general

Stamkos leads Lightning rally over Kings

January 30, 2020 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Early in the second period, there was an uh-oh moment for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Seventy-eight seconds into play, and Alex Iafallo scored to give the Los Angeles Kings a 2-0 lead over the Lightning. Because Tampa Bay had lost to Dallas in overtime Monday night, a slow start to the second […]

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Do the Lightning scare enough opponents?

January 29, 2020 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Here at the oasis, you ask: How’s the trip going so far? Halfway through their journey (actually, a tad more), and how are the Tampa Bay Lightning doing? Well, pretty good. Call it a B. A par. Better than most teams, not as good as you might think. Frustrating at times. Vexing […]

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Defensive breakdowns doom the Lightning

January 28, 2020 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Following a long break for the All-Star game, the Tampa Bay Lightning returned to play Monday night in Dallas. Sort of. Officially, the Lighting played another game. But after a mix of turnovers and odd-man rushes, it didn’t quite seem so in a 3-2 overtime loss to Dallas. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, trying […]

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Remembering Kobe and one man’s dreams

January 27, 2020 general

Monday, 4 a.m. He was intelligent. He was fluid. He was charismatic. But as much as anything else, Kobe Bryant was a dreamer. It was in the 2012 Olympics when Bryant, the former Lakers’ star who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, sat on small stage in a corner of London reserved for the Olympics. […]

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Testing a fan’s patience: The Tampa Bay quiz

January 26, 2020 general

SUNDAY, 4 a.m. So you say you’ve seen it all. You say you’ve got it all figured out. You have seen the past, and you can imagine the future. Nope. Nothing is going to surprise you. All of your question marks are exclamation points. You know what the Bucs are going to do with Jameis […]

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Spare me the fake moments of all-star games

January 25, 2020 general

SATURDAY, 4 a.m. Star forward Alex Ovechkin says he’s skipping NHL all-star weekend because he’s “listening to his body.” His body, presumably, is shouting at the top of its lungs “get me away from anything resembling an all-star game.” I don’t know about you, but here’s the way I feel about all-star games: The taste […]

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Could this be one of the classic Super Bowls?

January 24, 2020 general

Friday, 4 a.m. Think of it like a yearly movie. Most of them are duds. Most of them have bad actors, and bad scripts, and major plot holes. Most of them are death at the box office. You look at them, and you think that it’s no wonder that the event fizzled. But every now […]

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Who would you pick to replace Winston?

January 23, 2020 general

If another team wants to intercept Jameis Winston on his way to work, well, I’m all for it. He is a frustrating player to watch, isn’t he? He’ll be a roll, and then he’ll throw a down-and-out to an opposing cornerback, who is suddenly running toward the scoreboard, and the day is lost. Again. Might […]

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Jeter was the best of bad Hall of Fame class

January 22, 2020 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. You say you’re looking for someone who isn’t going to be honored by the Hall of Fame. You’re looking for someone who will honor the Hall of Fame by his presence. Well, you’ve got Derek Jeter. And after that, you’ve got Derek Jeter. And did I mention Derek Jeter? Jeter was elected […]

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17 years later, Bucs’ title is memorable

January 21, 2020 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. On the night the world stood still, we were all in motion. You were cheering. Your friend was dancing. Warren Sapp was talking. Jon Gruden was grinning. Me? I was running through the tunnels of a football stadium in San Diego and out toward a makeshift tent nearby. The Tampa Bay Bucs […]

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