By ROY CUMMINGS
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
HOUSTON - Based on what they saw prior to Thursday’s preseason game against Houston, the Bucs probably feel pretty good about their plan to have QB Josh Freeman return to practice in time for the season opener against Cleveland.
Freeman spent nearly an hour throwing balls to a variety of receiving targets and even participated in a traditional pre-game ritual in which the quarterbacks try to hit the cross bar connecting the uprights of the goal post.
Freeman injured the thumb on his right (throwing) hand nine plays into the Bucs second preseason game and was immediately shelved. The Bucs expect Freeman to practice the week of the opener and to start against Cleveland.
His work Thursday was an indication he’s right on target. In addition to making nearly 50 throws, most of which seemed crisp and on target, Freeman took several simulated shotgun snaps.
Freeman did not show any signs of favoring his right thumb during the throwing session, but he was careful to catch any ball thrown to him with his left hand.
Rafael Soriano was named the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award for August.
This Major League Baseball award recognizes the most outstanding relief pitcher during each month of the regular season as voted on by a panel from Major League Baseball.
Soriano recorded a 0.84 ERA and led the Majors with 10 saves during the month of August, successfully converting each of his save opportunities. In 10.2 innings pitched, Rafael allowed just four hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to a .108 batting average.
A first-time All-Star in 2010, Soriano made five consecutive appearances without allowing a base-runner from August 9th – 21st, collecting five saves with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings pitched.
The 30-year-old right-hander closed out games in three consecutive days on August 21st – 22nd at Oakland, and on August 23rd at Angel Stadium, striking out the side on nine pitches in the ninth inning. Soriano became the first pitcher to strike out the side on nine pitches this season and the first to do so while converting a save since LaTroy Hawkins accomplished the feat for the Chicago Cubs in 2004.
The San Jose, Dominican Republic native leads the Majors with 40 saves (two ahead of San Francisco’s Brian Wilson) and his 95.2% (40-for-42) save percentage also ranks best among Major Leaguers.
Soriano, who is in his first season with the Rays, ranks third on the club’s single-season saves list behind Danys Baez (41 in 2005) and Roberto Hernandez (43 in 1999). Rafael, who also won the award in May and July, joins Trevor Hoffman (4 times) and Joe Nathan (3 times) as the only relievers with three career Delivery Man of the Month Awards.
Prior to 2010, no pitcher had ever been honored multiple times in the same season dating back to the award’s inception in 2005.
Other relievers receiving votes included Joakim Soria (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 SV, 13.0 IP, 2 BB, 13 SO) of the Kansas City Royals; Brandon Lyon (0-1, 2.45 ERA, 9 SV, 18.1 IP, 8 BB, 13 SO) of the Houston Astros; San Francisco’s Brian Wilson (1-1, 0.69 ERA, 7 SV, 13.0 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO); and Philadelphia’s Brad Lidge (0-0, 0.73 ERA, 8 SV, 12.1 IP, 1 BB, 12 SO).
By JIM LEE
Freshwater
As the weather sweetens, so does the catch ratio. It has been a little windy, but hey, the fish don’t know that. This week, bass anglers did better or fished more; either way, the catches were better. Bluegill anglers, look for the new moon phase next week and go get a bucket full. Moving water will still be the best place to look for bass.
HILLSBOROUGH RIVER: Hong Kong Willie, (813) 770-4794: Creek runoff places are the hot spots for bass. Bluegill and warmouth perch are the easy catches in the river. Bluegill action is increasing, so now is the time to go for panfish. One of the most peaceful fishing experiences is fishing while canoeing down the river.
KISSIMMEE CHAIN: Grape Hammock Fish Camp, (863) 692-1500: Bluegill action has been fair, but will get better next week as the new moon comes in. Bass action this week was better, with lots of bass taken. Bass anglers can expect limits and bass to 8 pounds. Live shiners are best for bigger bass, as a rule.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: J & S Fish Camp, (772) 597-4455: Bass anglers are taking limits and some fish to 4 pounds. Bluegill are still biting well for most anglers.
LAKE PANASOFFKEE: Pana Vista Lodge, (352) 793-2061: Bass catches were up this week with the better weather. Limits of bass can be caught, with most of them 2 to 3 pounds. Bluegill are still biting and should pick up next week with the new moon.
Saltwater
One crew on a scallop expedition last week did not get limits, as the water was murky and tides strong, laying the grass down flat. With the rains gone, now we have wind. But that won’t last too long. Mackerel are still viable offshore and in the passes. If you can get offshore, red grouper are biting very well. Fish offshore for grouper in 60 to 80 feet of water. Grouper, mangrove snapper and grunt can be caught. The best offshore catches are in 100 to 200 feet, or more. Fish the Sunshine Skyway area for redfish, tarpon and mackerel.
RUSKIN: South Shore Bait & Tackle, (813) 641-2010: Tarpon are being caught at Fort Manatee. Redfish are running rampant, with 30 to 40 fish caught. Mangrove snapper are spotty, with some anglers catching 4-pounders. Sharks are still around the power plant.
UPPER TAMPA BAY: Cody’s Bait & Tackle, (813) 884-3100: Live chubs, shrimp or artificial lures will catch mostly redfish and some resident snook. Redfish are the fish to target. Fish the mouths of the creeks and Channel A. Tarpon are getting harder to come by.
SOUTH PINELLAS: Captain Paul Hawkins, (727) 560-6762: Tarpon can still be caught, but you’d better hurry. Captain Paul is still jumping good-sized fish. Redfish are also very hot. Snook are still on the beaches.
FISHING PIERS: South Pier, (941) 729-0117: Fish the pier for mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, flounder and even a stray tarpon or grouper.
MID-PINELLAS PARTY BOATS: Offshore bottom fishing from Hubbard’s John’s Pass Marina and Kingfish dock, (727) 393-1947: Go offshore for a deep sea fishing extravaganza. Fish the deeper waters for mangrove snapper and gray snapper (grunt). You also might catch porgies and amberjack.
GANDY BAIT & TACKLE: (813) 839-5551: The Gandy Bridge is closed to fishing. However, Gandy Bait and Tackle is the place to go in this area for live bait and tackle. The upper bay is producing mostly redfish.
CLEARWATER TO DUNEDIN: Captain Brian Mathey, (727) 667-8291: The winds were up after the rains, and not many boats have been out. Redfish are the target from the Sunshine Skyway north. Freshwater run-off made it difficult to find fish. Snook are still on the beaches. Fish the passes for mackerel.
KEATON BEACH (PERRY): One More Cast guide service, (850) 584-9145: Not many scallop limits were taken, with the overcast and freshwater run-off clouding the water. Add strong tides that lay the grass down, and scalloping was tough. This was mostly the same for fishing, with not may fish caught. Anglers who did go took three or four trout.
HERNANDO BEACH: Captain Mike Craig, (727) 992-9494: Offshore fishing has been difficult, with the thunderstorms and now the wind. However, the conditions are getting better for the weekend. Red grouper are in the best supply. Gags are in deeper water from 50 to 60 feet of water.
FLY FISHING: Tarpon time is getting shorter. Redfish are the easy catch and will give you a workout on a light fly rod. We are about 30 to 60 days from fantastic fall fishing.
Everyone dreams of emulating their sporting heroes whether it be holing a putt like Nick Faldo, hitting a home run like Carl Crawford or throwing a touchdown pass like Trent Dilfer. OK any other quarterback who actually threw one then.
But of course in reality our chances of doing so are about the same as Trent’s so we live and dream. Or play some kind of sports simulation game.
The technical advances in computer games are making them more realistic every year. OK so you need about 14 fingers to play Madden 11 on the X-Box and only genetically modified freaks can play the game to its true potential, but whatever the platform, you can take control of players and make the plays on a virtual playing field.
And all those jokes about the holodeck on Star Trek - The Next Generation are becoming less relevant as virtual reality games become closer and closer to reality.
And then you have the managerial strategy games, the ones where you can be the coach or off-field general manager but that sacrifice true playability for true reality. And I am old enough to have spend all too many evenings playing the legendary Statis-Pro Football.
Using playing cards from 1984 and having a friend who supported the Marino-led Dolphins in those days was not tantamount to a lot of success, but the game was superbly realistic as you called formations, plays and strategy with every player having their own card. OK so I took it a new level by sticking their headshot pictures on the back of those cards and decorating the playing field with Buc logos but that was just me.
And there was Statis Pro Baseball too and I remember simulating every game of the Kansas City Royals’ 1985 season using Pennant Race to run all the other games, taking Bret Saberhagen, George Brett and the like to a virtual World Series where I lost in six games to the New York Mets (thanks Howard Johnson!)
Modern programming changes mean the PC can replace manual cards for these games and although Statis-Pro never made the conversion, there is the excellent Front Office Football to satisfy your needs to be GM Mark Dominik on the football field, or the magnificent Diamond Mind baseball for the Joe Maddons out there.
Perhaps one day you will taking your Wii 6.0, loading up Madden 23 and walking on to a virtual playing field to become a Buccaneer quarterback. And then you can load in the 2010 players and their data and then throw a perfect pass for Michael Clayton to drop. Then you really will be emulating your heroes.
You’ve been great - enjoy Billy Ocean.
By FRANK SARGEANT
The best bet continues to be Spanish mackerel in and around Tampa Bay and along surrounding beaches. Captain Richard Seward, who has been fishing the area for decades, reports that this is the best mackerel action in memory, both for numbers and size, and plenty of fish are approaching 4 pounds.
The easy way to find Spanish is to get out early and look for them breaking on top. A swirl of terns and gulls usually marks the spot. Ease into these schools and cast a spoon or Gotcha plug and crank it back fast for an instant hookup.
Another sure way to connect is to anchor in the area where fish are breaking — often around spoil islands near the shipping channels or close to the channel buoys — and chum with cut baitfish, particularly threadfins. The scent lures the fish in, and you can catch them on a live threadfin or sardine, nose-hooked and fished on a length of 30-pound-test mono as a bite leader.
Tarpon are still around in the backwaters — anywhere there are glass minnow schools remaining, the fish are likely to be feeding on top. Port Manatee is a good place to start searching, and the waters of Old Tampa Bay north of the bridges and all the way up to Philippi Park are all likely to be holding these fish. The north shore of Old Tampa Bay is also a good area to scout for redfish, particularly around Rocky Creek and Doublebranch.
The hot-weather trout bite continues, mostly over broken grass at depths of more than 6 feet, with jigs and swimbaits the best offerings.
Tribune correspondent Frank Sargeant can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
A former college basketball coach is replacing Tom Mosca at Jefferson.
Jim Baxter, who has coaching stints at Bethune-Cookman, Monmouth, FAMU and Tallahassee Comunity College on his resume, will take over the girls basketball position that became available when Mosca took an assistant coaching job at the Air Force Academy.
“He’s got an extensive coaching resume,” Jefferson athletic director Bob Morgan said. “He’s like Tom Mosca, he’s got a lot of years in basketball.”
Baxter inherits a team that advanced to the state Final Four last season and loses just one starter, Jade Givens.
“He went to a few of our games last year,” Morgan said of Baxter, whose wife Michelle Woods-Baxter is an assitant coach at USF. “He’s familiar with our players.”
Jesuit administration will withhold senior linebacker Anthony Harrell from playing in the season opener Friday against Lakeland Kathleen, the school announced Thursday.
In a statement released by the school, Jesuit administration explained “the decision to withhold is based on a rule involving transfer students for which the Athletic Department awaits clarification from the Florida High School Athletic Association.”
When contacted Wednesday by the Tribune, FHSAA spokesperson Seth Polansky said there was no open investigation involving Jesuit’s football program.
Harrell transferred to Jesuit from Freedom during the summer. His father, James Harrell, accepted Hthe head coaching position at Jesuit this spring after one season as Freedom’s head football coach. When reached via text, James Harrell declined comment.
Yes I am really, really, ready for some FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, Yes that is right Bucified Bert is Back and ready for some FOOTBALL. Are You READY?? This is just a dress rehearsal before my weekly blog stars up again, one more preseason and we will be ready for the attack blog on them Chumps Cleveland Browns… We have on more preseason Game..Please join me tomorrow on WFLA 970 Radio I am going on the show to talk with THE JACK Harris and the GANG..
My Fanatical Friends I must apologize, for taking so much time producing my 30 minutes television show, which will air this Sunday Sept 5, 2010 @ 2:00 pm on NBC/WFLA News Channel 8. This special was very hard to produce with all the elements I wanted in the 30 min program…
The emphasis for the 3rd Bucified & OLE IS Alive special will be placed on the students with diverse backgrounds. It will illustrate how they overcame their toughest challenges in life to graduate from high school. The entire special will showcase their success with the hope that they can inspire other Dream Seeking Students in our community who need to see and hear what is possible, so that they might do the same in 2011 and beyond. These wonderful young men and women have had tough challenges to overcome to win the Bucified award. The standards are high for our future Bucified leaders. Last year, the Bucified & Ole is Alive 2009 program was, according to Nielsen, was rated number two in terms of viewership in it time slot. This year we expect the viewership to make us number one.
Once again we congratulate the Bucified Bert’s awards recipients and they are: Middleton High School’s Vasty Paul, Jerlna T. Jackson and Elisse Jean-Pierre of Hillsborough High School and Jaclyn Svetlena Stephens from Brandon High and I am happy to say that they are all in collage and I am so happy….
We are also very excited to announce Highland Homes ( http://www.HighlandHomes.org), The Value Leader in new home construction, as a new title sponsor and primary scholarship funder. In addition, we are grateful to Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who has recognized the program in an official affirmation letter.
The Bucified & OLE Is Alive Television Special will be hosted by WFLA –TV Morning News Anchor Rod Carter and will also feature new music produced at Ron Rose Studios (http://ronroseproductions.com/) which will feature BK Jackson and the Bucified Dream Seeker Student performers. The song was written to reinforce the BUCIFIED Ideology of safety and awareness through the acronym BUCIFIED. Many students in the Tampa Bay area teamed up with Bucified Bert to make it happen. Living legend and retired teacher Dorothy C. York will be honored by giving a Book Scholarship to one this years Dream Seeker “OLE Is Alive” recipients. In addition, expect to see some famous people like Mike Alstott, Derrick Brooks, Deion Sanders, Mark Lunsford and a few more surprise guests. The all new “Bucified Bert” 2010 costume will also be unveiled. Please take a moment to see the trailer we put together on YouTube.
You can see one of my Dream Seeker students version of promoting the BUCIFIED & OLE Is Alive 2010 also, by clicking on his YOUTUBE LINK!
ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG—Things can only get better for Brad Hawpe in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey.
Right?
According to the blog “Stats & Info,” Hawpe is just the fourth player since 1900 to go 0-for-4 with four strikes in his debut after changing teams.
Stats & Info credited the Elias Sports Bureau for the research.
Hawpe, who left the bases loaded in the eighth and stranded six runners during the Rays 2-1 win against the Blue Jays, joins Willy Taveras of the 2007 Rockies, Ernie Whitt of the 1991 Orioles and Harmon Killebrew of the 1975 Royals.
The blog also dug up this nugget about David Price, who earned his 16th win of the season Wednesday:
- “David Price continued to dominate the Blue Jays this season improving to 4-0 with a 0.58 ERA against Toronto. Wednesday Price mixed things up. After Blue Jays hitters swung-and-missed only three times on his fastball last time out on June 9, Price went to his off-speed stuff more often this time. He threw only 63 fastballs on Wednesday, his fewest total in any start this year. Mixing in more off-speed stuff helped make Price’s fastball more effective. He recorded 11 swings-and-misses on his fastball, his highest against Toronto this season.”
For more, go to http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/5743/hawpes-debut-historically-bad.
Please join us Friday night for scoring updates, analysis and good-hearted fun as Week One of the prep football season unfolds. We were very proud to have been voted No. 4 on the list of “Top Friday Night Things To Do In Tampa Bay’’ (we’d like to see the top three), so join us for a prep football tradition like no other.
Plant junior defensive back David Lerom suffered a broken arm during Wednesday night’s practice and will undergo surgery next week to repair the damage.
Lerom, who splits time at the free safety with junior James Few, started last week against Manatee and was slated to start against Tampa Bay Tech Friday night. He’s been getting the bulk of the reps at practice this week while Few nurses a hamstring injury. Plant coach Robert Weiner said Few could be ready to go Friday, but if not, senior Scott Greacen would fill in.
The Panthers travel to Tampa Bay Tech Friday night to open the regular season.
Last season, Plant defeated eventual Class 5A state champ Martin County in a tough four-set match in the semifinals and host Buchholz in the tournament final to capture the 2009 Gator Town Classic.
This weekend, the Panthers are heading back to Gainesville to defend their title, but they won’t be the only local team hoping for a chance to win the 16-team tournament. Plant will be joined by Clearwater, Durant, Steinbrenner and Tampa Prep.
Pool play begins Friday to determine which teams advance to either the gold, silver, bronze or copper division brackets on Saturday. Matches will be played at Buchholz and Santa Fe High.
Here are the pools (matches are best 2 of 3). First place teams advance to the gold bracket, second place to silver, etc.:
Pool A: Orlando Bishop Moore, Jacksonville Providence, Ocala Vanguard, Durant.
Pool B: Plant, Gainesville Buchholz, Steinbrenner, Oak Hall.
Pool C: Jacksonville Bolles, Tampa Prep, Santa Fe, Tallahassee Lincoln.
Pool D: Gainesville, Jensen Beach (2009 4A state champs), Clearwater, St. Johns.
The tournament championship will be played Saturday at 2:45 p.m.
It is time to suggest how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will do in the season ahead.
They should be just fine. Anything good will be a plus and a surprise. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, always sympathetic to the Bucs franchise, was here a couple of days ago and left with the conclusion that the Buccaneers will win a couple of games. Two. That seems to be pretty much the consensus in most look-aheads for the season. That is good - once again, nothing much is expected of these Buccaneers, so anything good is a positive.
All that coincides with the prediction here. The 2010 Buccaneer season projection is about as it was in the beginning, when Steve Spurrier was the quarterback, and continues today.
I mean, if the best-known player on your roster is a cornerback, as is Ronde Barber, then the expectations can’t be overwhelming. The Buccaneers made no great trades in the offseason, acquired no particular great players, and return the same newish head coach in Raheem Morris, then the summation of Buc talent man Mark Dominik at the end of last season continues to appear to be accurate.
“We are going to get better quickly. We have 10 draft picks for next season (this season) and they are going to help us. We are going to be very, very careful,” Dominik said. And yes, they have been careful. The Bucs are sticking with Coach Morris, with Josh Freeman at quarterback, and with their better players from recent years, plus a draft Dominik considers strong.
Dominik thinks his coaches can make running back Cadillac Williams into the star he and they want him to be and that the Bucs have a strong basis of sound players such as tackles Donald Penn and Jeremy Trueblood, tight end Kellen Winslow, fullback Earnest Graham and Williams, whom he hopes can live up to the name Cadillac.
Do not forget that the Bucs owners, the Malcolm Glazer family, have endorsed Morris by keeping him in the lead role. Perhaps one reason is Morris never stops talking — he has no periods in his vocabulary, so he is never giving anyone an opportunity to interrupt him. Morris truly has a machine gun commentary and a body load of confidence, so much so that he allows his leader to be a defensive back, such as Ronde Barber, a good one for that role.
This great city in which we live has gotten greater with the increased involvement of the Glazer family, with co-chairman Bryan Glazer, 45, apparently in the lead on behalf of his father, who has had considerable health problems. Bryan represented the Glazer Family Foundation to donate $5 million dollars to the Children’s Museum in downtown Tampa. Bryan also has moved to Tampa and bought a home on Harbor Island. All that the Glazers have done here is first class.
The family also is involved in the consolidation of its vast overseas operations that include the Manchester United soccer operation in the U.K.
The family seems committed to Tampa and its future, as was the late George Steinbrenner when he brought the New York Yankees to our place and committed his family’s future to that which included Tampa. This place is far better because of the commitment of the Glazers and Steinbrenner families.
Thanks for coming. Thanks for staying. Thanks for the future your sports operations assure.
Now, what we need is a champion.
The 2010 prep football season officially begins Friday and there’s a great matchup in Week 1: Plant at Tampa Bay Tech.
/
This is a much-anticipated rematch of last year’s season opener at Plant, where TBT rallied from a 24-0 third-quarter deficit to beat the Panthers 32-30 in one of the most exciting prep games ever in Hillsborough County.
Plant is coming off a humbling 48-10 loss to Manatee is last week’s nationally-televised preseason game in Bradenton. The Titans, meanwhile, knocked off Plant City 14-7 in their Kickoff Classic.
TBT is out to prove last year’s win over eventual Class 5A state champion Plant was no fluke. The Panthers probably want a little revenge from last season’s loss to the Titans but seem more concerned about correcting mistakes from last week’s game.
To get a glimpse at how these two standout squads are preparing for Friday’s showdown on Orient Road, check out the photos from practice sessions this week by following this link: http://www2.tbo.com/photoalbum/2010/sep/01/game-of-the-week-preparations-plant-vs-tbt/
And as always, come to TBO.com for the best coverage of prep sports in Hillsborough County. Each Friday night, we’ll have live updates and scores from Friday’s area football games, as well as “Football Friday Night Live” an interactive forum hosted by preps guru and all-around sports genius Joey Johnston. And it’s all free!
And then there were six.
From the nearly 50 Division I scholarship offers, Alonso’s Anthony Chickillo has picked his final six. Chickillo told the Tampa Tribune, he will choose among Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and USF when he makes his pick.
The senior defensive end will announce his college decision during a ceremony at his school on Sept. 9th at 2 p.m. Chickillo had originally planned to announce his decision on ESPN, but the space confines of the television studio limited the amount of people he could invite. So instead, he’ll be surrounded by friends and family at Alonso.
Advertisement
