Gary Shelton
Bucs get right man to lead
TAMPA -- The new kid in the locker room was working the crowd. He was managing very well, in case you're wondering.
Bucs/NFL
'Consummate' pro arrives
New QB Brad Johnson visits One Buc Place, signs his deal and gets heaped with praise.
Zeier off to Atlanta for draft pick
TAMPA -- The way the Bucs have been adding quarterbacks to the roster, subtracting one seemed inevitable.
NFL briefs
Grbac signs with Ravens
Devil Rays/baseball
Trade rumors start to gnaw at Vaughn
Slugger says he just wants the Rays to tell him what's going on.
Hamilton turns heads in debut
DUNEDIN -- Josh Hamilton made his first spring start seem like an everyday occurance. Or at least something he hopes will become an everyday occurance.
Maz gets the Hall call
Defensive star joins Negro Leaguer Hilton Smith as Veterans Committee picks.
Area camps roundup
Jeter pain-free after throwing session at short
Baseball briefs
Shaky Smoltz couldn't be happier
Lightning/NHL
Ugly game, but pretty victory
Richards, Weekes secure a 2-1 Lightning win in overtime in a game with 22 penalties.
Lightning works to sign Khabibulin
TAMPA -- Now that the Lightning has acquired the negotiating rights to goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, all it has to do is sign him.
NHL briefs
Fortuitous bounce lifts Devils into first
Colleges
Swoon has made USF's path simpler
LOUISVILLE -- Nearly one month ago, South Florida coach Seth Greenberg was miffed about speculation that the Bulls would have to win the Conference USA tournament to make it into the NCAA Tournament.
Wright closes home career with a bang, if only for five seconds
GAINESVILLE -- Senior Brent Wright committed the foul with a smile.
Jackson rewarded with another C-USA honor
South Florida men's basketball forward Altron Jackson picked up consecutive conference honors Tuesday, earning the Conference USA sixth-man award a day after being named first team all-conference.
Women's program hasn't leveled off
Women's basketball coach Sue Semrau is confident that Sunday, her team will realize the goal embodied in its bold motto for the season:
College basketball briefs
UConn takes title, tops No. 1 Irish at buzzer
Mutiny
Mutiny seeks to discover two players
The Mutiny expects to fill its two discovery player spots by the start of the Major League Soccer season April?7. The team hopes to sign a forward and possibly a midfielder.
Outdoors
Captain's corner
The Spanish are back in Tampa Bay.
Et cetera
NBA briefs
Knicks roar backpast Pacers
Sports briefs
Sampras out; Agassi is, too
Preps
Eagles hold off Leopards
Springstead ends a seven-game losing streak by beating Hernando 3-1.
Win helps Citrus get back on track
INVERNESS -- Citrus hasn't quite been itself of late, but Tuesday's victory over rival Crystal River seems to have the Hurricanes moving in the right direction.
Wind helps Gulf trounce Hudson
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Gulf has been playing so well lately, it didn't need any help against Hudson on Tuesday.
DeCristofaro leaves Gaither
TAMPA -- Howie DeCristofaro accepted the coaching job at Bradenton Manatee on Tuesday, ending a one-year stint at Gaither in which he guided it to its most successful season. "This is one of the premier jobs in Florida," said DeCristofaro, who also will become athletic director. "This and maybe the Vero Beach job were the only ones that would have taken me away from Gaither. The hardest part about leaving Gaither was telling the kids because Gaither truly has the best kids I've ever been around."
Complete game by Santa secures victory for Gators
CLEARWATER -- Land O'Lakes escaped the bitter cold and headed home Tuesday night with a warm feeling.
Durham's new attitude is Plant's biggest victory
Two years after being kicked off the team, Panthers guard Cornelius Durham will start tonight in the 5A semifinals.
Do everything as normal as possible
Jan Bennett coached 39 years and won 563 games before reaching the final four, which he did last season at Seminole Presbyterian. Today, Plant's Mike Phillips and Bayshore Christian's Tom Dibble make their first trips. Bennett, now retired at 65, shared some perspective on his final four experience with the Times' Scott Purks on Wednesday.
Gators' solid pitching baffles Tornadoes for 10 innings
CLEARWATER -- Land O'Lakes escaped the bitter cold and headed home Tuesday night with a warm feeling.
Young Warhawks start strong
Knowing it would take time for his abundance of underclassmen to develop into stars, Seminole coach John Bordeaux said he figured it might take another year for the Warhawks to contend with county power Lakewood.
Pirates cruise past Patriots
GULFPORT -- For the past three weeks, Boca Ciega had been working overtime on its hitting, and even sometimes-fierce winds Tuesday could not keep the work from showing.
