Once again, the Lightning embraces the present

March 19, 2022 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. The NHL draft is about hope. It’s about tomorrow. It’s about building for a better day. All of that is fine. The Tampa Bay Lightning, on the other hand, is about today. Once again, the Lightning traded in the future for today on Friday. They sent two future No. 1 draft picks […]

Read the full article →

Bucs’ owners continue to invest in winning

March 18, 2022 general

Friday, 4 p.m. The dark secret that no one talks about is this: The Tampa Bay Bucs have always been about the bucks. For almost a half-century, since skinflint Hugh Culverhouse fished enough nickels out of the storm grate to promise $16 million dollars for a franchise awarded to someone else, to now, the Bucs […]

Read the full article →

Bolts finish off a road trip the right way

March 17, 2022 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Pebble by pebble, he has built a mountain. Goal by goal, he has constructed a legacy. After 14 years — already? — Steven Stamkos has become a star. He is 31 now, on the other side of devastating injuries, but Stamkos is still plugging away. He played in his 900th game in […]

Read the full article →

It’s hard to out-guess the Bucs these days

March 16, 2022 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Pity the poor NFL “expert.” Which is, actually, a lofty sounding title for a guy who does a lot of guessing in his three-times-a-day mock drafts. The Bucs must be driving those clowns batty. One day, a lot of mockers are suggesting that the Bucs might take a quarterback if they were […]

Read the full article →

More and more, Licht is a good idea

March 15, 2022 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Time was, you couldn’t figure out why they hadn’t changed the lock to his office. When Dirk Koetter left the employ of the Tampa Bay Bucs — and it wasn’t his choice — it was hard to figure out why Jason Licht wasn’t shipped along with him. Nothing personal, but Licht was […]

Read the full article →

After weeks of retirement, Brady is back

March 14, 2022 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Evidently, there are only so many hours a man can spend whittling. There are only so many Early Bird specials that a guy can digest. Only so many sessions he can spend sitting around the fireplace and talking about the old days. Only so many afternoons you can spend at the fishing […]

Read the full article →

Bolts snap losing streak with fast start

March 14, 2022 general

Monday, 3 a.m. There for a while, it looked as if the Tampa Bay Lightning had forgotten how to win. They were sluggish at the start, shaky at the end. They turned the puck over, and they took so many penalties you thought they were auditioing for a remake of The Shawshank Redemption. In a […]

Read the full article →

Bolts’ nosedive reaches three losses in a row

March 13, 2022 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Suddenly, the Tampa Bay Lightning are charging in the wrong direction. The Bolts lost their third straight game Saturday night — their poor play has gone on much longer — in a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. This time, it wasn’t close. The Bolts gave up 49 shots, […]

Read the full article →

Should the Bucs check out Watson’s price?

March 12, 2022 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. Do you feel lucky yet? Do you think Deshaun Watson is worth his price yet? It comes down to that, doesn’t it? Watson had a great day Friday, going 9-0 against his accusers. Think what you may of him — and there are civil suits ahead — but he wont be indicted, […]

Read the full article →

Bolts suffer their first losing streak of the year

March 11, 2022 general

Friday, 4 a.m. So this is what a slump feels like. Suddenly, the Tampa Bay Lightning is in a swoon. They skate slow, but they fall behind fast. Their goalie is having pucks bounce off of his backside and into the net. There is no power to the power play. In other words, the Bolts […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →