general

Bolts’ Johnson comes up big in final moments

August 6, 2020 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. In the post-season, he grows. Normally, Tyler Johnson is 5-8, and because of it he absorbs an undue amount of punishment. Then the playoffs begin, and Johnson grows taller. Some days, he seems like a giant. Johnson, the eighth-year pro, scored a goal with 87 seconds remaining to help the Lightning to […]

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Rays’ bats whittled down by Red Sox

August 6, 2020 general

Thursday, 3 a.m. Often, they’re hitless. Sometimes, they’re hapless. Take Wednesday night, when the Rays’ stumbled through the empty Tropicana Field — where they had been very good this season — en route to a 5–0 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The loss was the Rays’ sixth in their last seven games, a run […]

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Meadows’ return sparks Rays over Red Sox

August 5, 2020 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Ah, yes. The good old days. After a gut-wrenching slump (five games’ worth), the Rays finally looked like the team you saw a year ago in Tuesday night’s 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. It looked good in 2019; it looked perhaps better this time. — The Rays finally saw Tropicana […]

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McCoy hopes to make a difference with Bucs

August 5, 2020 general

Wednesday, 3 a.m. Think of him as insurance. Think of him as an alternative. Think of him as another piece of a threatening offense. When it’s all over, think of the Bucs as the next (final?) stop on the LeSean McCoy tour. McCoy had his first practice with the Bucs’ Tuesday after signing with the […]

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Bolts successful in their return to ice

August 4, 2020 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Is this really the Stanley Cup playoffs? No fans? A three-on-three overtime? A shootout (the first in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs)? To the Tampa Bay Lightning, it doesn’t matter. After 806 days without a playoff victory, the team was pleased to take whatever post-season victory it could. The team […]

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Bucs’ Barrett wants big numbers once again

August 4, 2020 general

Tuesday, 3 a.m. Nice number, 12. Nice thought, a dozen. Unless you’re Bucs’ defensive end Shaquil Barrett, whose aim is much higher than that. Granted, 12 sacks is a solid number for a defensive end. A lot of great ends have had had less than that. But for Barrett, 12 means something else is wrong. […]

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Sinking Rays swept by Baltimore

August 3, 2020 general

Monday, 4 a.m. They are a stone in water. Every day, they sink a little farther. The Tampa Bay Rays lost again Sunday, and what else is new? They were swept by the lowly Orioles, a team you wouldn’t exactly confuse with a contender, and their losing streak reached five games — matching last season’s […]

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Baserunning leaves Rays as losers once again

August 2, 2020 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. In a season that is so short, how can a team endure a losing streak that is so long? The Tampa Bay Rays lost their fourth straight game Saturday night, sleepwalking their way to a. 5-4, 11-inning decision against a cellar-dwelling team Baltimore Orioles team. Five games? It doesn’t sound like that […]

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Sloppy play dooms Rays vs. Orioles

August 1, 2020 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. The defense continued to play in its funk, and the old ace continued in his slump, which meant that the team continued on its slide. Pick an adjective. Pick any adjective, but the lackluster play of the Tampa Bay Rays continued Friday night in Baltimore. The Rays lost a 6-3 decision to […]

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Late comeback fizzles as Rays lose again

July 31, 2020 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. What’s the old line? You can’t come back to win them all? Oh, the Tampa Bay Rays are trying. This season, they’ve trailed in six of their seven games. But sometimes, the hole is just too deep — or the other guys make a key play, too — and a losing streak […]

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