Bucs free agents begin to chase their dreams

May 6, 2016 general

Friday, 5:45 a.m. Eventually, maybe they will think about the money. Or the celebrity. Or the cheering crowds. For now, what unites them is the dream. If you are concerned that too many players have retired too early from the NFL, then take a look around the country this week. Hundreds of players, undrafted, largely […]

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Are the Rays’ hitters improved this season?

May 5, 2016 general

Thursday, 6 a.m. Are they better, after all? Do they make better contact? Do they have more power? Are they more efficient with runners on base? And if so, how can you tell? The crucial question about the hitters of the Tampa Bay Rays did not take long to answer. Through all of the team’s […]

Tagged as: Dodgers, Hitters, Homers, Rays

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Lightning captures one of its most memorable wins

May 4, 2016 general

Wednesday, 6 a.m. There was the night Marty St. Louis forced Game Seven of the Stanley Cup with an overtime goal. There was the game Tyler Johnson scored with one second to play. There was Ruslan Fedotenko, who scored the winning two goals as the Lightning won the Stanley Cup. There were all those wins […]

Tagged as: Boyle, Drouin, Islanders, Kucherov, Lightning, playoffs

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Dodgers shell Tampa Bay in front of familiar faces

May 4, 2016 general

Wednesday, 6 a.m. Ever gone to an old home to see that, really, it wasn’t in very good shape. Tropicana Field, and the Tampa Bay Rays, probably looked that way to the familiar faces of the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night. Scott Kazmir, J.P. Howell, Carl Crawford and Andrew Friedman probably wondered what had happened […]

Tagged as: Dodgers, Jennings, Moore, Rays

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How much is fair to expect from Spence as a rookie?

May 3, 2016 general

Tuesday, 6 a.m. Forget about the drugs, if you can. Forget about his getting kicked out of the Big Ten. Forget about the parties, and the immaturity, and the journey back from nowhere. For the time being, just concentrate on the pass rush. For the time being, think about whether Noah Spence can finally provide […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Defensive End, pass rush, Spence

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Should the Bucs be criticized for drafting Aguayo?

May 2, 2016 general

Monday, 6 a.m. I am confused. I am baffled. I am gobsmacked. The Tampa Bay Bucs, who have spent a good deal of their history blowing draft picks, have added an undeniable weapon. They have added a half-dozen points a game. They have every right to expect that they had drafted the finest kicker in […]

Tagged as: Aguayo, Buc;s, Draft, Licht

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Bullpen falters in Rays’ loss to Toronto

May 1, 2016 general

Sunday 8:15 p.m. The wrong pitchers were backed by the wrong defense. That led to the wrong result for the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday. A game got away, sudden and completely, from the Rays in the ninth inning. The Rays and Toronto Blue Jays were tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth ining. But […]

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Drouin finds his place with the Lightning

May 1, 2016 general

Sunday, 6 a.m. Imagine being Jonathan Drouin. Imagine being lost, being abandoned, being forgotten. Imagine being home in a holdout to which the rest of the world paid little attention. Imagine hating the past, and questioning the future, and wondering about the present. Imagine no one in the league — no one — offering enough […]

Tagged as: Drouin, Holdout, Lightning, playoffs

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Rays take rare walkoff win against Toronto

May 1, 2016 general

Sunday, 5:30 a.m. There is nothing like a walkoff victory by a baseball team. It is athletes unbridled. It is sheer joy. It is a victory that cannot get away. Around here, it is rare. When Curt Casali, he of the .146 batting average, drove in Brad Miller, he of the .185 average, it was […]

Tagged as: Blue Jays, Casali, Rays, Walkoff

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Ask Gary: Which league has evolved the most?

April 30, 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 […]

Tagged as: Buc;s, Changes, Minicamps, Rays

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