Gary Shelton
Success, beyond shadow of doubt
TAMPA -- Upon introduction, the first thing you will want to know about the new guy is simple.
Darrell Fry
Plummer knows job isn't secure
It's hot in Arizona. But nowhere in the state is hotter than underneath Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer.
Hubert Mizell
Friedgen a big man with a big task as Maryland coach
Mel Gibson and Denzel Washington, the body characterizers would say, are hunks. Looking at Ralph Friedgen, you think chunk. My kind of guy. Wears size-XXL shirts. Spends little time before mirrors. Could pass for Marlin Fitzwater, bright but homely White House spokesman for George Bush the elder.
Bucs
Pressure without tenure
Kenyatta Walker is a rookie, but he's expected to play like Bucs veteran.
Kick-return game still needs help
TAMPA -- There have been nearly 1,500 regular-season kickoffs received in Bucs history without a return for a touchdown, perhaps the most dubious record for a franchise that never set the bar very high.
Bucs training camp
Now playing
Team is ready to 'compete'
TAMPA -- The next time the Bucs put on full pads, they'll be at Raymond James Stadium playing the Dolphins.
Bucs' Finger points out he is confident
Bucs rookie tight end Dauntae' Finger is a North Carolina native and proud of it. This is his world, from hoops to irregular heart beats to Jennifer Lopez to speeding to being a babe magnet:
Devil Rays
Frightening finish goes Rays' way
Esteban Yan makes it interesting but doesn't blow it, this time, as Ryan Rupe and two rookies key a 4-3 victory over the Twins.
Rupe renewed by extra rest
ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays manager Hal McRae gave pitcher Ryan Rupe 10 days between starts to rest the 26-year-old's arm and, he hoped, to get him back in the win column for the first time since June.
Rays tales
STRIKE ZONE: Bill Fischer did some remarkable pitching during his 1962 streak of not allowing a walk for 84 1/3 innings. But he didn't have much success for a Kansas City A's team that finished 72-90. Fischer's performance during the streak:
Unlikely mark gets the right challenger
ST. PETERSBURG -- It was nothing Bill Fischer set out to do.
The name game
When Nick Bierbrodt made his home debut with the Rays on Wednesday, somebody in the marketing office had a clever idea: sell beers and brats at a discounted price. So who else in the majors could warrant a similar promotion based solely on his name? Here are a few suggestions:
Letters
Don't pull starter in command
Where in the world does it say that a pitcher who is in absolute control of the game should be limited to 80 pitches? Jason Standridge was remarkable against the world champions. Manager Hal McRae's statement, "We have to learn to win," is in error. McRae has to learn to win. There was no losing pitcher for the Rays; there was a losing manager, Hal McRae.
Baseball
In the zone
On Tuesday, Braves pitcher Greg Maddux broke Christy Mathewson's NL record for consecutive innings pitched without a walk. Maddux ran his streak to 70 1/3 innings but still has a ways to go to reach the major-league record of 84 walkless innings. That mark was set by Rays pitching coach Bill Fischer. Below is a look at baseball's winningest pitchers and how many walks they have given up per game (* active):
'Unwritten rules' about respect
Of the many incidents Tim McCarver recalled during a brief conversation, the first was 34 years old but as vivid as five minutes ago.
Baseball this week on TV
WNBA
WNBA briefs
Miami extends streak, beats Orlando 75-64
Golf
'You could make your career by beating Hagen'
Larger than life, and with roots in the Tampa Bay area, Walter Hagen was a golfing trailblazer in the 1920s.
Outdoors
Outdoors calendar
TODAY: 30th annual LOOP All-Release Billfish Tournament, Old Salt Fishing Club, Longboat Key Moorings, Longboat Key, 328-7699.
Daily fishing report
The annual summer influx of juvenile sardines varies in size from year to year. This year it seems that the minnows had a great spawn, as dense schools have taken over many areas.
Sightfishing an ideal fly technique
When it comes to successful saltwater fly-fishing, the eyes have it.
Et cetera
Highs and lows
Week in sports
Preps
Coach's legacy goes beyond Tampa
Russ Cozart will go for his seventh world masters championship this week in Switzerland.
Mustangs, Falcons face rough districts
Dunedin will travel -- a lot -- while Northside Christian might be on the winning side of several blowouts.
Florida blasts its way to World Series berth
GULFPORT -- It's not just the chicks digging the long ball anymore.
