As American students prepare to head back to school, parents should prepare for the imminent advertising blitz. Commercials selling everything from laptops to lunch boxes will soon jam the airwaves as companies try to explain how their latest products will help make this school year a success. ...more

August 16, 2008

It Would Never Happen The recent passing of a new sign ordinance and the latest rash of "public control" citations issued by our code enforcement storm troopers have me thinking of times gone by. ...more

February 23, 2008

Jim Flautt lives in Fort Lauderdale and, until recently, the only way he knew to check on his father's grave in St. Petersburg was to drive the 240 miles. ...more

February 11, 2008

There's no sense trying to dress this one up. Job 1 on defense in the NFL is to stop the run, especially come playoff time, and especially when your opponent is a Giants team that ranked fourth in the league in rushing. The Bucs' ultimate objective will be to make the Giants' attack one-dimensional, which means forcing QB Eli Manning into a situation where he must throw the ball to win the game. If the Bucs can't do that, they could be in for a long day. Brandon Jacobs is a powerful runner who can break off large gains and keep the chains moving. He'll follow his guards and his center on an attack that goes right through the middle of the defense, so the Bucs have to fill well from the secondary and get top-level play from DTs Jovan Haye and Chris Hovan. ...more

January 5, 2008

Michael Bennett helped make history Sunday. Not bad for a guy who has spent most of his time with Tampa Bay pacing the sideline. ...more

December 30, 2007

TAMPA – On with the show. The Bucs did an admirable job of putting forth effort Sunday in a game that meant nothing except to the men actually out there running and hitting and earning their pay on a way-too-warm afternoon at Ray-Jay. But enough of that. Now the fun starts. ...more

December 30, 2007

LB Michael Boley has become the Falcons' biggest playmaker on defense. He has the ability to make plays all over the field, much like Derrick Brooks and Cato June, but his best trait may be his blitzing. He is fast, and the Falcons make good use of his skills. They line him up on the strong side much the way the Bucs do with June, so the Bucs should have a tight end there to help when he attempts to invade their backfield on a blitz. With a chip-blocker left in as well, the Bucs should be able to pick up not only Boley but Keith Brooking and the occasional blitzing defensive back. It's imperative that the Bucs are sound against the blitz this week. The Falcons take a lot of chances on defense, and Boley, in particular, has the ability to get to the quarterback and make him pay with a heavy hit. ...more

December 16, 2007

Bucs coach Jon Gruden discusses Sunday's game against Atlanta and other topics. ...more

December 13, 2007

Considering Gaither football coach Mark Kantor's suggestion of getting the Bucs secondary and linebacking corps to defend them isn't feasible, how do you beat Plant? ...more

November 30, 2007

The city is starting a public awareness campaign to encourage residents to report problems with fire hydrants. ...more

November 24, 2007