Tampa gets an up-close look at Koetter, coach

September 23, 2016 general

Friday, 5 a.m. Two games in, and Dirk Koetter is beginning to realize the mountain in front of him. The first game? It was the first game. It was against his old opponents. And his receivers kept making highlight plays. The second game? It was miserable. It was embarrassing. And his quarterback kept handing the […]

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Rays’ Chris Archer pitches well, but loses 19th

September 23, 2016 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. It started badly. It ended terribly. And in between, the Tampa Bay Rays spent a lot of time not scoring in a 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Pitcher Chris Archer lost his 19th game of the year — a franchise record — after giving up a two-run homer in the […]

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How many big games does Jackson have left?

September 22, 2016 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. He looked stiff. He looked slow. He looked cautious. For crying out loud, Vincent Jackson looked old. Ever see a codger try to cross a busy street? That was Jackson, who looked out of place, out of synch and, for crying out loud, out of speed. On a day when the Bucs […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Jackson, Koetter, Rams

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The vanishing mythology of parity in the NFL

September 21, 2016 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Back in the early days of optimism – last week, if you can remember that long ago – there were a few reasons you thought the Bucs might break through to be a playoff team this year. They had a quarterback. The defense was better. The coach made more sense. They had […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Parity, playoffs, Winston

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Sanchez makes the Rays pay for decision

September 21, 2016 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays thought about it, and they decided to pitch to rookie slugger Mark Sanchez with two on and two out in the seventh inning. Well, oops. Sanchez, a rookie, hit the first pitch for a three-run homer to lead the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay. The […]

Tagged as: Boxberger, Rays, Sanchez, Yankees

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Winston suffers turnover outburst once again

September 20, 2016 general

Tuesday, 6 a.m. Back in the day, former Bucs’ quarterback Brad Johnson had the friendliest little description of an interception. “Flukes,” he called them. It didn’t matter if the ball was tipped four times, or if he hit the free safety between the numbers. Johnson, competitive cuss that he was, would not give in. He […]

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Bucs still trying to move from NFL’s Skid Row

September 19, 2016 general

Monday, 4 a.m. In the NFL, there is a mansion on the hill. It is surrounded by orange groves and tennis courts. A Rolls-Royce is parked in front. The Tampa Bay Bucs do not live here. This is the Patriots mansion. The place where they mail Bill Belichick’s rings to him. There are lesser houses […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Cards, Koetter, Winston

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Random thoughts: Bucs face lesser Cards

September 18, 2016 College Sports in Florida

Sunday, 6 a.m. Hello, I’m Jameis Winston. And at least the Bucs only have the Arizona Cardinals today. It could be worse. We could have the Louisville Cardinals. – So it’s okay that Katie Ladecky brought home $335,000 in medal bonuses and was fine. But she would have lost her college eligibililty if she accepted […]

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Ask Gary: Can the Lightning sign Kucherov?

September 17, 2016 College Sports in Florida

(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, make a comment […]

Tagged as: Big 12, Florida, Kucherov, USF

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Debating who was worse among the NFL teams

September 16, 2016 general

Friday, 6 a.m. “Hugh Culverhouse.” “Bill Bidwill.” “Vinny Testaverde.” “Kelly Stouffer.” And off we went. Once more, into the debate that wouldn’t end. Former St. Louis Globe-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz and I would run into each other in a press box, and we would make small talk, and we would talk about the issues of […]

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