general

Lowe makes his debut in big win for Rays

April 30, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Some nights, the pitching is good enough. Some nights, the offense is good enough. And some nights, the storylines are even better. Take Monday night, when a fast start and a strong finish led the Rays to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Angels. Stuck in the middle of all the […]

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Glasnow is red-hot now for the Tampa Bay Rays

April 29, 2019 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Inside the Tampa Bay Rays’ deck of cards, there is a new ace. No, not Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. No, not free agent signee Charlie Morton. It’s Tyler Glasnow, who was 1-5 as a starting pitcher with the Rays a year ago. Now? Now, he’s 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA. […]

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Random thoughts: Remembering Hondo’s last shot

April 28, 2019 general

Sunday, 5 a.m. The first NBA game I ever saw was the Hawks against the Celtics. Late in the game, Atlanta had a one-point lead. There were just a few seconds left, and everyone in the building– everyone — knew who was going to take the last shot. It was the late, great John Havlicek, […]

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One big pitch keeps the Red Sox at bay for Rays

April 28, 2019 general

One pitch. Sometimes, a baseball game. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter thatmore than 300 pitches are thrown. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter that 11 pitches are throwing them. Sometimes, you can take a snapshot of one pitch, and it will tell you all you need to know about a game. Take Saturday afternoon, when the Rays survived […]

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Bucs draft another kicker, more defenders

April 28, 2019 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Once again, Jason Licht has the goalposts in front of him. Once again, he is betting he has drafted a player who can get the football between them. A kicker? Again? Oh, give Licht credit. This time, he showed a little more restraint, though. This time, he didn’t trade up into the […]

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Ask Gary: NHL playoffs defy logic

April 27, 2019 general

Each week, the readers take over GarySheltonsports.com and play Ask Gary. They send in a question, or a couple, on Thursday night or Friday morning and we all talk about the world of sports. Think of it as a radio show where you don’t have to be on hold. Join us and ask a question, […]

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Did the Bucs’ defense get enough help?

April 27, 2019 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. Questions. Right now, there are questions. In the coming years, perhaps some of them will graduate to answers. Perhaps some of them will demonstrate an improved team that might yet turn the corner. But for now, there are questions. For instance, is this second day defensive back haul better than last year’s […]

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Bucs draft a linebacker help fix defense

April 26, 2019 general

Friday, 4 a.m. In your mind’s eye, he is Ray Lewis. Maybe Patrick Willis. Maybe Luke Kueckly. Let your imagination run wild, and he Dick Butkus. Maybe Jack Lambert. Maybe Ray Nitchke. He is a linebacker, a man in the middle of all the chaos, and so far, he has not missed a tackle. As […]

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Snell’s return doesn’t last very long

April 25, 2019 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. This time, he didn’t break his toe. He just stubbed it. Blake Snell, after missing time with a broken toe, made his return to the Rays Wednesday afternoon, but it was hardly a triumphant one. Snell pitched only 3 1/e innings and threw just 65 pitches, and the Rays absorbed a 10-2 […]

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Can the Bucs avoid catastrophe this time?

April 25, 2019 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Help is available. The problem is finding it. And here the Bucs are again, back at the players’ market, shopping for size, for speed, for skill. Often, they don’t draft any of it. Devin White? Quinnen Williams? Josh Allen? Ed Oliver? None of the above? Content beyond this point is for members […]

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