Vasilevskiy sharp in shutting out Preds

April 11, 2021 general

Sunday, 3 a.m. News flash: This cat they call the Big Cat is pretty darned good. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was impressive in the net once again Saturday night, stopping 36 shots to continue his ownership of the Nashville Predators. Vasilevskiy won his 25th game of the season, an NHL high, in the 3-0 win over […]

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Rays mash Yankees in home opener

April 10, 2021 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. Turns out, there is life after a World Series trip, after all. Turns out, there also is life to the Tampa Bay Rays’ pitching rotation, and life in the bats of the order and life in a very young season. The Rays showed flashes of all of that in their home opener […]

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Bolts offense surges in win over Jackets

April 9, 2021 general

Friday, 4 a.m. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a nice night. But does it mean the Bolts are back? Well, partially. The Bolts stopped their slump Thursday night, and stopped their offensive funk along with it, in a 6-4 road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Bolts jumped to a 3-0 lead […]

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Rays blasted again in Red Sox sweep

April 8, 2021 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays are scheduled to play their home opener on Friday. Yippee. Has there ever been a defending league champion who has entered a season with less sizzle than this one? The Rays dropped their fourth straight game Wednesday, getting blasted once again. This time, it was 9-2 to last […]

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April 6, 2021 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Can Blake Snell please come home? And can he bring Charlie Morton with him. All along, this was the fear. The despite their reputation for rebuilding pitchers, the pitching staff of the Tampa Bay Rays wouldn’t be able to hold up. Well, so far, so bad. For the second straight game Monday […]

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Different goalie, same result for Bolts

February 9, 2021 general

Tuesday, 3 a.m. Hey, didn’t you used to be Curtis McElhinney? It had been so long since Lightning fans had seen McElhinney, the way-backup goaltender for Tampa Bay. Seldom seen, seldom heard. That’s the life of McElhinney, one of the league’s least-played backups. For 11 months, McElhinney might as well have been in an equipment […]

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CHAMPA BAY: Bucs back atop the NFL

February 8, 2021 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Here on the mountain top, it all seems worth it. After all of the misery, all of the heartache, all of the disappointment. Winston and Freeman and McCown. Morris and Smith and Schiano. Aguayo and Gay and Brindza. All of the tears. All of the doubts. All of the pain. It has […]

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Lynch finally elected to Hall of Fame

February 7, 2021 general

Sunday, 3 a.m. He’s a rich kid from California. He runs the 49ers. He finished his playing career with Denver. But the fame of John Lynch has always belonged to the Buccaneers. Lynch, 49, finally broke through the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday, elated after eight years of waiting. He joins an impressive group […]

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Looking ahead to Bucs-Chiefs Super Bowl

February 7, 2021 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. 5 Thoughts With the interviews being virtual this week, I’m wondering what the loons did to keep themselves busy. Usually, they show up in droves for the Super Bowl Media Day, wearing costumes and wedding dresses and trying hard to get attention with silly questions. It’s like watching the Village People with […]

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Succop stops the laughter about kickers

February 6, 2021 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. They were the joke within the joke. Even on the funniest days, through the funniest punchlines, the kickers of the Tampa Bay Bucs were always there. Usually, they were wide left. They were the Stooges. They were the Keystone Cops. They were Monty Python and the Faltering Feet. Hey, even the Bucs’ […]

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