Category: Sports

* At The Hops: USF has signed a 10-year, high six-figure agreement to rename the Sun Dome. It will become the Yuengling Center. A naming-rights agreement with an alcoholic-beverage producer, however, inevitably elicits scrutiny about image and impact on student drinking habits.

For the record, a Yuengling corporate statement said that the brewery, as part of its campus partnership, will “pledge to educate the students of USF, local residents, visitors and Tampa at large about ways to drink responsibly.”

At least it’s not the 1-800-ASK-GARY Dome.

* The Rays were in New York last Sunday for the Yankees’ 72nd Old Timers Game. It’s always a big, celebratory deal with a lot of big names. It reminded me, in contrast, to some Old Timers Games in Philadelphia. The former Phillies great who would never participate was the late All of Fame centerfielder–and long-time broadcaster–Richie Ashburn. His rationale: He didn’t, he would explain, want to be reminded of all that he “could no longer do.” Understandable but sad.

* I’m not a soccer fan, but I do look in on World Cup competition. I love the eclectic matchups–geographic and demographic. Countries that would never show up in the same sentence were it not for the World Cup. As in: Argentina vs. Iceland, Denmark vs. Peru, Uruguay vs. Egypt, Serbia vs. Switzerland, Panama vs. Tunisia or Poland vs. Colombia.

I’m also reminded of being part of the media scene in the late 1980s when a delegation from FIFA visited Tampa to check out Tampa Stadium as a possible venue for the 1994 World Cup that was awarded to the U.S. I still recall a Brazilian reporter who said, “Having the World Cup in the U.S. is like having the World Series in Brazil.” BTW, Tampa wasn’t chosen–but Orlando was.

Well, it’s back in America again–in 2026. Most of the World Cup matches will be in the U.S, with others in Canada and Mexico. Presumably tariffs will no longer be an issue.

* It’s still surprising that the MLB draft is before the college baseball regionals and the College World Series. Inevitably, the competition is rife with draftable talent. For teams investing millions, it could make a difference to see how a targeted player handles it all–including the pressure.  Case in point, Auburn pitcher Casey Mize was the number one overall draft pick by the Detroit Tigers. He’ll be a millionaire shortly. But after he was drafted he pitched against Florida in the Super Regionals. It didn’t go well. He gave up six runs and lasted five innings. If I’m Tigers management, I would have wanted to see how Mize performed in his biggest college game before I made a seven-figure investment and drafted him before everybody else.

* Just when big-time college athletics thought it couldn’t get more challenging than recruiting scandals, “one-and-done” fallout and high-profile, criminal investigations, along comes the Supreme Court. It has signed off on legalized sports betting. Not just in Las Vegas. But everywhere. Easily.

“There’s a lot of touch points,” concedes SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. As in myriad opportunities for gamblers to get some inside info–as in links to players. As in integrity under further siege. From ever-ratcheting insider access to point spreads to point shaving: hardly a quantum leap.

As we know, the Supreme Court doesn’t always get it right, from Plessy v. Ferguson to Citizens United v. FEC. In fact, bet on it.

* So President Trump formally canceled the White House visit of the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a face-saving gesture, because most players were going to be no-shows anyhow. It’s also a reminder that when it comes to White House invitations to athletes, they should only apply to those on Olympic or World Cup teams. For those who actually represented their country–not their employers.

* Brittany Lincicome, the local veteran of the LPGA circuit, made headlines recently when she was invited to play a PGA Tour event. She will become the fifth female pro golfer–going back to Babe Zaharias–to play in a men’s tournament. She’ll receive a sponsor’s exemption and compete next month in the Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville, Ky. It’s a big deal, but likely nothing that shocks anyone who recalls her golfing days at Seminole High School. She was the star player–on the boys’ team.

* It’s frustrating to think about the Stanley Cup Finals without the Lightning. This, however, is not a forum to lament or ponder why the Bolts came up short, but an opportunity to muse on a team that will be in it: the first-year, expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights. The odds were 500-1 that Las Vegas would win the Cup; now they’re in the finals against Washington.

Two critical factors. The NHL made it more difficult for incumbent franchises to keep as many good players as it used to. The Lightning, for example, were not blessed with Stanley Cup- caliber draft talent in its inaugural 1992 season. Neither was the team, Ottawa, that came in with it.

But Vegas came in alone; nobody else was drafting. It also paid a lot more to play than the Lightning did. “Vegas paid $500 million, and we paid $50 million,” recalled Bolts founder Phil Esposito. You get what you pay for in life.”

BTW, plans continue for Seattle to be the next NHL expansion franchise; debut is slated for 2020. Among the registered nickname favorites: Sea Lions, Renegades and Emeralds. The expansion fee: $650 million. Don’t expect 500-1 Stanley Cup odds.

* No one would dare admit it, but you have to believe that the NHL was hoping for anyone but Winnipeg to be representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals. Winnipeg, which lost to Las Vegas in the conference finals, is the smallest market in the entire league. It’s also the frequent target of Canadian humor about its weather and provincialism. Truth be told, the NHL probably hopes for a mega-TV-market matchup of the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers every year.

* We know the Rays have had their share of struggles so far, and it hardly helps that they are in MLB’s toughest (American League East) division with the talent-stocked and exorbitantly-payrolled Yankees and Red Sox. They won’t catch either one. But suppose they were in another division, say, the AL Central?  At the beginning of this week, the Rays’ record (22-23) would have put them into a tie for first place with the Cleveland Indians.

* OK, the Rays still don’t draw well at the Trop. But at least their crowds are almost always in the five figures. The Miami Marlins, who relocated to cool, new digs a few years ago, struggle to draw 6,000. Good luck, Derek.

* For what it’s worth, HBO and NFL Films picked up a Sports Emmy for “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.” The five episodes were occasionally entertaining, sometimes insightful and–by its very nature–intrusive and invasive for the workplace. That’s the reality with having to grant virtually unfettered access to roaming camera crews looking for story lines and over-the-top personalities. No head coach would have volunteered for this. Dirk Koetter is no exception.

* That was quite the telling quote by former Major League manager Davey Johnson about Tampa native Dwight Gooden, the erstwhile New York Mets pitching phenom whose career was seriously impacted by substance-abuse issues. “He could say no,” said Johnson, “but he didn’t know how to back it up.”

* That detailed report by the Condoleezza Rice-chaired Commission on College Basketball didn’t pull any punches in its criticisms and recommended reforms for college hoops. It notably looked into ratcheting corruption that included bribe and kickback schemes involving coaches, agents and apparel companies. “The goal,” underscored the report, “should not be to turn college basketball into another professional league.”

Addressing the rebottling of this genie of corruption and hypocrisy that has so many self-serving, moving parts is beyond formidable. Only two approaches make sense.

First, pay players in marketplace fashion–starting with recruitment and then on a sliding scale based on performance. It is what it is: “Amateurism” is preposterously passé. Attending class would be optional. Those who actually belong on a college campus could actually work toward a degree on a part-time basis. Those for whom this is a 13th-grade, trade school experience can concentrate on basketball without becoming sham “student-athletes” who only further undermine the integrity of higher education.

Second, only admit those who actually deserve to be admitted to a real university. It’s not for everybody. We’re talking SATs and high school or community college GPAs. If you can’t make the cut, let the National Basketball Association follow the role model of Major League Baseball with a viable minor league system. That way the league and its franchises can pay to train their own future employees.

* I love it when Tampa lands a Super Bowl or a Women’s Final Four or a Frozen Four or an NHL All Star game. It’s further validation of what we’ve evolved into, plus it’s a great marketing coup. Next Super Bowl is only three years away.

And now we know that the Tampa Bay Sports Commission is seriously pursuing “Wrestlemania,” sometimes dubbed the Super Bowl of pro wrestling, for 2023, ’24 or ’25. Only one downside: It’s pro wrestling.

* The Bucs Ring of Honor will be adding another inductee this season–and it will be at halftime of the Sept. 24 Monday Night Football game at Ray Jay against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The honoree will be Tony Dungy, who, as was the case with last year’s honoree, Jon Gruden, is a former Bucs coach. Something else they also have in common: They were both fired.

* USF just signed Athletics Director Mark Harlan to a contract extension. He’s been with the Bulls since 2014. Since then, USF has won 13 conference championships. That’s impressive. But we know what bucket list boxes remain unchecked. None of those championships were in football or men’s basketball, which still matter the most.

* USF has proactively emailed a survey regarding an on-campus football stadium to a broad constituency–from students to boosters. The agree-disagree survey queries range from “I feel a new on-campus football stadium will enhance the collegiate experience for current and future USF students” to “A new on-campus football stadium will position USF to be an attractive program in future conference realignment discussions.” One question not on the survey: “I feel that there’s probably a better way to invest in USF’s future than putting up $200 million for an on-campus football stadium.”

*  On Sunday the Philadelphia Flyers lost at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 8-5. They were thus eliminated from Stanley Cup contention. With time still remaining, frustrated Flyers fans began littering the rink with, among other things, beer cans. They weren’t even empty. Philly fans never disappoint.

* The Lightning held on and held off the Boston Bruins to win the Atlantic Division with the best record in the Eastern Conference of the NHL. The Bolts now have home-ice advantage throughout the conference playoffs. Just one cautionary note: Be careful what you wish for–and celebrate over. As a result of edging out Boston, the Lightning has drawn the lower-seeded New Jersey Devils–instead of the higher-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs. Only caveat: While Tampa Bay won three out of four against Toronto in the regular season, the Bolts were winless in three games against New Jersey.

Regardless, this is a special Lightning team, which set franchise records for wins (54) and points (113)–yes, better than the Stanley Cup champions of 2003-04. Go, Bolts.

* Amid all the hype and hope about a new Rays stadium in Ybor City, it would help if the Rays, per se, would do their part–and not start the season playing so badly. Hardly a complement to efforts at ginning up market enthusiasm. And, BTW, amid all the high-profile support being rallied by corporate Tampa Bay, among others, where is Jeff Vinik, Tampa’s visionary and developmental godfather? Water Street Tampa needs to be more than a de facto player.

* Nice to see Villanova win another national championship in basketball. That’s two titles in three years. The Wildcats are a throwback. No sham-student-athletes, no one-and-dones. Its best player, Jalen Brunson, won the Wooden Award as the national player of the year–and he will graduate after this semester.