Bucs/NFL
Batch not worried about past failures
The Lions QB is winless this season, but he may have found a rhythm since being benched for two weeks.
Sapp will miss the old stadiums
TAMPA -- Last weekend it was Lambeau Field. This weekend it's the Silverdome. Next month, it will be Soldier Field.
Baseball
Baseball Hall takes its game on road
ST. PETERSBURG -- Babe Ruth's bat, Shoeless Joe Jackson's shoes and Jackie Robinson's jersey are coming to town.
High ratings give MLB a silver lining
Contraction is imminent; a work stoppage might be around the corner. But the ratings news in baseball is better than in 10 years.
Motorsports
Ups and downs make Little E his own man
The past year has been a bittersweet ride for Dale Earnhardt Jr., but he still is succeeding.
Flat track means flat-out qualifying
HOMESTEAD -- As the Winston Cup series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for just the third time, fans might want to brush up on their flat-track terminology.
NASCAR spoofs itself with new 'toon
As the voice of Bart Simpson, Nancy Cartwright helped cartoons find a place again in prime-time television 12 years ago. Now the Emmy-winning voice-actor is hoping to shepherd animation into another medium: the Internet.
Et cetera
Wright signs his third promoter in just two years
Hooks up with Roy Jones Jr.'s company after a fight deal stalls.
Colleges
C-USA tourney berth doesn't satisfy USF
TAMPA -- A year ago, the South Florida men's soccer team took part in a fruitless scramble to qualify for the Conference USA tournament. Fast forward a year, and the Bulls are comfortably in the tournament, which they host beginning Thursday, but are still scrambling -- for a higher seeding and one of two first-round byes.
Reemergence fits Vandy well
A return to national prominence has the school thinking big.
For openers, redemption
No. 6 UF avenges last season's NCAA Tournament loss, 72-64 over No. 16 Temple.
Top 25 women's basketball rankings
1. CONNECTICUT: Senior Sue Bird and sophomore phenom Diana Taurasi may be the best backcourt combination in the country. Add F's Swin Cash and Ashja Jones, along with C Tamika Williams (who shot 75 percent last season) and you'll see why the path to the Final Four again will run through Storrs.
UF women's soccer shuts out Vanderbilt
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Goals from four players led the Florida women's soccer team to a 4-0 victory Thursday over Vanderbilt in the opening round of the SEC tournament at the LSU Soccer Complex.
Spartan shorts
TAMPA -- With its crucial Sunshine State Conference loss to Barry in Miami last Saturday, the University of Tampa volleyball squad fell into a tie atop the conference standings with the Bucs with a week left in the regular season. UT fell in a 30-23, 29-31, 30-17, 21-30, 8-15 thriller to see its 14-match win streak and 36-match SSC win streak end.
Bulls bits
TAMPA -- The Bulls volleyball team was a hit on last weekend's road trip, posting wins at Memphis, Southeast Missouri and Saint Louis to extend USF's winning streak to seven matches.
College football
Area QB has Bulls salivating
St. Petersburg Catholic quarterback Chris Davis has generated enormous recruiting buzz.
Original Bull maintains balance between life and football
TAMPA -- There are only six of them, six original South Florida players remaining from the fall of 1997, USF's first year of football.
Practice reports
FSU turns to backup
College football notebook
Vandy coach set to resign
Outdoors
His passion for hunting is on display
ST. PETE BEACH -- That first BB gun was nothing special, just a broken-barrel, single shot, but it sure did shoot straight.
Daily fishing report
Kings make their mark
Preps
Durant uses experience to take care of East Lake
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- East Lake and Durant are well-coached teams, and yes, they have produced winning records and playoff appearances.
Ocala Forest stuffs 2-point try, leaves Land O'Lakes stunned, 7-6
OCALA -- Land O'Lakes coach John Benedetto sat stunned on the Booster Stadium visitors' bench after Thursday's playoff game against Ocala Forest.
Rising to the occasion
Keswick Christian's Schooley brothers have the Crusaders in the playoffs for the first time.
Don't bet on it
Lakeland's coach is trying to pass his team off as the underdog, but Hillsborough isn't fooled.
Cougar, Raider lead group to state meet
SARASOTA -- With some fast performances at the Class 3A, District 6 meet Wednesday, Durant, Plant City and Bloomingdale will send swimmers to the Nov. 17 state meet at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex in Fort Lauderdale.
Tonight's games: Pinellas
All games at 7:30 unless noted.
Tonight's games: Hillsborough
All games at 7:30 unless noted.
Gibbs WR Davis chooses Wake Forest
Wake Forest got to Gibbs wide receiver Chris Davis first. Looked him over, decided it liked him, kept in contact, promised him a spot in a wide-open offense similar to the one he plays in as a Gladiator, and made him feel wanted.
Barons win bowl game
ST. PETERSBURG -- The orange got crushed in the first "Time Warner Bowl Game" on Thursday night as the St. Petersburg Catholic defense contained Osceola's bread-and-butter running game.
