Tampa Bay Live Event Coverage

R2B Fantasy Golf Forums Have Been Updated

03/06/2011 21:03:00

Our fantasy golf standings and forum have been updated to reflect our progress. Please continue to send your feedback, comments and questions to:

Marketing@red2blacksolutions.com

Our panel is happy to assist you with your roster questions as always.

Thanks for reading!

USF vs DePaul College Basketball

02/27/2011 05:01:00

Bulls Slam DePaul by 86-76

Rosemont, Il. – (RSE) The South Florida Bulls made the most of their size advantage in winning for the first time on the road all season by a count of 86-76 against the DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday afternoon in Chicago at Allstate Arena.

With Cleveland Melvin - DePaul’s leading scorer and lone post threat - sidelined with a sprained left thumb, the Bulls had a ridiculous height advantage in the paint. And once DePaul center Krys Faber earned himself bench time with foul issues, the Blue Demons had no one over 6’6” to stop them from owning the prime real estate around the hoop.

The result was a 30-17 rebound advantage for South Florida, which translated into 8 USF dunks and a career-high 32 points for Bulls big man Augustus Gilchrist. Center/forward Jarrid Famous also added 1 5 points in the 86-point outburst for the Bulls - a season high in points scored.

DePaul was led by Brandon Young’s 23 points and 16 from Moses Morgan as the Blue Demons fought admirably against the Bulls’ gene pool/roster of big and tall shoppers.

To South Florida’s credit, they managed to not squander a solid lead; nor a physical advantage. They kept their turnover numbers down against DePaul’s press, having 13 on the day, and managed 58.3% from 3-point range and 74.2% from the free throw line.

More impressively, the Bulls were cold-hearted in taking advantage of their height around the hoop. Famous, Anthony Crater and a host of teammates showed the sociopathic tendencies needed to win in The Big East by earmarking passes in the paint for uncontested dunks and lay-ins.

You can’t have a heart if you want to win in The Big East Conference, where even women and children would be denied access to lifeboats in icy waters.

The win was the most complete effort of the season for South Florida. Only an overtime loss to BYU can compare in effort. Save for Jawanza Poland’s head-scratching 3 points, which added to a stretch of infamy for the Bulls’ best athlete, every man on the squad had reason to smirk (and shiver in Chicago’s weather) after the win. The Bulls handled the press fairly well - for once - and lived up to their potential physically - for once again.

Beating a Melvin-less DePaul is hardly “tape over ‘Jersey Shore’” news, but all good teams build a base by beating teams they should. And the Bulls should have won this game.

And they did.

The Bulls come home for a 9 PM matchup with #6 Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 3/2. As you’ll soon read on RSEN’s mediums, USF basketball is a “best sports value” in Tampa for average fans - considering 17-and-under fans are free at The Sun Dome in Tampa.

Where else in America can a 16-year-old see the #6 team in America for free?

Updated news and notes on USF (all sports) is available on rocketsports-ent.com on a daily basis. Please listen to Rocket Radio on ESPN 1040-AM from 10 AM to Noon every Saturday for major Tampa sports news discussion.

New Jersey Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey

02/26/2011 03:40:00

Bolts Cool Down Devils, 2-1

Tampa, Fl. – (RSEN) The Tampa Bay Lightning (36-18-7) used a workman-like effort to cool off another hot team, as they beat the New Jersey Devils (26-31-4) Friday night at The St. Pete Times Forum by a score of 2-1. New Jersey came into the game riding an 8-game win streak as part of a 16-1-2 run over their last 19 games.

The Lightning knew they had to play a conservative game in order to beat the Devils and their strategy showed early in the game as their play was measured and deliberate. It took the Bolts almost 9 minutes before they registered their first shot in the contest - much to the delight of the 19,563 relieved fans on hand.

The aggressive but patient approach Lightning Coach Guy Boucher spoke about before the game finally paid dividends early in the second period, as the Lightning used the face-off circle to get two goals in a 1:14 stretch.

The first goal came at the 2:20 mark when the Bolts’ Steven Stamkos won a draw in the Devils zone and directed the puck to Steve Downie. Downie then found forward Marty St. Louis, who was able to open the scoring by beating New Jersey goalie Johan Hedberg. For St. Louis it was his 23rd goal of the season, continuing his own hot streak of 11 points in his last 8 games (3 goals and 8 assists).

Less than a minute later, Simon Gagne wristed a high, glove-side bullet past Hedberg to extend the Bolts lead to 2-0. The play started after Vinnie Lecavalier was chased out of the face-off circle and replaced by Teddy Purcell, who won the draw and directed the puck to Gagne for his 10th of the season.

New Jersey cut the lead to 2-1 at 8:13 of the third period when defenseman Mark Fayne scored his 4th goal of the season on a screened shot which Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson likely never saw.

Roloson was impressive in shutting the door the rest of the way to preserve the win for the Bolts, stopping 20 of 21 shots to earn the victory.

The win gives the Lightning 79 points on the season for a firm hold on the Southeast Division, which they lead by five points over second-place Washington following the Capitals’ loss to the New York Rangers on Friday night. The Bolts are also positioned well in the Eastern Conference standings overall, as they hold second place alone.

The Lightning complete their 12-game marathon of a home-stand at 7-3-2; and now head on a 3-game road trip which sees the club playing the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden on Sunday before visiting New Jersey and Boston to finish the road trip.

You can follow the Bolts on rocketsports-ent.com to get your entire up-to-the-minute trade deadline information. Updates are also available by following on twitter @davejarvisRSEN.

Don’t forget to also listen every Saturday morning from 10 AM to Noon to the Rocket Sports & Entertainment Network radio program on Tampa’s ESPN 1040AM.

R2B Fantasy Golf Forums Have Been Updated

02/24/2011 02:09:00

R2B's fantasy golf picks and standings are updated on the applicable pages within the site. Your feedback is encouraged as always by email to Marketing@red2blacksolutions.com.

Enjoy this week's limited field event at The Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. It's a great chance to steal points from other fantasy players who are asleep at the wheel due to the match play event in Arizona.

USF vs Pittsburgh College Basketball

02/18/2011 12:41:00

Pitt Bounces South Florida, 67-55

Pittsburgh, Pa. – (RSE) Playing for the third straight time without junior guard Ashton Gibbs, who is their lone 3-point threat and leading scorer, the Pittsburgh Panthers (24-2, 12-1 Big East) knew that dominating the paint was plan A for victory procurement. And, fortunately for them, they came into Wednesday night’s action as the nation’s leader in rebounding margin.

Better yet, they had the light-scoring South Florida Bulls (8-19, 2-12) on the opposing bench.

In front of 12,519 fans at the Petersen Events Center, the AP #4 Panthers managed to fulfill their primary objective by doubling-down the Bulls in rebounding by a margin of 35-17. On numerous occasions, the Panthers’ front court flexed their muscles by backing USF defenders under the hoop and dunking over them. Even freshman Talib Zanna, a reserve forward who totaled just 5 points over the last 7 games, managed to drop 11 points from the low post position.

The final score was 67-55 in favor of Pitt but, a bit surprisingly, the Bulls put up a decent battle in making the Panthers earn their 12-1 start to The Big East season - a program best.

Having gained some steam on sophomore Shaun Noriega’s back-to-back 3-point missiles just before the half - coupled with the surreptitious implementation of a 2-2-1 zone - the Bulls found themselves in position to draw some bold ink on the game’s headlines at the 9:56 mark of the second half. Senior Jarrid Famous had just made a pair of free throws to cap a 12-minute stretch of turnover-free basketball which had drawn South Florida to within 45-44.

The master plan was seemingly coming together for Bulls Coach Stan Heath, who tinkered tirelessly with his lineup all night in a desperate “close your eyes and swing hard” attempt to reward effort disproportionately to reputation.

Then, it all fell apart a la “Groundhog Day.” (Members of The Associated Press: No change in font necessary.)

Noriega made a nifty steal but missed a hard-charging lay-up which, in retrospect, would have been okay with Coach Heath had three Bulls players not failed to grab the rebound from Nasir Robinson - the only Panther on the scene.

That piece of infamy was exacerbated by a subsequent avalanche of 4 USF turnovers and a drought of no field goals in 7-plus minutes and no points whatsoever in over 5. South Florida sophomore stand-out Jawanza Poland (who was swiped from the court several times by Heath and held scoreless in points and rebounds), was a key cog in the stretch of surrender by tossing up 2 wild misses from close range.

The result was a 13-2 run by Pittsburgh and a lurid reminder that South Florida must click on every cylinder to compete in The Big East, America’s most unforgiving house of basketball terror.

For Pitt, it was a ho-hum night statistically. Their biggest lead came in the waning minutes at 63-47, following the Bulls’ collapse. Robinson and Brad Wanamaker each had 13 points and Robinson squeezed a game-high 10 rebounds to be sure his name would be honorably mentioned.

South Florida was led by Noriega’s encouraging 11 points and 10 apiece from Augustus Gilchrist and Famous.

The Bulls, including Poland, are better than this and Heath knows it. That said, it takes time to build chemistry in a unit which assembles its top-line talent from the junior college ranks.

The Bulls have 4 JUCO transfers … and no Dominique Jones to balance them out any longer.

South Florida returns to action against #9 Georgetown on Saturday at The Sun Dome in Tampa. Famous, Poland and the gang will need to do a better job of corralling rebounds and avoiding mental miscues if they are to compete against the Hoyas. Tip time is 7 PM and kids 17-and-under are free at The Sun Dome as always.

Pittsburgh comes to Tampa on March 2 for a rematch. The Panthers are undefeated on the road in Big East play and will be seeking to avenge their loss in Tampa last year.

For further analysis of South Florida athletics - plus Lightning, Rays, Bucs and golf coverage - tune into Rocket Sports radio on ESPN Tampa Bay 1040 AM every Saturday from 10 AM to noon. A radio stream - as well as time-sensitive content and features across sports genres - is also accessible at rocketsports-ent.com.

Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey

02/18/2011 08:21:00

Bolts Do Not Measure Up; Wings Win 6-2

Tampa, Fl. -- (RSE) The Tampa Bay Lightning organization is modeling themselves after the Detroit Red Wings both on and off the ice. So, as Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman stated in reference to Thursday night’s game between the two teams, “This was going to be a measuring stick for our organization to see where we stand as a hockey club.”

Well, the Detroit Red Wings came into the St. Pete Times Forum and showed the Tampa Bay Lightning organization they still have some growing up to do - winning in comfortable fashion, 6-2. And the Lightning also learned a valuable lesson courtesy of the veteran Wings: Great hockey teams win games by doing the little things well.

“We have a long way to go to get to that level,” said Coach Guy Boucher after the game in assessing his team. “This is the best team we have faced all year. Period…End of story.”

Detroit was led by a consortium of their best players as Pavel Datsyuk had 2 goals, Dan Cleary a goal and two assists and goaltender Jimmy Howard 38 saves while surrendering just 2 goals. At no time did Howard ever appear to be rattled by the Bolts.

At the 14:38 mark of the second period, Tampa Bay started to claim some momentum, managing to tie the game on goals from Victor Hedman and Steve Downie. But just as things seemed to be going their way, a questionable penalty call on Vinnie Lecavalier for goaltender interference halted any momentum the Lightning had worked to build.

Detroit capitalized by scoring on the subsequent power play, as Niklas Kronwall sent the puck ricocheting off two Lightning defenders and into the net for a 3-2 lead which was never threatened.

In front of the capacity crowd of 20,849 fans in attendance - many clad in Detroit’s iconic “Hockey Town” sweaters - the Bolts continued to battle fiercely and not quit. Nonetheless, their efforts were not enough to challenge the Red Wings, who were clearly the better team this evening.

Boucher was quick to praise the Wings after the game as the “standard” for the NHL. But he also acknowledged that his Bolts are farther along than expected, despite the need to shore up some holes before the playoffs commence.

“We have a long ways to go to get to that (playoff-winning) level,” he stated candidly about his team’s play in the postgame wrap. “We have 2 months to get there.”

If (as I expect) Lightning GM Yzerman is going to use this performance against hockey royalty to determine how aggressive he will be at the trade deadline, then this game showed there are still a number of deficiencies which must be addressed if the Lightning wants to become an elite hockey team.

With things tightening up in the Southeast Division race for the Bolts, they will seek to get back on track this Saturday against the division-rival Florida Panthers. The puck drops at The St. Pete Times Forum at 7:30 PM.

For further details and insight on Lightning hockey as the trade deadline and postseason approaches, please tune in to the Rocket Sports & Entertainment show on Tampa Bay’s ESPN 1040 AM from 10 AM to noon this and every Saturday. Daily Lightning, Rays and USF coverage is also available online at rocketsports-ent.com.

R2B Fantasy Golf Picks Are Posted

02/16/2011 21:58:00

The advice is free ... Come one, come all to the R2B fantasy golf page.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey

02/16/2011 10:32:00

Flyers Win 4-3 in Shootout Against the Lightning

Tampa, Fl. – (RSE) Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman referred to the games this week with Philadelphia and Detroit as measuring sticks to see where his hockey club is in the pecking order of the NHL. Well, after the first game on Tuesday evening at The St. Pete Times Forum, the Lightning GM has to be very pleased with his team’s resiliency, as his team battled back from a 3-1 deficit against the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Flyers.

Through all of regulation and 5 minutes of overtime, the Lightning and Flyers finished in a 3-3 deadlock. It took a piece of nifty skill in the shootout to finally declare a victor, as the Flyers skated out of Tampa with a 4-3 victory before an entertained crowd of 16,950.

The playoff atmosphere at the rink was palpable as both teams acknowledged before the game that they had prepared for the game as if it was a postseason battle. Every shift was played in tight-checking fashion as a result and the squads went back and forth all game long in an attempt to impose their will upon each other.

The impressive part of the game was how well the Bolts battled with the big, physical Flyers.

After the game, Lightning Coach Guy Boucher assessed his team by boasting: “I am very proud of my team tonight. I could not be disappointed in any part of the game tonight. We battled a very talented team through the team portion of the game. During the playoffs you will have to beat a team 5 on 5.”

Tampa took the play to Philadelphia early - outshooting the Flyers 10-3. That didn’t matter, however, to Philadelphia’s James van Riemsdyk, who got up off the ice after his fight with Bolts defensiveman Randy Jones and scored his 13 goal of the season. The Flyer forward was assisted on the play from Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter to give Philly an early 1-0 lead at the 12:42 mark of the first period.

The Bolts’ Dominic Moore (a Rocket Sports & Entertainment favorite) answered the Flyer goal 59 seconds into the second period as he launched a shot which deflected off a Philadelphia defensiveman for his 10 goal of the season. Adam Hall was credited with an assist on the play. The goal started a furious period of play packed with a cross-section of everything die-hard hockey fans pay good money to see.

The Flyers responded with a power play goal at 7:33 of the second from Scott Hartnell, who scored on a textbook deflection in front of Bolts goalie Dwayne Roloson for a 2-1 lead.

The Lightning then went on a power play of their own later in the second period and seemed poised to even the score in the seesaw battle. However, Bolts defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron made a sloppy play in the offensive zone which led to a breakaway for Flyers center Darroll Powe, who was hooked down from behind by Steven Stamkos. The play resulted in a penalty shot for Powe, who beat Roloson to extend the lead to 3-1 at the 8:48 mark.

Lightning captain Vinnie Lecavalier returned fire by scoring one of the team’s biggest goals thus far on the season - a power play tally which cut the Philly lead to 3-2 at 9:55 of the second. Coach Boucher referred to Lecavalier as a “machine” during the past month and the clutch goal validated his assessment.

Later in the second, Teddy Purcell capped off the Lightning comeback with a blistering shot past Flyer goalie Brian Boucher to tie the score at 3 at the 10:48 mark.

The teams played it pretty safe in the third period - not wanting to give up two full points to one of their primary rivals for playoff positioning.

In a tough finish to the game for the Bolts, Flyer Kimmo Timonen beat Roloson in aforementioned brilliant fashion to give the Flyers the second point by shootout victory and extend their points lead in the Eastern Conference.

It was an outcome which neither team could really lament as Philly needed the 2 points but the Bolts clinched a 3-0-1 season series win against their rivals, which they would have gladly accepted at the season’s inception.

The fun kicks back up again as the Detroit Red Wings come to the St. Pete Times Forum on Thursday night at 7:30 for the most anticipated game of the year. The Wings are not only GM Steve Yzerman’s former team but are also the organization which Coach Boucher calls the standard for success in the NHL.

Remember to listen to the Rocket Sports & Entertainment Network radio show on Tampa Bay’s ESPN 1040 AM from 10 AM to Noon every Saturday for details; or visit the website at rocketsports-ent.com.

NFL Legacy Expenses a Huge Concern in CBA Negotiations

02/15/2011 05:58:00

St. Petersburg, Fl. – (RSE) As the National Football League (NFL) and its player’s union (the NFLPA) enter into discussions for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), there are bound to be issues that will become contentious. One of those issues is certain to be healthcare benefits for retired players.

I would like to offer some cautionary advice to the leaders of the owners and players: Be very wary of the system you put in place regarding “legacy” healthcare costs and benefits for players no longer in the league.

The mishandling of this issue, in hindsight, was a death knell to the American auto industry’s profitability by resulting in an increased hourly cost of $15-20 on a per-car basis when compared to non-unionized competitors. Similarly uncontrolled legacy costs for federal, state and local government employee retirement plans have also been an exacerbating factor in budgetary deficit concerns for many American states.

There has been a lot pressure placed on the NFL and the NFLPA about providing care for former players. Gut-wrenching stories detailing the plight of retired, broken-down athletes being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions coupled with the ridiculously high cost of coverage procurement for these high-risk individuals have been widely reported by the media. As a result, the new system to be negotiated has been raised considerably in profile and must be addressed during current negotiations this offseason.

The question at hand is not whether former players should receive coverage; it’s who should actually be held responsible for covering the costs. I contend that it’s incumbent upon the NFLPA to maintain a “war chest” to cover the costs of their members (active or retired). Most current players truly respect the players who paved the way for them to make the money they earn today. Thus, it seems logical that they should be open to contributing a percentage of their exceedingly lucrative salaries to address the health concerns of those former players.

Nonetheless, I’d like to offer a possible solution for both sides.

Just as companies contribute a percentage of realized earnings to retirement plans, the NFL should redirect a percentage of its yearly revenue into a legacy healthcare fund. Concurrently, each player should give a small percentage of their compensation to help cover costs for retired colleagues. This creates a compromise in which both sides have a vested responsibility to assist former players and neither side in the negotiation is hamstringed to shoulder the burden alone. After all, the league - both owners and players - would not be nearly as popular or profitable without the sacrifices of the players of yesterday.

DeMaurice Smith, the newly elected head of the players association charged with replacing the iconic, late Gene Upshaw (1945-2008), is under a microscope right now in this labor negotiation. As it is Smith’s first CBA deal, I fully expect him to employ a much more aggressive approach in pushing for a player-friendly deal to legitimize his leadership. However, an imbalanced agreement for either side on the healthcare issue could be a nail in the coffin for the NFL in years to come.

Just ask the automakers in Detroit. Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

USF vs Notre Dame College Basketball

02/13/2011 02:17:00

Notre Dame Carves up South Florida, 78-55

Tampa, Fl. – (RSE) If you’re a fan of Boston Celtics-style basketball from the early 80s built upon team chemistry, selflessness and precision passing, your sub-conscience is likely nagging you right now if you were not among the season-high Sun Dome crowd of 6,104 on the USF Tampa campus this Saturday afternoon.

A similarly nagging psychological block overcame Richard Dreyfuss in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” around the same time those Celtics began dominating the hardwood; and he couldn’t clear his mind without hauling a truck full of dirt into his living room in a fit of insanity.

The #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21-4, 10-3 Big East), perhaps celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early in honor of those Boston Celtics and their shared heritage, went out and put on a clinical shellacking of the South Florida Bulls (8-18, 2-11 Big East) by a score of 78-55.

It wasn’t even that close.

The Notre Dame balanced attack was led by sophomore reserve forward Jack Cooley, who posted 18 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the field. Senior Carleton Scott was omnipresent in a support role by swiping 10 rebounds to go with 13 points.

In the post-game wrap, Irish Head Coach Mike Brey, having just coached his 500 collegiate game, was self-effacing as always when he said of his team’s near-flawless execution, “This week got us confident.”

After the Irish ran off 22 straight points over a 7-minute span in the first half, the Bulls reaction was to sleepwalk through all five stages of gerontologist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ “On Death and Dying” before an increasingly lifeless crowd - reaching the acceptance stage before halftime. Only sophomore guard Shaun Noriega played as though he was aggravated; and his career-high 23 points on 6 of 10 from the 3-point line was the Bulls’ lone fabulous parting prize.

It’s doubtful that frustrated Bulls Coach Stan Heath would have accepted the requisite “version of the home game” if offered per consolation protocol.

Notre Dame’s play was a testament to basketball’s beauty when strategy and execution are melded on the floor. All five Irish starters scored in double digits. Their 23 assists led to easy buckets, which were converted into a robust shooting percentage of 55.7.

South Florida shot just 30.4% and dished out only 8 assists in scoring less than 60 points for the third straight outing as leading scorers Augustus Gilchrist and Jawanza Poland each managed only 3 points.

Reserve point guard LaVonte Dority - a freshman - logged 17 minutes of playing time at Anthony Crater’s expense as a growingly desperate Coach Heath looked to shake the Bulls out of their funk.

The Bulls get no breaks going forward as they play at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at 7 PM. The Pittsburgh Panthers (#4 in the AP poll) took down Villanova on Saturday night and they’ll be in no mood to lose ground in the race to win The Big East.

Oy-vey ….