Bullpen wobbly as Rays drop another close game

April 14, 2018 general

Saturday, 2 a.m. The season is still early, but some of the Tampa Bay Rays problems are growing old in a hurry. For the Rays, it was another day, another loss. It was a bullpen that wasn’t good enough. It was hitting that didn’t show up often enough. It was flubs that keep being repeated. […]

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Step One: Lightning relies on vets to beat Devils

April 13, 2018 general

Friday, 4 a.m. When a team is trying to match the glory of the past, perhaps the old days are  the perfect time to start the quest. Take, for instance, Tyler Johnson, yesterday’s hero. Johnson ripped a page out of his calendar Thursday night when he found the back of the net. And how about […]

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Can Bolts’ defense stand up in the playoffs?

April 12, 2018 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. They can blow up a scoreboard. They can leave melted tracks in the ice. They can wear out the goal nets. They can score fast, and they can score in bunches, and they can score throughout the lineup. Yeah, the Tampa Bay Lightning can be a fireworks show, all right. At a […]

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Rays don’t do the simple things in defeat

April 12, 2018 general

Friday, 3 a.m. It’s the ultimate rule in baseball: The big moments will devour the bad teams. All of which lead to the Tampa Bay Rays, who have some explaining to do. The Rays lost a 2-1 game to the Chicago White Sox because they fell short in the crucial moments.  Content beyond this point […]

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Remembering the early days of the Lightning

April 11, 2018 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. In the early days, Phil Esposito stood in a barn and leaned over the rail. “Give me one game,” he was saying. “Just give me one game, and I’ll have you hooked.” As he talked, he stared at you. He did not blink. He was a salesman who believed in his product […]

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Rays win again despite Colome’s shaky finish

April 11, 2018 general

Wednesday, 3 a.m. Miracle of miracles, what we have here is a winning streak. Two games worth. Whee. The Tampa Bays followed a familiar pattern to its second straight win, and third of the season, on Tuesday in a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The Rays hit the ball decently, again, and held […]

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Ten Lightning players who could shine for Bolts

April 10, 2018 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. It was when Tyler Johnson earned his hat. It was when Nikolai Khabibulin became the wall. It was when Marty became a legend. Things change in the playoffs. The air becomes thinner. The space becomes tighter. The noise becomes louder. The moments become golden. It will be that way, presumably, for the […]

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Rays escape to finally win another game

April 10, 2018 general

Tuesday, 3 a.m. Alex Colome juggled chain saws. Sergio Romo jumped up and down on a tight rope. On the other hand, they survived. And they allowed their Tampa Bay Rays, finally, to do so alongside them. Both Romo and Colome worked their way out of jams in the eighth and ninth innings, and the […]

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Bolts prepare to face New Jersey in playoffs

April 9, 2018 general

Monday, 4:30 a.m. As it turns out, the Tampa Bay Lighting is in control of the home ice, after all. The Boston Bruins lost for the second time in three nights to the Florida Panthers Sunday night, giving the Atlantic Division title to the Bolts. That means the Lightning will open its playoffs on Thursday […]

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Rays blow huge lead for eighth straight defeat

April 9, 2018 general

Monday, 3 a.m. It’s hard to overstate the underachievement of the Tampa Bay Rays. Take Sunday, one of those rare games that  appeared to be in the control of the Rays. With four outs to go, they held a 7-2 lead over the Boston Red Sox. Finally, it appeared, they were going to generate enough […]

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