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C. Alvarez

As we welcome the Tampa Bay Rays back to Tropicana Field this spring, we will also be welcoming more fans this season than the beginning of last season. With older fans coming back with better expectations, new fans rising up from the ashes, and the number of Phillies fans in Florida suddenly doubling, you can count on regular season games to look like this past season’s play-off games.

With fan attendance expecting to double, the Rays franchise and the City of St. Petersburg have already made arrangements to make one of the most irritating things about going to a Rays game less irritating, as well as eco-nomically friendly. Parking has now been made one less thing to worry about with more options and less worry about the safety of your vehicle in some back alley lot. Here are some options for the unfamiliar new fans, as well as the veterans, just in case they forgot:

The parking garage located on 1st Ave. South and 2nd Street is available for Rays fans, with a shuttle that runs 2 hours before the game and one hour after. It’s only $5 to park, which beats $10-$15 near or around the field, but make sure you have a five dollar bill or some ones on you, as the machine only takes exact change.

The parking garage located above Midtown Sundries Restaurant & Bar, around the corner on 2nd St., also provides $5 parking. The shuttle does not go directly to the Midtown garage, but the stop is only a block away, located between Central Ave. and 1st Ave. South. If you get there early enough, you can get a head start on your pre-game party at the bar. The Rays still support being environmentally conscious by offering free parking to vehicles that contain four or more people, within the confines of the law. If it’s not a double date, then expect to pay $15. Season ticket holders still get their parking perks; they can receive parking at a discounted price. Do you have a USF parking decal on your car? Take advantage of it, and park in the parking garage across the street from the campus, and walk down 2nd St. about three blocks to the shuttle stop.

When you don’t feel like waiting around for the shuttle, or you are just too embarrassed to carry your drunk friend onto the trolley, taxis are not a bad idea, and the rate from Tropicana Field to downtown, is no more than $15.

The shuttle is scheduled to run during games where the Rays play against the Yankees, and Red Sox, but after last season, we can expect to see the shuttle running during Phillies games as well. If attendance is larger than expected, word on the street is that the trolley will be scheduled to run during many more games. The shuttle ser-vice is provided by the Looper Trolley system, so you can find their rates, special running times, and additional maps on their website, www.LooperTrolley.com.

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SEC Hoops Come to tampa

Springtime means March Madness and from March 12th-15th, the St Pete Times Forum treated Tampa residents to some post-season college basket-ball, Southeastern Conference style. With attendance numbers down compared to recent years, hardcore hoops fans took advantage of cheap ticket prices and plenty of available seating to watch SEC bubble teams fight for a bid to NCAA’s field of 64. Only one of those teams, however, Mississippi State, stood vic-torious in the end, edging the Tennessee Volunteers, 64-61, in Sunday’s nail-biter of a conference champi-onship game. That weekend, the SEC saved the best for last.

For most of the forty-minute contest, fans were glued to their seats as neither Tennessee nor MSU could sustain much of an advantage. The big-gest lead for either team during the game was only seven points. The game featured 11 ties, 15 lead changes and a nerve-wracking ending with three turnovers in the closing seconds. But in the end, Rick Stansbury’s Bulldogs had just enough to best the Vols.

Going into the tournament, other conference teams like Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Ken-tucky all needed impressive outings to make their

led the nation in that category. MSU also held op-ponents to 34% shooting for the tourney, finishing the season 23-12.

2009 was the first year Tampa hosted the tournament, which is normally held in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. Next year, the event will move to Nashville, then New Orleans, then back to Atlanta in 2012.

Despite poor tickets sales and attendance, the lowest since 1990, the Tampa Sports Organiz-ing Committee hopes to host the event again. De-creased attendance - under 12,000 fans per game - was largely attributed to a poor economy and a down year for the conference, as witnessed by only three teams (LSU, MSU and Tennessee) receiving invitations to the field of 64, something unheard of for the Southeastern Conference. The failure to advance of traditional conference powerhouses, Kentucky and Florida, also negatively affected at-tendance, but that didn’t seem to bother Mississippi State fans who all went home smiling.

cases for an NCAA post-season berth. All failed to do so and were NIT invites as a result.

On the other hand, Sunday’s victory gave the Bulldogs, and Tourney MVP, Jarvis Varnado, their second conference title since 2002. They became only the fourth team since expansion to win the tournament after playing all four rounds. Mississippi State beat Georgia, South Carolina, then Louisiana State and Tennessee to proclaim themselves confer-ence champs and qualify for an automatic bid to the dance.

Varnado was a beast in the paint all weekend, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-9 junior shot 53% for the tournament and nearly averaged a double-double (13.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg). His shot blocking was even more impressive. He blocked 22 shots for the tourney including six, seven and six in the final three games. Varnado broke Shaquille O’Neal’s SEC single-season record for blocked shots (165) and is a major reason why MSU

definitely run the football.

On defense, which has been the Bucs’ iden-tity since the Dungy days, the Tampa 2 scheme is likely a thing of the past. Defensive Coordinator Jim Bates is even trying players out at new positions. Safety Jermaine Phillips is learning to play lineback-er. Defensive end Gaines Adams may switch sides of the line. There will be growing pains to be sure. At least Ronde is still around.

The release of #55 was not a popular move. The city was nearly in mourning. One needed only look at a dejected Coach Morris at the press confer-ence when they announced Brooks’ release, his usual pearly whites nowhere to be seen. If Coach Morris wasn’t already familiar that the NFL can be a cold, harsh business, he got a crash course his first month in office. With Brooks gone, leadership on and off the field will now have to come from somewhere else and that remains a question mark. That being said, the majority of Tampa’s off-season moves have been for the positive. Fans have to be encouraged that ownership and management are determined to put a winning product on the field. Morris’ energy is contagious. His spring practices have been refreshing, but no walk in the park. He brings a new, upbeat attitude, looking brightly into the future of the franchise. Hip-hop blares on the practice field in place of the coarse and hoarse yell-ing of years past. And the coaching staff had to be encouraged by the fact that nearly every player under contract showed up for involuntary workouts. Fans should be encouraged too. Yes, we’ll be seeing some unfamiliar faces in the red and pewter this year, but as they say… winning cures all ills and that is just what this team intends to do.

select at 19, or Mark Freeman out of Kansas State, who they’re apparently very high on. Raheem Mor-ris coached the 6’6”, 250 pounder at Kansas State in 2006 and loved him. Freeman could be a long-term solution to the quarterback inconsistencies that plagued the Gruden era, i.e. nine different starters in seven years. By the 19th pick, Freeman should still be available. Another option is Florida’s multi-pur-pose threat, Percy Harvin, if he’s still on the board, but his workouts indicate he might be gone by then. Or the Bucs could choose to shore up their defensive line where they certainly need the help. Either way, the Bucs do not have a second round pick so they better make their first pick count.

The Bucs have had an interesting off-season to be sure. The new regime wasted no time this spring, making significant moves to overhaul the franchise. Monte Kiffin is now in Knoxville, Ten-nessee and Raheem Morris went from replacement defensive coordinator to head coach in a matter of weeks. The organization is doing their best to ensure its fan base is paying attention. Can you say facelift? When they take the field in 2009, your Tampa Bay Bucs will be as unrecognizable as Meg Ryan.

Gone are the traditional mainstays: Derrick Brooks, Cato June, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Warrick Dunn and oh yeah… Jon Gruden. In with the new, and make no mistake about it. This is Dominik’s and Morris’ team. It is their way or the causeway. The Bucs have been as active as any NFL team this spring, including making serious pushes for not only Cutler, but also DT Albert Haynesworth, who was eventually signed by the Washington Red-skins for $100 million. When’s the last time you remember the Bucs paying nine figures for some-thing other than a new stadium? Yet they were in the running which is more than can be said about their recent efforts.

The Bucs made huge splashes in trading for Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow, Jr., re-signing WRs Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton, and adding former Giants RB Derrick Ward to help the consis-tently ailing Carnell Williams. Expect a more effec-tive running attack in 2009 as this Bucs team will

A friend texted me the other night. I was playing poker at my local house game while tipping back a few. His text read simply “Cutler a Buc!!!”

I read the text with mixed emotions. The Jay Cutler sweepstakes were still in full effect at that point. At first, a wave of excitement rushed over me. I started high-fiving my friends at the table. Our beloved Buccaneers had landed the best off-season quarterback available, outbidding all other suitors, aka, Washington, Detroit, Carolina, Chicago and the like.

The move made perfect sense, or at least it seemed consistent with the wheeling and dealing the franchise had engaged in since Jon Gruden’s de-parture. This new Buccaneer regime, led by newly appointed GM Mark Dominik and head coach Raheem Morris, has wasted no time putting their imprints on the organization. Cutler appeared to be one more piece to the puzzle. A big piece.

Minutes later, I received another text from the same friend that read “April Fools!” As it turned out, the Chicago Bears now have the Vanderbilt product behind center and the Buccaneers starting quarter-back position remains a question mark.

Even though I was initially excited about Tampa Bay landing Cutler, one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, there was still a touch of skepticism in the move. Some have proclaimed him the next John Elway, others the next Jeff George. Cutler showed his age and immaturity in his han-dling of the Denver situation once he found out he was the discussion of trade talks. Trade me, don’t trade me, feelings hurt. That’s not to say Broncos’ brass wasn’t also to blame. But did this new look Buccaneers team really want this man as the face of their franchise, particularly when he came with such a heavy price tag? The Bucs sold their soul to land former head coach, Jon Gruden, sending away first-round draft picks and cash. Denver was asking a similar price. The last time the Bucs landed a former Bronco quarterback, he didn’t even play a down.

As it stands right now, Luke McCown is penciled in ever so lightly as the Bucs starting quar-terback, with Brian Griese and Josh Johnson likely giving him at least a run for his money. Yet none of those quarterbacks strike fear in the heart of oppos-ing defensive coordinators, which is why the Bucs are heavily rumored to be looking for a QB in the first round of the draft, namely either Mark Sanchez from USC if he’s still around when the Bucs

Meet the biggest sports fan in Tampa Bay! Our Team has designed the perfect mascot to cheer for your favorite teams! Whether he is watching a game at the Forum, grabbing a hot dog at Raymond James, or just tossing a football around at the beach, this guy is all over the sports sccene! Look for him in the future as he goes on adventures, gives you tips on what events are happening, and how to blow off some steam the old fasion way- with a little physical competition!

But before he helps you, he needs your help. He has all the things he needs to show his support, but he doesn’t have a name yet! We want YOU to name the biggest sports fan in the area! Now, don’t call him “Chase.” We have already discussed it, and we feel a guy like this needs a name all his own.

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