Defense has to show up for Lightning to win

May 26, 2016 general

Thursday, 6 a.m. There for a while, Victor Hedman was the Ice Linebacker. He was fast, and he was large, and never seemed to make a mistake. He skated, and the opponents got the dickens out of his way. He single-handedly made a mortal out of John Tavares. For the second straight year, there was […]

Read the full article →

Lightning believes it has one more surprise in them

May 25, 2016 general

Wednesday, 6 a.m. Sometime in the first period, you doubted. Didn’t you? Sometime in the second, you questioned. Admit it. Sometime before the night was over, you considered giving up, didn’t you. The Lightning looked that lethargic, and the Penguins looked that spirited, and there for a while, you looked for the white flag. You […]

Read the full article →

Should Cooper be considered for coach of the year?

May 24, 2016 general

Tuesday, 6 a.m. At a key moment in the conference finals, the NHL Coach of the Year was looking under the couch for the remote control. When the game went into overtime, he was fishing a Cheez Doodle out of his navel. When it was time to tweak his line, he decided that a ham […]

Read the full article →

Kucherov making a name for himself in playoffs

May 23, 2016 general

Monday, 6 a.m. Once, you looked at Marty St. Louis the way you look at Nikita Kucherov. He, too, had the magic. He, too, had the touch. Once, you looked at Steven Stamkos the way you look at Kucherov. He, too, carried the hope of this team. He, too, was the difference-maker. Once, you looked […]

Read the full article →

Random Thoughts: Is Brady among most hatable?

May 22, 2016 general

Sunday, 6 a.m. Hello. I’m Russell Wilson, and in today’s commencement speech, I’m going to talk about winning an Academy Award, being a congressman and Saving Private Ryan. What? These things are supposed to be true? – USA puts the Bucs at 7.5 wins this year but predicts they will go over. – Some polls […]

Read the full article →

Ask Gary: Are relievers paid by the hour?

May 21, 2016 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, make a comment […]

Read the full article →

Lightning lives after almost dying in third

May 21, 2016 general

Saturday, 5:45 a.m. Give up one goal, and it’s a nuisance. Yeah, Andrei Vasilveskiy lost his shutout. But that’s why heaven invented 4-0 leads. What’s the worry? Give up a second goal, and it’s a dilemma. Here come those dangerous Penguins again, scoring as quickly as a sneeze. Still, it’s going to be okay. Right? […]

Read the full article →

Will the Bucs’ offense really be better in 2016?

May 20, 2016 general

Friday, 6 a.m. They will be better. Of course they will be better. Absolutely. They’ll be eaten up by progress. Won’t they? Why, Jameis Winston will improve his quarterback rating. Doug Martin won’t suffer from bad games. Mike Evans won’t drop as many balls. Right? The offensive braintrust of the Tampa Bay Bucs sits at […]

Read the full article →

Ask the Expert: Jerry Angelo

May 19, 2016 general

Jerry Angelo is a former personnel director for the Bucs and former general manager of the Bears. Each week, Angelo answers your questions regarding the NFL. Send your questions to GarySheltonsports@gmail.com with “ask the expert” in the subject line. The most interesting question will be selected. Thursday, 6 a.m. This is one of my favorite […]

Read the full article →

Lightning can’t stop Pittsburgh’s dangerous offense

May 19, 2016 general

Thursday, 5:30 a.m. Is this how it ends, in a hail of bullets, with the Lightning unable to match the offense of the Pittsburgh Penguins? Is this how the door closes, with a swarm of bees, with a goaltender desperately trying to swat the odds around from his face? Is this how the season closes, […]

Read the full article →