Who might the Bucs draft to find help?

March 5, 2020 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. After hours of dedicated research, after studying reports and evaluations, after watching a full four seconds of the NFL scouting combine, I feel I can safely say this: The Tampa Bay Bucs, with their first pick in the NFL draft, are going to draft somebody. From somewhere. Of course, they will be […]

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Lightning stubs toe in matchup with Boston

March 4, 2020 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. For all their inconsistencies, for all of their injuries, it seemed like only days ago that the Atlantic Division title was within the reach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. For the moment, that no longer seems to be the case. The Bolts dropped a 2-1 game to Boston Tuesday night and fell […]

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Does Stamkos’ injury change things for the Bolts?

March 3, 2020 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Say they lose. Say the Tampa Bay Lightning makes it to the NHL playoffs. Say they win a round. Say they force overtime in a game 7 of the second round, when they lose after failing on a crucial power play. Do they have a pass now? Steven Stamkos is hurt. Again. […]

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Vipers get first victory with route of DC

March 2, 2020 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Who were those guys? Maybe you recognized the uniforms. Maybe you remembered the jersey numbers. But the way they played? The Tampa Bay Vipers won the first game of their history Sunday night, clobbering the defenseless Defenders, 25-0. Defense and a strong running game led the Vipers, who improved to 1-3 on […]

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Special teams allow Lightning to win again

March 1, 2020 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Before a team can re-establish itself as special, it must start with the special teams. Cue the Tampa Bay Lighting, winners again. The Bolts took a shaky 4-3 win over Calgary Saturday afternoon to stop a four-game losing streak. Tampa Bay is now 41-19-5 on the season, and once again is headed […]

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Do you believe Brady and the Bucs are serious?

February 29, 2020 general

SATURDAY, 4 a.m. The notion is a sexy one, I admit. The best-ever quarterback and the worst-ever franchise, linked on the gossip pages. How can you not find a headline in that? But I don’t buy it for a second. No matter what you read, and where, Tom Brady is not coming to the Tampa […]

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Bolts’ slide continues in 3rd period collapse

February 28, 2020 general

Friday, 4 a.m. For a long time, it looked as if the Lightning might never lose again. Now, the question is if they will ever win. Once again, the collapsible Tampa Bay Lightning took it on the chin Thursday night, losing their fourth straight game. This time it was a 5-2 decision against Chicago, as […]

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Can Meadows repeat last season’s success?

February 27, 2020 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. For a year, he was a star. For a year, he was the finest offensive threat that the Tampa Bay Rays had. Now, the question for Austin Meadows is basic: Can he do it again? A year ago, Meadows wasn’t just good. He was splendid. He hit .291. He had 33 homers. […]

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Bolts lose third straight as special teams struggle

February 26, 2020 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. The new guys were supposed to be the cavalry. They were supposed to push the Tampa Bay Lightning over the top. So far, however, it has been a bad chemistry experiment. And the reinforcements — Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow and Zach Bogosian — haven’t tasted victory since joining the Bolts. Tampa Bay […]

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Should Rays invest in the future with Adames?

February 25, 2020 general

You run the Tampa Bay Rays, and the heavy lifting is over. The off-season is complete, and the roster is assembled. Once again, your team is prepared to be the mongoose to the cobra that is the New York Yankees in the AL East.The power has been imported. The arms have been retained. So what […]

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