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Sports Day Tampa Bay

Sports Day Tampa Bay
Author: Tampa Bay Times
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Join award-winning journalist Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and co-host Steve Versnick every weekday as they dive deep into the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports. From the Buccaneers and Rays to the Lightning, USF, and more — they go beyond the headlines to give you the insight you can't find anywhere else. It’s the ultimate insider’s guide to Tampa Bay sports. New episodes drop every weekday morning in your favorite podcast app.
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Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on Baker Mayfield's status heading into Sunday game against the Eagles as he was limited in practice again. Tristan Wirfs looks like he will return this week for the Bucs while Chris Godwin might. Plus the Rays blow a late lead again to guarantee a losing record this season, Andrei Vasilevskiy should return to practice on Monday and be ready for the regular season and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on if Tristan Wirfs and/or Chris Godwin will return this week for the Buccaneers and the impact that may have as they get set to face the Philadelphia Eagles. Plus Todd Bowles' thoughts on the 'Tush Push', Baker Mayfield shows up on the injury report and Tom Brady will be in town this weekend for the game. Also the Rays beat the Orioles but how bad of a season was this year for them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the news that Mike Evans will miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain and how this will impact the Bucs. Plus Ko Kieft goes on IR and is expected to miss the rest of the season and Tampa Bay signs Desmond Watson to the practice squad. We also answer your mailbag questions on Baker Mayfield, tight ends, special teams and the Offensive Line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on Major League Baseball approving the sale of the Rays in a deal that should close later this week as Stu Sternberg will no longer be the principal owner. Plus we're still waiting on updates on the Buccaneers injuries from their Sunday win over the Jets and the Lightning win their first preseason game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Buccaneers 3rd straight comeback win in the final minute as they beat the Jets and are 3-0 for the first time in 20 years. The Offensive Line had issues but the defense created 2 turnovers including a pick-6 and Emeka Egbuka was spectacular. Injury issues continue to be a problem as Mike Evans left the game with a hamstring injury. Plus the Rays say goodbye to Steinbrenner Field and principal owner Stuart Sternberg and the Florida Gators lose in Miami to drop to 1-3. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick preview this weekend's Buccaneers-Jets game as Tampa Bay's offensive line has more changes with Luke Goedeke going on IR. Plus Emeka Egbuka hasn't practiced this week and is questionable but the Jets are going with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Plus a big game for the Gators this weekend as they travel to Miami with College Gameday and the Rays win to stave off elimination for at least another day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Buccaneers losing Guard Cody Mauch for the season, dealing another blow to an already banged up Offensive Line. Plus the Bucs let Nick Chubb score but does that violate the Integrity of the Game, the Rays win and avoid elimination but Junior Caminero left with mid-back tightness, the Lightning will be without Nick Paul for the first month of the season while Nikita Kucherov wasn't happy with the power play last season and Andrei Vasilevskiy doesn't like losing in the playoffs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on Calijah Kancey's season ending pectoral injury, a lot of love for Baker Mayfield around football, should the Bucs bring in another kick as Chase McLaughlin missed another field goal and did Todd Bowles' defense allow Nick Chubb to score late in Monday night's game to get the ball back. Plus the Rays lose again despite a 3-run home run from Brandon Lowe that a fan interfered with but it was allowed to stand and the Lightning report for Media Day today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Buccaneers 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday Night Football that saw Tampa Bay execute a game-winning drive in the final moments for the 2nd straight week. The defense was great, Baker Mayfield was a warrior but Special Teams had issues including another missed field goal by Chase McLaughlin and a blocked punt. The Rays lost to the Blue Jays in 11 innings and they are 8.5 games out with 12 to play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick preview tonight's Buccaneers-Texans Monday Night Football game as Tampa Bay looks to start 2-0 but they'll have to overcome their primetime woes. Plus the Rays lose 4-of-6 in Chicago and are all but eliminated from the playoffs, USF gets blown out in Miami and DJ Lagway struggles for Florida in Baton Rouge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Buccaneers welcoming Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin back to practice for the first time this year but they probably won't play this week. Luke Goedeke missed practice so there is more shuffling on the Offensive Line, Christian Izien and Benjamin Morrison practiced and Jamel Dean describes why he took a pay cut. Plus USF plays at Miami this weekend for their 3rd straight game against a ranked opponent and the Rays lose the series to the White Sox and the math is getting really hard to make the playoffs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud is joined once again by his old radio partner, Tom Jones, to discuss Baker Mayfield's performance in the Buccaneers first game, the team's winning culture under Todd Bowles, the dynamics of NFL teams, the impact of Aaron Rodgers on the Jets, and share personal travel stories related to sports journalism. The discussion wraps up with predictions for upcoming games and a look at the future of the Buccaneers and the Rays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud is joined by Tom Jones from the Poynter Institute of Media Studies to discuss the over the top outrage at an AP voter who left South Florida off her latest ballot despite wins over 2 Top 25 teams. Plus Ryan Clark once again has to apologize to a co-worker for his comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on why the Buccaneers shuffled their Offensive Line on Sunday moving Graham Barton to Left Tackle, Ben Bredeson to Center and inserting Michael Jordan at Guard which worked. Plus Jamel Dean took a huge pay cut to stay with the Bucs this season and will be a free agent after this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons to start the 2025-26 season. While the game wasn’t pretty, the veteran leadership of Baker Mayfield and team found a way to win a game in which they had less than 25 minutes of possession and didn’t force a turnover. Emeka Egbuka had 2 touchdowns and Haason Reddick had a sack in their Bucs debuts. Plus USF knocks off Florida and are now ranked 18th in the country and the Rays have lost 3 in a row, scoring only 4 runs in those games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick preview the Buccaneers season opening game in Atlanta this weekend. How will the offense do without Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs, what to expect from the revamped defense who could be without Vita Vea and the impact of a first game against a divisional foe. Plus the Rays win their 7th straight games as they are just 2 games out of the AL Wild Card and Cowboys’ Jalen Carter gets ejected for spitting before playing a snap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Rays resurgence as they won their 6th straight game to move just 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot with 23 games to play. They are being led by Junior Caminero who now has 40 home runs and 102 RBI. Plus the Buccaneers have released their first injury report and Vita Vea is on it after not practicing on Wednesday. Hassan Reddick also missed practice for personal reasons. Also Pat Maroon is staying in Tampa Bay as he is now a Brand Ambassador for the Lightning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Buccaneers signing Right Tackle Luke Goedeke to a 4-year, $90 million extension, why the Bucs like Ben Chukwuma on the offensive line, the premiere of Raise The Flags at the Tampa Theatre, Junior Caminero hits his 40th homerun and drives in his 100th RBI as the Rays win their 5th straight game, now just 3.5 games out of the Wild Card. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on big wins by Florida State and Miami over the weekend in college football, the Rays have won 4 in a row as they get out to early leads and Rick is joined by Producer Trent Cooper to detail his new documentary series detailing the first 50 years of Buccaneers Football with lots of great stories from the guys who played for the team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the impressive start for USF as they rout Boise State 34-7 to beat a ranked opponent for the first time in 14 years. Plus the Buccaneers set their practice squad, Kyle Trask hasn’t been signed yet and the Cowboys trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Also the Rays are in Washington to face the Nationals after they blew a 9th inning lead on Wednesday in Cleveland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
great interview with Jason Licht