Hey everyone, sorry about the delay in getting back on here to name the blog. Been a crazy couple of days trying to get more settled into the new job.
Anyway, thanks to all those who commented and wrote with suggestions for naming the blog. I like the way you folks think. Lots of strong suggestions. Instead of me ruling over the naming rights of this blog like a dictator, let’s put it up to a vote.
Also, some good news: the person whose entry wins the vote still gets a free lunch on me up to $25, but I also have a $25 gift card from footballfanatics.com to throw in courtesy of Aaron Knox at TBO.com.
So, I’ve chosen four entries from you guys and the name I had in mind (Shootin’ the Bull—no one else suggested this one so I may not have a chance) ... When you vote, simply list your choices in order of preference…we’ll use a point system to determine the winner: 10 points for top choice, 7 points for second, 5 points for third, three points for fourth, and one point for fifth.
Let’s keep the poll open until Tuesday at midnight; that way, we’ll have a new name by kickoff at Rutgers on Thursday. And if by chance my entry wins, the second-place entry gets the gifts.
So, the poll is now open. Here are the five choices and in parenthesis the person who suggested the name:
Shootin’ the Bull (yours truly)
The Herd Huddle (StateRoad42)
The Bull Session (Buller64)
Full of Bull (T Bever)
The Bulls Brigade (JP_813)
As you can see, the word Bull is a popular one in this contest. Thanks for playing along.
By ROY CUMMINGS
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TAMPA – The Bucs have finally replaced the Gaines Adams banner on the southeast corner of Raymond James Stadium.
And the winner is:
Cadillac Williams.
You have to think there was some thought given to putting quarterback Josh Freeman in that spot but it’s probably a little too early for that.
Cambridge Christian senior baseball players Matt Fishman and Derek Self have picked up their first offers to play at the next level, Lancers coach Rick Shears said Friday.
Fishman, a right-handed pitcher, received one from Quincy University, a Division II program. Self, a left-handed pitcher/outfielder, received one from Webber International, an NAIA program.
Both players played big roles in Cambridge Christian reaching their second consecutive state title game last season, respecially on the mound. Fishman and Self were the Lancers’ Nos. 1 and 2 starters, respectively.
Fishman went 8-5 with a 2.18 ERA. Self went 6-0 with a 2.27 ERA.
Both were good offensive threats as well. Fishman hit .447 (in 47 at-bats) and Self hit .342 (in 79 at-bats).
On the surface, Tampa Bay Tech’s matchup tonight with Wharton looks like somewhat of a trap game. The Wildcats are just 2-6 on the season, and a huge matchup with Hillsborough looms the following week.
The game against the Terriers is especially intriguing because Tampa Bay Tech kept Hillsborough out of the playoffs last year (by defeating the Terriers in a late-season district matchup), and a win this year – coupled with a win over Plant earlier this season – would vault the Titans program into a level of respectability never before achieved.
In reality, however, tonight’s matchup is the biggest of the season for the Titans. A win over the Wildcats not only would give Tampa Bay Tech a second consecutive playoff berth, it also would give the Titans just their second district title in program history (the other was in 2000).
And Titans coach C.C. Culpepper said he’s stressed that point to his team all this week.
“It’s been Wharton, Wharton, Wharton,” Culpepper said, adding he’s not only expressed the point verbally, but also with visual reminders in the locker room. “It’s very visible that Wharton is the most important game of the season.”
Tampa Bay Tech’s turnaround under Culpepper, now in his third season, has been nothing short of astounding. He took over a program in 2007 that had lost 20 consecutive games and has posted three consecutive winning seasons. Culpepper views the chance to claim a district crown as the next step for his rising program.
“We definitely have goals set for this team, this program and this school. There is a lot of weight on us as players and coaches,” Culpepper said. “We know what we have to do. We just have to play football.”
You have to love the NFL politicians when they spoke before the Wembley game. Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft and Alastair Kirkwood, all talking about the potential for an NFL franchise in London within the next few years. And of course the British tabloid press, in their twice-a-year for 24 hour interest in the NFL, just lapped it up.
There was only one problem with the idea - it’s total bollocks.
Maybe back in the 1980s or even more recently than that, the thought of a regular season game being played in Europe was mere fantasy but that came true. So could the immediate scorn placed upon the London NFL franchise be the same? No and any one of four reasons can shoot down the idea on the spot.
1 - Location and time difference
The simple and most obvious reason. Right now for London games, the two teams travel over on the Thursday night/Friday morning, do a brief walk-through practice, play the game and then fly home with a bye week to follow to allow them to recover.
So do you offer every team that has to play London a bye week after their trip? And that is just East Coast teams who have the eight-hour flight. What about when San Diego, Seattle or Oakland have to come over? And of course London would have eight road trips in the regular season alone. How do they manage the jet lag and travel problems?
Quite simply, until Concorde II is even invented, the travel logistics make a London franchise a total non-starter.
2 - The British fan base
So if Wembley sells out in hours for each International Series game, why would a London team not do the same?
Because the October game is a one-off, a special event that people travel to all over the country from. They will spent vast sums on travel, accommodation and tickets because it is a one-off. There is no way your average fan from 100 miles away does the same more than once a year.
So the fan base for a Wembley team would have to be around 30-40 miles around London and even that is generous knowing how bad the access is to the stadium itself. And British fans will not give up their current allegiance to follow a new franchise. The only reason they would go, would be to see their own team PLAY the London one.
Ask yourself this British Buc fans - would you stop following the Buccaneers to switch your interest to a new team in London just because it was in London?
3 - Stocking the roster with players
So let’s say you have invented a fast new plane and have convinved 80,000 mugs to shell out huge amounts for season tickets for the new franchise. Now you need players.
There are two ways of stocking an NFL roster, free agency and the draft. Just how do you convince a player to move to pretty much the other side of the world to ply his trade for a new team. To uproot his family, to move away from friends and other interests.
Or the draft - how long would the NFL draft last under legal threat from a player being selected and told he has to move to England to play. From the initial forays done by a legal friend of mine in the States, this could shoot down the entire NFL draft faster than anything.
4 - NFL expansion at all
So you have a franchise with no fans and no players and no conceivable way to play their games. So why bother at all?
The NFL already has a couple of weak franchises and also the No.2 TV market in the country without a team at all. It has an ideal number of teams already playing a pretty-much perfect schedule and the interest in the game has never been higher. So why would you go to London at all?
The International Series games work well to promote the game outside of America and long may they continue. But not just in London but in Germany, Scandanavia, Japan and Mexico. The narrow-minded morons on the NFLUK forum who think that games should only be in London are typical of the self-serving British fans who do much to detract from the great sport.
The NFL is a massively successful league which is loved around the world. It brings in huge revenues, massive TV audiences and will continue to do so in the future. But just not with a team based outside of the United States. Not now, not ever.
By JIM LEE
Freshwater
The only place bluegill are being caught in any numbers is in Lake Okeechobee. Speckled perch are being caught in twos and threes. Bass catches are good, with fish to 8.5 pounds taken.
HILLSBOROUGH RIVER: Hong Kong Willie, (813) 770-4794: Bass catches are good in most lakes, while bluegill are off. Specks are being found in the Tampa Bypass Canal. If you want bluegill, the Hillsborough River is the best place to find them. Drift and place live worms in every likely spot. Catfish are still a good catch.
LAKE TARPON: Tarpon Tom’s Fresh and Saltwater Bait & Tackle, (727) 772-0708: Bass to 5.5 pounds were taken this week. Specks have started, while bluegill have all but disappeared. Don’t expect big speck numbers, but dinner is available.
KISSIMMEE CHAIN: Grape Hammock Fish Camp, (863) 692-1500: Bass catches are good, with most anglers getting limits. A few specks are being taken around Rabbit Island.
LORIDA-ISTOKPOGA: Trails End Fishing Resort guide service, (863) 655-0134: Good bass catches continue. Speckled perch catches remain spotty, and night speck fishing is the best way to catch them now.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: J & S Fish Camp, (772) 597-4455 Bluegill are still being caught. Tilapia, catfish and some specks also are being taken. One 8.5-pound bass taken. Lots of 4- to 8-pound bass can be caught.
LAKE PANASOFFKEE: Pana Vista Lodge, (352) 793-2061: Anglers are waiting for the specks to start. Bass 2 to 4 pounds make up most of the bass catches.
Saltwater
Cooler weather and winds prevailed this week, but the anglers who fished did well. Sheepshead are moving in, but the big females will be easier to catch next month. Kingfish are here, but not in full-blown numbers. You can troll for mackerel and you might be able to troll for grouper in 30 to 40 feet of water. Flounder, bluefish, redfish, jack crevalle and ladyfish are being caught. Snook are moving off the barrier islands to the shoreline and rivers, inlets and canals.
10,000 ISLANDS: Captain Cory McMillin, (239) 695-4420: Winds hamper the outside, but on the inside and backcountry, it’s business as usual for snook. Fish early before the winds get up for reds on the outside.
SARASOTA: Captain Rick Grassett, (941) 350-9790 or (941) 923-7799: Fishing in the Gulf, several little tunny were caught on flies. Mackerel, bluefish and trout were also taken on flies. Little tunny were also taken in Sarasota Bay.
RUSKIN: South Shore Bait & Tackle, (813) 641-2010: Sheepshead, redfish and mangrove snapper are being caught.
WESTERN SHORE AND SKYWAY AREA: Captain Sergio Atanes, (813) 973-7132: Redfish and mangrove snapper are still what you will catch. Some smaller male sheepshead have moved in, but the larger females will be better available in December.
UPPER TAMPA BAY: Denny B’s Quality Bait & Tackle, (813) 885-9811: In this windy weather, the best red and snook fishing is up the creeks and the canal. Sheepshead are moving in and should be plentiful in the residential canals next month.
SOUTH PINELLAS: Captain Paul Hawkins, (727) 560-6762: Mackerel and big jacks are leaping in schools of bait. Snook singles will take a lure or live bait. You can work a jerk bait along a shoreline for snook. Redfish are easy on live bait or artificial lures. Fishing is fantastic.
FISHING PIERS: South Pier, (941) 729-0117: Pier fishing offers most of the current species being caught in the bay. Fish the pier for mangrove snapper, redfish, flounder, mackerel and even a stray 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 grouper, mangrove snapper and gray snapper (grunt). You also might catch porgies and amberjack on longer trips. The extended and overnight trips will produce the best catches of
amberjack and big mangrove snapper.
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. Snook, black drum, redfish and mackerel are in the bay. Fish the Weedon Island area for trout and redfish. Ladyfish are everywhere. Live greenbacks will fool anybody.
CLEARWATER TO DUNEDIN: Captain Brian Mathey, (727) 667-8291: Big mackerel are on the inside of the spoil islands. Lots of redfish and big trout are being found. Some are holding around the spoil islands. Snook are scattered, but will take live bait, usually when presented.
TARPON SPRINGS: Captain Rich Knox, (727) 376-8809 or (727) 808-6688: Between the full moon, low tides and winds that kept the water out, fishing was tough. There are a few snook moving in, but they will be hard to find until better tides return. By next week that will be better and some more trout might be moving in. Bait of any size has been hard to find.
KEATON BEACH: One More Cast guide service, (850) 584-9145: Even in 15-knot winds, anglers limit out on trout. Fishing shallow 2.5 to 3.5 feet of water, using live bait under a Cajun float, many anglers took home limits more than 20 inches, with some to 24 inches.
HERNANDO BEACH: Captain Rick Rodriguez, (727)-992-9494: Fishing is great. Big red grouper and kingfish are offshore. Gag grouper have moved into shallower haunts. Cobia, mangrove snapper and mackerel are the bi-catch. Live bait, cut bait or trolling will catch grouper.
FLY FISHING: Thrashing the water might have been a little tough lately due to the winds, but lots of reds, mackerel and trout were taken on flies this week. Sheepshead are moving in and will make a notable adversary on a fly rod.
Bill Ward topped the field in last week’s picks, going 16-2. Adam Adkins was next at 15-3, following by Katherine Smith (14-4) and Nick Williams (12-6).
Overall standings through Week 9: Adam Adkins (113-34); Bill Ward (113-34), Katherine Smith (109-38), Nick Williams (107-40).
Here are this week’s staff picks:
Armwood (7-1) at East Bay (5-4): All take Armwood
Durant (6-2) at Newsome (5-3): Bill and Adam take Durant; Nick and Katherine take Newsome
Gaither (1-7) at Alonso (3-5): All take Alonso
Indian Rocks Christian (6-2) at Berkeley Prep (5-2): All take Berkeley Prep
St. Pete Catholic (5-3) at Jesuit (7-1): All take Jesuit
Brandon (2-6) at Freedom (5-2): All take Freedom
Lakewood (6-2) at Spoto (6-2): All take Spoto
King (3-4) at Hillsborough (5-2): All take Hillsborough
Wharton (2-6) at Tampa Bay Tech (6-1): All take Tampa Bay Tech
Plant (6-1) at Chamberlain (1-8): All take Plant
Jefferson (6-1) at Blake (1-7): All take Jefferson
Bloomingdale (0-8) at Riverview (2-6): All take Riverview
Lakeland Victory Christian (8-1) at Cambridge Christian (4-4): Adam, Katherine and Nick take Lakeland Victory Christian; Bill takes Cambridge Christian
Canterbury (7-1) at Carrollwood Day (8-0): All take Carrollwood Day
Strawberry Crest (1-4) at Robinson (7-1): All take Robinson
Middleton (5-3) at Leto (1-7): Adam and Katherine take Middleton; Bill and Nick take Leto
Steinbrenner (0-5) at Lennard (2-6): All take Lennard
Avon Park (3-5) at Tampa Catholic (7-0): All take Tampa Catholic
Armwood junior defensive back Quinton Brown will miss his second consecutive game Friday as he’s still recovering from a knee injury suffered during a win Oct. 23 against Hillsborough.
Hawks coach Sean Callahan said he would rest Brown in a crucial district matchup against East Bay, a game that if Armwood wins would give the Hawks the Class 4A-District 9 title.
Armwood’s secondary isn’t likely to be tested via the pass very often against the Indians. East Bay, which works offensively out the wishbone, has attempted just 56 passes this season.
King coach Alvin Davis realizes the deck is stacked against the Lions’ postseason chances. But entering a must-win situation against Hillsborough – and also needing some help from Armwood – the Lions aren’t short on confidence.
“The kids have a lot of confidence and they’re motivated to beat Hillsborough. They’re not afraid of Hillsborough,” Davis said. “Our goal right now is to try and get in that tiebreaker. Hopefully we can beat Hillsborough and hopefully Armwood will help us out by beating East Bay.”
King needs to beat Hillsborough and have Armwood beat East Bay to get in a three-way tiebreaker for the runner-up spot in Class 4A-District 9.
Some good news for King is two key starters are expected back against the Terriers. Senior linebacker Carlos Wooten will return in the middle of the defense after missing last week’s game with an ankle injury. Sophomore quarterback Greg Windham, who has missed the past two games after sustaining a cut on his right (throwing) arm, also will be back in uniform.
Windham, who has been medically cleared, declared himself ready on Tuesday, though Davis said he would be a game-time decision. If Windham is unable to go, junior Reese Sturgis, who has filled in admirably for Windham the past two weeks, would get the start under center.
Newsome football coach Kenneth Hiscock understands injuries are a part of the game, but he’s never experienced a season quite like this one.
After losing arguably his top offensive weapon a few weeks ago, Hiscock is now adjusting to the loss of some key defensive players, including his captain, junior linebacker Joe Worth. Worth, who leads the team with 45 tackles, will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a left knee injury in a win over Bloomingdale on Oct. 23, the coach said Thursday.
Worth is one of three starters injured since that Oct. 23 game who are expected to miss the remainder of the season, Hiscock said. Linebacker Christian Durant (knee) and defensive back Adam Mallady (back) are the others.
It’s not exactly the way Newsome would like to head into Friday night’s district showdown with Durant, a game that if won would give the Wolves their second consecutive district title.
“It’s how you deal with adversity. We’ve had our fair share. We’ve just got to face the challenge and go with it,” said Hiscock, who added there has been a psoitive as a result of all the injuries.
“We’ve had some guys who have stepped up when their number was called.”
One of those is junior Vince Pennington, who has performed very well since stepping into the starting fullback role in place of Conner Powers, who was lost for the season with a knee injury. After running for 86 yards and two scores against Leto following the injury to Powers, Pennington has topped the 100-yard mark in each of the past two games.
“He has done a great job filling in. He definitely has exceeded expectations,” Hiscock said of Pennington. “We’d like to see him continue to get big yards.”
Newsome (5-2), which has won five straight, has a few things on its side heading into the matchup with Durant (6-2). First, the worst Newsome can do is end up in a three-way district tiebreaker with Plant City and Durant. That would happen if the Wolves lose. Second, Newsome has never lost to Durant in four previous meetings.
“It’s going to be a battle with those guys,” Hiscock said of Durant, his alma mater. “Our kids know what is at stake. I think they are ready to play.”
By MEL BERMAN
It might be November, but summer really just ended in our area early this week. With the recent cold front, we are into a more normal weather pattern, with mornings in the 60s and water temperatures eventually dropping into the low 70s.
Now, don’t expect that brisk fall bite to happen right away. There’s usually a period after the front settles when most species must acclimate to the cooler conditions. However, you can go exploring this weekend to determine which species has started eating.
There are early signs that a few larger trout have been arriving in local waters. Captain Jim Huddleston has been catching the occasional trout in the 26-inch range working the flats off the St. Joseph Sound spoil islands.
Fishing earlier this week with my friend “Fireman” John Litz, we needed a warm jacket and a bit of patience, but we did hook some nice fish. The catch included a nice red caught along the Courtney Campbell Causeway and some keeper-sized catch-and-release trout in the deep grass flats along the Intracoastal Waterway off Dunedin.
Captain C.A. Richardson reports that his best redfish bite has been in Tampa Bay using what he calls his “default redfish bait” — a 3/16-ounce jig head and a 4-inch glass minnow body. Richardson also said catch-and-release trout in the 20-inch-plus class can be expected almost every trip as the cooler water temperatures improves the bite.
Richardson suggests that dock light fishing is still productive, “in fact it’s been very common on most charters to score a variety of species on jigs before the sun comes up, including trout, snook, mangrove snapper, gag grouper and jacks.”
Hear “The Captain Mel Show” Saturdays from 6-9 a.m. on 970 AM. Also, visit “Fishing Florida OnLine Magazine” at capmel.com.
OTTAWA – After a few days of hinting that changes might be coming to Tampa Bay’s roster, the Lightning made a change on Thursday calling up LW/C Ryan Craig from the minors. Whether he sees time tonight against the Senators or not remains to be seen.
Craig was put on re-call waivers on Wednesday, which allowed any of the other 29 teams to place a claim on Craig for half of his remaining salary. After he cleared at noon on Thursday, he officially joined the team, although coach Rick Tocchet said no decision had been made following Thursday’s morning skate on whether Craig would make his season debut.
In order to make room on the roster the team placed D Paul Ranger, who has been granted an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons, on an unspecified reserve list similar to injured reserve. That move was made retroactive to Oct. 22 when he was first scratched from the lineup. There is no timetable on when, or if, Ranger will return to the team.
Craig, meanwhile, returns to the NHL after a month stint with Norfolk in the American Hockey League where he was leading the Admirals with seven goals and nine points through eight games. The native of Abbortsford, British Columbia, has appeared in 181 games with Tampa Bay since being called up during the 2005-06 season registering 32 goals and 63 points.
“I’m just excited to be back here,’’ Craig said. “Hopefully I’ll get a chance to play and go from there.’’
Tampa Bay had been carrying 12 forwards since the start of the season, which means there were no extras to put into the lineup if the coaching staff felt a change needed to be made.
“It’s always nice to have that extra forward around,’’ Tocchet said.
POWER PLAY WOES: The Lightning enter tonight’s game at Ottawa on a 3-for-31 slide on the power play in the past eight games. After starting off the season scoring a power play goal in five consecutive games, the man advantage has become stale.
In Tuesday’s win at Toronto, veteran D Mattias Ohlund was on the first power play unit while C Steven Stamkos moved more to the left side of the ice rather than hanging around the middle slot area where he has scored most of his five power play markers this season.
“Just a little tweak here and there,’’ Tocchet said. “There’s always something where you can put a veteran like Mattias out there, and he was having a good game. But (rookie Victor Hedman) will still get some time there as well.’’
OLYMPIC TALK: With Tampa Bay making a three-game swing through Canada this week, the topic of C Vinny Lecavalier’s status for the Canadian Olympic has come up on numerous occasions given Lecavalier’s slow start to the season with two goals in 13 games. He was asked about it again by the media in Ottawa on Thursday and will no doubt field similar questions when the team arrives in Lecavalier’s native Montreal for Saturday’s game at Bell Centre.
“Well, it’s very important for me (to be on the Olympic team),’’ he said. “The good thing for me is that they are picking the team on December 31 so that gives me two months, or six weeks, to be able to show them I deserve to be considered for the team.’’
Veteran baseball man Bill Evers is moving back to the field as co-minor league field coordinator with Jim Hoff in one of several minor league staff moves the Rays announced Thursday.
Evers has spent 14 years in the Rays organization, including eight (1998-2005) as the manager at Triple-A Durham and two (2006-2007) as the major league bench coach. He was a professional scout in 2008-2009.
Former Astros pitching coach Dewey Robinson has been hired to join Dick Bosman as minor league pitching coordinator, and Matt Quatraro, who managed at Class A Bowling Green and Columbus the last two years, will join Steve Livesey as hitting coordinator.
Matt Arnold was promoted to the newly created position of Director of Pro Scouting after three seasons as a professional scout. Tateki “Bori” Uchibori, the interpreter for second baseman Akinori Iwamura the last two years, was hired as an international scout.
“We made these additions to our player development staff because we want to support our young players as much as possible,” Rays director of minor league operations Mitch Lukevics said.
In addition to Hoff, Livesey and Bosman, Skeeter Barnes will return as outfield and baserunning coordinator, Jamie Nelson as catching coordinator, Mark Vinson as medical training coordinator, Joel Smith as rehabilitation and athletic training coordinator and Trung Cao as strength and conditioning coordinator.
Please join us Friday night at 7 to discuss prep football in the Tampa Bay area. We’ll provide scoring updates, break down the district races and speculate about what’s ahead for the playoffs. See you then!
Live scoreboard | Prep football stats | Prep Football Report | More high school sports coverage
Fresh off a victory against his former team, Sickles defensive lineman Ian Hopkins has received his first official offer.
Hopkins got a scholarship offer from the University of New Mexico. He also has interest from Mississippi State and USF, his coach Pat O’Brien said.
The senior lineman is tied for the team lead with nine sacks. He picked up two in last week’s victory against Alonso.
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