Ramos, Cobb finishing strong for the Rays

September 23, 2017 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. They are battery mates, a pitcher and a catcher, and they are united by pain and recovery. For Wilson Ramos and Alex Cobb, Friday night was a chance to see how far each of them has come. Cobb won his 12th game of the year, a career high, in his efforts to […]

Read the full article →

Stamkos returns to ice in Lightning preseason win

September 23, 2017 general

Saturday, 2 a.m. The sharp profile has not changed. Neither has his uniform. Still, Steven Stamkos is back, and for the Tampa Bay Lightning, that has to mean something. Stamkos saw his first action of the preseason Friday night in a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Stamkos had his first assist of two only […]

Read the full article →

Defense, of all things, leads Bulls over Temple

September 22, 2017 general

Friday, 5 a.m. Once, they were Offense Inc. Today, they are Defense, Unlimited. In a few short months, it has been incredible to watch the transformation of the USF Bulls. Last year, they were a blur, running past everyone and leaving it to the defense to hang onto the ropes. Last year, they were a […]

Read the full article →

Taking care of the ball a goal for Bucs’ Winston

September 22, 2017 general

Friday, 3 a.m. Sometimes, a quarterback’s success isn’t measured by the touchdowns he throws. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many yards he gains. Sometimes, and this is particularly true of Bucs’ quarterback James Winston, the real test is in just how clean a game he can play. That’s one reason the Bucs were pleased with […]

Read the full article →

Rays fall to Orioles after shaky beginning

September 22, 2017 general

Friday, 2 a.m. This close to the finish — and to being finished — you might think the Tampa Bay Rays had figured out their starts. Evidently, they have not. The Rays were wrong from the first Thursday night. In the top of the inning, center fielder Mallex Smith was thrown out trying to steal […]

Read the full article →

Brand new Snell leads Rays past Cubs

September 21, 2017 general

Thursday, 3 a.m. He looks the same. He’s still tall, still left-handed, still elbows and knees. He’s still young. He sounds the same. He still has that slow speech, that pronounced drawl. But there is a difference to Blake Snell. There is a different air, a different confidence to his bearing. He seems smarter, wiser, […]

Read the full article →

This time, the Bucs had better grab Dalvin Cook

September 21, 2017 general

Thursday, 2 a.m. They didn’t grab him in the NFL draft. Now, they have to grab him on the field instead. Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook, a trendy pick in the mock drafts last off-season to be the Bucs’ selection, leads the Minnesota Vikings into their game against the Bucs on Sunday. Cook is third […]

Read the full article →

The Predictions: USF should avenge loss to Temple

September 21, 2017 general

Thursday, 1 a.m. Looking back, it wasn’t just that Temple beat the USF Bulls in 2016. It’s that they owned them. Temple physically dominated the Bulls, going on to win a 46-20 game. Temple rushed for 319 yards in that game, which would keep USF home during the conference championship game. But that was long […]

Read the full article →

Ask the experts: Tim and Jerry

September 21, 2017 general

Here at GarySheltonsports.com, we have doubled our experts with the addition of former Bucs’ personnel director and former Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell. He joins his old friend and co-worker Jerry Angelo, a former personnel director for the Bucs and former general manager of the Bears. Each week, Angelo and Ruskell answer your questions regarding the NFL. […]

Read the full article →

The glory years: Joe reflects on Rays’ success

September 20, 2017 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. The rest of us are getting grayer. Joe Maddon’s hair is getting darker. The old energy was there again Tuesday as Maddon walked through the corridors of Tropicana Field. His step was quick, and his speech was fast, and his smile came in a hurry. He was the same old Joe, one […]

Read the full article →