Believing in the Lightning isn’t always easy

May 18, 2016 general

Wednesday, 6 a.m. Funny thing, faith. It fades in an out of tune like an AM radio signal. A team plays well, and the ride feels good, and you cannot contain yourself. Why, this team is terrific. This season is terrific. Your arms cannot spread wide enough to hold all of them. Why, there is […]

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Bolts win a game, but it doesn’t feel like enough

May 17, 2016 general

Tuesday, 6 a.m. Repeat it to yourself: Things are okay for the Tampa Bay Lighting. Really, they are. Keep reminding yourself that the Bolts won one game in Pittsburgh, which has always been the battle plan for hockey teams. Remember that the Lightning came from two goals behind. Chant that the next two games are […]

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Vasilevskiy can give the Lightning a huge lead

May 16, 2016 general

Sunday 6 a.m. It is his job now. It is his net. For the time being, it is his team. Imagine Andrei Vasilevskiy. Imagine the pressure. Imagine walking through the locker room and feeling the eyes follow you around the room. He is 21 years old, the age of a college junior, and one of […]

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Rays get impressive start from Matt Andriese

May 15, 2016 general

Sunday, 6 a.m. Chris Archer? Yeah, Chris Archer. Arch is the guy you would have expected to pitch a game like this, right? He would have the command. He would have been in control. And if not Archer, maybe Drew Smyly. Yeah, for it would have been Drew Smyly. It would have been Smyly who […]

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Random Thoughts: Who should Schilling back?

May 15, 2016 general

Sunday, 6 a.m. Hello. I’m Curt Schilling, and I’ll bet it surprised you when I endorsed Donald Trump for president. Most of you might have expected Josef Stalin. – It was cute when Dwyayne Wade ran past Victor Olapido and flipped his hat the other night. Which is as close at the Orlando Magic has come […]

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Rays lose a lead as A’s Valencia hits three home runs

May 15, 2016 general

Monday, 5:30 a.m. Some losses hurt more than others. There are losses when a team falls just short, or has a great pitching performance. There are losses when there is a wobbly call by the umpire or a ground ball that wasn’t fielded. There are games that get away on the basepaths or in the […]

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Rowdies let a great story get away in draw

May 15, 2016 general

Sunday, 5:30 a.m. There for a second, the story seems to be written by fate. The new guy lands in the new world. He leads his new team to a win over a new franchise. Just like that, an old star is reborn. Joe Cole has become Joe Cool. Alas, the referee waved off Tommy […]

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Ask Gary: What’s the price of delusion in baseball?

May 14, 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 […]

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Lightning survives again to beat Pittsburgh in Playoffs

May 14, 2016 general

Saturday. 6 a.m. If a hole opened up in the ice, the Tampa Bay Lightning would survive. If crocodiles rose to the surface, the Lightning would survive. If Oren Koules returned and brought Marc Denis will with, even then, this edition of the Tampa Bay Lightning would survive. Has there ever been a team that […]

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Who would go into a Lightning Ring of Honor?

May 13, 2016 general

Friday, 6 a.m. Pictures the jerseys hanging from the rafters. Picture the fans pointing this number out and that one. Picture the shared stories. Consider the men. Consider the moments. Consider the memories. Think, if you will, about a Tampa Bay Lighting Ring of Honor. Oh, it doesn’t have to be in a circle around […]

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