Tampa Bay Sports Blog

I’ve been attempting to watch as many Lightning games as possible this season as I work 60 hours a week and I find myself wondering, why? If there were Rays, Bucs, Magic and Lightning games on all at the same time, they basically go in that order as I choose to watch them. My first love is baseball and so on, but I love my hometown teams and have stuck with them through thick and thin. I’m really having a hard time with the Lightning though. It’s not just because they’re bad, it’s because there is no direction. I gave the Rays too much attention under Naimoli because they were going nowhere and I knew it, but stuck with them. I give the Bucs too much attention now because Gruden gave me a Super Bowl and I try to pretend he’s not as big a piece of crap as he his because of it, but I stick with them. The Magic give me every reason to believe now, but those Grant Hill years were tough.

The Lightning aren’t giving me anything right now and I keep looking for the silver lining. The problem is that I’m having trouble holding on to it. I posted before that I’m optimistic about them, and I still am, but I’m having a real hard time keeping that attitude. They play well on some nights and that gets me a little. Rick Tocchet is a very likable coach who seems to be the type of guy we want here, and that’s good. The problems still linger though.

The first problem is the ownership. They have been a cluster fuck since they got here. The hiring and firing of the Mullet, the trade of Dan Boyle,the constant rotation of players in and out, and now more Vinny crap. I have no problem with ownership moving a crazy amount of guys if they’re trying to find their way, that’s acceptable. I do have a problem with them moving Vinny right now though.

If they pull this crap on Vinny it will destroy every relationship with the players they have, or could have in the future. Don’t sign a guy to big extension, tell him he won’t get traded, and then trade him. I already wonder if there is any ethics left in our society, please don’t make it any worse. I’m one of the few in the area that thinks Vinny has underachieved since his arrival, but I don’t see the need to move him now. If they would have done it in the off season, I could have accepted it, but to do it now is just dumb. You’re not going to get enough in return now to justify the move and make this team competitive, so please don’t do it.

I truly believe that Oren Koules and company could improve their standing here if they don’t move Vinny. We all know the circus that has invaded town since Koules got here and we know how bad this team has played, but if they go nuts and move the face of the franchise now, I don’t see how they recover. There’s no shot of them turning around and selling the team for more money either so that’s out. Maybe these are just rumors like in the past, but I believe them more now because our ownership is so stupid. We’ll see what happens, but I’m still clinging on for dear life with this franchise and I hope they give me something more to hang on to before I start recording Seinfeld reruns over Lightning games.

Technorati Tags: Barry Melrose, Dan Boyle, Grant Hill, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Gruden, Oren Koules, Orlando Magic, Rick Tocchet, Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, Vinny Lecavalier

The idiots on the four letter network keep driving me insane with their doubting of the Magic because of their schedule. It’s not college football you assholes! They don’t get to pick who they play, they play the schedule they’re dealt and all they can do is win. Guess what dumbasses, they’re winning! It’s not like they’re playing St. Mary’s high school or a pickup game in the back yard. They’ve won on the road against the Western Conference and they’ve beaten good teams at home. They beat up on San Antonio and New Orleans at home and won tough games on the road. They’re doing this all without really having the entire team clicking on all cylinders. It took Lewis a while to get his offense going and Dwight Howard hasn’t exactly been lighting things up lately while he nurses an injury. They won while Nelson and Pietrus were out and nothing seems to be slowing them down at this point. Since their tough loss in Boston earlier this month the Magic are 13-1, with the only loss being on a last second shot by Grant Hill in Phoenix.

I’m sick of hearing people doubt this team because they want to hang all over LeBron James’ sack. Get over yourselves idiots. The Magic are in Detroit tonight for a big game and follow that up with another tough one in Chicago on Wednesday. Next month they will get Boston at home and have to play the Spurs, Kings, Lakers and Nuggets in a brutal West Coast trip. If they bomb out there then you can get on them, but if they win these games now, you need to get on board with the rest of those that think they’re finally reaching elite type status. I can’t wait to see what this team can do with everyone healthy and playing well and everyone out there should be looking forward to it as well. We’re seeing Jameer Nelson mature into a very good player and could be on the verge of something really great with Courtney Lee. If Rashard Lewis’ sudden newfound toughness isn’t temporary we could really being seeing something special out of these guys. I hope they keep winning and the four letter network retards keep overlooking it until they’re holding up some hardware.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Courtney Lee, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Mickael Pietrus, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Rashard Lewis, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio spurs

The Magic headed out west last week looking to remove any doubts any of us may have had about them and what they could accomplish this year. I’m on board now! They came out last night in a game that could’ve easily been dropped with Howard out and the boys lagging from the tough trip that it was. Jameer Nelson wasn’t about to let that happen though. Nelson stepped up a dropped 32 points on the Warriors, which matched a career high, as he dropped bombs from the arc in the fourth quarter in finishing off Golden State. Nelson has been out of his mind lately and there’s nothing prettier than that high arching shot of his going through when he’s on. The way he shoots really lends to prolonged slumps during a long season, but when it’s on it’s sooooo pretty. Turkoglu was driving the lane like a wild animal and Marcin Gortat stepped up with a 16/13 effort in Howard’s absence. We have come to expect this type of play from Turk, but Nelson and Gortat have shown tremendous strides in their game and the mental toughness they both displayed on this road trip really impressed me. Turk shot like crap again, but has really showed he’s capable of running this offense when he’s needed. It’s good to see him taking on such a leadership role with this team and we shouldn’t freak out about his shots not falling because we know they will. Rashard Lewis is staying consistent right now as he contributed 21/8/5 and Courtney Lee also sparked things with 16 off the bench. Lee has been tremendous off the bench since he’s been given an opportunity and I see no reason that won’t continue. The final last night was 109-98 and the Magic finished up their road trip 4-1 with their only loss being a 1 point loss to the Suns on a final shot by Grant Hill. Outstanding trip to say the least. Speaking of Grant Hill, there are rumors circulating that the Magic are interested in re-acquiring the enigmatic Hill from the Suns for JJ Reddick (hat tip to Third Quarter Collapse for that one). I would be extremely disappointed with this move. Not that I would miss JJ Reddick, but why bring back a guy that essentially flattened this franchise for years with injuries and average play. Hill is not a player that we need here anymore and hopefully the higher ups recognize that as well. No Grant Hill! Anyway, it was a great trip and the Magic now sit at 19-6 and are 3.5 games up on Atlanta in the Southeast. We can’t rest easy now though, tough games are coming with San Antonio, the Lakers, Golden State and New Orleans at home. We really need for Howard to be back Thursday when Tim Duncan and the Spurs come to town, let’s hope he’s ready to go then.

Technorati Tags: Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Golden State Warriors, Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcin Gortat, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis, San Antonio spurs

I’ll have to cover 2 games at once again as I freakin work too much. The game in Phoenix didn’t have the Shaq/Howard crap that I had anticipated, but it turned out to be a great game. The one in Utah amounted to a melodramatic road game without much intrigue. Let’s go.

• The Magic went to Phoenix and played an absolutely great game against a good team that went down to the wire. Turk shot like shit the entire game until hitting another clutch shot to put the Magic ahead with 9 seconds left. The worst part of the whole thing came when Grant freakin’ Hill took a beautiful pass from Amare Soudemire and hit a reverse layup that won the game. Dwight Howard left the game with a sore knee, that will hopefully not keep him out long, after only playing 22 and a half minutes of game time and really wasn’t much of a factor in things. The Magic did a great job of moving the ball and spreading out the scoring, but in the end it wasn’t enough. I take solace in the fact that the Magic were in this game, and almost won it, on the road with their best player hurt and Hedo Turkoglu shooting like crap against a complete Phoenix Suns team. The Suns were minus Shaq and Raja Bell, but Shaq isn’t much of a factor anymore and Bell’s absence is equated by the loss of Mickael Pietrus, so I write that off. With Howard out and Soudemire in and the Magic losing by only one on a final shot in the last 9 seconds, I take the loss in stride and these guys can build from that.
• In the fourth game of the West Coast swing the Magic beat the Jazz 103-94 and have brought their  record to 3-1 out west so far. It was an off night as Dwight Howard sat out along with Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer. Turk and Lewis did most of the damage and the Jazz just couldn’t keep up with Orlando’s offense. I didn’t get to watch the game because it wasn’t on TV here tonight but things appeared to be good on our end from those that started. Nelson dropped 17 as he continued his long due breakout season and Keith Bogans chipped in 10 in essentially split duty with Courtney Lee. Being that I didn’t get to see this game I can’t add anything to my man crush on Lee, but I’m sure he did what he does.

The Magic have gone 1 and 1 since I last talked about them, but they’re now 3 and 1 on this road trip and that’s a great accomplishment. The Western Conference is considered the varsity league in the NBA and the Magic have put up a winning record against them, on the road, with injuries. It shows the fortitude of the team and the ability to overcome arduous situations. Hedo hasn’t shot well, but he’s hit the ones that count, which proves my point regarding his importance to this offense. Rashard Lewis has played very well on both ends of the court during this stretch and has finally stepped up, temporarily, to being the player the Magic thought they were getting. Jameer Nelson is playing at a level we all had hoped for and Courtney Lee is doing major damage off the bench. One guy that played well the last couple nights that I have dogged also is Marcin Gortat. Gortat has stepped up in Howard’s absence and is proving that he belongs in this league. He will never be, and shouldn’t be, a starter in this league but he’s developing into a nice spot player that embraces his role very much. I would prefer Lee get more playing time and Gortat less, but situations dictate that. Lee needs more attention, that post is coming, but things are working and you can’t argue with Stan as they win. One more in Golden State boys,  bring it home right.

Technorati Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Keith Bogans, Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Raja Bell, Rashard Lewis, Ronnie Brewer, Shaquille O'Neal, Stan Van Gundy, Utah Jazz