general

Time’s up for Nabokov; Lightning change goalies

February 2, 2015 general

10:02 a.m. Being nearly 40 years old and leaky is no way to stay in the NHL. Neither is sitting and watching. And so time was bound to run out of Evgeni Nabokov. The play was too sporadic. The kid was too good. The season was too important. And so he went, the Lightning waiving […]

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What would Lovie have learned from Super Bowl?

February 1, 2015 general

Sunday, 11:05 p.m. You imagine him watching. You imagine him comparing. You remember him looking at various players and thinking “I want one of those.” Yep, it should have been an interesting night of watching the Super Bowl for Lovie Smith. Who needs to get to work. There was so much about the this game […]

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Will this be a Super Bowl for the ages?

February 1, 2015 general

Sunday, 10:20 a.m. Say this for the New England Patriots. Win or lose, they make for a good Super Bowl. Maybe it’s because of the Darth Vader image. Maybe it’s because of efficiencey. Maybe it’s Bill Belichick. Maybe it’s Tom Brady. Maybe it’s a rotationing cast of characters. But when the Patriots are in the […]

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Lightning get another home win, but road awaits

January 31, 2015 general

Saturday, 11:40 p.m. TAMPA Here, they are a juggernaut. Out there on the road, they are another pair of gray pants. Here, they skate like the wind, and their big guys make muscles, and their goaltender plays as if he is at Hell’s Gate. Out there, they skate in circles, the sometimes they get lost, […]

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To All Fields: Which ex-player do Bucs miss most?

January 31, 2015 College Sports in Florida

Saturday, 6 a.m. In Tampa… As former employees go, they have landed on their feet. As a trio, they are happy. They are needed. They fit into football’s most glorious puzzles. They are away from Tampa Bay, and for three guys with work to do on Sunday, they seem fairly fulfilled. Certainly life has gone […]

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Ask the Expert: Doug Waechter

January 30, 2015 general

Friday, 6 a.m. Doug Waechter spent four of his major league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, his hometown team. Over his time in the bigs, Waechter won 18 games. In his first start at Tropicana Field, Waechter threw a two-hit shutout against Seattle. He joins GarySheltonsports.com weekly to answer your questions about major league […]

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Paquette, of all people, sparks Lightning

January 29, 2015 general

TAMPA For the night, at least, the playoffs don’t look so frightening. For the night, at least, they actually seemed kind of friendly. Warm. Cuddly. Welcoming. Forget recent history, in fact, and you might be ready for them to start. Play them now, play them here, and you might like the chances of the Tampa […]

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Who cares if Lynch remains silent?

January 29, 2015 general

Thursday, 6:15 a.m. If he was shy, I would feel his pain. If he had a social disorder, I would understand his reticence. If he had laryngitis, I would shrug off his quiet. But Marshawn Lynch, it seems, is just a bad guy. A great football player, but a bad guy. A bad guy who […]

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Ask the Expert: Phil Esposito

January 29, 2015 general

  Thursday, 6 a.m. Phil Esposito was a Hall of Fame forward for the Boston Bruins. Not only that, the Tampa Bay Lightning was his brainchild, and he was the team’s first owner. Even now, he works on the team’s radio crew. Each week, Esposito will answer questions from readers. To ask Phil a question, […]

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Are recruiting rankings scientific, or guesswork?

January 28, 2015 College Sports in Florida

Wednesday, 6:20 a.m. Somewhere, in the fields of California, there is a high school running back. He’s fast. He’s strong. He’s elusive. He scored a lot of touchdowns. Somewhere, in the outskirts of South Florida, there is another high school running back. He’s quck. He’s durable. He’s shifty. He gained a lot of yards. So […]

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