[Times photo: James Borchuck] Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson (14) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell near the end of the second quarter. • Super Bowl game photo gallery • Super Bowl celebrations photo gallery The Bucs dominate most of the game, returning three of five interceptions for TDs, enabling long-suffering fans to savor the area's first major sports championship. Story Gary Shelton: The best: Say it, savor it SAN DIEGO -- Say it slowly. Let the words slide across your tongue so you may taste the sweetness of each syllable. After all this time, let the flavor linger. Savor. John Romano: Gimme Five! TALK OF THE TOWN Howard Troxler: Hope springs eternal, but a win sooner is better Hope! Of all ills that men endure, The only cheap and universal cure. Defensive ends help set game's momentum Simeon Rice and Greg Spires get to Rich Gannon early, keeping him from finding a comfort zone. Raiders refuse to give the Bucs their due Rather than dish out credit to Tampa Bay, Oakland looks at its flaws. The journeyman from FSU leads the way to victory For Brad Johnson, a rough start culminates in the crowning moment of his career. Shining moment not just about stars Plenty of characters make up the cast of the Super Bowl champions. Pittman churns out 124 yards Michael Pittman keeps a running game going as holes open up. Oakland sends center home for going MIA SAN DIEGO -- The Raiders sustained their first loss before the game, sending All-Pro center Barret Robbins home for disciplinary reasons. Game balls Michael Pittman, Bucs running back Raiders refuse to give the Bucs their due Rather than dish out credit to Tampa Bay, Oakland looks at its flaws. Secondary shines on grandest stage Forgotten men Dexter Jackson and Dwight Smith come through in the big game with four of the team's five interceptions. McCardell leads receivers' big day Touchdowns at the end of the first half and early in the second help the Bucs build a big lead. Quotebooks • Raiders Coach Bill Callahan on whether the Bucs defense shut them down: • Bucs Warren Sapp on finally winning the Super Bowl: First quarter: A little early deja vu for the Bucs Second quarter: A Bucs blowout is on the horizon Third quarter: Bucs team effort pads the lead Fourth quarter: The defense comes through [Times photo: Daniel Wallace] Riding in the back of her father's pickup, Christina Chapman, 29, left, and her stepsister Kelsey Persha, 16, join the celebration along Dale Mabry Highway near the Stadium. Hometown reaction For jubilant fans in Tampa Bay, 'This is our time. Right here.' Fans got off their barstools and took off their Buccaneers caps for the National Anthem. Nuns sipped Miller Lite and trash-talked the Raiders. Bikers toasted touchdowns with tequila shots. Frenzied fans take over Dale Mabry With a collective howl of elation and a few tense moments, fans across the Tampa Bay region heralded the area's first major sports championship Sunday night in spirited Super Bowl celebrations that ended years of futility for the Bucs. Welcome the team home tonight The welcome home party for the Bucs will be tonight at Raymond James Stadium. Meanwhile, a quiet world still turns Time stood still Sunday. In San Diego: At long, long last, it's nirvana for some ordinary fans One couple, season ticket holders since the bad times, see their Bucs in the Super Bowl. Good ol' boys wander in front of TV cameras Southern California has been quite the scene for Mr. Ed and Rich, a couple of blue collar guys from eastern Pasco and Hillsborough counties. The Gas Lamp party district was eye opening. The traffic, daunting. Entertainment: Superstars belt out favorites, or lip synch them Super Bowl XXXVII's dynamic halftime show might have helped convert any fans not already caught up in the game's excitement Sunday night. But macho guys craving roughhouse rock were probably puzzled by the estrogen bent of the performance. TV ads: Ads didn't live up to former glory If TV is a mirror of society, what can we make of the orgy of consumerism and commercialism that is the modern-day Super Bowl telecast? TV sound bites: Dream duo solid calling big game The debut season of the Dream Team broadcast pairing of Al Michaels and John Madden was like most Super Bowls: It didn't live up to the hype. How could it? The way the Michaels-Madden partnership was hailed, they were half expected to cure cancer this fall. Letters: Revenge against Steeler is sweet Dear Lee Flowers, Jacksonville planning committee finds model worth emulating SAN DIEGO -- There are a lot of things the people organizing Super Bowl XXXIX want to bring to Jacksonville in two years, but the traffic in southern California surely isn't one of them.

Buccaneers Forum: Toss around your thoughts with other Bucs fans from around the Internet. Message board				Bucs E-news: Get Bucs news from the Times sent daily via e-mail. Also available are daily Devil Rays reports and Lightning reports. Click here.				Bucs commemorative magazine online: Relive the excitement in this look back at the 2002-2003 season. Click here.