread out versus tight.''
The Gators might be fast, but that doesn't mean they won't be a challenge for an Alabama defensive line that features nearly 400-pound nose tackle and run stuffer Terrence Cody. ''They have a direct run power game that is probably as good as anybody we played against all year,'' Saban said. ''To control the line of scrimmage is going to be a really critical factor in this game.''
Florida's biggest man in the running game just happens to be quarterback Tim Tebow, who has run for 12 touchdowns. Tebow says the Gators are hardly just a finesse team.
''I think they're a powerful team, but I think we've got a little power, too,'' he said. ''I'm looking forward to the match-up. People are always going to think of us as a spread team with speed. We're not too bad in the short-yardage stuff, either.''
It's going to be one heck of a match - which will be narrowly won by the Gators if you ask me.

Fun and games in Philly

2008-12-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

It was entertaining for those who were there, but the Lightning would take the worst kind of win, any win, at the moment. Tuesday night's 4-3 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers meant Tampa Bay fell to its third consecutive defeat, leaving it winless in its last five and 1-6-4 after 11 matches. The Lightning also fell to 2-8 this season on games decided in overtime or a shootout.
Not good numbers, but at least the Lightning are providing opposition fans with some entertainment.
It all happened late on as the Lightning rallied from two down in the third, first on a popped-up puck that bounced off Vinny Prospal's shoulder, then through former Flyer Steve Downie. The night could so easily have had a happy ending when Ryan Malone had a breakaway opportunity with 16.3 seconds left, but he failed to convert. But when Scott Hartnell threw his glove Malone had a penalty shot and a chance to win it but Biron saved.
Malone's bad luck continued when he bumped into Biron in overtime and Mike Richards scored on the power play.
Life is never dull with the Lightning around...

History on Bucs' side

2008-11-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

At least the Bucs have their fate in their own hands. Unbeaten at home and with an 8-3 record, on Sunday they begin a three-game trip in NFC South, starting against New Orleans and the league's No1 offense.
Tampa Bay then go on to meet the Panthers and Falcons and if they win all three it would virtually guaranteed a sixth division crown in 11 years for coach Jon Gruden.
The stats certainly support the Bucs in their pursuit of the divisional title. Since the league switched to eight four-team divisions in 2002, 36 clubs have opened 8-3 or better after 11 games. All 36 advanced to the postseason, 30 of those won division titles, and nine went on to the Super Bowl.
"It's going to be a really difficult game Sunday. We won't look any further than that," Gruden said. "We've got a long way to go yet, but I'm really proud of our team for hanging in there."

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A little bit of England in Manatee

2008-11-26T03:47:00.000-08:00

Strap on your pads ladies and gentlemen, the 25th annual Sarasota International Cricket festival is about to get under way.
Cricket, that most English of sports, might not be hugely popular over here just yet, but each year the Sarasota International Cricket Club assembles teams from around the world for a four-day tourney. This year there are 15 outfits coming from the United States, United Kingdom, Cayman Islands, Mexico City and Toronto. Play will run from 9:30am to 5pm from Thursday and continue on Friday and Saturday, with a new game starting every hour. Sunday is ‘finals day’ with play scheduled to start at 10am.
“It’s a family afternoon,” Laurence Parry, president of the cricket club, told the Bradenton Herald. “We’re expecting 200 or 300 Saturday, we’re hoping for 600 to 700 on Sunday.”
Admission is free, and the day will include family-friendly activities and refreshments.
Among the invited guests will be four professional players from Glamorgan, South Wales, who will no doubt appreciate the warm break from a cold winter and a chance to play some out-of-season cricket.
Cricket is said to have begun here after a drinking session at Siesta Key’s Salty Dog resulted in a duel between baseball aficionados and cricket lovers on the beach. The upshot was the formation of the Sarasota cricket club.
If you want to go along, the cricket field is located one-half mile east of Lorraine Road on University Parkway.
And if you want to know more about cricket, there are a number of websites you can look at. However, it’s probably best to think of it as baseball with a different shaped bat and just take a look at the famous description of the sport.

Cricket: You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that goes in goes out and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. When both sides have been in and out including not outs, that's the end of the game.

Got that?

Tocchet has time - for now

2008-11-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Tampa Bay Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet has been given the blessing of general manager Brian Lawton, according to an interview in The Bradenton Herald. Following Tampa Bay's 7-3 loss to New Jersey on Sunday night Lawton commented that Tocchet has done "a good job" through his four games in charge and will get the time he needs to change things round.
"When you make a coaching change, obviously, the ownership is going to come to me and say, 'OK, what do you expect to happen?'" Lawton said. "And the history is very strong that, typically, not much for the first 15, 20 games.
"So far, I think we've played harder. I think we've been more organized and more structured. But I still think history is probably accurate - we have a lot of things to work on still."
That Lawton said this after Sunday night's demoralising display might go some way to convincing all but the most hardened cynic. The complete no-show will not be tolerated again, however. "I think we've got a professional enough group to realize that that's not the kind of effort we want to have," Lawton said.
Melrose, hired by Tampa Bay's new ownership before Lawton's arrival, was fired after 16 games and Lawton has a quite straightforward mission statment for his new man to follow. "I think for me it's very simple," Lawton said. "I don't like our forwards skating backwards through the neutral zone. I like to see our 'D' continue to be activated more - just to be more aggressive. I like to see more puck pressure in both directions. Those are things Rick tracks with."
He will be hoping to see more of this in tomorrow night's home game against New York Rangers.
Meanwhile, according to the club's official website, former Lightning associate coach Mike Sullivan has returned to the team and will serve as associate coach to Tocchet. In addition, assistant coach Cap Raeder will become goaltending coach and oversee the development of the organization’s netminders in Tampa Bay, Norfolk of the American Hockey League and Augusta of the ECHL, as well as unsigned prospects in the system. Wes Walz remains as an assistant coach on Tocchet’s staff.

Buccs bounce back

2008-11-24T02:02:00.000-08:00

Hello sports fans!
Tampa Bay did it the hard way again, but rallied for a comeback win against winless Detroit. The Buccaneers fell behind the winless Detroit Lions by 17 points, then scored five unanswered touchdowns on their way to a 38-20 victory Sunday. Tampa Bay came back from a 24-3 deficit two weeks ago against Kansas City Chiefs and won in overtime.
''We don't seem to make it easy on ourself and it's not always pretty,'' Jeff Garcia said. ''But we find ways to do it.''
Tampa Bay's third straight win has moved it out to 8-3, while Detroit (0-11) moved a step closer toward becoming the NFL's first 0-16 team.
After falling behind in the first quarter, Warrick Dunn ran for a touchdown and Garcia connected with Ike Hilliard and Jerramy Stevens for scores in the second quarter to put the Bucs ahead 21-17. Rookie Clifton Smith then returned a punt for 70 yards early in the third to give them an 11-point cushion.
Garcia's second fumble of the game gave up the ball to Detroit but Ronde Barber duly stepped in front of Daunte Culpepper's next pass and returned it 65 yards for a 35-17 lead and his seventh career score off an interception. The teams then traded field goals to finish the scoring.
Sunday's game also marked the return of Carnell 'Cadillac' Williams, who rushed for 27 yards on 16 carries in his first game since a knee injury almost ended his career 14 months ago.

Not such good news for Tampa Bay hockey fans. If Lightning had been taking some tentative steps forward under interim head coach Rick Tocchet, they fell over spectacularly Sunday against New Jersey Devils.
After earning points in each of the first three games since Tocchet took over for Barry Melrose, Tampa Bay revisited some old bad habits in a 7-3 loss to the Devils. "This is nowhere near the effort that we need, the desperation," right wing Marty St Louis said. "We have a long way to go, but it's just really disappointing when you take some great strides forward and then you take a dump like that ... it's hard."

Same old same old

2008-11-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

The Barry Melrose era is fast becoming just a bad memory for Lightning fans, but interim coach Rick Tocchet isn't having a much better time of it and remains winless following yet another disappointing performance Tuesday night on their home ice.
Bryan McCabe scored twice in regulation and Nathan Horton had the lone goal in a shootout for Florida Panthers, who beat Tampa Bay 4-3. Tomas Vokoun made 49 saves, and David Booth added a goal for Florida, which has won three of four following a six-game losing streak.
Tampa Bay, which trailed by three goals in the second period, did stage another fightback in tying at 3-3 when Steve Eminger snapped a 63-game, goal-scoring drought with 2:51 left in the third. Radim Vrbata and Evgeny Artyukhin also scored for Lightning, which has lost five in a row - including two straight in shootouts - under Tocchet.
But the players are remaining optimistic that things are going to turn around soon. ''That's a game right there that we're going to build on,'' said Lightning goalie Mike Smith, who stopped 33 shots. ''Just shows how we can play when we play with passion.''
Try as they might, forgetting life under Melrose is proving harder for some Lightning players than others.
A report on the Canadia hockey show 'Hockey Night in Canda' pointed the finger at Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier as the ringleader of a player revolt against his former coach. Hot Stove panelist Al Strachan claimed Lecavalier led the charge to have Melrose fired, saying: "I heard that Vinny Lecavalier went into ownership and said, 'I didn't like it under John Tortorella last year, and this is worse this year and you've got to get rid of him.'"
In response, Lecavalier, who verified Strachan did try to call him before reporting the rumor, said: "I didn't do it, I don't think anybody else did it. They went to another show after the Hot Stove segment and said they talked to me and that it wasn't true, and after that I didn't really think about it."
There will be those who believe him and others who think there's no smoke without fire - and that's what makes juicy gossip so much fun!

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Just the ticket

2008-11-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

Fresh from a worst-to-World Series season, the Rays have announced a slight increase in ticket prices for 2009, while offering increased discounts on season tickets and creating a new 'marquee' category for 11 Saturday night games.
The Rayes are looking to increase a season-ticket holder base that ranked near the bottom of Major League Baseball in 2008. Season-ticket holders will continue to have the best seat locations at Tropicana Field; they maintain the right to purchase postseason tickets; and they will also receive a discount of up to 35 per cent off individual game prices, which equates to the entire 81-game home schedule for the cost of only 53 games.
The organization also announced it will be maintaining free parking for carpoolers. "Free parking is one of several initiatives we have launched to keep our games affordable and appealing to families," Rays president Matt Silverman said. "Fans will again be able to park for free, bring food and select beverages into the ballpark, and enjoy a Rays game for about the price of a movie."
The 2009 season will mark the fourth consecutive year the Rays have offered free parking to patrons. Vehicles with four or more passengers will be able to park for free in team-controlled lots at Tropicana Field. For vehicles with fewer than four passengers, parking in the main lots at Tropicana Field will cost $15, while parking in remote lots will be available for $10.
The 2009 schedule features 21 prime games, including the home opener against the Yankees, when the Rays will raise the 2008 American League pennant and AL East championship banners, and the June 23-25 series with the Phillies, a rematch of the 2008 World Series.
Individual ticket prices for both regular and prime games have increased slightly. Upper-deck tickets for regular games are $10, which will continue to rank amongst the lowest in all of baseball. For prime games, upper-deck tickets will be $16. The Rays have also introduced marquee games. All 11 marquee games occur on Saturdays. These games will feature a premium giveaway item or postgame concert.
Tickets for prime games range from $270 (Home Plate Club) to $16 (upper deck and TBT Party Deck); marquee games range from $240 to $13; and regular games range from $210 to $10.
Tickets purchased on the day of the game within five hours of game time will include a $3-$5 fee depending on the pricing category of the ticket.
To join the Rays' season-ticket priority list, visit raysbaseball.com or raysbeisbol.com
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Buccs keep on keeping on

2008-11-17T03:40:00.000-08:00

Matt Bryant had field goals of 39, 26, 29 and 26 yards, and BJ Askew scored the Bucs' lone touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter to help Tampa to a 19-13 home win over Minnesota. Gus Frerotte threw a 3-yard TD pass to Bobby Wade and Ryan Longwell kicked field goals of 43 and 37 yards in the first half for Minnesota.
38-year-old quarterback Jeff Garcia again starred for Tampa Bay, throwing for 255 yards without an interception and moving out to 4-1 since regaining his starting spot. Coach Jon Gruden said: ''He moves around and you don't know what he's seeing and what he's thinking. That's his game. He's a creative player, and his legs are his ally. I've tried to be honest with him the whole time. We need his legs and we need his scramble ability, his elusiveness in the pocket.''
The Buccaneers' defense was again key in restricting their opponents' ability to score, with Derrick Brooks and Co equal to the task of slowing down leading rusher Adrian Peterson.
Peterson was coming off a 192-yard performance against Green Bay and was trying to match the Vikings' franchise record for consecutive 100-yard games set by Robert Smith in 2000. He gained 85 yards on 19 carries up to the third quarter, but in the fourth Minnesota ran just eight times in chasing the game.

In hockey news, Rick Tocchet now knows the size of his task if he is to turn around the Lightning's season. Tocchet had just one practice session with the squad following the Friday sacking of former coach Barry Melrose in response to Tampa's three straight losses.
A veteran of 18 NHL seasons, Tocchet perhaps is best known for his role in a sports betting ring that led to a league suspension. He rejoined Phoenix Coyotes as an assistant coach in February, then was hired by Melrose in the offseason.
His first game as a head coach saw Tuomo Ruutu and Rod Brind'Amour score in the shootout and Cam Ward stop two shots to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 victory Sunday. Vincent Lecavalier and Jussi Jokinen both failed to score in the shootout, handing Hurricanes a second victory in six games.
Tocchet made a few subtle changes, including reuniting the line of Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Vinny Prospal - and it soon paid off. Lecavalier and St. Louis scored in the same game for the first time this season to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead, but Carolina rallied in the second period, with Wade Brookbank and Brind'Amour pulling the scores back.
Undeterred, Tocchet is just looking forward to getting his first win under his belt. "The last thing I need to do is show the guys that I'm too anxious or stuff like that. I actually was very calm, so it was kind of surreal, kind of fun."

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Wings given helping hand

2008-11-14T01:26:00.000-08:00

TAMPA - Mark Recchi, Jussi Jokinen and Matt Pettinger scored but the Lightning still lost their third straight as Detroit outshot them 39-18 in a 4-3 defeat Thursday night. Detroit's Chris Osgood improved to 17-0 lifetime against Tampa Bay.
The Lightning paid for three penalties taken in an 18-second span during the final half-minute of the second period - Paul Ranger for cross checking, Chris Gratton for slashing and Adam Hall for elbowing. Zetterberg and Samuelsson scored on the advantages to give Detroit a 3-2 lead early in the third.
Lightning coach Barry Melrose said: "In the second period we go brain dead and take three terrible penalties. We can't give the best team in the world a two-minute five-on-three and then another two minute five-on-four. Detroit doesn't do that. Detroit doesn't beat itself. That's winning and losing. Tonight we beat ourselves."
In college football, the Gators are remaining focused on their true goal after securing the SEC title last week against Vanderbilt. To keep their national title hopes alive, the third-ranked Gators must avoid a loss in their three remaining regular season games.
That task continues Saturday when they host former Florida coach Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, looking for its seventh win in eight games. Florida (8-1, 6-1) won the SEC East for the second time in three years with a 42-14 victory over Vandy and the Gators will play No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship game in Atlanta on December 6.
"Making it to Atlanta for the SEC championship was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, but our goal is to take care of business every Saturday," said Tim Tebow, who went 12-of-17 for 171 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 88 yards and two scores last Saturday.

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Joe rewarded

2008-11-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

It won't bring back the World Series, but Joe Maddon was rewarded for a standout season with the Rays with the American League Manager of the Year award.
"Truly a remarkable season in so many different ways," Maddon said on a conference call about two hours after arriving in Rome on his honeymoon.
Maddon was a runaway winner in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He received all but one of the 28 first-place votes - the other went to Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire.
It was a nice wedding gift for Maddon and his wife, Jaye, who got married last weekend. But it meant that one of the first things he did in Italy was get on the phone with reporters. "Jaye is very understanding of the whole situation. We knew this was a possibility," Maddon said.
Well done Joe, now enjoy your honeymoon...
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Long-time coming

2008-11-12T02:17:00.000-08:00

Hi there sports fans, just wanted to pay tribute to Evan Longoria, who was named the American League Rookie of the Year Monday, giving the Rays their first national Baseball Writers' Association of America honor.

Despite a drop off in his performances against the Phillies, without the power-hitting third-baseman the Rays probably wouldn't have been in the World Series at all.

"I would have loved to have played well in the World Series and to have helped the team, but it didn't happen that way," Longoria said. "But I don't think this award has anything to do with taking any distaste away from the fact we didn't win the World Series or that I didn't play well. It's more of a personal success for me."

Longoria, 23, was listed first on all 28 ballots and is the first unanimous AL rookie selection since Boston's Nomar Garciaparra in 1997. Voting took place before the postseason, during which Longoria hit six home runs and drove in 11 runs in the Division and AL Championship series. His 1-for-20 with two RBIs and nine strikeouts in the World Series were the only downsides to an excellent season.

During the regular season, the 2006 No. 3 overall pick batted .272 and led AL rookies in home runs (27), RBIs (85), total bases (238) and extra-base hits (60).

Check out this film of Evan hitting a bomb to left-field in the bottom of the ninth innings.

Longoria's award was the second major honor for the Rays in a week, following Carlos Pena's Gold Glove last Thursday. Rays fans are hoping that today Joe Maddon will be named the AL Manager of the Year.

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Caddy teed up for start

2008-11-11T01:45:00.000-08:00

The Bucs are ready to give Cadillac Williams the go-ahead to return to active duty, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune. "It's a green light, but it doesn't mean it's a green light that he's a featured back," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said of Williams, who is expected to be added to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. Williams' first game could be as little as a couple of weeks away.
The 26-year-old hasn't featured at all since he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in September 2007. Since then Williams has been rebuilding his knee and is just now just returning to game fitness.
On Monday, for the first time since launching his comeback bid, the Bucs' 2005 first-round draft pick practised in pads against the Bucs' regular defense. And the results were encouraging. "I was a little nervous about it, but it felt good to get knocked around and to bounce back up again and all that," Williams said. "I feel good. I feel like I'm good to go."
Meanwhile, in Washington, Olie Kolzig did not enjoy the best of homecomings against the Capitals, the Ligntning losing against his former team for the sixth consecutive time at the Verizon Center.It may only be seven months since the Lightning goaltender suited up for the Washington Capitals, but his ex-teammates didn't exactly roll out the red carpet in a 4-2 defeat.
The Capitals had fired three goals in seven shots before forcing Tampa Bay into a timeout. The Lightning did turn their game around in the second period, outshooting the Capitals 18-6 and getting on the board with the first of Gary Roberts' two goals, but it was too little, too late. Again.
"This was not the start we wanted and we have to improve," Kolzig said. "Guys have to somehow start looking in the mirror and do whatever it takes to be ready when the puck drops and that's what it comes down to."
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Ryan's game a winner

2008-11-10T02:08:00.000-08:00

ATLANTA: Falcons rookie Matt Ryan turned in another solid performance as Atlanta won for the fourth time in five games to keep them very much in the play-off race after a 34-20 win at New Orleans. Ryan threw two more touchdown passes as his opposite number, Drew Brees, had a day to forget for Saints.
Brees threw a season-high three interceptions, the last of them returned 95 yards for a touchdown by Chevis Jackson as Falcons went out to 6-3.
Ryan found Roddy White for a 16-yard touchdown on the Falcons' second possession, then Jerious Norwood ran a short pass 67 yards for a touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter for a 27-6 lead.
Jackson then finished off New Orleans with the second-longest interception return for a touchdown in Falcons' history timing perfectly his interception of a pass to Devery Henderson at the five-yard line and running back the rest. The win brought up Falcons' best start on their home field since the 1998 Super Bowl season, they are now 4-0 at the Georgia Dome.

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Gators go wild at Vandy

2008-11-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn: Florida Gators clinched the SEC Eastern Division spot in next month's conference championship game following a 42-14 victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores, moving to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC. Few will have expressed much surprise at the result, it was Florida's 18th straight win against Vandy.
Vanderbilt, after opening the season with five consecutive victories, fell to 5-4 and 3-3. Fifth-ranked Gators, meanwhile, earned a second trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game in three seasons.
South Carolina comes to The Swamp this week, followed by The Citadel and Florida State before the Gators get No. 1-ranked Alabama in the SEC Championship.
PHILADELPHIA: Vaclav Prospal and Jussi Jokinen scored second-period goals to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Mike Smith made 34 saves for the Lightning, who ended a two-game losing streak in the third of a five-game road trip, with games ahead at Washington and Florida.
Coach Barry Melrose was forced to tell his players a few home truths at half-time after another lacklustre opening. ''I have no problem doing it,'' he said. ''I'm hoping that they get to the point where they don't want to hear me do it. That's the ideal thing.''

Pena strikes gold

2008-11-07T02:16:00.001-08:00

TAMPA: Carlos Pena became the first Gold Glove winner in Rays history after being named in the American League team at first base.
Pena, the 30-year-old former journeyman whom the Rays signed as a minor-league free agent in January 2007, led all first basemen and infielders with a .998 fielding percentage, making only two errors in 1,099 chances, getting 991 putouts and helping on 117 double plays.

Back with a vengeance ... sort of

2008-11-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK: Tampa Bay Lightning responded to remarks made by general manager Brian Lawton after their loss at New Jersey on Wednesday with a bit more fight against New York Rangers. It wasn't enough to alter the result, but it was enought to placate the man in the suit.

Despite Chris Drury's hat trick for New York sealing a 5-2 loss for Lightning - the most goals Tampa Bay has allowed this season - Lawton was happy with the effort shown.

"I actually thought the guys did well, and that's why it was frustrating Wednesday in a shootout loss to New Jersey to not get two points, because you are going to get into games like tonight where we play well, and we really did, and you are not going to win," Lawton said. "And that's the way the league is, sometimes the game won't let you win."

Lightning struck down

2008-11-06T02:16:00.000-08:00

NEWARK, NJ. Tampa Bay Lightning just couldn't get past New Jersey Devils goaltender Kevin Weekes in a 4-3 loss on Wednesday night at the start of a five-game road trip. After allowing a shootout goal to Vincent Lecavalier, Weekes stopped Jussi Jokinen and Vaclav Prospal to lift the Devils to a 4-3 win. Weekes' heroics came just a day after the Devils learned their franchise player Martin Brodeur will be sidelined for months.
Jokinen scored twice for Tampa Bay, and Martin St Louis tied it late in the third period, but the Lightning's three-game winning streak ended. ''We battled back in the last two games,'' Jokinen said. ''That's the sign of a good hockey team. I think the first and third periods were very good hockey for us.'' Elias and captain Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the shootout for New Jersey, which won for the second time in six games.

Welcome to my Florida sports blog

2008-11-06T02:08:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my sports blog, focusing on all that's going on in Florida, and as I'm from Anna Maria Island, concentrating on Tampa Bay's professional franchises. Check back daily for a sports news digest and anything else fun I come across from around the world. I'll be updating regularly, but feel free to add comments and anything I might have missed!

Mike