Taking stock of the local professionals

Posted Dec 11, 2009 by Tom Jackson

Updated Dec 11, 2009 at 01:45 AM

Insiders say these Tampa Bay Lightning are just about right with a record of 11-11, the record representing this team well. They ought to be 11-11 or 12-12 or 10-10, something suggesting they are about average. However, on paper they are a lot better.

Example: Vinny Lecavalier is the most generous of men, and the Children’s Center that he just funded in St. Petersburg represents his best quality. He also is the team’s best player by salary and by deeds. He is better than his own personal record indicates and that probably is the difference, difficult as it is to say, between where the Lightning stand and where they probably should stand. Put another way, those other than Vinny should have come through and will come through. This is a good team, truly better than 11-11 in peak ability and performance.

The game Wednesday night at the Forum against Edmonton was a wonderful example of missed opportunities by the Lightning to score and claim victory.

Perhaps some of us are simply accustomed to more winning by the Lightning. The fact is this town needs them to perform. The Bucs did not this year, losing from the start and very nearly throughout under their new head coach, Raheem Morris. The Rays did not challenge sufficiently. The Tampa Bay Storm announced today they will be fielding their arena football team again under Coach Marcum. Good. They fill a need and I am one who believes that the Buccaneers’ future is strong.

This area craves football above all other sports. Morris and the Glazer family fill a need as well, but it needs to be filled a little better. We need a contender again, nothing less. This place needs a fire to be lit under it and sports can do that just as it has before when so many other things failed.

Phil Esposito certainly was farsighted when he brought the National Hockey League here in the face of so many who said ice hockey would not work. It has worked. Just as the Storm is now farsighted in joining Coach Marcum and his crowd in returning indoor football.

We all know how major league baseball can succeed here — evidence the Tampa Bay Rays without a home they want to call their own. Tropicana Field continues to be inadequate and Tampa has made no overtures at all to the baseball owners about moving their team to across the bay. However, this is an issue of interest to us all in the event things don’t work out for a new facility on the other side. I know of no effort in Tampa to get into that hot potato issue. But who knows what the future may bring. The team owners may get restless and sell, causing new ideas and alternatives to be invoked.

Babaloo!