general

Johnson’s hat trick leads Lightning victory

January 10, 2018 general

Wednesday, 3 a.m. On the first one, he was a swordsman. He feinted. He parried. He stood in the heavy traffic in front of the goal, and he deflected the puck into the net. It was an impressive bit of hand-eye coordination. On the second, he was a trapeze artist. He flew. He twisted. Somehow, […]

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One for history, one for lore in Alabama victory

January 9, 2018 general

Tuesday, 3 a.m. He was supposed to belong to tomorrow. Maybe the day after. He was supposed to be along for the ride. He was supposed to watch. He was supposed to congratulate his teammates. He was supposed to pose for the team picture. Never was Tua Tagovailoa supposed to make an impact on the national […]

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Even now, Bear’s shadow is larger than Saban’s

January 8, 2018 Alabama

Monday, 3 a.m. He was not the tallest man I’ve ever encountered. And he was not the heaviest. Somehow, however, Paul Bryant left the biggest shadow. He was all leather and sinew, as if he had been cut from a saddle. His voice came from deep down inside of him, and by the time it […]

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Bolts bounce back behind goalie Domingue

January 8, 2018 general

Monday, 2 a.m. Faced with one of their few slumps of the season, playing a new goaltender and in a hostile arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning bounced back Sunday night. The Lightning, one day after being drubbed 6-3 by Ottawa, came back to beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2. Goaltender Louis Domingue started for the […]

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Random thoughts: Pats’ squabbles delight league

January 7, 2018 general

I’m stunned to hear that Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick might have a personality clash. Who knew Belichick had one? — Either way, isn’t this delicious? — From now on, we should change Jon Gruden’s name from Chucky to Dr. Evil. One hundred million dollars! — So, how much for Monte to win it for […]

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Lightning flattened by Ottawa in 6-3 loss

January 7, 2018 general

Sunday, 3 a.m. Even in the good times, the bad ones are not that far away. Even when a team has played as well as the Tampa Bay Lightning, the road can turn rough. For instance, Saturday night’s 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Bolts fell behind 3-0, then incredibly came back to tie […]

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UConn smothers USF’s women’s’ team

January 7, 2018 Basketball

Sunday, 2 a.m. Already, USF’s women’s basketball team has established itself as pretty good. But, no, it isn’t UConn good. The No 22-ranked Bulls lost to the undefeated Huskies, 100-49 Saturday night. UConn showed the Bulls why they’re ranked No. 1 again. USF fell to 12-4 on the season.  Content beyond this point is for […]

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Ask Gary: Is Harbaugh overdue or overrated?

January 6, 2018 College football

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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Talking their way into the 2018 Bucs’ season …

January 5, 2018 general

Thursday, 3 a.m. (A conversation that might have happened). JASON LICHT: Congratulations. You kept your job. DIRK KOETTER: Congratulations. You kept yours. LICHT: Kind of like Blazing Saddles, huh. Only without the Ping-Pong paddles. KOETTER: (quoting): “We’ve got to protect our phony-baloney jobs, gentlemen.” Both laugh, gaze through the window at the practice fields.  Content […]

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Lightning loses shootout to Montreal, Price

January 5, 2018 general

Friday, 2 a.m. This time, the Tampa Bay Lightning came out shot in a battle of titans. Carey Price of of the Montreal Canadiens out-dueled Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy Thursday night, stopping 44 shots  in a 2-1 shootout victory over the Bolts. It stopped a scoreless streak by Vasilevskiy that had reached 184:49. Vasilevskiy stopped […]

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