The moniker seemed appropriate at the time. J.P. Howell had just done it again last week, pitching a couple of spotless innings in relief of Andy Sonnanstine to maintain a Rays lead before handing it off to the late-inning relievers, when his manager referred to him as a "bridge" in Tampa Bay's bullpen. ...more

June 24, 2008

John Tortorella already feels the void. Less than 24 hours after being fired, the most successful coach in Lightning history expressed disappointment he won't be behind the Tampa Bay bench next season helping lead another turnaround. ...more

June 5, 2008

There have been times this year when Roger Federer's cloak of infallibility slid from his shoulders, when his absolute dominance against anyone but Rafael Nadal and at any tournament but the French Open wasn't quite so absolute. ...more

June 5, 2008

After weeks of rumors, the Tampa Bay Lightning officially parted ways with the coach, John Tortorella, who led the team to its lone Stanley Cup championship in 2004. ...more

June 5, 2008

Tough guy that he is, Troy Percival waved off questions about his left hamstring when he arrived at the ballpark in Oakland last Wednesday, a day after it tightened up on him in the middle of a save situation. ...more

May 29, 2008

from uniforms to results. The core players are maturing before everyone's eyes. Once, the franchise couldn't avoid ridicule. Now there's a virtual love-fest from the national media. ...more

May 23, 2008

The largest political story of the last year has not been the struggle for conservative self-definition, or the racially charged fight between Clintonistas and other Democrats, or the infinitely varied failures of the Democratic Congress. It has been the turnaround in Iraq. ...more

February 8, 2008

While other builders may focus only on the negative aspects of today's housing market, Charley Hannah, co-founder of Hannah Bartoletta Homes, has a different view. ...more

January 27, 2008

The yearlong decline in the price of homes sold in Florida was the longest since the Great Depression, and at least one group of economists is revising its target date for a turnaround in the Tampa Bay area from late 2008 to mid-2009. ...more

January 25, 2008

Andrea Bridges, a 5-foot-3 senior guard at Tampa Bay Tech, endured three losing campaigns before helping the Titans turn things around in this 22-1 breakout season. Bridges, a four-year starter, averages a team-high 14.3 points and 2.3 steals per game. ...more

January 24, 2008