Devil Rays
Wilson magnificent as Rays eke out win
New starter goes 7 strong in a 2-1 victory over the Royals.

Fiore a winner after 9-year wait
ST. PETERSBURG -- Tony Fiore went nine years and 927 minor-league innings before making it to the big leagues Sunday.

Bucs/NFL
Rookie Gibson may see time on Sunday
TAMPA -- He wasn't the first rookie drafted by the Bucs, but he might be the first to play with the starters.

N.E.'s Belichick now flexible
Maybe you have heard new New England coach Bill Belichick is a new man.

NFL briefs
Offers reportedly plentiful for Dolphins

Around the NFC
Around the AFC

College football
Aiming for the stars
USF starter Marquel Blackwell wants to compete with the nation's top QBs.

Hurricanes open with a rout
MIAMI -- The new season couldn't arrive fast enough, the first game crawling to its beginning. The Hurricanes, intent on proving that a return to glory is imminent, were eager to show their stuff.

Extra points
Player profile/Vassay Marc

Jim Leavitt Q&A
Q: You have cut practices short by a few minutes every day this week (an average of about 10 minutes). Any particular reason?

College football around the state
Spurrier picks Grossman as UF's No. 2 quarterback

Moss has the moves
MIAMI -- Santana Moss insists he won't strike any Heisman Trophy poses. But the senior receiver/return specialist had a couple chances Thursday night. Twice in the first half, Moss went untouched on 70-plus yard touchdown jaunts. Moss sprinted 77 yards on a punt return in the first quarter. On a flanker reverse in the second quarter, Moss dashed 75 yards for his second breakaway score.

Tennis
Agassi's defense
With a tough summer ending, '99 Open champ exits listlessly.

U.S. Open briefs
Mini-drama foiled

Lightning
Kubina signs 2-year deal with Lightning
TAMPA -- Crisis averted.

Et cetera
Bucs come up short online
By the time the NFL season kicks off Sunday, NFL.com will have a new look, a new philosophy and new features for fans looking to supplement their football viewing online.

Sports digest
Player gets jail time for punching ref A soccer player who punched a referee in the head during a game received a 15-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to assault and battery Thursday in Muskegon, Mich.

Olympics briefs
Wrestling saga takes a biting turn

Ernest Hooper
Fox now NFL veteran
Remember when Fox acquired the rights to the NFL in 1994 and everyone feared Bart Simpson would do color commentary and Christina Applegate would be a studio analyst?

Colleges
Volleyball coach sees competition
TAMPA -- Nancy Mueller had a specific goal when recruiting for the volleyball team last year: Find some players who could compete instantly. "I didn't want our starters coming into the program this preseason thinking that just because they started last year they would this year," Mueller said. "I wanted to find players that could come in and challenge for a starting position right away, and I think we've done that."

College sports briefs
Back may sideline UNC's 7-6 freshman

NHL
NHL briefs
Goalie Boucher takes 2-year deal with Flyers PHILADELPHIA -- Goalie Brian Boucher, a rookie last season who replaced starter John Vanbiesbrouck and carried the Flyers to the Eastern Conference final, signed a two-year contract Thursday to remain with the team.

Motorsports
NASCAR learns to handle road rage
Feuds between drivers are not new in racing. Opinions differ on their value to the sport.

Autos briefs
Wallace wary of Darlington Raceway track DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Rusty Wallace has every reason to be confident.

Preps
The top 10
Top 10 predictions for the 2000 Hillsborough County's football season

Mustangs golfers still undefeated
Two tri-matches after its season began, the Mitchell girls golf team is still undefeated.

Some teams seek revenge in Week One
Sometimes, as a coach, you want your team to forget a game and move on. And sometimes you don't.

Hudson turns to Baker to thwart pesky Tarpon Springs
HUDSON -- Hudson, meet your new district antagonist.

In the end, Riverhills' record doesn't matter
Tonight, it all begins for Riverhills Christian.

Dragons' confidence didn't leave
TAMPA -- It's unlikely any football team has had more player transfers and coaching changes -- coming and going -- than Jefferson in the past year.