Buccaneers Football

Hello there again college hockey fans! Jerm back here with another update on all things NCAA Frozen Four Hockey in Tampa Bay! As you already know, this year's installment of the NCAA Frozen Four will held at our very own Tampa Bay Times Forum.

The Tampa Bay Times Forum, is Florida’s premier entertainment venue and home of the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Five-Time Arena Football Champion Tampa Bay Storm!

What you also may not have known that the Tampa Bay Times Forum has recently under went a 40 million dollar transformation! As a Frozen Four College Hockey Fanatic, you'll get to see and experience all of these amenities first hand next Thursday and Saturday as you watch your team's battle it out on the ice!

To wet your whistle a bit before the puck drops, here are 5 quick cool, quick facts about the new Tampa Bay Times Forum:

As you can see, when it comes to the fan experience, the folks over at the Tampa Bay Times Forum have you the fan top of mind! Of course you know however, that there are even more new cool things going on at the Forum, and we'll be back later with another post to tell you more about those features!

All of these great enhancements are part of the Tampa Bay is New Now initiative! For more information, visit www.TampaBayIsNewNow.com to learn more. That's all for now folks, but keep checking back in for more college hockey updates!

Good Afternoon! JoLynn here to share about our recent visit to Buds, Blooms & Beyond, a Tampa Bay & Company partner!

As a family owned and operated business serving the greater Tampa area, we learned first-hand how they offer only the finest floral arrangements and gifts, backed by service that is friendly and most importantly, prompt!

If you’re looking for high-style floral arrangements and gift baskets, to European/dish gardens or tropicals, they’re the company to call! We also learned they have serviced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers florals for over seven years. Chances are if you’ve been in Raymond James Stadium for a Bucs game, you’ve enjoyed their arrangements!

Their shop serves Tampa, Safety Harbor, Odessa, Oldsmar, Lutz, Temple Terrace, Davis Islands, Palm Harbor, Brandon, Carrollwood, Ybor City, and MacDill AFB.

Hey everyone.  Travis back with great gridiron things to do in Tampa Bay.  One of my favorite events of the year is the Outback Bowl!  Although our hometown USF Bulls can't play (it's a matchup between the SEC and Big Ten Conferences), we still have some of the country's best teams face off in Tampa Bay! 

This year, the Michigan State Spartans and Georgia Bulldogs will square-off in the Outback Bowl on January 2 in Tampa. That's right, the game is Jan. 2 this year!  It is a match-up of two 10-win Division Champions from two of the most prestigious conferences in college football. The Spartans are ranked 12th in the AP Poll while the Bulldogs are ranked 18th. It's hard to believe that we have two top 20 teams coming to Tampa Bay!

If you've ever been to an Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, you know there are a lot of events to participate in surrounding the game, including parades, beach days, and much, much more.  You can find all of those events and information at www.OutbackBowl.com.  But we'll also be back with more updates about what's happening surrounding the game. 

But remember, the Outback Bowl will be played on January 2, kickoff at 1PM, at Raymond James Stadium. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster..just call (813) 287-8844 or 1-800-745-3000, or head over to www.ticketmaster.com. And if you just want your tickets in your hand, then tickets can also be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet in the state of Florida.

And like I said, keep checking back here for more updates, or head over to www.OutbackBowl.com to get more details.  And we'll see you with more great Tampa Bay area events!

Good afternoon everyone, who listens to rock music? If you do, Alex here to tell you about a great rock singer and band coming to the Hard Rock Café this July.

Iconic rock and roll innovator Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will perform in the new Hard Rock Cafe Tampa at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on July 13 at 10 p.m.
 
Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, she's had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics.
 
Her music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. Faith Hill sings "I Hate Myself for Loving You" as the theme for NBC's Sunday Night Football and "Bad Reputation" was the theme song for the “Hit Girl” heroine of the hit film, Kick Ass.  Her cover of "Love is All Around" (the theme song of The Mary Tyler Moore Show) became an anthem in women's sports and was used by the NCAA to promote the Women's Final Four. Jett supplied theme songs for the ESPN X-Games premiere and has contributed music to all of their games since.
 
Adding to Jett’s list of accomplishments is Blackheart Records, an independent label she founded with long time songwriting partner and producer Kenny Laguna, in 1980 - which made her the first female artist to own and operate an independent record company.
 
The multi-talented Jett has acted in movies, including 1987's Light of Day, and in the Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
 
As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, as well as the Germs' LA punk masterpiece, GI. Additionally, she is a spokesperson for PETA and a devoted supporter of the U.S. Military. 
 
You don’t want to miss Joan Jett and the Blackhearts appearance in Tampa on July 13, so buy your ticket today!

Get your tickets at the Hard Rock Store and all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets cost $45. (General admission, standing room only) Doors open at 9 p.m.

For bottle service call the Hard Rock Cafe Tampa at 813-627-7755. Must be 21 years of age or older.

Good afternoon Tampa Bay, Alex here to let you all know that The Tampa History Center is offering free admission on the 4th of July in celebration of Independence Day.

Thanks to Bank of America, everyone can enjoy free admission to the History Center's exhibit galleries, with extended hours from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
 
Guests can interact with WWII-era living history re-enactors or view the History Center’s recently-opened exhibit, Sports in Tampa Bay: Through the Eyes of Lamar Sparkman featuring artifacts from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lightning and Rays including the Vince Lombardi Trophy and other sports-related items.

When the sun goes down, the History Center’s waterfront Terrace and air-conditioned Atrium are the perfect spots to watch the Channelside fireworks display. Fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m.
 
Enjoy a cool beverage at the Columbia Cafe, explore the downtown Riverwalk or bring a blanket and spread out in Cotanchobee Park, just outside the History Center’s front door.

Start the day in the air-conditioned checking out different exhibits and end the day on the beautiful terrace, enjoying food and drinks from the Columbia Café while you watch an amazing firework show. It sounds like a great way to spend the 4th of July with friends and family.

For more information, visit our website, www.tampabayhistorycenter.org or call (813) 228-0097 ext.0

I hope you are all beginning to make fun plans for the holiday, as it is only a week away!

Have a wonderful afternoon and check back with us throughout the week for more information on Things To Do In Tampa Bay!

Hey everyone - Travis back with some more great things to do in Tampa Bay...and this time we're heading over to our very own Tampa Bay History Center.  The NFL’s Vince Lombardi Trophy, MLB’s American League Championship Trophy, and a replica of the NHL’s Stanley Cup will be on display to the public during a new exhibit opening Father’s Day weekend at the Tampa Bay History Center.

This means you can bring dad to the Tampa Bay History Center and experience 70 years of competitive play during Sports in Tampa Bay: Through the Eyes of Lamar Sparkman. All dads will receive free admission on both Saturday and Sunday, courtesy of Verizon.

Sports in Tampa Bay recounts teams and players from Tampa’s past, highlighting spring training stars, Super Bowl champions and college stand-outs. Tampa Bay’s modern sports franchises are also celebrated, with memorabilia from the Tampa Bay Rays, Lightning and Buccaneers, as well as personal items from some of Tampa’s home-grown sports heroes.

In addition to the Buc’s Vince Lombardi trophy and the Rays’ ALCS trophy, the exhibit will include Lou Piniella’s World Series trophy, Tino Martinez’s Silver Slugger award, and line up-cards from the Rays’ 2008 World Series run.

Perhaps best known as the creator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ original swashbuckling logo, which fans labeled “Bucco Bruce,” Lamar Sparkman’s drawings of professional and amateur athletes span more than 40 years. In 2010, the Sparkman family donated more than 200 original drawings by the late cartoonist to the Tampa Bay History Center. Those drawings, along with objects from Tampa’s professional, collegiate and amateur teams, tell the story of Sports in Tampa Bay: Through the Eyes of Lamar Sparkman. 

Sports in Tampa Bay is on exhibit June 18 through September 12, 2011 in the History Center’s Wayne Thomas gallery. Dads receive free admission on June 18 and June 19 in honor of Father’s Day. For more information about the exhibition and related programming, visit www.tampabayhistorycenter.org or call (813) 228-0097.

So if you love sports, you need to check this out.  Have fun everyone, and we'll see you back here for more info about Tampa Bay area events. 

Hey everyone.  Travis back with an update that everyone needs to know about.  We recently told you about the grand opening of the Progress Village sports complex.  Unfortunately, with the storms last week, it has been temporarily closed.  Here are the details -

Damage from the storm system that came through the Tampa Bay area last week has resulted in the closing of the Larry Sanders Progress Village Sports Complex until further notice.

According to Kemly Green, community relations coordinator for the Hillsborough County Communications Department, contractors are on-site at the sports complex and presently straightening lighting poles, repairing electrical lines and re-planting trees.

General cleanup — including trash, damage to large trees and straightening of football posts — will be handled by staff from the county's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department.

The Larry Sanders sports complex had its grand opening on March 5 and is the home of the Progress Village Little League and the Progress Village Panthers youth football team.  Green said the park is currently closed, but should be ready for use sometime this week.

So, stay tuned!  And as always, keep checking back here for more updates, as well as info on great things to do in Tampa Bay and Tampa Bay area events.