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Phenom Myers Ready for Rays Promotion

Tom Jones, Tampa Bay Times

NFL Doesn't Have a Funny Bone

Will Leitch, Sports on Earth

Rays Keep Their Rotation Rolling

David Schoenfield, Sweet Spot

It's time. The Rays should do it today. They should do it now. Call up Wil Myers from the minors. Bring the kid up from Triple-A Durham, put him in rightfield and let the future s...(full article)

Like any idiotic teenage boy worth his salt, I used to love to make prank phone calls. My cousin Taylor and I would stay up all night playing Nintendo, and after we'd gone through...(full article)

The best word to describe South Florida’s 15-year-long football existence would be “schizophrenic.” In their first decade of their existence, the Bulls went from being gridi...(full article)

When the Tampa Bay Rays changed their name in 2008 and transformed overnight from the hapless laughingstock of the American League to 97-win division champions, their rotation fea...(full article)

The sound was sickening. Perhaps there is a perfect adjective, some sort of analogy, that would best describe it, but, really, the only way to put it is to tell you exactly what ...(full article)

More Recent Articles

Either Ump or Price Isn't Right

CHICAGO — Sunday should have been a day of relief and celebration for Rays ace David Price, as he got his first win of the season after the Rays made an inspired comeback an...

Tampa Pushing to Host 1st Football Playoff

There apparently is some competition to host the championship game of the playoff era. Dallas-Fort Worth and Cowboys Stadium (in Arlington, Texas) has been the prohibitive favori...

Are the Bucs Nuts? Revis Not Worth the Risk

The pending Darrelle Revis trade from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can be reduced to this: young, healthy, cheap, inexperienced but talented vs. older, super tale...

Jets Hold Upper Hand in Trading Revis

It's so easy to rip the New York Jets. You do it. I do it. They've earned it. But what if, perhaps, just maybe, they're handling this Darrelle Revis saga with aplomb? What if, perh...

MLB Teams Blend Chemistry, Semantics

Jason Giambi has been paid more than $20 million a season to hit baseballs and help teams win championships. Now, he's making $750,000 as a 42-year-old part-time player and full-...

2012 Magic Follows Orioles Into 2013

The same question followed the Orioles through a maddeningly uneventful offseason and a happily uneventful seven weeks of spring training. Would the magic that carried them to the ...

AL East Ready for Season of Surprises

FORT MYERS — My oft-stated prediction for this year’s American League East is that all five teams are going to win 84 games and then be whisked off to Omaha for a Coll...

Unlike Past, AL East Anybody's to Win

The division that set the standard for sameness is virtually unrecognizable these days. Just a decade ago, the American League East race was the most predictable competition in sp...

Once MLB's No. 1 Pick, Now a Convict

Matt Bush was once the envy of many as baseball's top overall pick in 2004, boasting plenty of potential and millions in the bank. But with Bush's alcohol problem and several rel...

Suddenly, AL East Flips on Its Axis

The Toronto Blue Jays are remaking themselves on the fly this offseason. R.A. Dickey is just the latest fortification; that follows the looting of the Miami Marlins’ roster for J...

Royals' Adding Shields Is Gutsy, Necessary

People will crush the Royals. People always crush the Royals, and they mostly deserve it after nine straight losing seasons, the last 6-1/2 under general manager Dayton Moore. B...

Foles Delivers as Eagles Beat Bucs

TAMPA - Nick Foles' 22-yard completion to Jason Avant put the ball at the Buccaneers' 1-yard line with 10 seconds left. The Eagles scrambled to the line of scrimmage, assembled, t...

Manning's Broncos Win AFC West

As prizes go, the AFC West title for the Broncos is like a stocking stuffer for a 16-year-old who just got his driver's license. It's nice. But what else you got? Thanks to a stro...

Both Sides Gamble in Longoria's Deal

Monday was a good day for the Tampa Bay Rays. They signed Evan Longoria, the best player in franchise history, to a deal that could keep him in Tampa Bay through 2023. The news, ...

No Passing Grade for Bucs' Secondary

Play after play, game after game, the Bucs secondary continues to burn. By now, you wonder why other teams even try to run. Against the Bucs defensive backs, every pass seems like...

Falcons Sneak Past Bucs

TAMPA – The Falcons train kept rolling on down the tracks on Sunday. Faced with a stiff a challenge from upstart Tampa Bay, the Falcons prevailed 24-23 in a squeaker at Raymond ...

Clark Enjoying Change of Scenery with Bucs

For his first nine seasons, Dallas Clark was a huge part of division titles, conference titles and one Super Bowl title with the Colts, a wingtips-and-briefcase franchise led by q...

Cy Young Winner Price: 'This Is Awesome'

David Price has stood tall on the Tropicana Field mound in his Rays uniform and pitched through many pressure-packed, stressful situations with nary a hint of fear. But standing ...

Whatever You Call Him, Martin's a Star

Dartin' Martin? Mighty Mouse? Cannonball Martin? Seldom has Tampa Bay fallen in love with a name so fast, and rarely has it wanted to give an athlete another option so fast. Doug...

Martin Running Bucs Into Postseason Picture

With more than 60 of the family members and friends that he used to run away from during those games of tag cheering him on, Buccaneers rookie running back Doug Martin ran into th...

Martin on Track to Be Bucs' Best RB Ever

It has only been eight games. You have to keep telling yourself that. But, gee whiz, it's hard to watch what Bucs running back Doug Martin has done in those eight games and not s...

Bucs Work Magic by Dumping Talib

The tricky part was not getting rid of Aqib Talib. Heck, a lot of us were prepared to do that some time ago. For the Bucs, the tricky part was how smart they looked doing it. Bravo...

Change at QB Something to Ponder

The boobirds started early.It was barely three minutes into the Thursday Night Football game at the Mall of America Field, and the Minnesota Vikings — the 5-2 Vikings, nipp...

Buccaneers' Top Pick Earns Top Billing

All along it was supposed to be Doug Martin who was elusive. Not stardom. He had been good. On the other hand, he had been a couple of yards short of great. He had been decent. S...

Punting Thursday Night Football

Are you ready for some football? Well, that kind of depends. If you're a fan that can't wait another 64 1/2 hours for your fix or an NFL suit looking for increased revenue, the ans...

More Than Last Play Tripped Bucs

This is the failure you will remember, that final thrust of a knife to the heart. One minute, Mike Williams was falling to the turf with a tying touchdown catch in his hands, and ...

Orioles Make Something Out of Nothing

James Shields should resist the urge to pull out his hair. It’s a common reaction when playing the Orioles. He struck out 15 batters and gave up two hits on Tuesday night. &l...

Schiano Was Right, Here's Why

Giants coach Tom Coughlin has won more Super Bowls than Bucs coach Greg Schiano has won NFL games. That would suggest Coughlin knows more about this NFL business than Schiano. And...

Shame on Bucs' Schiano for Finishing a Game

Alas, Greg Schiano, now you've done it. You've annoyed the poor old New York Giants and irritated poor old Tom Coughlin, and for what? Because you insisted your team give it that o...

Nova Comes off DL to Boost Yankees

Ivan Nova could not have given the Yankees' shaky pitching staff or precarious playoff hopes a timelier boost than this. Nova departed to a standing ovation after pitching effectiv...

Rays' Ace Trumps Yankees' Best

Since making his first start against the Yankees in early June 2009, David Price has held up his billing as the Tampa Bay Rays’ unquestioned ace — a 6-foot-6 left-hand...

Count Out Scrappy Rays at Your Peril

The Rays had to win Thursday. B.J. Upton said so. Matt Joyce said so. The standings said so. Another loss to Baltimore and they would drop four games back in the American League E...

Rookie Writes Orioles' Thrilling Finish

Orioles rookie Manny Machado has spent his brief time in the big leagues making difficult plays at third base — like the slow roller down the line — appear routine. B...

Upton's 3 HRs Lift Rays Over Rangers

ST. PETERSBURG -- B.J. Upton broke the best bat he ever swung during his final at-bat and lost the rock-paper-scissors game with the other outfielders after the game ended, so he...

Rookie Coach Unfazed in Winning Debut

There is something likable about the new guy. Something charming. Something charismatic. Maybe it is the stone jaw, and maybe it is the iron fist, and maybe it is the fierce star...

Rays Recognize Reality of Rough Race

Now the Yankees, led by super-cool captain Derek Jeter, will try to convince everyone that they are not in panic mode after dropping the first two games of a series against the R...

Put On Your Batting Helmet: AL East Is Rocking

ST. PETERSBURG -- Hours before the Yankees squared off against the Rays on Monday afternoon, manager Joe Girardi talked about what a huge week this is for the American League Eas...

Rays Turning AL East Into 3-Way Race

his was nuts. He approached home plate on Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field in the bottom of the eighth of a 3-3 game. It was the Yankees, of course. There were two outs, a Ray...

Bucs Back Doug Martin Was Steal of Draft

Head coach Greg Schiano sees a little bit of Ray Rice when Doug Martin runs. Others see a blend of some of the NFL's past greats like Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith...

Bad Week for Yankees as Rays Close In

Any way you look at it, from getting swept by the White Sox, to Ivan Nova’s stiff shoulder, to Michael Pineda’s DUI in Tampa, or to Joe Girardi getting into it with a rowdy f...

Crucial Final Month in Sight for Rays

From here, you can see the playoffs. Can't you? The Rays are the best they have been all season. They are hot, and they are hardy, and they are almost healthy. All of a sudden, th...

Sizzling Rays Vault Into Wild-Card Lead

As little as they did for so long, the offensive numbers the Rays suddenly have been putting up are staggering. Sunday's 8-3 sweep-completing win over the Angels made it 37 runs f...

No Team Looks More Dangerous Than Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be the best team in baseball, and I hope I haven't just jinxed them. That crown has been passed around a few times already this season, and there's s...

Longoria Key to Rays' Wild-Card Chances

Joe Maddon was asked about a camera crew that seemed to be all in the Tampa Bay Rays' business. The manager mirthfully assured the assembled reporters, those also all in the Rays...

King Felix Perfect for Mariners

Whenever Felix Hernandez takes the mound, the possibility of seeing something special, of witnessing immortality, is always lurking. On Wednesday, on a brilliantly sunny day, that...

Yankees' Robertson Blows Save

Life without Mariano Rivera is going to be quite interesting for the Yankees. One night after he wiggled his way out of a ninth-inning jam, Dave Robertson was unable to repeat tha...

Price K's 12 as Rays Win 6th Straight

Left-hander David Price has put up impressive performances already this season in tying teammate James Shields for the American League lead with five wins, including a complete-g...

Rays' Price Suffers Bizarre Injury

David Price had to leave Thursday's game against the Tigers an inning early due to a "towel" injury that left him with a stiff neck, which he doesn't believe to be serious. The R...

Could Stamkos Win Hart Trophy?

Should a player whose team fails to make the playoffs get consideration for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP? That’s a question voters for the award may be faced with t...

Bolts Top East-Leading Rangers in OT

Ryan Malone sat in the locker room at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, dried blood clotting at the corner of his left eye, the bruise underneath turning vivid shades of yellow and blac...

Sharks Acquire Moore From Lightning

The small list of NHL teams willing to sell off assets at the trade deadline grew by one on Thursday. Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman signalled his intentions by...

Rays Wait to Trade Pitchers for Power

That general manager Andrew Friedman was able to cover first base, to strengthen his bench, to deepen his bullpen, to add a catcher and to secure a designated hitter wasn’t...

Sharks Acquire Moore from Lightning

The Sharks got the player they wanted Thursday night, but only one of the two points they needed. Hours after acquiring versatile forward Dominic Moore from the Tampa Bay Lightn...

4 Quarterbacks Needing Overhaul

Young quarterbacks do not always get better with age. At least four NFL quarterbacks that were expected to flourish took a step back in 2011—Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman, Kevi...

Bolts Snap Streak, Defeat Bruins

Marty St. Louis didn't really want to talk about what he said to his Lightning teammates before Tuesday night's game with the Bruins. "I'd like to keep that internally, really," h...

Ranking the Coaching Vacancies

1. St. Louis Rams Positives – Owner Stan Kroenke has money to spend; quarterback Sam Bradford is young and talented; and the team possesses the No. 2 overall pick in ...

Bucs Fire Morris, Entire Staff

Raheem Morris had a pretty good idea when he walked into a meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners Monday he would not be leaving as their head coach. One year after leading...

Goalie Woes Sinkings Caps, Bolts

With 3 minutes and 44 seconds left in the first period on Tuesday night, Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers fired a shot from the top of the faceoff circle to the right of W...

QB Freeman Hurt at Shooting Range

Struggling Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman needed five stitches in his right thumb following a gun mishap at a local firing range on Oct. 31. The club acknowledged the mishap...

Maple Leafs Thrash Lightning 7-1

On a furious charge up the ice on Tuesday night, Matt Frattin, the Maple Leafs forward, split the defence with a burst of speed and hurtled toward Tampa goalie Dwayne Roloson. Fr...

Lightning Defeat East-Leading Pens

Steven Stamkos has had one fight in his NHL career, so when the Lightning center Thursday night threw punches at the head of Pittsburgh's Matt Niskanen, it was worth noting. The ...

NFC Wild-Card Race Will Be Tight

The NFC wild-card race is beginning to look like one gnarly bowl of beef stew. Yes, it's early. Yes, there's any number of catastrophes that could take place, like Matt Stafford ...

Stamkos' Hat Trick Leads Lightning

Lightning coach Guy Boucher called the Blackhawks the league's "most menacing team in the offensive zone." And Friday night, Chicago's quick-strike offense at times had Tampa Bay ...

Beltre Belts 3 HRs; Rangers in ALCS

Adrian Beltre hit three straight home runs and the Texas Rangers powered themselves back into the AL championship series, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Tuesday to win their play...

Rays to Start Rookie Moore

The Rays aren't freewheeling, they just hadn't been in a position where lining up a postseason rotation was exactly possible -- or the logical thing to do. When they arrived at R...

Longoria HR Sends Rays into Playoffs

In many ways, Evan Longoria's season couldn't have started off much worse. The three-time All-Star third baseman had his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro stolen in March, and his spring tra...

Can Rays Continue Improbable Run?

Savor this, Rays fans, savor every minute, every second. You might never see it again. The September show that never ends, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox, pretty much to...

Rays Rally, Stay Tied for Wild Card

Matt Joyce was hurting Tuesday afternoon. His right foot was taped and wrapped, the result of painfully fouling a ball off his right foot the night before. After Tuesday's game, ...

Rays Win, Gain in Wild-Card Race

The Rays got a strong start from Wade Davis and four home runs - including a inside-the-parker by Ben Zobrist - to beat the Blue Jays 5-2 on Sunday. Combined with Boston losing a...

Rays Batter Yanks, Gain on Red Sox

NEW YORK — Knowing he'd be making his first major-league start the next night, Rays rookie Matt Moore came out to Yankee Stadium early Wednesday morning and stood out on th...

Nova Helps Yankees Blank Rays

Ivan Nova screamed into his glove as Robinson Cano's relay throw completed a double play that got the Yankees out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning. Nova was only celebr...

Red Sox End Skid, Beat Rays

With Josh Beckett back on the mound for the first time since he sprained his right ankle Sept. 5 in Toronto, the Red Sox were given a reprieve from a September swoon that saw the...

Huge Game for Beckett, Red Sox

And now for the most important game of the Red Sox [team stats] season. Getting blown out at Fenway Park [map] last night was on the menu from the moment manager Terry Francona dec...

Rays Climb Closer, Clobber Red Sox

A break and a blast. That’s what got the Rays out of their two-game tailspin, and that’s what turned up the heat on the Red Sox. It happened in the third inning Thur...

Rays Lose, Fail to Gain Ground

The Rays players sat around the clubhouse in the afternoon and cheered as the Blue Jays rallied past the Red Sox. Then, with an opportunity to make up a game in the wild card sta...

O's Damage Rays' Playoff Drive

BALTIMORE -- The lasting image from Tuesday's loss was J.P. Howell on one knee as Matt Wieters' eighth-inning home run touched down deep in the left-field seats, while in right fie...

Rays Gain Ground on Idle Red Sox

The experience of being in the playoffs twice in the past three seasons is something that B.J. Upton will never forget. And that he badly wants to experience again. Making sure t...

Rays Finish Sweep of Red Sox

They looked at the schedule when it came out at this time last year, saw all these September games with the Red Sox and Yankees and wondered if it was a cruel joke. Of course bac...

Rays Trim Red Sox's Wild-Card Lead

Wade Davis waited until his biggest start of the season to try something new.Why not, right? The Red Sox were in town and something old hasn't worked for Davis when he faces the Re...

Price Sets Rays Record With 14 K's

Of all the numbers flying around after Sunday's 12-0 win over the Jays, manager Joe Maddon correctly identified the 6 - representing the suddenly shrinking gap between the Rays a...

Rays Hit 5 Home Runs Off Sabathia

The way to beat CC Sabathia, according to Rays manager Joe Maddon, is to out-pitch him, play good defense and find some ways to scratch out a few runs. David Price took care of...

Nats Look Like Favorites for Upton

The trade market for outfielder B.J. Upton(notes) is “interesting,” as one Tampa Bay Rays official put it Tuesday, and as it develops one thing is becoming clearer: I...

Rays' Shields Outduels Sabathia

James Shields walked into the Rays clubhouse Thursday afternoon dressed for business in a light gray tailored suit and tie. “It’s getaway day,” he said six hours...

Rays Halt Red Sox Winning Streak

Forget the long road trip and everything that happened over the course of those 13 days, good or bad. Forget the record at home this season, which has been very un-Trop-like. The...

Longoria HR Lifts Rays Past Rangers

Evan Longoria pumped his right fist in the air as he rounded first base. He said he had to. He just hit his first go-ahead home run of the season, which gave the Rays the lead in...

Price Strikes Out 12, Blanks Indians

David Price returned to form and survived a scare in the process, and Sam Fuld jumped into a phone booth and became Super Sam again. Price pitched seven shutout innings and record...

Bucs' Talib Indicted in Shooting Case

A Texas grand jury on Friday indicted Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, raising even more questions about whether...

Going to Game 7 Not Surprising

You know who you are, and that goes for the bride in question, although in fairness to her, it’s almost impossible to pick a wedding date that doesn’t interfere with ...

Bruins Hold Edge in Game 7

Both teams have already won a Game 7 in this postseason. The Lightning have come back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Penguins in a Game 7 in Pittsburgh. The Bruins have ...

Game 7 Showdown Next for Bruins

The Bruins have not won the Stanley Cup since 1972, when most fans watched Bobby Orr on black-and-white televisions that had aluminum foil crunched around a UHF antenna. The Brui...

Lightning Get Power Play on Track

Through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning thrived in part because of their work on the power play, converting more than 27 percent of their ...

Bolts Edge Bruins to Force Game 7

Once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning must go the distance to advance in the postseason. Tampa Bay staved off elimination for the fourth time this postseason, defeating the Boston ...

Lightning's Roloson to Start Game 6

The Lightning plane from Boston landed Tuesday afternoon bearing news, if not victory. No state secrets this time: Back in goal goes Dwayne Roloson. It's the call I would make. The...

Back Against Wall, TB in Familiar Spot

For the fourth time in this postseason, the Lightning find themselves teetering on the edge. One more push and the spectacular playoff run under rookie coach Guy Boucher and rooki...

Rejection Fuels Lightning's Run

Someday, they may appreciate the story line a little more. When the puck has thawed and the crowd has dispersed, they may recognize the compliment in the insult. But for now, it ...

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