Winners at last! Rays finish hot home stand

July 1, 2018 general

Monday, 4 a.m. From way up here, you can see hope. The air is clearer here, and the clouds are closer. The blueprint makes sense. Blake Snell looks like an all-star. From up here, at 42-41, the Rays can imagine possibilities. Continuing streaks and getting into the playoff chase. Reinventing the wheel when it comes […]

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Random Thoughts: Winston’s statement took a team

July 1, 2018 general

Remember the control room in Apollo 13? That’s what I imagined it looked like when all the lawyers were writing Jameis Winston’s apology-for-nothing at all statement. — I mean, Jameis is very, very, very, sincerely sorry that King Kong died, that  Fredo was shot in Godfather Two and that men died saving Private Ryan. Uber? […]

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Can you believe it? Rays reach .500 once again

July 1, 2018 general

Sunday, 3 a.m. In baseball, sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes, you just want to rub your eyes. For instance, did you see Adeiny Hechavarria make an error? Really. For the first time in 94 games and 319 chances, Hechavarria booted one in the sixth inning on a grounder by George Springer. For instance, did […]

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Ask Gary: Should Bucs keep Winston or cut him?

June 30, 2018 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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Rays win the game, but lose another pitcher

June 30, 2018 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. At the time he was finally arriving as a major league pitcher, Wilmer Font will evidently say farewell to the Rays for a while. Font, on the heels of his finest outing, a one-hitter against the Houston Astros, had to leave Friday night’s game after the fifth inning with a strained lat […]

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Rays lose another close game, this time 1-0

June 29, 2018 general

Friday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays know all about close losses. They know how to break down the frustration, too. And so, after the team’s 20th one-run loss of the season (of 41 losses), a 1-0 disappointment, Matt Duffy stood at his locker and tried to dissect where this one got away. No, he […]

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Ranking the state’s Hall of Famers

June 28, 2018 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Eventually, the body goes. The speed fades and the power ebbs and the biceps shrink. Eventually, even the best of athletes becomes mortal again. Ah, but for a select few, greatness lasts forever. Martin St. Louis will always be the stubborn cuss that drove opponents crazy. Lee Roy Selmon will always have […]

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Rays win again with a 1-0 victory over Scherzer

June 27, 2018 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. There go the Tampa Bay Rays … thinking again. Here they are, in the best part of their season. They are winning, and they are beating good teams. They are pitching like madmen. Their rookies are good. They can win with 11 runs, and they can win with one. Also, they can […]

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St. Louis reaches Hall of Fame on first try

June 27, 2018 general

Tuesday, 3 a.m. Above all else, he mattered. If the Lightning needed to tie their series with Calgary in the Stanley Cup Finals, Marty St. Louis mattered. If the Lightning needed a big goal to get past Washington, St. Louis mattered. In those minutes, when the air is thin and the sticks are gripped tighter, […]

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Stars come out in a lopsided Rays’ victory

June 26, 2018 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays have won a lot of baseball games lately. Rarely, however have they clobbered an opponent like this. The Rays clobbered  a strong Washington Nationals team Monday night, winning an 11-0 game in a game that featured many stars. There was, for instance: — Blake Snell, who had a […]

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