general

Some athletes just rub us the wrong way

February 4, 2022 general

Friday, 4 a.m. There are athletes who take away our breath. There are athletes that make us stand in appreciation. There are athletes who inspire us, athletes who thrill us, athletes that make us wear their jersey numbers as if we were still 12. And then there are the Annoying Ones. In this world of […]

Read the full article →

Bucs must be aggressive in finding a quarterback

February 3, 2022 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Here we are, then. At the outset of a new reality. The back of Tom Brady is growing smaller in the distance. He has taken his greatness, and the part of it he gave to the Tampa Bay Bucs, and gone home. From now on, if you want to watch him, you’ll […]

Read the full article →

Brady finally closes the door on his career

February 2, 2022 general

It must have felt this way when Shakespeare retired. Maybe Rembrandt. Maybe Galileo Tom Brady, the best by-gum quarterback there ever was, has finally had enough of the NFL. Even with the news expected, it’s a jarring situation, because that was always the defining thing about Brady. He never got enough. Seven Super Bowls weren’t […]

Read the full article →

Hedman leads Bolts to overtime victory

February 2, 2022 general

Wednesday, 3 a.m. And now, the cobwebs begin to grow on the sticks of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning. fresh off a 3-2 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at Amalie Arena, now face a prolonged break because of the all-star game and the days allocated for the Olympics. They […]

Read the full article →

Perceptions of Arians taking a beating

February 1, 2022 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Funny thing, perception. Interesting thing, expectations. Take, for instance, the interesting debate between the championship follow-ups of Jon Gruden and Bruce Arians. One was revered. The other, in certain place, seems to be reviled. When Gruden took the Bucs to the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, Tampa Bay fell in love. […]

Read the full article →

Neither Super Bowl team looks impressive

January 31, 2022 general

Monday, 4 a.m. One of these teams is going to win the Super Bowl? Really? The Rams, who struggled to get past the flying Jimmy Garoppolo’s, or the Bengals, who needed a brain cramp by Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid to win. One of those teams will dance in the confetti and answer questions about what […]

Read the full article →

Strong third period can’t bail out Bolts

January 30, 2022 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. The Lightning finally put a good period together Saturday night. Alas, it was only one. A sluggish start and a sloppy finish doomed the Bolts in a 3-2 shootout loss to Las Vegas. Not even an excellent third period could do anything for the Bolts other than force a single point. Tampa […]

Read the full article →

Will it be a Rams-Chiefs Super Bowl?

January 29, 2022 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. Are you ready for Patrick Mahomes against Matt Stafford? How about Tyreek Hill against Cooper Kupp? Maybe Aaron Donald vs. Chris Jones? It is almost time to start talking about matchups. Andy Reid vs. Sean McCoy? Tyrann Mathieu vs. Jalen Ramsey? Von Miller vs. Frank Clark? Oh, wait. The conference championships have […]

Read the full article →

Penalty kill helps Lightning overcome Devils

January 28, 2022 general

Friday, 4 a.m. It was midway through the second period, and the Tampa Bay Lighting had the New Jeeesey Devils right where they wanted them. The score was tied, 1-1, and the Bolts were facing a four-minute minor after Jan Rutta was called for high-sticking. Which is when the Bolts went to work. Despite the […]

Read the full article →

Climbing Tampa Bay’s Mount Rushmore

January 27, 2022 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Four seasons in a year. Four suits in a deck. Four leaves on a lucky clover. Fours tell a lot of things. About band members. About Horsemen. About directions on a compass About greatness. In sports, they call it the “Mount Rushmore” factor. We can usually tell the best player in the […]

Read the full article →