Rays Release Spring Training Schedule

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 07:08 PM

Here’s the 2008 spring training schedule:

Fri., Feb. 29	@ Cincinnati	1:05 p.m.	Sarasota
Sat., March 1	Toronto	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Sun., March 2	@ Pittsburgh	1:05 p.m.	Bradenton
Mon., March 3	@ Detroit	1:05 p.m.	Lakeland
Tues., March 4	Minnesota	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Wed., March 5	Houston	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Thur., March 6	@ Philadelphia	1:05 p.m.	Clearwater
Fri., March 7	Philadelphia	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Sat., March 8	@ Yankees	1:15 p.m.	Tampa
Sun., March 9	Cincinnati	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Mon., March 10	Cleveland	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Tues., March 11	@ Minnesota	1:05 p.m.	Fort Myers
Wed., March 12	Yankees	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Thur., March 13	@ Boston	1:05 p.m.	Fort Myers
Fri., March 14	Toronto	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Sat., March 15	@ Atlanta (SS)	1:05 p.m.	Celebration City
	@ Yankees (SS)	1:15 p.m.	Tampa
Sun., March 16	Detroit	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Tues., March 18	@ Philadelphia	1:05 p.m.	Clearwater
Wed., March 19	Philadelphia	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Thur., March 20	Cleveland	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Fri., March 21	@ Yankees	TBD	Tampa
Sat., March 22	Pittsburgh	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Sun., March 23	@ Cincinnati	1:05 p.m.	Sarasota
Mon., March 24	Pittsburgh	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Tues., March 25	@ Toronto	1:05 p.m.	Dunedin
Wed., March 26	@ Minnesota	1:05 p.m.	Fort Myers
Thur., March 27	@ Cleveland	1:05 p.m.	Winter Haven
Fri., March 28	Cincinnati	1:05 p.m.	St. Petersburg
Sat., March 29	@ Cincinnati	1:05 p.m.	Sarasota

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Goodbye To Gil

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Tom McEwen

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 06:20 PM

When in 1974 the 32-year-old Gil Gonzalves (above, in 1998) took the job as only the third head golf professional at already aged and venerable Palma Ceia Golf Club, I wrote he wanted to go no place else. This was it for the man from Bermuda. This was where he wanted to be, doing what he wanted to do, being the biggest shot in golf at old, distinguished Palma Ceia in the middle of the city of Tampa, in the heart of a very upscale residential area. It was class. It would be his last move. It has been. And it has been a business, golf and social success for the chosen and the choosers.

I wrote for this young man of several languages, of birth between two fairways on a Bermuda golf course (Mid-Ocean) with a golf club nearby and his daddy the superintendent of the course around the boy. I wrote then that Gil was the solid choice of selection committeemen Frank Lorenzo, John McWhirter, Walter Baldwin, Dick Reeves, DeHart Ayala, Harry Root Jr., and Jim Trezevant, and that he would make it because he was part Henry Kissinger, part Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Joe Dey, Tommy Armour and George Patton. Well, he was, he did, and now he is hanging his hard cleats up for travel, golf and travel and golf.

Good man, Gil Gonzalves, good man. Has a good Portuguese name to say, accurately, and again, when he came to Tampa I said he’d be fine and he’d be here a long time because he was diplomatic, could teach golf to women and kids, get along with the guys, shoot good if he had to and because he could smile you down. He could and he did.

Came to Rhode Island with immigrant parents and has loved it here, Rhode Island even, Tampa for sure, Palma Ceia and the solid sports and business growth of Tampa.  If Tampa grew, so did Palma Ceia and its members. If it did, tournaments flourished, Mama and kids took lessons and daddies did too, to keep up. He was/is a good teacher.

Best comment out of practice?

“On the first day, I teach the backswing. On the third day, my pupil asked, “Let’s see, when do you use the backswing and when the downswing?”

Honest, he said.

After he’d gone to Rhode Island, Pinellas pro Augie Boyd talked him into coming this way, but Jimmy Brass intercepted him and took him to the Country Club of Orlando. Two years later Palma Ceia wanted him, and he mentioned the committee members, interrupting himself to talk of the great hands of Harry Root, Jr., particularly when the all-timer wrapped his long narrow, manicured fingers around the grip of a sand iron.

“I want you to know I would lie down on the green’s edge, face Harry and take a photo of his sand shot when he would wedge a shot over my head on the green. Are you aware Harry was considerate of the way a sand shot would break after it hit the green. Yes, he considered the break on a sand shot. The best I ever saw.”

Oh, yes, Gil tried the PGA Tour for a while. Made some money but not enough. Went to Orlando, then Palma Ceia.

I noted in his Tampa arrival report, he said “I noted I have no plans to go anywhere else. This is where I wanted to stay.”

And, he has. Palma Ceia remains a premier club in a premier city. It has its tournaments (The Gasparilla), its stars, its course reputation for toughness. Don’t hook there, pal. Slice? Yes, but, don’t hook. And learn the sand, friend, as did patriarch of the links, Harry Root, Jr.

Yes, he plays now with wife Sharon at least once a week (Saturday mornings) and yes, the game has changed so very much — equipment, the ball, the ball, the ball. It never comes down, he says, and today nobody cares much where.

“They go find it and hit it. It has gone farther than anyone expected anyway. I’m the same,” he said. “Just hit it harder and farther. That’s what I want to do.

“Me? No. Nothing different. I did the right thing every time. Thank all my friends. Thank all our members. Thank you for golf. Thank you for Palma Ceia. Hey, wait a minute - thank you for Tampa. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And, by the way, thank you for the Harry Roots.”

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McCray Back On The Mat

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Adam Adkins

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 05:32 PM

Hillsborough heavyweight Moses McCray made his return to the wrestling mat last weekend, and if the results were any indication, he’s going to be a force this season.

McCray, a Terriers football standout who has verbally committed to Florida State, went 5-0 with five pins in the first period – including one in 11 seconds – at the Raiders Duals in Plant City on Saturday, Coach Mike Patrick said.

“He’s excited to be back,” Patrick said of McCray.

McCray improved his record to 6-0 on Tuesday with a pin against Plant City’s Eddie Rosenbaum, but is scheduled to face his toughest challenge of the season to date tonight against Newsome’s Connor O’Neil, who went 8-0 last weekend at the NHSCA Sunshine Invitational at Brandon, the only non-Brandon county wrestler to go unbeaten at the tournament. The dual match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Newsome.

Patrick believes McCray is good enough to challenge for a state title, and time will certainly give McCray a good chance to back that up, Patrick said. Before entering the district tournament, McCray should cross paths with Brandenton Manatee’s Richie Cunningham and Hudson’s Travis Tindell, some of the state’s most highly regarded heavyweights.

McCray’s first wrestling experience came last season at Middleton – and it was a good one. He went 32-11 and took sixth in the heavyweight division at the Class 2A state tournament, becoming the first Tigers wrestler to place at state since the school reopened in 2002.

Patrick said McCray had flirted with the idea of cutting some weight – he actually cut 10-15 pounds in the first week of training before putting the weight back on, Patrick said, - but now is right at the cusp of the heavyweight limit of 285 pounds. That, Patrick said, should give him an extra advantage over his opponents.

“The bigger the better in my opinion,” Patrick said. “He’s solid where he’s at now.”

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Veteran Floyd may fill OF hole

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 05:48 PM

The Rays are in serious discussions with representatives for veteran outfielder Cliff Floyd, a person familiar with the situation confirmed today.

There is a chance a deal could be struck within the next couple of days, particularly now that the Rays are out of the running for another serious target to fill their need for a left-handed-hitting outfielder, Luke Scott, is off the market. Scott was among the players traded from Houston to Baltimore for Miguel Tejada earlier today.

Floyd’s name has been among many mentioned as possibilities for a job that likely will entail platooning with Jonny Gomes in right field. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick first reported earlier today that the parties might be closing in on a deal.

Floyd, who turned 35 a week ago today, played for the Expos, Marlins, Red Sox and Mets before spending last season with his hometown Cubs. He hit .284 while posting a very impressive .373 on-base percentage in part-time duty for Lou Piniella’s team. His career OPS against right-handed pitchers is .859, while Gomes checks in at .933 against lefties.

Floyd is also known as an outstanding clubhouse presence, and bringing him aboard would continue the personality makeover that has included the addition of Troy Percival and subtraction of Elijah Dukes.

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Several Locals Selected For North-South All-Star Football Game

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Adam Adkins

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 03:02 PM

Four Hillsborough County senior football players and one each from Pasco and Pinellas counties have been selected to play in the FACA North-South All-Star Classic.

Plant wide receiver Derek Winter, Middleton running back Carlton Jones, Hillsborough linebacker Marc Thomas and Tamap Bay Tech defensive back Jermaine Williams all will represent the South team in the game, scheduled for Dec. 21 at Lakeland High School. They will be joined by Tarpon Springs defensive lineman Donnel Engram.

Tampa Bay Tech coach C.C. Culpepper will be there as well. The Titans’ first-year coach was selected for the South’s coaching staff.

Ridgewood offensive lineman John Karakaris will represent the North team, as will Polk County selections quarterback D.C. Jefferson (Winter Haven), offensive lineman Ricky Barnum (Lake Gibson) and defensive lineman Calvin Shaw (Lakeland).

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O’s take five for Tejada

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 01:42 PM

Here’s an AL East move of interest: The Baltimore Sun is reporting Baltimore has dealt Miguel Tejada (and a contract that will pay him $12 million each of the next two seasons) to the Astros for FIVE players: outfielder Luke Scott, right-hander Matt Albers and prospects Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate and Michael Costanzo. The NL Central has proven to be up for grabs the last few years, but that seems like a hefty price to pay for Tejada.

A couple of tangentially Rays-related elements to this deal: Scott had seemed a logical candidate to fill the Rays’ need for a lefty-hitting outfielder, but they’ll have to look elsewhere now (assuming the O’s aren’t inclined to flip Scott to a team in their division, which is probably a good assumption). Also, old pal Ty Wigginton apparently will be the Astros’ regular third baseman. Some trade scenarios floated involving Tejada had the veteran moving over to third (for the Angels, for instance), as his work at short isn’t what it used to be.

I’m not expecting any earth-shattering moves from the Rays in conjunction with the non-tender deadline tonight, but it’s a decent possibility they’ll look to fill one of their remaining holes with a player who gets the ax from his team today.

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Storm Sale: News Conference Set For Thursday

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Adam Adkins

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 02:42 PM

The Tampa Bay Storm will hold a news conference Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the St. Pete Times Forum to announce the sale of the team and to introduce the new majority owner, local orthopedic surgeon Robert Nucci.

Nucci has agreed to purchase the team from Woody Kern for $18.9 million, three sources close the Arena Football League and the team confirmed to The Tampa Tribune last Friday. The sale has been approved by the AFL’s Board of Directors, according to a news release issued Wednesday from the team.

Kern, CEO and President of PCK Management in Denton, Texas, bought the team in 1994. The Storm won three AFL championships (1995, 1996 and 2003) while he was owner. According to the release, Kern still will be a minority owner of the team.

Nucci, a Palm Harbor resident, runs the Nucci Spine Institute in Tampa and is vice-chief of surgery at at University Community Hospital. Along with Nucci and Kern, AFL commissioner David Baker and Storm head coach/general manager Tim Marcum are scheduled to attend the news conference.

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Casares, Jackson, Brown Named To FHSAA’s All-Century Team

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Adam Adkins

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 12:11 PM

Former Jefferson standout Rick Casares, former Hernando standout Jerome Brown and former Tampa Catholic standout Darrell Jackson were named Wednesday to the FHSAA’s All-Century Team.

The 33-member team was selected by a panel of high school experts based on nominations from media outlets across the state, including The Tampa Tribune.

Casares was one of four running backs selected to the list, Brown one of four defensive lineman and Jackson one of three receivers. The list also includes, among others, current Gators quarterback and recent Heisman Trophy recipient Tim Tebow, former Gators and Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks, former Bucs defensive lineman Warren Sapp and former Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who was murdered late last month in his Miami home.

You can view the entire list and bios on each players at the FHSAA website.

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Falcons In A Spiral

Posted Dec 12, 2007 by Darin Shaw

Updated Dec 12, 2007 at 10:15 AM

What next for the Atlanta Falcons? Consider that it was about a year ago that things started to unravel, then Coach Jim Mora Jr. joking about taking the head coaching job at his alma-mater over his position with the Falcons and the subsequent fallout. Interestingly, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino was thought to be more stable when he was signed to a five year contract on January 8th to replace Mora. No one seemed to notice at the time that Petrino had only six months earlier signed a ten year contract to remain at Louisville. No one seemed to notice that he had never stayed ANYWHERE in his coaching career more than three seasons and had a habit of signing and then walking away from contracts. He was, after all, the one coach in the football world who would finally make a prototype QB out of Michael Vick.

Then, before he had even unpacked his boxes, the Michael Vick experience turned into the Michael Vick nightmare, followed by assorted Michael Vick aftershocks. Before long the coach selected to make something of Mike was called upon to make something of Joey Harrington or Byron Leftwich. Within his first month on the field some of the multi-millionaire mouthpieces on the team decided to remind him that they would outlast his tenure as coach. He tried to flex his muscle by leveling some fines and sending a few dinosaurs packing.

I tell you, I am feeling bad for Arthur Blank. All this guy wants to do is field a successful program. On Monday Night Football, while his team was looking anything but successful on the field, he was in the booth with the guys telling them that the one thing he had was the right coach! Oops! 24 hours later and… does anyone have Marty Schottenheimer’s number? Bill Cowher?

But, it should get even more interesting. Don’t miss for a moment that there are a few big name coaches out there, and there is an undercover derby underway among a few NFL teams to talk to them first. Atlanta may have just been handed a favor by Bobby Petrino. They’re first in line. You have to wonder if this move will touch off some other conversations in other NFL cities to jockey for those coaches’ services.

So, immediately, an interim (likely D-Coordinator Mike Zimmer who is prominently pictured in the coaches section of the Falcons website right now) to lead the Falcons on these last three outings, including coming to Ray-Jay on Sunday. Then, back to the search process. I’ll tell you this - the next Falcons Head Coach won’t come from the college ranks… and won’t be fond of his alma-mater!

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Jefferson Players Weighing Their College Options

Posted Dec 11, 2007 by Katherine Smith

Updated Jan 8, 2008 at 11:54 AM

Jefferson linebacker Gorby Loreus might end up playing in the state of Kentucky, just not for the Wildcats as originally planned.

The University of Kentucky has backed away from Loreus, but Western Kentucky stepped up and made him an offer.

“Whoever gets Gorby will be very lucky,” Jefferson coach Mike Fenton said.

Other Dragons players receiving collegiate attention include defensive lineman Troy Wolfe, offensive lineman Sebastian Cadavid and running back Jamil Crews. Cadavid and Crews are being courted by the Ivy League schools, including Harvard and Yale.

Defensive lineman Max Holloway has verbally committed to Boston College, but USF and Florida have emerged as contenders for his services.

“Florida usually come in late with offers, but I have talked to them about Max,” Fenton said.

As for quarterback Zack Grossi, he received an offer from South Dakota State and Hofstra and Tulane are expressing an interest. Colorado State also remains a possibility.

“He was No. 1 on Colorado State’s board, but then their coach was fired,” Fenton said. “Two assistant coaches were retained though and they are still looking at him. Zack will play in college. He will play somewhere.” 

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