general

Does the Rays future look like Mahtook, Beckham?

September 18, 2015 general

Friday, 11:50 p.m. Squint, and see you can see him as a corner outfielder for, oh, another decade or so. Imagine, and you envision seeing him as a middle-of-the-order hitter that will make seasons much better than this one. Yeah, let your fantasies run wild, and you can imagine Mikie Mahtook being a very big […]

Read the full article →

The ultimate Buc-killer? Why, it’s still Brees

September 18, 2015 general

By the time he was his age, Joe Namath was finished. Norm Van Brocklin was in the home. Jim Kelly. And Terry Bradshaw. And Bob Griese. And Troy Aikman. By the time he was his age, Joe Montana had seen the last of his 20-touchdown seasons. Dan Marino was done throwing for 30. Dan Fouts was […]

Read the full article →

Moore makes you remember who he once was

September 17, 2015 general

Thursday, 11:27 p.m. Hey, didn’t you used to be Matt Moore? Yeah, sure. I’d recognize you anywhere. The wide smile. The bushy eyebrows. The magic arm. This was the guy we remember, all right. The guy who won 17 gmes. The guy who was an all-star. The guy who looked like he would be a […]

Tagged as: Colume, Moore, Orioles, Rays

Read the full article →

Yes, Rays’ Pena is worth your fond memories

September 17, 2015 general

Thursday, 6:05 a.m. Somewhere, there is a young boy in Haiti, fed, clothed, safe. He can tell you all about greatness. He can tell you all about impact. And if Carlos Pena wants to take a night to say goodbye, well, it’s okay with him. Forget the silliness that will come with ceremony. Just give […]

Tagged as: Memories, Pena, Rays, Retirement

Read the full article →

Urgency hits Tampa Bay Bucs early in the season

September 16, 2015 general

Wednesday, 12:33 p.m. First came the storm. Now Lovie Smith must switch the narrative. Last Sunday, his Tampa Bay Buccaneers appeared lost and without vision, like blind mice scrambling in a coat closet. Next Sunday, after a hurricane of criticism from steamed pewter-and-red faithful washed out this season’s early hope, Smith needs the skies above […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Mariota, Smith, Winton

Read the full article →

Franklin finally makes his season worthwhile

September 16, 2015 general

Tuesday, 11:40 p.m. A night like this probably seemed beyond his dreams. After all, he is only Nick Franklin. He only had 10 hits on the year, and he was hitting only .133. He was in the game only because shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera injured himself coming out of the batter’s box, and once in the […]

Read the full article →

Why do fans prefer stormy to stable?

September 16, 2015 Florida

Wednesday, 6 a.m. One of the guys lost his mind. The veins in Jim McElwain’s neck were like undersea cables. His face was flushed. He could not stop yelling. McElwain would seemingly finish his piece, and he would start to turn away, and then he would start up all over again. This was the face […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Florida, McElwain, Rage, Smith

Read the full article →

What Lovie said, what Lovie should have said

September 15, 2015 general

Tuesday, 6 a.m. He can’t say it, okay? He just can’t. Right about now, Lovie Smith may want to open a vein. He may want to throw himself upon the mercy of the court. He may want to quote to John McKay and suggest that execution of his offense – not to mention his defense, […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, defense, Lovie, Titans, Winston

Read the full article →

Ranking the state’s quarterbacks after week 2

September 14, 2015 College Sports in Florida

Monday, 9:30 a.m. Two weeks in the shallow end of the pool. Most teams haven’t given themselves a chance to lose yet. By the same token, most teams haven’t given their quarterback a chance to fail yet. A brief glance at the top quarterbacks in the state: 1. Brad Kaaya, Miami: Kaaya is like an […]

Tagged as: Golson, Kaaya, quarterbacks, State

Read the full article →

Smith’s seat turns hotter already in 2015

September 14, 2015 general

Monday, 6 a.m. The man with the headset is the one to blame. He pleads for this free agent and that one, and the priority is his choosing. He decides to call the defensive signals if he wants. He picks the offensive coordinator. He is the architect of the team. When things go bad, where […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, David, McCoy, NFL, Winston

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →