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Sports Day Tampa Bay

Sports Day Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Times 2288 Episodes Oct 14, 2026

A daily sports podcast from the Tampa Bay Times, hosted by Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick, covering the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports including the Buccaneers, Rays, Lightning, and USF. New episodes drop every weekday morning.

Episodes

Fastball Freddy and a Little Luck Even the ALCS for Rays plus Bucs' Baker Mayfield Eyes a Comeback
Fastball Freddy and a Little Luck Even the ALCS for Rays plus Bucs' Baker Mayfield Eyes a Comeback Oct 14, 2026 41:10 We have a series. The Rays beat the Guardians 3-1 in ALCS Game 2 to even the best-of-seven at one game apiece, and Rick and Steve walk through a nervy night at Tropicana Field. Parker Messick, the Plant City native, kept the Rays in check and got a couple of double plays until a pair of Rays challenges overturned one, Chandler Simpson (back in the lineup) beat out a high chopper, Victor Mesa hustl
Guardians Spoil the ALCS Opener for Rays and the Bucs Start Finding an Identity
Guardians Spoil the ALCS Opener for Rays and the Bucs Start Finding an Identity Oct 13, 2026 36:13 If you had Guardians in four, you're looking pretty good. Cleveland won its fourth straight postseason game with a 7-3 victory in ALCS Game 1 at Tropicana Field, and Rick and Steve go through what went wrong for the Rays: a first inning in which they scored twice but left the bases loaded, a stretch where 13 of 14 hitters went down, and Drew Rasmussen, who battled but wasn't dominant, givi
Rays Open ALCS at the Trop Tonight, NFL Coaches Give Games Away, and Mike Evans Finds Second Wind
Rays Open ALCS at the Trop Tonight, NFL Coaches Give Games Away, and Mike Evans Finds Second Wind Oct 12, 2026 45:11 The Rays open the American League Championship Series tonight at Tropicana Field against a Guardians team that came back from 0-2 to beat the White Sox, and Rick and Steve break down the matchup. Cleveland's payroll is lower than Tampa Bay's, the Rays went 5-1 against the Guardians this year (including three shutouts), and Drew Rasmussen takes the ball in Game 1 with the team having won hi
Bucs Break the Zero: Jalon Daniels and Bucky Irving Stun the Cowboys in Dallas
Bucs Break the Zero: Jalon Daniels and Bucky Irving Stun the Cowboys in Dallas Oct 9, 2026 34:34 The Bucs are finally in the win column. Tampa Bay went into Dallas on a short week with an undrafted rookie quarterback and came away with its first road victory in 347 days, and Rick says it may have saved their season. Jalon Daniels was 19-of-25 for 189 yards and a touchdown (110.2 rating) and added 23 yards on the ground, but the star was Bucky Irving, who ran for a career-high 165 yards, inclu
Rays Sweep the Yankees to Win ALDS While Bucs Search for a Win in Dallas
Rays Sweep the Yankees to Win ALDS While Bucs Search for a Win in Dallas Oct 8, 2026 40:11 The Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the American League Championship Series after sweeping the Yankees with a 4-3 win in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, and Rick says the only downside is that they can't pop champagne in the Bronx a third time this year. The Yankees never led in the series. Rick and Steve break down the finish: a lineup tweak that sat Chandler Simpson but got Ryan Vilade's home run
Can the Rays Sweep the Yankees? ALDS Game 3 + Bucs-Cowboys Preview
Can the Rays Sweep the Yankees? ALDS Game 3 + Bucs-Cowboys Preview Oct 7, 2026 43:47 Can the Tampa Bay Rays sweep the Yankees in ALDS Game 3 tonight? Rick Stroud (Tampa Bay Times) and Steve Versnick preview Rays-Yankees, then break down Bucs at Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.The Rays lead the Yankees 2-0 and can book a trip to the ALCS tonight at Yankee Stadium. Rick and Steve explain why the Rays' pressure style has worked all season, from a Yankees lineup with just five
Rays Roll 5-2 over Yankees for 2-0 Series Lead, Lightning Win Again While the Bucs Lose Antoine Winfield Jr.
Rays Roll 5-2 over Yankees for 2-0 Series Lead, Lightning Win Again While the Bucs Lose Antoine Winfield Jr. Oct 6, 2026 41:50 The Rays are one win from the ALCS after a 5-2 victory over the Yankees in front of a second straight Tropicana Field sellout, and Rick calls it an "infomercial" for why Tampa Bay won the AL East: Yankee chaos on the bases (four errors, maybe five, three in the first inning alone), patient at-bats that chased Cam Schlittler after two strikeouts, and a four-run fifth capped by Richie Pala
Rays' Rasmussen Deals In Game 1 Win While Jalon Daniels Loses First Start, Bucs Now 0-4
Rays' Rasmussen Deals In Game 1 Win While Jalon Daniels Loses First Start, Bucs Now 0-4 Oct 5, 2026 40:16 Rick vows he won't talk about the Bucs, then immediately breaks the promise, but first it's the Rays. Drew Rasmussen was dealing in ALDS Game 1 against the Yankees, and Kevin Cash never thought twice about sending him back out for the eighth ("not with Raz"). Then came the Yankees' baserunning blunder of the postseason — a runner trying to stretch an extra-base hit into third
Bucs Jalon Daniels' Opportunity, Lightning Lose Opener & Rays-Yankees ALDS Starts Saturday
Bucs Jalon Daniels' Opportunity, Lightning Lose Opener & Rays-Yankees ALDS Starts Saturday Oct 2, 2026 45:17 The Lightning's season opener went about as sideways as a game can go: a 5-1 loss at Madison Square Garden capped by Igor Shesterkin becoming the first goaltender in Rangers history to score a goal, while Tampa Bay finished 0-for-7 on the power play. Rick and Steve dig into why it wasn't as alarming as it looked — Victor Hedman's comfortably accepted a smaller role (and dropped weight
Bucs QB Jalon Daniels On His First Start: "You Can’t Be The Thermometer, You Have To Be The Thermostat"
Bucs QB Jalon Daniels On His First Start: "You Can’t Be The Thermometer, You Have To Be The Thermostat" Oct 1, 2026 42:55 Rick Stroud can't stop repeating a line Jalon Daniels dropped in his first press conference as the Bucs' starting quarterback: "You can't be the thermometer, you have to be the thermostat" — set the temperature in the room instead of just reading it. It's a fitting mantra for a guy about to become the first rookie quarterback to start an NFL game this season (yes, ahead o
Rookie Backup QB History Isn't on Their Side: Jalon Daniels Gets His Shot for Bucs
Rookie Backup QB History Isn't on Their Side: Jalon Daniels Gets His Shot for Bucs Sep 30, 2026 41:33 With Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston, and Jimmy Garoppolo all off the table, the Bucs' plan B for replacing Baker Mayfield is Brett Rypien — signed to the practice squad, not the active roster — while undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels makes his first career start Sunday against Green Bay. Rick Stroud lays out a sobering stat: since 2024, rookie quarterbacks are a combined 56-89, and the backup quarter
Undrafted and Untested: Jalon Daniels Gets the Keys to the Bucs' Season as Baker Is Out At Least 3 Weeks
Undrafted and Untested: Jalon Daniels Gets the Keys to the Bucs' Season as Baker Is Out At Least 3 Weeks Sep 29, 2026 41:35 Baker Mayfield's thumb injury turns out to be the good news/bad news scenario Rick Stroud feared: no torn ligaments, no broken bones, but a minimum three-week absence that wipes out Green Bay, Dallas, and Pittsburgh. That hands the offense to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, whose only real NFL snaps have come against players no longer on rosters. Rick shares Todd Bowles' old blitz-every-do

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