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What's Your Game Plan?

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By KEVIN WALKER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 4, 2008

Updated: 10/04/2008 12:33 am

TAMPA - The "last" button on the TV remote is going to get a workout Sunday.

In a scheduling situation that will have sports fans scrambling, the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos will kick off at 4:05 p.m. Sunday on WTVT, Channel 13. Two minutes later, they'll throw the first pitch in Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox on TBS.

Bummer.

Sure, there's the DVR, but who wants to watch a game hours after it's over? Right. Not you.

Looks like you have no choice but to get the clicker thumb limber and prepare for intense toggling. Keep this in mind:

•Some pitchers and batters take forever to pitch or get in the batter's box. You can click over to the football game instead of watching baseball players spit, scratch themselves, tighten their batting gloves, look to the coaches for signals, take off their hat and rub the sweat off their forehead, check base runners, ask for a new ball, stretch their necks, grab a rosin bag, knock the dirt out of their cleats, take a few practice swings or (ugh!) clear a nostril.

•In later innings, there often are so many pitching changes that you can watch an entire offensive series in the football game and the only thing you'll miss is a guy running out of the bullpen and throwing warm up pitches.

•We'd recommend switching to baseball when the Broncos have the ball, but the Buccaneers defense scores so much, this might not be advisable.

Another solution is to go to any of the area's many sports bars, where both games will be on and the atmosphere will be festive.

"Yeah, it's going to be crazy," said Aaron Carricato, owner of the Beef O'Brady's sports bar at 2819 S. MacDill: "I was shocked by the number of people who came to watch Game 1 Thursday, and that was the middle of a workday. With both teams playing on a weekend day, it'll be insane."

Even though the Rays are in the playoffs and the Bucs are just in the fifth week of the season, Carricato expects the crowd to be split. "This is a football town first," he said. To help patrons watch both games at once, "we've decided to tune every other television to the Rays game."

Even Ferg's in St. Petersburg, across from Tropicana Field and known as a Rays' bar, is expecting Bucs fans. "There is a group of Ferg regulars who go to every Bucs home game and tailgate together. When the Bucs are on the road, they come here," said Rick Sapp, a manager at Ferg's. "So, yeah, we'll have both. It's going to be a special day."

Kevin Walker can be reached at (813) 259-7975 or kwalker

@tampatrib.com

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