ESPN's blatant bias against the Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have made the playoffs in 3 out of the last 4 years. Twice, they have won the AL East, and they won the AL Championship once.

With a recent history of success, the Rays ought to be garnering a lot of respect nationally. Every year they're underestimated, and every year they prove the doubters wrong. With a second wild card team being added, the chances the Rays make the playoffs are even better. They have the best starting rotation in baseball, they bolstered an already strong bullpen, and they made significant improvements in 3 or 4 positions of need (1B, C, DH, SS if you count Keppinger). They should at the very least be in contention for the title of one of the best teams in baseball. Right?

Not according to ESPN.

This is a photo of a poll on ESPN's SportsNation website, where fans can vote in such polls. I'm not sure of the date that this poll was posted, so this may be old news, but to exclude the Rays is unexcusable. ESPN for the most part (with the exception of some, such as Buster Olney, who has the Rays near the top of his preaseason power rankings) is totally biased towards the big-market teams such as the Sox and Yanks. Certainly, all the teams up there deserve to be listed, but for the Rays to not be included in the discussion is just another example of ESPN's blatant bias against the Rays.



Your new Buccaneers head coach: Greg Schiano

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired Greg Schiano, formerly of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, as their new head coach. The deal is for 5 years and a little over $15 million.

Schiano, who took over the Scarlet Knights in 2001, only had a 68-67 career record at Rutgers, but his impact on the program went far beyond that. He was able to take a program with only one previous bowl game in their history, and was able to lead them to 6 bowls, and 5 bowl victories. He's 56-33 in his last 7 seasons, with his talent level being average at best.

Schiano is more of a defensive-minded coach, but he said that he will not be his own coordinator, and he will hire a full coaching staff that, with or without NFL experience, needs to be full of teachers as well as learners. This is refreshing, considering how the last two head coaches for the Bucs were essentially carrying two or three jobs for the price of one (Raheem as DC, Gruden as OC), which likely overwhelmed them and the results were not good.

During his introductory press conference, Schiano, who has a reputation as a disciplinarian, described the rules that he would coach the Buccaneers by: TBA, or Trust, Belief, and Accountability. These are definitely things that need to be infused into this Tampa Bay franchise.

And wow, the Bucs were able to pull another name out of thin air. First it was Chip Kelly, and now Schiano, who were never mentioned throughout the interview process by any "insiders". Not only that, but apparently if Schiano said no to the Bucs, then another mystery candidate would have been next in line.

Greg Schiano is not the biggest name, and some may balk at his overall record at a average Big East team, and others will be concerned by his lack of NFL experience. However, he seems pretty qualified with a fantastic reputation, so it seems like a solid hire for the Bucs. Now, on to the coordinators...

Bolts win fourth straight heading into All-Star break

The Lightning defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2.

The Lightning have now won 4 straight games, and within that span they have moved from last to 11th in the Eastern Conference. If they can stay hot, they may be able to sneak into a playoff spot, and of course everyone there starts at 0-0-0. There's still obviously a long way to go, however.

Much of the Lightning's struggles have been due to injuries, which hoepfully will be resolved with a lengthy break for the All-Star game in Ottawa. But this recent streak has been due in large part to the successes of the recent call-ups to replace the injured players. Pierre-Cedric "Nacho" Labrie (who reminds me a lot of former fan favorite Evgeny Artyukhin), Trevor Smith, and Breden Mikkelson have been impressive in their time with the Lightning. And last night, Mike Angelidis scored his first NHL goal in his debut, and Evan "Yo-Yo" Oberg finally got to play after numerous call-ups, healthy scratches, and demotions. I remember a few years ago, the Lightning had a poor farm system; now, it's showing strength.

REPORT: Bucs and Oregon HC Chip Kelly close to deal

Numerous reports have stated that the Bucs are in the stages of finalizing a contract with Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly, or that there is at least a great deal of mutual interest.

If Tampa Bay lands Kelly, it would certainly be an interesting hire. Many Bucs fans had thrown his name around, but not many expected he would actually get interviewed, let alone accept the job. It's very surprising that this would happen; almost no word of this connection came out until late Sunday night. Oregon also has immense funds, considering their close relationship with Nike, so it's likely that the Glazers would be writing a large check. Kelly, who had signed a 6-year deal two seasons ago, just recently completed construction of a new home in Eugene.

Keep in mind that the deal is not finalized yet, and there's still time for it to fall through. But Kelly could bring a lot to the Bucs: leadership, energy, discipline, and creativity. I mean, who didn't like watching Oregon's offense tear through defenses the last two years? Some concerns exist about his lack of NFL experience and how his spread offense will translate, but he beat current NFL coaches Pete Carroll and John Harbaugh several times in the PAc-10/12. He also has a 2010-11 BCS Championship game and a 2011-12 Rose Bowl victory to his credit.

If anything, Kelly would certainlt bring big-name recognition and excitement to the Buccaneers.

UPDATE:

Kelly has turned down the Buccaneers. The Bucs reportedly offered $6 million a year (would have been 4th highest in the NFL), but Kelly decided that he should stay in Eugene.

Projecting the Rays' opening day roster

With the signing of Carlos Pena yesterday, the roster seems to be just about set. There have been some talks of the Rays being interested in another back-up middle infielder, and a trade is likely to clear the log jam for the #5 starter, but at this point we can begin to see how the opening day line-up will look like.

Here are our projections based on what the Rays have now:

LINE-UP

Vs. RHP
Starters
1. Desmond Jennnings, LF
2. Ben Zobrist, 2B
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Carlos Pena, 1B
5. Luke Scott, DH
6. B.J. Upton, CF
7. Matt Joyce, RF
8. Jose Molina, C
9. Reid Brignac, SS
Bench
Jose Lobaton, C
Elliot Johnson, IF
Sam Fuld, OF
Sean Rodriguez, IF

Vs. LHP
Starters
1. Desmond Jennnings, LF
2. Ben Zobrist, 2B
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Carlos Pena, 1B
5. Luke Scott, DH
6. B.J. Upton, CF
7. Matt Joyce, RF
8. Jose Molina, C
9. Sean Rodriguez, SS
Bench
Jose Lobaton, C
Elliot Johnson, IF
Sam Fuld, OF
Reid Brignac, IF

Notes:
Joe Maddon will continue to platoon SS unless Reid or Sean begin to stand out. Joyce will probably be platooned as well, but for now he gets the shot to play everyday. Elliot Johnson remains as a back-up without options, but I wouldn't be surprising if he was replaced by Russ Canzler, Will Rhymes or another free agent/spring training invite. For now, Fuld beats out Brandon Guyer for the 4th OF spot, because he's the #Legend and his speed and defense will be vital late in games. Guyer may very well take the spot as he's a righty, but he still has options, unlike Fuld.

STARTING ROTATION
1. James Shields, RHP
2. David Price, LHP
3. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP
4. Matt Moore, LHP
5. Jeff Niemann, RHP

Notes:
Complete Game James gets rewarded for his fantastic season with another opening-day start. Price may be even better than the last two years though, if he can bring in an above-average change-up. ROY Hellickson looks to have another strong year, and hopefully he can get that K/9 up. A full year of Matt Moore is bound to be exciting, as he may have the most raw talent and polish out of any of the starters. Niemann gets the #5 spot as Wade Davis is the most valuable trade bait and thus most likely to be dealt. Alex Cobb and Alex Torres will serve as insurance in Durham.

BULLPEN
Mid. Brandon Gomes, RHP
Mid. Jake McGee, LHP
Mid. Fernando Rodney, RHP
LOOGY. J.P. Howell, LHP
ROOGY/Groundball. Burke Badenhop, RHP
SU. Joel Peralta, RHP
CL. Kyle Farnsworth, RHP

Notes:
There is no actual "long relief" slot, but it will be more of a platoon as Gomes has gone 3+ innings several times, and McGee is a former starter who can work a few himself. Badenhop, a sidearm pitcher, is good against righties and has good ground ball numbers for when that double play is needed. J.P. "The Dude" Howell will hope to right the ship after a horrible 2011 with a full healthy offseason, but even with his struggles last year he was still pretty good against lefties, so he will be slotted in that role. Rodney had his struggles the last few years himself, but he's a former closer and can be used in higher-leverage situations. Finally, the 1-2 punch of Peralta and Farnsworth looks to have the same success as last year.

Carlos Pena comes home

One of the most beloved players in Rays history is returning to the Bay. Los is coming back.

Carlos Pena agreed to a one-year, $7.25 million deal on Friday. This signing fills the void a first base, and definately is a great signing. Even with Casey Kotchman's great season in 2011, his success was not likely sustainable, and Pena is an upgrade - plus, he came a bit cheaper than most expected.

Pena is still much the same player he was in his first tour of duty with the Rays. He's a power hitter that strikes out and walks a ton; he doesn't hit for great average but he drives in runs and plays great defense. He's a good fit for the Rays' plan. Not only that, but the fans love him and his optimistic attitude, and Los loves the area.

It sure is going to be nice hearing "Olé, olé, olé" during his home run trots once again.

Fight SOPA and PIPA

On January 18th, popular websites such as Wikipedia and Reddit went dark in protest of two proposed bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

While copyright protection and the fight against piracy are certainly meritable things, SOPA and PIPA are absolutely the wrong way to go about it. With just a sliver of suspicion of possibly illegal acts by even one user of a website, these bills would give the government the right to essentially shut down entire websites. Things like Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and even search engines like Google would be eliminated. These sites provide a wealth of information and provide a theater for free speech.

Below is a video by Sal Khan, the head of the fantastic instructional website Khan Academy, outlining the basics of these bills and the details of the threats to the freedom and liberty of the people of the United States. Sal does a great job at explaining the situation, so please watch the video to learn why SOPA and PIPA need to be stopped.

Bolts bruise the Bruins, end losing streak

The Lightning defeated the Boston Bruins, 5-3.

Throughout the midst of a 0-6-1 record in the calender year of 2012, the Lightning have had a problem of giving up goals, taking penalties, having an abysmal power play, and allowing goals within minutes of scoring themselves. All those problems affected the Lightning last night, and yet they found a way to beat the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Vinny Lecavalier, Tom Pyatt, and Ryan Malone each scored for the Lightning, but the Bruins answered each time, including tying the game at 3-3 with what seems like the Bolts' eighty-bajillionith shorthand goal allowed this year (in reality, just their 7th, but that's still really bad).

Luckily, Dominic Moore was able to put the Lightning back ahead with a blistering shot over Tim Thomas' shoulder, and Mathieu Garon survived a furious attack from the Bruins and kept the puck out of the net. Steven Stamkos added his 31st goal of the season on an long-distance empty-net shot from his own defensive end to seal the Bolts' first victory of the new year.

Why Marty Schottenheimer may be the best fit for the Bucs

As the Buccaneers' search for a new head coach endures on, new candidates emerge and more interviews are scheduled. This is frustrating for some, who just want them to sign someone already and a fearing that nobody wants to come to a potential suicide situation in Tampa Bay, whose players have proven that they quit on their coaches and whose owners have proven not to spend money. However, the more insensive the search, the better the end results will be, so in my opinion it's good that they are taking their time.

That said, out of all of the candidates so far, the most popular from the fans' perspective has seemed to be Marty Schottenheimer. Of course, this is possibly due to the some of the other names being completely unnattractive (who wants Brad Childress after the disaster with Favre?). Many are just old retread coaches, which usually doesn't produce good results. But Schottenheimer is a bit different.

The main things going against Marty Ball is his age (68) and his playoff record (5-13). But these things do not really concern me that much.

First of all, with that age comes a lot of experience, something that the Bucs players and coaches lacked the last few season. He's seen it all, and he would know how to properly handle the issues that could arise out of a young team, such as players quitting and legal issues.

Not only that, but pretty much all of Schottenheimer's former players have good things to say about him. He is a vastly respected coach and his players would do anything for him. He is a leader and a motivator, as well as an authority, something Raheem Morris lacked. Marty would be able to build a tough football team (both mentally and physically), and a team that was disciplined, both on and off the field. He also has a history of turning around struggling franchises, a situation the Bucs currently are in. And in addition, his experience and respect would seemingly allow him to create one of the best coaching staffs possible, as he has had a tremendous amount of insight throughout the league. Marty might be too old to do all the intricate work of a coordinator, but he could be a leader and concentrate on the basics of discipline and fundamentals.

His playoff record is pretty much irrelevant at this point. Yes, he has only 5 playoff wins (and no Super Bowl appearances) in 22 years of head coaching. But much of that is due to just pure dumb luck. And at this point, the Bucs aren't near the playoffs yet. They have 17 wins in three years. What they need now is someone to right the proverbial ship, in this case a pirate ship, and help develop these young players for the future. Even if Marty only coaches for a few years before retirement, he can help to build the foundation of this planned dynasty that hopefully comes out of this mess.

Who the Bucs should target in the 2012 NFL Draft

It's no secret that the 2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were really, really, really bad. And as a fan, it sucks to watch (or listen to, as was the case for about half of the season) a really bad team. In all honesty about half of the players on this team don't deserve to be in the NFL.

Luckily, going on a ten game losing streak to end the season does have its advantages. An easier schedule next year is one of them, but the most obvious one is plenty of high draft picks. Mark Dominik absolutely needs to get good production out of all of these draft picks. There are so many positions of need on the team that deciding which to target the most in the draft will be difficult.

As I see it, the greatest needs are in this order: Cornerbacks, Linebackers, Safeties, Running Backs, and Wide Receivers. Improvements are needed everywhere; the typical NFL team would fill in those improvements with free agents to compliment the draft picks, but the Bucs may just want to sign a long snapper or something and call it a day.

Anyway, here are a few players that I think could help the Bucs out in the draft. Most are first round possibilities, but a few others are expected to linger in the 2^nd and 3^rd. And I apologize that the majority of these players are from the SEC, but hey, they have won 6 straight national titles and have the two top defenses this year.

Cornerbacks

Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

Linebackers

Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College

Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

Safeties

Mark Barron, SS, Alabama 2

Running Backs

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon 3

Wide Receivers

Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

The way I see it, the Bucs should draft Claiborne with the 5^th overall pick, Barron in the 2^nd round, and James in the 3^rd.

Rays sign Luke Scott; 2012 roster falling into place

The Rays have signed former Oriole Luke Scott to a one-year deal plus a team option in 2012. Scott will earn $5 million in '12 and $6 million in '13, or get $1 million as part of an option buyout.

I think this is a great move by the Rays. Scott has seemed destined to become a Ray for a few years now, as his name has usually come up as that extra bat at the trade deadline that the Rays have never traded for. Andrew Friedman finally picked him up in free agency this year.

Scott is fairly versatile, having experience in the OF and, most importantly, DH and 1B. He hits for a decent average and has some good pop, and will slide nicely into the middle of the Rays' lineup. This signing, however, does spell an end to the Johnny Damon era in Tampa Bay. Although Damon's numbers have been declining, he was still productive and was a fantastic presence in the club house. I wish him good luck in his future, and perhaps one day he can return; Joe Maddon always likes to utilize that "Quality Control coach".

There are two major concerns with Scott. The first is that he has sparked a fair amount of controversey over his political and religious views; he has been accused of being racist and got into a type of religious debate with Matt Garza through the media a few years ago. That said, all indications are that Scott is a great teammate and that he's not some kind of locker room cancer. The other bigger concern, however, is that Scott had shoulder surgery last season, cutting his season short. We have seen hoe shoulder injuries have affected BJ Upton, but hopefully Scott will be all healed up. Friedman has signed players coming off of injuries before, and most of the time it has worked out.

With the DH hole in the lineup filled, the Rays 2012 roster is falling into place. The only real issue is at 1B, where possibilties include bringing Casey Kotchman or Carlos Pena back or filling the hole in-house, perhaps with Ben Zobrist or converting Matt Joyce. Besides that, the other things to watch for are shortstop (it looks like they'll stick with Brignac and Rodriguez) and the starting pitching situation, as it still makes sense to either trade Wade Davis or Jeff Neimann.

Bolts rally, fall in shootout

The Lightning lost to the Vancouver Canucks, 5-4 in a shootout.

Lots to talk about in this game. Tonight had pretty much every part of the up-and-down season for the Bolts. There was bad defense, bad goaltending, bad power play, good Steven Stamkos, the ability to fight back late in games, a good third period at home, and failure in the shootout.

Once again, it seemed like every time the Lightning scored to narrow the gap, the Canucks would come back and score their own goal. Heck, the Lightning scored with about 35 seconds left in the second period, and the Canucks scored with 1 second left. However, the Lightning were able to pick up two goals in the third to tie it up, the tying goal coming from Ryan Malone, who knocked the puck in with his skate and the goal somehow stood. Should it have been overturned? No; there was no obvious kicking motion. But I think everyone in Tampa Bay was expecting the reviewers in Toronto, generally not Florida-friendly, to call it a no-goal, especially against a Canadian team. Luckily, the goal stood, and the Bolts picked up a point.

Both teams had some good opportunities in OT, but the game went to a shootout, where the Canucks won 1-0. Roloson was beat on a tough spin-o-rama, and Malone, Dominic Moore, and Stamkos were stonewalled in their attempts. I have no idea why our shooters continue to either shoot to the glove side or to get in too close before attempting to go top shelf; shootouts have been a problem for a few years now, you think they'd be working on it more.

It was good to get a point in a game that seemed lost, but it's tough to get excited about this inconsistent team right now.

Hockey gods frown upon Tampa Bay

The Lightning lost to the Ottawa Senators, 4-1.

The Bolts may have lost, but they outplayed the Sens for practically the whole game. They did a great job of staying in the offensive zone and kept pressure on. They accumulated a bunch of shots on goal, but only one shot from Steven Stamkos was able to find the back of the net.

The Lightning have been statistically one of the unluckiest teams in the NHL this year, and the trend was in full force tonight. They had so many great chances, but nothing went in. And of the three goals Dwayne Roloson allowed, he only had a good shot at one of them. For Tampa Bay's sake, the second half of the season better have some more positive luck.

Bucs drop the hammer

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired their entire coaching staff. Raheem Morris, Greg Olsen, everyone. Every last coach and coordinator has been relieved of their duties.

GM Mark Dominik will remain with the team, for now.

While this news isn't surprising, and it's probably what needed to happen, it's still shocking to see that an entire coaching staff has been fired. Now, the search begins...

This is the first step in the Bucs cleaning house from this awful season. Later I will go through the roster and determine who actually deserves to be a Buccaneer next year.

Celebrate!

The Buccaneers lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 45-24.

The Bucs season is finally over!

It's been a while since a recap of a Bucs game has been posted, with good reason. Today's game versus the Atlanta Falcons marked the tenth straight loss for Tampa Bay and the fith straight blowout loss. The Falcons are a great team, but giving up 42 points before halftime is terrible. Most of their losses have been because of the same issues week in and week out.

It is almost inevitible that many people will lose their jobs with the Bucs in the coming days. Coaches, players, maybe even front office workers. Raheem and Olsen may have coached their last day with the Pewter & Red, and Ronde Barber may retire. And I'm guessing/hoping that many other players will not return next season (more on that in an upcoming post).

By finishing with a 4-12 record, the Bucs will likely get a top-5 draft pick, so there's a bright side. And despite the frustrations, there is a lot of young (and mostly undeveloped) talent on this team. But I think all Buccaneer fans are glad to have this horrific season end; it's almost worth celebrating. So, if you have any left over fireworks....