quick hits tampa bay pro sports

We’ve got a lot to cover sports-wise in Tampa Bay and I have been delinquent so we’re covering everything in one post.

RAYS
Let’s get this out of the way – the loss yesterday was a punch to the gut.  It was depressingly ugly but it happened and there’s nothing that can be done to change it.

I think the Rays will win tomorrow and should win convincingly.  Look at it this way: it took a miraculous rally for the Red Sox to get their first win in Boston.  Now the series moves back to St Pete where the Rays have two things going in their favor: 1) they have their ace Jamie Shields starting against a struggling Beckett, and 2) a young Rays team that will have the home crowd behind them.  Momentum is a funny thing in baseball (as the Rays found out last night) and can swing back to the Rays’ favor very easily.

BUCS
Is anyone else excited about the throwback game for next year?  Not only do we get the creamsicle jerseys but the Bucs will introduce a Ring of Honor, both of which have been a long time coming.

It’s been difficult to get a read on the Bucs playoff chances so far; the Bucs have a better team than last season, but the NFC South is also more competitive.  No team in the division has a losing record and the worst team in the division (Saints) is the only divisional opponent to beat the best team (Bucs).  The Falcons have been the surprise team (as a result of a series of events which began with the police raiding a dog kennel in Virginia) but I have my doubts about Atlanta’s staying power.  The Falcons have been riding the Matt Ryan wave but every rookie quarterback has weaknesses and it’s only a matter of time before Ryan’s weaknesses are exposed.

I’m sticking with my preseason predictions, the Panthers are going to be the Bucs main competition for the division title.  Based on last week’s results that bodes well for the Bucs.  The Bucs should continue to be in good shape with Jeff Garcia as the starter (despite what Jon Gruden apparently believes) and will be in better shape once Joey Galloway returns.  More importantly the Bucs defense has returned to dominance.

BOLTS
The NHL season has started and four games in the Bolts have yet to record a victory.  It’s easy to neglect the Bolts considering the success of the Rays and Bucs but their struggles since winning the Stanley Cup are troubling.  You would think that the implementation of a salary cap would benefit a small market team like the Bolts but tying up a majority of their cap in three players may have been a bad idea.  Now the Bolts appear in full on rebuilding mode and headed for a second straight losing season.