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Floridians lining up for tickets to Barack Obama's grassroots campaign events in Tampa Friday.Ybor City:Riverview:

The Boston Red Sox alumni took the field Friday, from Jim Rice to Carl Yastrzemski, from Johnny Pesky to Pedro Martinez, all in a graceful celebration of Fenway Park's 100th birthday. If Frank McCourt had had his way, the party never would have happened. McCourt tried to buy his hometown Red Sox in 2001, with a plan to build a new ballpark on his Boston waterfront parking lots. He had the right idea. Luke Scott of the Tampa Bay Rays took a lot of grief last week for calling Fenway "a dump." He had the right idea too. The Angels...

TAMPA — Every year on every NFL team, the Turk nervously ambles next to players in the locker room, dorm room or cafeteria, his role a designated dream killer whose only job is to signal the death knell to somebody's career. He delivers two messages: The coach wants to see you, and bring your playbook. Well, never again in Tampa Bay. Instead, he'll ask them to bring their iPad. That's because rather than producing thick periodicals the size of the Yellow Pages, the Bucs have downloaded their playbooks on iPad 2s and distributed them to each of their 90 players....

BOSTON, MA - MAY 17: Michael Ryder #73 of the Boston Bruins scores a second period goal past Dwayne Roloson #35 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 17, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. Jim Rogash/Getty Images The Tampa Bay Lightning stormed into Boston last Saturday night to kick off the Conference Finals and ran over the hosting Bruins, winning 5-2.However, Boston evened the count with an exciting, wide-open 6-5 victory in Game 2, highlighted by a five-goal second period that erased...

When Ron Reagan Jr. called into WFLA-AM 970's top-rated AM Tampa Bay show Wednesday to discuss the book he wrote about his dad, My Father at 100: A Memoir, co-host Tedd Webb couldn't resist saying what was on his mind. So he called the youngest son of America's 40th president an "a--hole" in mid interview. "This has nothing to do with political discourse … it's about family," Webb, 61, told the St. Petersburg Times. A staunch conservative, he said it was the first time he ever used such a profanity on air in a radio career stretching back to the...

Lets move while the momentum is hot! As I scan the political horizon for the next George Washington, One man stands out and that is Herman Cain. After listening to him speak at mulitple tea parties and his radio show I believe he holds the foundational principal which our nation was built upon so many years ago. I started this meetup site to assist Draft Cain 2012 and help develop a core group of volunteers in the Tampa Bay area. You should join this meetup if you feel as I do we need strong proven leadership and someone who will...

 East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 New York Yankees 50 31 .617 -- 28-13 22-18 20-11 10-7 9-6 Won 2 6-4 Boston Red Sox 49 33 .598 1.5 29-17 20-16 18-17 10-9 8-2 Lost 1 6-4 Tampa Bay Rays 48 33 .593 2.0 20-19 28-14 19-10 11-6 11-6 Won 2 6-4 Toronto Blue Jays 41 42 .494 10.0 21-19 20-23 13-14 11-9 10-8 Lost 2 2-8 Baltimore Orioles 25 57 .305 25.5 16-25 9-32 9-27 4-6 5-13 Lost 1 5-5  Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 Detroit...

TAMPA — Two Tampa police officers were killed Tuesday after being shot during a traffic stop, police said. A massive search for two suspects was launched as the city reeled from the second fatal police shooting in less than a year. The shooting suspect, the passenger in the car, already was wanted on an outstanding warrant, police said. Officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis, both 31, were shot in the head at 50th Street and 23rd Avenue, said Mayor Pam Iorio after a news conference. Kocab died at Tampa General Hospital. Curtis died several hours later, according to police. Curtis'...

As Barack Obama continues to golf, hit the ballpark, BBQ and party, the BP oil slick is now threatening Tampa Bay. Authorities have set up plans for evacuation. Veterans Today reported. As FEMA and other government agencies prepare for what is now being called the worst oil spill disaster in history, plans to evacuate the Tampa Bay area are in place. The plans would be announed in the event of a controlled burn of surface oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or if wind or other conditions are expected to take toxic fumes through Tampa Bay. This practice has been...

Power Blackouts And Water Shortages Threaten Florida Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/15/2010 12:52 -0500 Some bad news for our Tampa Bay/Mons Venus-based (yes, they do have WiFi) readers: globalresearch.ca notes that Florida "faces severe fresh water shortages and power blackouts if the thick crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster clogs sea water intakes at the largest seawater desalinisation plant in the United States -- the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalinisation Plant at Apollo Beach in Tampa, Florida." And some even worse news for America's purported democratic/free speech regime: "The Obama administration has taken a page from the government of...

SNIP Two men spotted what they think could be oil from the BP disaster off a Pinellas County beach while returning home from a fishing trip Sunday morning. The men, Steve Weiss and David Mokotoff, said they were about four to five miles off Pass-a-Grille beach when they spotted what they believed was an oil sheen on the water. “We saw this ribbon of orange brown material,” Mokotoff said. “Steve initially thought it might be discharge from somebody’s boat, but then when we got closer it was so long, even though it wasn’t wide we thought about the oil spill...

Source: NOAA The section of the oil slick that has exited the Loop Current is drifting eastward towards Florida's west coast at 10 to 15 miles per day. By June 6, the oil spill boundary is predicted to be approximately 50 miles off the coast of Tampa Bay and Florida's west coast.

SUN-TIMES STAFF Bears player Gaines Adams, 26, is dead, according to a report by the Greenville News of South Carolina. Adams, a former Clemson University football star, died Sunday morning after he was taken to the Emergency Room at Self Regional in Greenwood, County Coroner James T. Coursey told the Greensville News. Adams, a defensive end, was the fourth player chosen in the 2007 National Football League draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago Bears in October. An autopsy will be performed today by a forensic pathologist. Stay with SunTimes.com for more...

More than $2.3 million in federal economic stimulus grants have gone to eight Tampa Bay area cosmetology and massage schools to pay tuition for the hairdressers, masseuses and nail technicians of tomorrow.

Dead whale in Tampa Bay was hit by shipThe Associated Press Last Modified: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 2:41 p.m. ST. PETERSBURG - The 41-foot-whale found floating in the Port of Tampa last weekend was killed by a ship out in the Gulf of Mexico. That was the word Tuesday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which performed a necropsy. **SNIP** He said it was "a clear-cut case of a ship strike." The animal was found floating in Tampa Bay Sunday morning. It was towed to Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg, where it was buried Monday.

Are there any more frightening words in all of football than “Rex Grossman is your starting quarterback”? I can’t think of any, except maybe, “Hi, I’m Michael Vick. Mind if I walk your dog?” Yes, the Texans are down to this, Rex Grossman, starting at QB. Matt “I’ve got a boo-boo” Schaub sat out the final preseason game, which in and of itself is not a big deal, but given Schaub’s history of missed games due to injury it leaves the mind to ponder the horror of watching Rex Grossman start four or five or six games for the Texans....

I can’t believe what the union goons are doing at town hall meetings. I first heard about their presence when Mike Gallagher read the news story from the Huffington Post yesterday morning. Below is a video from the Tampa Bay meeting. Below the video are a couple links from news stories of the events. The comments may be more informative than the news stories themselves. One story mentions that a lady that had been very vocal on behalf of health care reform was arrested in St. Louis and had been sprayed with pepper spray. I like what one of the...

Game 4 of the World Series in Philadelphia. Phillies lead series 2-1.

The Politico is reporting that Sen. Barack Obama told a crowd in Tampa Florida that he was “showing some love for the Rays,” as several members of which joined him onstage. Politico says the only problem with that is that earlier this month Obama declared his love for the Philadelphia Phillies. In baseball you can’t have it both ways – ask Gov. Bill Richardson when he declared his allegiance to the Red Sox and the Yankees, Richardson joked to NBC’s late great Tim Russert on the Meet the Press: "This is the thing about me: I can bring people together....

At the perspicacious solicitation of another Freeper, I decided to get off of my lard butt and either find out if a more enterprising Freeper than myself has already gotten a Tampa Bay (FL) Freeper group going or, failing that, seeing how much trouble I may be getting myself into. (Yeah, I know, drag-on sentence.)Ideally, if there already exist such a group, I and my anonymous friend could slot ourselves into the esteemed crowd. Failing that, lets see how many like-minded that there may be.

Yes, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays finished 66-96 (.407) during the 2007 MLB season, the worst team in the league (again), and an even 30 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox. But, so what? Do you think that Barry Bonds has never welcomed a challenge before in his life? Come on. Here's why Barry will be a Ray: 10. Barry Bonds is a coastal guy; loves the water because it is good for his health (also; see #1) 9. Tampa Bay has openings in all positions, especially left field 8. Barry Bonds could play DH and LF and...

The baseball world has been turned upside down today when perennial American League favorite Tampa Bay Devil Rays shockingly decided to change their name to the Tampa Bay Rays!

Simms In Critical Condition Skip directly to the full story. A Tribune staff report Published: Sep 24, 2006 Bucs QB Chris Simms was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in critical condition because of injuries suffered in today's loss to the Carolina Panthers. The nature of his injuries has not yet been disclosed. Simms briefly left the game in the third quarter to take treatment for deyhdration. He returned and and helped the Bucs rally from a 17-point deficit, though they ultimately lost, 26-24. After the game, Simms was transported by ambulance to St. Joseph's, which is near Raymond James Stadium....

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are considering a name change, the Tampa Tribune reported Friday. "When [new owner] Stu Sternberg came in, he said there was a need for dramatic change. One way for dramatic change is to change the name," team president Matt Silverman told the paper. Silverman said that one option is to remove the "Devil" from Devil Rays after meetings with focus groups revealed a negative association with the with word "devil," the Tribune reported. "When they liked something we did, they would refer to us as the Rays. If they were discussing a complaint or gripe,...

LUTZ, Fla. (AP) -- A medical examiner's preliminary report Friday confirmed that the 18-year-old son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy took his own life, although the cause of death will not be determined for four to six weeks. Dr. Jacqueline Lee released the findings and said there was no evidence of foul play. Lee ordered a toxicology study, and until it is finished the cause and manner of James Dungy's death are listed as pending. ADVERTISEMENT His girlfriend found him unresponsive early Thursday, Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. Carter said evidence at the scene indicated he had...

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay chapter of the Red Cross opened the first shelter in the area to house evacuees trickling in from the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina. About 60 refugees from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama had found their way to the shelter. That number is expected to grow.

For all of you who are, or know people who are: Active Duty, Active Reserve, Ready Reserve Service members or National Guardsmen....Free Admission to Busch Gardens is available. Check this link. Free Admission info is on the left side. The link will take you to a view of the advertisement shown during the Super Bowl on Sunday. http://www.herosalute.com/states/free_admission_summary.html FREE ADMISSION SUMMARY Any active duty, active reserve, ready reserve service member or National Guardsman is entitled to free admission under the Here's to the Heroes program. He or she need only register, either here or in the entrance plaza of participating...

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- A gunman fatally shot two people and wounded a third inside a Radio Shack store at a strip mall Thursday night, then shot himself to death, police said. Another customer and an employee managed to escape uninjured from the store at the Gateway Shopping Center, police spokesman Bill Proffitt said.Police did not identify the gunman, but police spokesman George Kajtsa said the man "had some mental issues, according to his family.""He was involved in some kind of a road rage incident today that the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department is investigating," Kajtsa said. He had no...

[excerpts] Coe said he might vote for a Republican president for the first time in his life. He's convinced that Kerry, if elected, would raise taxes on small-business owners like himself and leave the nation vulnerable to another terrorist attack. And while he called Bush "a flawed man and a flawed candidate," he said the president had at least established a track record in leading the nation. Restaurant worker June Worrell has always known she was going to vote, she just didn't know for whom — until after the third debate Wednesday. Now she's in the Bush camp. "The president...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers shelved their disgruntled star receiver, Keyshawn Johnson, for the rest of the year Tuesday, saying he had become disruptive during a disappointing 4-6 start for the defending Super Bowl champions. The Bucs said they would deactivate Johnson for the remaining six games. He will be paid his full salary and was not fined, general manager Rich McKay said. "For whatever reason he didn't want to be here. He let me know that some time after one of our early games," coach Jon Gruden said. ESPN's Sal Paolontonio has learned that the Bucs will not release Johnson...

American sports entrepreneur Malcolm Glazer has increased his shareholding in Manchester United to nearly 10%, the UK Premier League club said. Mr Glazer owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Florida-based winners of the Super Bowl American football championship. Man Utd said Mr Glazer has raised his shareholding to 9.66%. It is the second time in a fortnight Mr Glazer has bought more Man Utd shares - earlier this month he raised his stake from 5.9% to 8.94%. Takeover talk Rumours of a takeover have swirled round Man Utd in recent weeks, as several sporting entrepreneurs have increased their shareholdings. Takeover...

NEW YORK - The NFL upheld the penalty on leaping Simeon Rice (news), a call that gave the Indianapolis Colts (news) a second chance at a field goal that beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (news) in overtime. Rice was penalized Monday night for unsportsmanlike conduct after jumping in an attempt to block Mike Vangerjagt's unsuccessful 40-yard field goal. Vanderjagt received another chance and made a 29-yarder that caromed off the right upright. The Colts won 38-35 in overtime after rallying from a three-touchdown deficit in the last four minutes of regulation. The league confirmed Tuesday what referee Johnnie Grier...

<p>Tastes Great!! Less Filling!!</p> <p>Raiders fan Steven Smith, left, and Chargers fan Earl Woods get into an argument Wednesday afternoon before parting with a handshake.</p> <p>SAN DIEGO -- This city is welcoming everyone with money to Super Bowl XXXVII -- except Oakland Raiders fans.</p>

NFC Playoff Matchups CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Jan. 19) Sunday, Jan. 19 — 3 p.m. ET: No. 2 Buccaneers at No. 1 Eagles, on FOX AFC Playoff Matchups CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Jan. 19) Sunday, Jan. 19 — 6:30 p.m. ET: No. 2 Titans at No. 1 Raiders

TAMPA, Fla. -- The longstanding feud between former divisional rivals Tampa Bay and Green Bay ratcheted up from ugly to grotesque Sunday when Packers head coach Mike Sherman and Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp engaged in a heated and occasionally obscenity-laced argument a few seconds after the game ended. The object of Sherman's ire, which led him to confront Sapp on the Tampa Bay sideline after congratulating other Tampa Bay players: His displeasure with Sapp's hit on Chad Clifton during an interception return by cornerback Brian Kelly in the third quarter, and with the celebration by Sapp while the Green...

Thu Jul 18, 9:52 PM ET By BEN WALKER and RONALD BLUM NEW YORK (AP) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, said to be having cash-flow problems earlier this year, were more than two weeks late before making nearly $1 million in deferred payments to Steve Trachsel and Gerald Williams, several baseball officials told The Associated Press. AP Photo Trachsel, now pitching for the New York Mets, was due $428,571.43 on June 30 under a contract he signed with Tampa Bay two years ago. But the Devil Rays did not direct deposit that amount until Wednesday, according to four management...

TAMPA BAY FR MEMBERS, I just received the following information. It's an open event being held by Reno's unknown opponent, McBride aka McLawyer. When: Sunday, July 21st Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Where: Estelle Harper Park (behind Indian Shores Town Hall) 19305 Gulf Blvd. Indian Shores If the event cancels and I am notified, I will announce the cancellation here at FR. However, if I am not notified of a cancellation & you go, may I direct you to visit the Friendly Tavern instead of flaming me?