It was finally time to break out the Ouija board that was re-re-re-gifted to me (must be a new replacement for the Christmas fruitcake) and see if I could get some ideas for Tampa Bay sports awards. As my hands slowly moved across it for the first time I realized that piece of wood didn’t have any logos or pictures on it and the words it spelled out I can’t use here. So back in the box it went, its next destination my condo dumpster.
All things considered it wasn’t a bad year around these parts. Sure it could have been better but there is hope for 2011. With that in mind, I give you the Tampa Bay Sports Awards.
THE eHARMONY.COM AWARD: Jeff Vinik and Steve Yzerman – The duo has turned out to be Tampa Bay’s power couple of the year. First Mr. Vinik buys the Lightning from a pair of buffoons who were better suited at running a cribbage league than a hockey team – and did it without a cent of debt – and immediately partners with one of the most respected names in the sport prying Yzerman out of Hockey Town to run his team as general manager.
Few believed the four-time Stanley Cup champ would leave Detroit where he spent his entire NHL career but the time was right and the partnership with Vinik could be a marriage made in hockey heaven as the Lightning are once again relevant.
THE MUHAMMAD ALI AWARD: Raheem Morris – He didn’t come right out and say his Buccaneers were “The Greatest” but he did say the team was the best in the NFC - after just six games. He claimed it was a motivational tool and coming off a 3-13 record there were a lot of folk who thought he lost his mind. But look at them now.
Nine wins with a chance at double digits and the biggest turnaround in team history, Morris doesn’t need to convince anyone he deserves to be a head coach any more. And he has his team with a winning record despite it being decimated by injuries. The 34-year old is actually younger than one of his top players (Ronde Barber), however, results speak volumes and Raheem Morris deserves all the honors that will be coming his way.
THE TONY BENNETT AWARD: Carl Crawford – After playing the last nine years at Tropicana Field, just blocks away from Tampa Bay, it was kind of odd the former Rays’ outfielder would say his heart was in Boston at the press conference announcing his mega deal with the Red Sox. It was the perfect opportunity to use a line of a 1962 song from crooner Tony Bennett leaving his heart in the “city by the Bay” even though the tune was originally about San Francisco.
St. Petersburg is on a west coast (Florida as opposed to California), sits on a Bay (San Francisco vs. Tampa) and both even have great bridges (Sunshine Skyway against the Golden Gate) but it is obvious the Houston native has little heart because he signed with a team that will try and beat his old one 18 times each year. Just what is a Massachusetts Bay?
THE DEREK JETER AWARD: Carlos Pena – One day there will be an official honor named after the Yankees’ great but unofficially, there is one here in Tampa Bay. While it is hard to understand why the so-called knowledgeable baseball fans at Tropicana Field boo him, Jeter exemplifies everything you want in a player, both on and off the field. The Rays had one such person in Carlos Pena.
He was here for just four years but the man with the infectious smile and personality left an indelible mark helping a franchise go from punch lines in David Letterman monologues to something other teams want to emulate. And when he left to play for the Cubs he wasted no time in taking out a large ad thanking everyone for his time here. It doesn’t get any better than that.
THE H.G. WELLS, INVISIBLE MAN AWARD: Tiger Woods – He has more excuses why not to play at the Transitions Championship at the Innisbrook Resort than a teenager has zits but doesn’t Tiger Woods think it’s about time he commits to playing in the Palm Harbor tournament?
Oh, the security isn’t what I like (Note to Tiger: the flood of sold tickets would more than make up the cost in that department). Uh, the course is too hard. Wah, wah. Make up something and it is probably in Tiger’s encyclopedic-sized book of Transitions avoidance justifications. After a year of unwanted headlines, disappearing sponsors and a success record on the Tour usually reserved for second and third tier players, beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to trying to reestablish credibility on and off the links.
Woods would have the opportunity to show he’s no longer bigger than the game and the Transitions is right up his alley to maybe sneak in an early victory or a respectable showing. A little humility wouldn’t hurt either. And imagine how thankful organizers and Tampa Bay fans would be if his picture suddenly appears on the tournament’s official website. Cha ching!
THE AVIS “WE TRY HARDER” AWARD: The Florida Tuskers of the United Football League – The Tampa Bay Rays had a one-year stake in the team (including a “home” game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg) and now former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann appears to want in. Nothing official mind you but if it happens, will it be enough to save the two-year old franchise?
The Tuskers play in the cavernous (70,000) Citrus Bowl in Orlando built back in 1936 and attendance hovers around 10K, some well under that. But unless something drastically happens within the UFL offices, it appears a year three is in the offing. The league is the little engine that could and there are more than a few recognizable names in it so the Tuskers have a decent chance of hanging around for a while.
THE BOBBY VINTON “BLUE ON BLUE” AWARD: Bob Feller – The Hall of Fame pitcher, who passed away just ten days before Christmas, was a fixture at Cleveland Indians spring training games in Winter Haven before the Tribe packed up and moved to Goodyear, Arizona.
He would sit in a picnic area down the left field line at Chain of Lakes Park more than happy to sign autographs but as he did he remained true to his roots. If you were to hand him a ball with a pen the first question Feller would ask was the color of the ink because he would tell you he would only sign in “American League Blue.” Anyone remember the leagues had official colors? Bob Feller, a true American (League) legend.
THE BOOB TUBE AWARD: To Rays’ fans – The economy reared its ugly head when it came to fans attending games at Tropicana Field and were unfairly trashed by outside media for their lack of support. There was double-digit unemployment and repossessions among the highest in the country yet the team enjoyed some of the best television ratings in all of baseball. The Rays may not have made a lot of money on ticket sales, however, the ratings pile up in ad sales and how much they sell for. It was a silver lining in an otherwise tough year in these parts.
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