Bucs draft another kicker, more defenders

April 28, 2019 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Once again, Jason Licht has the goalposts in front of him. Once again, he is betting he has drafted a player who can get the football between them. A kicker? Again? Oh, give Licht credit. This time, he showed a little more restraint, though. This time, he didn’t trade up into the […]

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Ask Gary: NHL playoffs defy logic

April 27, 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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Did the Bucs’ defense get enough help?

April 27, 2019 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. Questions. Right now, there are questions. In the coming years, perhaps some of them will graduate to answers. Perhaps some of them will demonstrate an improved team that might yet turn the corner. But for now, there are questions. For instance, is this second day defensive back haul better than last year’s […]

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Bucs draft a linebacker help fix defense

April 26, 2019 general

Friday, 4 a.m. In your mind’s eye, he is Ray Lewis. Maybe Patrick Willis. Maybe Luke Kueckly. Let your imagination run wild, and he Dick Butkus. Maybe Jack Lambert. Maybe Ray Nitchke. He is a linebacker, a man in the middle of all the chaos, and so far, he has not missed a tackle. As […]

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Snell’s return doesn’t last very long

April 25, 2019 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. This time, he didn’t break his toe. He just stubbed it. Blake Snell, after missing time with a broken toe, made his return to the Rays Wednesday afternoon, but it was hardly a triumphant one. Snell pitched only 3 1/e innings and threw just 65 pitches, and the Rays absorbed a 10-2 […]

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Can the Bucs avoid catastrophe this time?

April 25, 2019 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Help is available. The problem is finding it. And here the Bucs are again, back at the players’ market, shopping for size, for speed, for skill. Often, they don’t draft any of it. Devin White? Quinnen Williams? Josh Allen? Ed Oliver? None of the above? Content beyond this point is for members […]

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Rays give their bullpen a little breathing room

April 24, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. Maybe, just maybe, the Tampa Bay Rays have figured out how to ease the stress on their overworked bullpen. It starts with Ryne Stanek, who opened his sixth game of the year for the Rays. He still hasn’t given up a run. It continues Jalen Beaks, who went 4 2/3 innings with […]

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Zunino’s memorable homer carries Rays

April 23, 2019 general

Tuesday,  4 a.m. Oh, baby. What a home run. The newest father on the Tampa Bay Rays hit one mother of a home run in the seventh inning of a tie game Monday night, allowing the Rays to end a four-game losing streak and earn a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. Mike Zunino […]

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Swept! Rays’ bullpen takes another defeat

April 22, 2019 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Suddenly, the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays is struggling. And the Rays along with it. Tampa Bay’s bullpen lost again Sunday as the Rays were swept by the Boston Red Sox, a team that been struggling for most of the month. A sacrifice fly by Christian Vazquez off of Jose Alvarado […]

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Rays stage comeback, but lose in the end

April 21, 2019 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Damn, Pham. For the second time in two nights, outfielder Tommy Pham was thrown out on the base paths Saturday night, foiling yet another comeback attempt by the Rays against Boston. The Red Sox beat the Rays, 6-5, after Tampa. Bay fought its way back from a 5-0 deficit to tie. Boston […]

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