The Citrus Park All-Stars aren't big or imposing. One parent said the team might not fare so well if physically larger opponents offered a football challenge in the parking lot. ...more

August 16, 2008

If there was any doubt, the expectations for the University of South Florida this football season have never been bigger. USF was picked to finish second in the Big East in the league's media poll, released this morning. USF received one first-place vote and was picked to finish behind West Virginia, which has won or shared two of the last three Big East titles. ...more

July 29, 2008

A day after St. Petersburg super middleweight Jeff Lacy said he was retiring, he revealed his reasons, saying the money offered to fight Jermain Taylor in November was "an insult." ...more

July 27, 2008

St. Petersburg super middleweight Jeff Lacy survived a near knockdown in the second, as well as several other precarious moments to collect a 95-95, 96-94, 97-93 majority decision against Columbian Epifanio Mendoza on ESPN2's "Wednesday Night Fights" in Cabazon, Calif. ...more

July 24, 2008

It felt close to 102 degrees Friday at Dick Howser Stadium, and both teams kept their bats hot, but it was Wichita State that scored in bunches to take a 10-7 victory Friday in the opening game of the Tallahassee Super Regional. ...more

June 7, 2008

The Griffin (Ga.) High School shortstop is deemed the "safer" pick over the other finalist, FSU catcher Buster Posey. ...more

June 5, 2008

Draft day is upon the Rays, but they have yet to make a final decision on who they will select with the first overall pick. ...more

June 5, 2008

THIS WEEK ON TV TODAY 1 p.m. Mariners at Yankees ...more

May 25, 2008

TAMPA - The inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl will be played Dec. 20 at St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field. ...more

May 20, 2008

If you love men's college basketball, this is your day. First, the most compelling game in the short history of the mid-major Bracket Buster series - Drake (23-3) at Butler (25-2) on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. Then, the best nonconference game of the season - Tennessee (24-2) at Memphis (26-0) on ESPN at 9 p.m. ESPN's Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla weigh in on the big day/night of basketball: Fraschilla on the Drake-Butler matchup: "Fittingly, it's going to be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, where they filmed 'Hoosiers.' The fun part about this game is both teams are similar - low turnovers, high 3-point shot attempts, not much inside play, kind of the epitome of a 'Hoosiers' style. Bilas on Memphis coach John Calipari against Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl: "When they were hired, some people said they weren't sure about the fit - two Northeast-type guys in a Southern state. It just goes to show you that winning sells anywhere. The quality of the coaches has led to the quality of these programs. I can't wait to see how loud their sports coats are going to be on Saturday night." Fraschilla on how much Butler can gain today: "I think Butler's No. 8 ranking in the polls is too high. Not to take anything away from the season they are having. But based on their strength of schedule, whether they beat Drake or not, they are probably still in that 5-6 seeding range. They might get some residual effect from what they did in the past, although the NCAA Selection Committee swears they judge a team from year to year without looking to past performance." Bilas on the intangibles to watch in Tennessee-Memphis: "Memphis hasn't been a great shooting team. Last season they shot 62 percent from the free-throw line and got it up to 72 percent during the NCAA Tournament. I don't know if they have an on-off switch for that or what. The X-factor might be Tennessee guard Chris Lofton, always a difficult challenge. Then there's Tennessee's Tyler Smith, who can just overpower a defending guard. I don't know that there's a good matchup for him." ...more

February 23, 2008