Fish are slamming baits down south

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 9, 2012 at 04:55 PM

By FRANK SARGEANT

Captain Van Hubbard reports from Lemon Bay that 73-degree water temperatures have snook active, along with everything else. He was able to catch white bait (scaled sardines) a couple of months early, and he managed to bring seven grand slams to the boat in a single day—a slam is a snook, a redfish and a trout on the same trip. Hubbard advises chumming lightly with live bait and fishing them unweighted on spinning tackle around oyster bars, potholes and outside bars; http://www.captvan.com.

From Lake Okeechobee, captain Angie Douthit reports excellent crappie action, mostly in open water early and around the weeds at mid-day. Areas to try include Kings Bar, Taylor Creek, the Kissimmee River and several locations on the North Shore. Small jigs and minnows do the job. Douthit says the bass bite is on, with topwaters, soft plastics. Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits all effective. Tampa anglers Artie Shaw and Mike Laroche got a fish weighing more than 7 pounds, along with a lot of others on a recent trip. Some of the better areas including Kreamer and Rita islands, the West Wall, parts of Observation Shoal, Monkey Box, some parts of the North Shore, Kings Bar and J&S; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Water is coming up fast at Rodman Reservoir, but there’s still a good chance for a 10-pound bass there for those who run wild shiners under the hyacinths. The giant baits are available at bait shops in Orange Springs and Salt Springs near the lake, northeast of Ocala.

Tribune correspondent Frank Sargeant can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Wharton athletes Litton, Enos, arrested

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 9, 2012 at 03:01 PM

Wharton High football standouts Chase Litton and Rocky Enos, both 16-year-olds, were arrested Wednesday on multiple charges, both felony and misdemeanor, for burgarly and theft, Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office records show.

After being arrested and booked at the Orient Road jail, Litton, the Wildcats’ starting quarterback, was released a few hours later on his recognizance. Litton is also a starter on Wharton’s basketball team, which is scheduled to play Plant on Friday for the district title.

Enos, who started at linebacker last fall, was arrested at Wharton and released this morning from the Orient Road jail.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Litton earned the starting job at quarterback last season as a sophomore and Enos is a 5-11, 185-pound junior. Both players were honorable mention selections for the Tampa Tribune’s 2011 all-Hilsborough County football team.

Enos was arrested on a total of 10 charges and Litton was booked on 10. Each teenager is facing charges of third-degree felony burglary of unoccupied dwellings and vehicles, as well as theft (articles in value from $300 to $5,000). Both are also charged with petit theft.

Wharton football coach David Mitchell could not be immediately reached for comment.

Photo: Wharton sophomore QB Chase Litton in action last season against Durant. Photo by Kevin Howe/Tampa Tribune.

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Plant has some fun with the Governor

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 9, 2012 at 11:46 AM

When reading all the accomplishments of Plant’s football and girls cross country teams at his cabinet meeting Thursday at the Florida State Fairgrounds, Florida Governor Rick Scott went off script several times and, while recognizing their outstanding achievements, poked a little fun at both squads, too.

Under head coach Robert Weiner, who was also in attendance, Scott said, this senior class of football players has won four district and regional titles, three state crowns and lost just six games.

“What, were you just being nice those (six) days?” Scott joked about the Panthers’ football dominance.

Scott also acknowledged the Panthers football team’s academic success of achieving a team grade point average of 3.1. And then he moved on to the girls cross country team, which has a GPA of 3.8, qualified for the state meet 25 straight years, finished in the top five 21 teams and won 10 state championships under coach Roy Harrison.

“That’s a little greedy,” Scott said of Plant’s record number of girls state championships. “You should share a little bit.”

And then Scott had a little more fun. As he called them up to the podium for a photo opportunity, he noted the Plant girls had “A little higher GPA there” than the football players.

The captains representing the football team were Daniel Casselli, Antonio Crawford, James Few, Jonathan Haney, Tate Rogers and Patrick Wright. Also on hand was Plant principal Rob Nelson.

The cross country team included Danielle Kissel, Julia Rodriguez, Kara Halfaker, Caroline Gibson, Erica Oosterhout, Kartherine Ralston and Scarlett Fox. Fox asked them on the podium if he had mispronounced any of their names, including Oosterhout’s, to which Halfaker replied “Uh, kinda.” 

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Pasco QB Jacob Guy receives Colgate offer

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Feb 10, 2012 at 12:10 PM

Days following Pasco senior quarterback Jacob Guy’s visit to Colgate University, coach Tom McHugh says his quarterback has received an offer.

Guy, who broke Pasco County single-season records for touchdown passes (42) and yards (2,672) for the 13-1 Pirates, has a few other offers on the table, but has yet to make a decision on his collegiate football career. Before throwing for 379 yards and five touchdowns in the 5A state semifinal, Guy picked up offers from UMass, Ohio and Western Michigan, but also has a preferred walk-on option to Florida, while Miami (Ohio) and Memphis have expressed interest.

Guy, The Pasco Tribune’s All-County first team quarterback, passed for more than 70 touchdowns in the past two seasons at Pasco, while leading the Pirates to their second region final in the past four seasons. Pasco lost to Crawfordville Wakulla in triple overtime 41-38.

Colgate, a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, N.Y., is a Divison I athletic program in the Patriot League. The football team was 5-6 in 2011.

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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Upper Deck previews images from Series 2 hockey

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 09:24 PM

It’s been a good week for unveiling product. Earlier tonight, Upper Deck weighed in with some images from its 2011-12 NHL Series 2 set.

Among the fun inserts hockey collectors can expect to find are the Young Guns rookie cards; a typical hobby box should yield one every four packs. Rookie updates from Victory, MVP and O-Pee-Chee sets also will be included.

Date of release for Series 2 is expected to be March 6, and presell prices for a hobby box (at least online) are hovering between $60 and $70.
A nice touch to this set will be the Hockey Heroes subset, which will honor NHL stars from the 1960s. A hobby box will yield on average, two of these cards.

With 24 packs (and eight cards to a pack), this set should be fun and affordable for set builders.

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Panini Prime Cuts baseball: Here’s a peek

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 07:39 PM

Panini America gave us a bit of a taste earlier today with its photo release of a Jackie Robinson card scheduled for the company’s 2011 Prime Cuts Baseball (It’s 2012 — why is this product labeled 2011?). And later in the day, Panini released more images, and there are some very interesting cards in this high-end set, which has a March 15 release date.

Each box will contain five cards, but every one of them will be a sizzle card: at least two autographs, two memorabilia cards and an additional auto or relic card.

And, what I find exciting: for the first time in a Panini baseball product, some boxes will include Legends Jumbo Cut Signatures booklet cards.

An example of that is shown in this blog post with the Lou Gehrig autograph. Other booklet cards will include Ty Cobb, Mel Ott and Jackie Robinson.
To me, the coolest-looking cards in this set could be the most controversial, especially in light of Panini’s new multiyear licensing agreement with the Baseball Hall of Fame. Those would be the 1/1 Barrel Up game-used bat barrel cards, which will include cards of two men who would easily fit into Cooperstown’s hallowed halls — except that Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are banned from the game and are not eligible.

Get out the smelling salts for Jeff Idelson (president of the Baseball Hall of Fame).

  Other Barrel Up cards will feature Hall of Famers Paul Waner, Ted Williams, Nellie Fox and Stan Musial.

Some other subsets:

  Significant Signatures autographs, which will include Ken Griffey Jr., Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford.

  Icons memorabilia cards will hand the spotlight to Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx and Jackie Robinson.

  Colossal jumbo swatch memorabilia autograph cards are an apt description and will include Duke Snider, Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera.

  Timeline Hall of Fame memorabilia cards will contain a checklist and feature Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Miller Huggins.

It’s quite a lineup. Some of today’s biggest stars paired with baseball royalty. The price will be steep for a pack, but the reward promises to be great.

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Panini inks deal with Baseball Hall of Fame

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 06:01 PM

There’s something special about collecting cards of Hall of Famers. As a kid, I’d open packs of Topps back in the 1960s and ’70s and be thrilled when I’d pull the card of a superstar, like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron or Roberto Clemente. Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver and Bob Gibson, too. You just knew these guys would be enshrined someday in Cooperstown, and they did not disappoint.

Now, that thrill can be rekindled thanks to a new licensing agreement.

On Wednesday, Panini America announced a multiyear licensing deal with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That Hall of Fame presence will make its debut March 15 with the release of Panini’s Prime Cuts set.

It also marks the third Hall of Fame to sign a deal with Panini, as the company also has deals with the basketball and pro football halls.

This latest deal allows Panini trading card rights to images of all Hall of Fame inductees — plus Hall of Fame marks, artifacts and induction ceremony images — in six of its baseball sets this year. Since this agreement is not with Major League Baseball, I am guessing that Panini will be forced to airbrush team logos out of player action scenes, like the Jackie Robinson example presented in today’s blog. The “B” for Brooklyn is conspicuously missing from Jackie’s cap.

This is the second licensing agreement Panini has secured in order to manufacture baseball cards. In September, the company reached a deal with the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Predictably, a Panini news release quoting company CEO Mark Warsop noted that cards made utilizing this new license would be “Hall of Fame worthy.”

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum represents the greatest players and personalities the sport has ever known and this partnership will help us bring that level of unparalleled excellence to our products,” Warsop said in the release.

You can’t fault the folks at Panini for being pleased. Topps won a hard-fought battle to become the “official” card of Major League Baseball, but this agreement allows Panini to make some inroads along the fringes. It also presents a choice, and as collectors, we are constantly looking for the better, more attractive choice.

Competition is always good. It makes both products better. And certainly, the collector will benefit.

A few quick words about the Prime Cuts set. Each five-card pack will contain at least two autographs, two memorabilia cards and an additional autograph or memorabilia card.

I am hoping Panini will dig deep into the baseball vault for their relic selections during the lifetime of this deal. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be awfully thrilled to get a Lou Gehrig or Ty Cobb relic, but it would be kind of neat to get the same kind of card for the lesser-known Hall of Famer (is there really such a thing as a letter member of the hall? Probably not; perhaps I should use the phrase “non-marquee” member).

You know, players like Addie Joss or Ed Walsh, Hack Wilson, Edd Roush or Joe Gordon. The possibilities seem endless.

We’ll see how creative Panini can be with this treasure trove of baseball greatness.

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Robinson’s Rivera signs with Ridgewater

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 04:03 PM

Robinson senior Vic Rivera, a two-year starter at defensive back, has signed a letter on intent with Ridgewater College, a community and technical college in Willmar, Minn., Knights assistant coach Shawn Taylor announced Wednesday.

Ridgewater competes in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) and Region 13 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Rivera will join three players from Plant already there, Davis Marvel, Steven Galloway and Estimphile Wadensky.

Wesley Chapel receiver Robert Jota also signed recently with Ridgewater.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Rivera had six interceptions as a junior and three last fall. He also recorded a total of 76 tackles over the course of two seasons and knocked down five pass attempts.

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MLB’s Fan Cave finalists includes a Rays fan

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 03:49 PM

After reviewing more than 22,000 entries, Major League Baseball revealed the top 50 fans vying to be a contestant in the 2012 MLB Fan Cave, including Megan Washington, a Rays/Yankees fan from Cape Coral, Fl.

Beginning today through Feb. 22, fans can view video submissions from all 50 applicants on MLBFanCave.com and vote for their favorites.

The 50 men and women include fans from across the U.S. and Canada and represent a wide range of backgrounds and occupations, including recent college graduates, journalists, bloggers, actors, musicians, a self-described “unemployed comedian,” a celebrity hairstylist, a made-up superhero and a professional wrestler.

In 2012, the MLB Fan Cave will return to the 15,000 square foot location at 4th Street and Broadway in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village that was formerly the home of Tower Records. The MLB Fan Cave is currently being redesigned to feature new technology and interactive elements.

The MLB Fan Cave is a unique event space mixing baseball with music, popular culture, media, interactive technology and art. Supported by MLB Advanced Media, it also serves as a content factory providing baseball fans with a constant flow of online video and conversation via social media.

The MLB Fan Cave has more than a quarter of a million combined followers on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mlbfancave) and Twitter (@MLBFanCave). The MLB Fan Cave features products and services provided by nearly 50 companies, led by Pepsi, New Era, Majestic and Sony.

Major League Baseball will select 30 finalists based on fan voting, quality of the original submissions, and the ability of the contestants to generate buzz and interest in their campaigns.

The 30 finalists will earn a trip to Spring Training in Arizona at the end of February, where they will compete in a variety of challenges to determine the final group of contestants.

These winners will begin the season in the MLB Fan Cave with the goal of watching all 2,430 MLB games on a large wall of big screen Sony televisions while chronicling their experiences online through videos, blogs, and social media.

Along the way, they will compete with one another over the course of the season in a series of challenges, with fans online helping decide who gets to stay in the Fan Cave and who gets eliminated with one eventual winner crowned before the end of the World Series.

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DeCamp hired as co-defensive coordinator at Robinson

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 03:09 PM

After working as a position coach the past 10 years at Jesuit and Plant, Scott DeCamp says it was time to be a varsity coordinator. He officially took that step this week when Robinson head coach Mike DePue announced DeCamp has been hired to be the Knight’s co-defensive coordinator.

DeCamp’s most recent post has been as defensive backs coach for Jesuit the last two seasons under James Harrel. From 2004-09, DeCamp was a junior varsity defensive coordinator and varsity assistant at Plant under Robert Weiner. And prior to that, he was an assistant at Jesuit under former coach Dominick Ciao.

“The hardest part is leaving the kids and coaches at Jesuit because they’re all just great people,” DeCamp said. “But coordinating is something I’ve always wanted to do and at Robinson, I really feel like I’m needed there.”

DeCamp, however, won’t be too far removed from Jesuit because Robinson competes in the same Class 5A district as the Tigers.

DePue, who is in his last year as a teacher at Robinson before his scheduled retirement, said he and DeCamp will share duties as defensive coordinators. DePue said DeCamp is a good fit for his staff and that the athletes at Robinson have already connected with him.

“He’s going to do a great job for us,” DePue said. “He’s going to bring a lot of knowledge and energy for us here and we’re putting him to work.”

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