Random thoughts: bolts trophies a sad reminder

May 5, 2019 general

Sunday, 3 a.m. Elsewhere, a nice little individual award might be of some comfort to fans. Around here, not so much. So when you see that Nikita Kucherov is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, and John Cooper for the Jack Adams, and Victor Hedman for the Norris, and Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Vezina, you […]

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Ask Gary: Another look at overspending in baseball

May 4, 2019 general

Each week, the readers take over GarySheltonsports.com and play Ask Gary. They send in a question, or a couple, on Thursday night or Friday morning and we all talk about the world of sports. Think of it as a radio show where you don’t have to be on hold. Join us and ask a question, […]

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Glasnow is dominating again to lead Rays

May 4, 2019 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. How old do you have to be before you can be an ace? How many hitters have to walk away shaking their heads? How many curve balls have to snap by them? How many times do you  have to walk away in victory? With the Tampa Bay Rays and pitcher Tyler Glasnow, […]

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Lowe’s late home run lifts Rays over Royals

May 3, 2019 general

Friday, 4 a.m. For a while, it looked like another close game that might slip away. Though a successful start, that has been sore spot for the Tampa Bay Rays. They are just 1-5 in one-run games this year, and here they were, tied with Kansas City at 1-1 in the ninth inning. And then […]

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Snell slammed again as Rays lose doubleheader

May 2, 2019 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. What in the hell is wrong with Blake Snell? Snell, the best of the Rays last year in a Cy Young award-winning season, was clobbered for the second time in eight days,,leaving some to wonder if his broken right toe has healed properly. He lost 8-2 in the second game of a […]

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Where can the new faces help the Bucs?

May 1, 2019 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Okay, now they have them, what are they going to do with them? Except try to get better. And, really, isn’t that the point? The Tampa Bay Bucs, like all NFL teams, seem thrilled with their draft class from this year and, golly, who knew that guy would still be available? It’s […]

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Lowe makes his debut in big win for Rays

April 30, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Some nights, the pitching is good enough. Some nights, the offense is good enough. And some nights, the storylines are even better. Take Monday night, when a fast start and a strong finish led the Rays to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Angels. Stuck in the middle of all the […]

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Glasnow is red-hot now for the Tampa Bay Rays

April 29, 2019 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Inside the Tampa Bay Rays’ deck of cards, there is a new ace. No, not Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. No, not free agent signee Charlie Morton. It’s Tyler Glasnow, who was 1-5 as a starting pitcher with the Rays a year ago. Now? Now, he’s 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA. […]

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Random thoughts: Remembering Hondo’s last shot

April 28, 2019 general

Sunday, 5 a.m. The first NBA game I ever saw was the Hawks against the Celtics. Late in the game, Atlanta had a one-point lead. There were just a few seconds left, and everyone in the building– everyone — knew who was going to take the last shot. It was the late, great John Havlicek, […]

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One big pitch keeps the Red Sox at bay for Rays

April 28, 2019 general

One pitch. Sometimes, a baseball game. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter thatmore than 300 pitches are thrown. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter that 11 pitches are throwing them. Sometimes, you can take a snapshot of one pitch, and it will tell you all you need to know about a game. Take Saturday afternoon, when the Rays survived […]

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