The indoctrination of Steven Stamkos to the NHL hit some hardships this season. ...more

February 19, 2009

Spring is here - at least from a sports standpoint. Last week, the high school sports schedule, though still wrapping up the winter sports, flipped to spring. ...more

February 18, 2009

Lightning rookie and overall No. 1 draft pick Steven Stamkos recorded a natural hat trick in Tuesday's game against Chicago, scoring three consecutive goals. Stamkos, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Feb. 12, scored his first goal of the game at 12:58 of the first period when he jumped on puck that caromed off the end boards to the side of the net that he put past Cristobal Huet that tied the game 1-1. Then Stamkos went to work on the power play in the second period. With Craig Adams in the penalty box for a high sticking double-minor at 9:45, Stamkos gave Tampa Bay the lead at 10:28 when he took a down-low, cross-ice feed at the left point from Vinny Prospal and fired a wrist shot to the top of the neat post and over the right shoulder of Huet. Seventy seconds later, with Stamkos back on the left point on the second half of the power play, Stamkos one-timed a Steve Eminger feed past Huet that gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead 11:38 into the second period. Stamkos took to one knee and gave a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump as hats began to rain down from the stands in celebration of the rookie's first career hat trick performance, the first rookie hat trick in franchise history. It is Stamkos' second multi-goal game of the season. The overall No. 1 pick failed early on to live up to the lofty expectations placed on him when Tampa Bay selected him first at the draft in Ottawa back in June. He had four goals through the first 42 games of the season. But since the coaching staff put him onto a strength-training program, which saw him sit out three games as a healthy scratch, Stamkos has improved his play. In his past 13 games, including Tuesday, Stamkos has six goals and five assists. ...more

February 17, 2009

Quarterback Jeff Garcia admitted Tuesday that being Jon Gruden's quarterback was difficult and that there were times the recently fired Bucs coach "rubbed me wrong." ...more

January 22, 2009

After a middling campaign before the holiday break, Alonso High's boys soccer squad has picked up steam, winning 10 out of its last 11 games ahead of closing out the regular season against Middleton on Friday. ...more

January 22, 2009

Arizona and Pittsburgh will play a historic Super Bowl in Tampa in two weeks: a team with a history as bad as any in the NFL against one that will try to win a record sixth title. ...more

January 20, 2009

Craig Moore hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points to lead Northwestern past No. 18 Minnesota 74-65 Sunday for its first win against a ranked opponent in nearly three years. ...more

January 19, 2009

Three games - all wins, incidentally - into the University of Florida's Southeastern Conference basketball season, it is not a well-kept secret that the Gators go where sophomore guard Nick Calathes takes them. ...more

January 18, 2009

Johnequa Perry scored a game-high 13 points and Ja'mee Hawthorne chipped in 12 points as the Avon Park girls basketball team defeated Fort Meade 51-34 in a non-district match-up on Thursday. ...more

January 17, 2009

Terrelle Smith thought his dying mother was delusional. Turns out she was prophetic. ...more

January 14, 2009