Hey there sports fans! It's is Josh&Weston delivering the play-by-play action and  keeping you all updated on what is going on in the sports world around the Tampa Bay area.  Here you will see the latest updates of what we are planning and even ways for you to get involved in the excitement!  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed (link to the top right) and be notified of my latest blog posts.

Feel free to provide feedback to the topics covered in this blog so that we can continue to make Tampa Bay the premier sports destination in the country!  Also check out our website www.TampaBaySports.org!

Until next time, have a great day and check back for more updates!

After a month long success of baseball and softball Spring Training Showcase in 2008, the National Club Baseball Association/National Club Softball Association has once again named Tampa as their main host location for their 2009 Spring Training Showcase.

Mike Sansone Park in Plant City will be the physical location for this year’s showcase with the Red Rose Inn & Suites, less than 2 minutes away, as the official host hotel and sponsor.  Last year this showcase brought in revenue of over one million dollars along with 1,000 plus players and spectators during players spring break.  This year’s showcase will look to replicate and surpass 2008’s numbers as they are expecting over 60 clubs to be in attendance. 

NCBA and NCSA have confidence in Tampa and their baseball and softball events, as over the last 3 years there has been a steady 10% increase each year in their tournaments held in the Tampa area!

Calling all soccer junkies!  Wednesday November 12th marked the official start of the NCAA Division II men’s soccer tournament with women’s following on Sunday November 16th.

Four out of the five rounds will be held at their respective colleges with the finals for both men and women held at Pepin Stadium on the University of Tampa’s campus in Tampa.  

Stay tuned for more information as the finals are approaching quickly. For visiting fans please visit www.VisitTampaBay.com/NCAASoccer.

Are you ready for some USL SoccerFest!  November 20-25^th marks this year’s third annual USL Soccer Fest in Tampa.  This annual event is hosted together by USL and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.  This year’s annual event consists of a five day Super Y-League North American Finals, a five-a-side frenzy, a three day USL Annual General Meeting and various festivities throughout. 

Soccer matches will be played at Ed Radice Sports Complex along with the Land O’Lakes Recreation Center.  Watch as over 130 youth soccer teams from North America battle it out for their chance at a league championship. 

The USL Annual General Meeting is a three day meeting which will be held at the host hotel in the Grand Hyatt.  This meeting consists of over 300 plus soccer coaches, franchises, and team owners discussing important issues facing the USL community.  During the AGM, there will also be numerous seminars and expos on how to improve and build up individual USL organizations.

Another great example of a  great sports event here in the bay area!  Be sure to check out all the games and  enjoy Tampa Bay in your downtime!

Top of the morning to all my Tampa Bay Sports fans! What an exciting sports week its been here in the Bay area lately, and I got more good news a comin!  The U.S. Women’s national soccer team will take on South Korea in an exhibition match at Raymond James Stadium, November 8th.

Coming off a Gold medal performance at the Beijing Olympics this summer the squad is now embarking on an “Achieve Your Gold Tour” across the country to celebrate.  This will be the U.S. Women’s first appearance in Tampa since 1999 and their first ever at Raymond James Stadium.  Come see the star-filled gold medalists as they try to continue their tour’s undefeated streak alive.  Tickets are on sale to the public at ussoccer.com, by phone at 813-287-8844 and at all area Ticketmaster outlets.  The team roster includes:

UNITED STATES WOMEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (Bay Area), Hope Solo (St. Louis), Briana Scurry (Dayton, Minn.)

DEFENDERS (8): Rachel Buehler (Bay Area), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis), Stephanie Cox (Los Angeles), Marian Dalmy (Chicago Red Stars), Tina Ellertson (St. Louis), Kate Markgraf (Chicago Red Stars), Heather Mitts (Boston Breakers), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles), Carli Lloyd (Chicago Red Stars), Heather O'Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Lindsay Tarpley (Chicago Red Stars), Aly Wagner (Los Angeles), Kacey White (Sky Blue FC)

FORWARDS (2): Angela Hucles (Boston Breakers/Virginia Beach, Va.), Natasha Kai (Sky Blue FC)

This is a pretty stacked roster as always for the US team. Who is your favorite US  player?  Let me know as I am a big Hope Solo fan myself!

Josh Jones signing off!

Every month, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission e-newsletter gives readers the scoop on past and upcoming sporting events in and around the Tampa Bay area. 
               
Click here to check out October’s featured stories.  
               
In this month’s edition you will find breaking news stories on:

• 2009 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament coming to the St Pete Times Forum.  

• Tampa Bay as a finalist to host one of the 2012-2016 Women’s Final Fours and the economic impact on the community from the 2008 Women’s Final Four.

• The 2008 USL SoccerFest and the success of the USL W-League Combine

• The new proposal for the $50 million Hillsborough County sports complex

• Success of RedBull Flugtag

• Highlights from the FSWA Media Days

• USSSA Girls Basketball National Championships

• NSA Youth B State Championship

Also included in the newsletter are upcoming volunteer opportunities and special information about the 2008 ACC Football Championship coming to Tampa on December 6th!  Click here  to subscribe and get the scoop for yourself.

Guess what ACC Football fans?  Country music artist Blake Shelton will perform in concert immediately after the 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game on Dec. 6 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The concert will be included in the general ticket price for the Championship Game. The 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship game tickets can be purchased now at www.TheRoadToTampaBay.com.
 
The concert announcement comes fresh on the heels of last week’s news that Shelton’s new album will be released Nov. 18. Due to the overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm over Blake Shelton's latest single, "She Wouldn't Be Gone," Warner Bros. Records decided to rush-release Shelton's fifth album which was originally scheduled for release in January of 2009.
 
The post game concert will reside in the FanFest area, located in lot 6D, directly south of Raymond James Stadium.

The approximate concert time is at 5:30 p.m. which is shortly after the conclusion of the 1 p.m. Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game.  ACC FanFest is a 200,000-square-foot interactive fan experience area that is open during both pre and post game.  FanFest will include a national caliber concert stage, corporate hospitality, interactive games and the always popular ACC mascot football game.

Deals don't get much better than this ACC Fans, as we're talking $25 for a game ticket and the concert , so log on and purchase your tickets for this awesome event!
 

The local organizing committee has partnered with International Mall and Ticketmaster on a gift with purchase and register to win promotion for the 2008 ACC Football Championship game which will run from October 1st through November 15th  at the Ticketmaster outlet located at the International Plaza Concierge Desk.

  
    •    Purchase two tickets and receive a Road To Tampa Bay t-shirt, koozie and two coupons to Champs Sports and Champps Americana.

    •    Purchase four tickets and receive two Road To Tampa Bay t-shirts, two koozies, a special gift from International Plaza and four coupons to Champs Sports and Champps Americana.

    •    With the purchase of any ticket you are automatically entered a raffle for the ultimate ACC Football Championship VIP experience, which includes a night at the Renaissance International Plaza, dinner for two, a limo ride to the championship, VIP access to the post game concert and field access the ACC Championship game.

Club seats to the game are typically sold in all-inclusive packages beginning at $500.  But, from October 1st-October 15th, the International Mall kiosk will also be the only place you can take advantage of the exclusive ACC Championship Club pre-sale and have the ability to purchase individual club seats for only $120.00!  

Stop by International Mall plaza now for 2008 ACC Championship tickets, and stop by www.TheRoadToTampaBay.com for all the things you need to know about the 2008 ACC Football Championship.

As a part of the 2008 ACC Football Championship promotional tour, The Road To Tampa Bay street team was around the Tallahassee, Florida this past weekend.   The group helped celebrate the 2008 ACC Football season and got fans ready for a 48-hour celebration of football in the ACC and in Hillsborough County.

204 miles from the site of the championship game, the Road To Tampa Bay booth and street team were set up at the "Downtown Get Down" on Friday night, and in the Seminole Village from 2pm-7pm on Saturday leading up to the night's main event when Florida State hosted Wake Forest. 

ACC fans stopped by the booth for pictures with the Championship trophy, the Warchant.com Cowgirls, entered to win ACC Championship tickets, played corn hole, and walked away with some cool stuff including Road To Tampa Bay t-shirts.

The ACC Football Championship game will kickoff at 1pm on December 6^th. Tickets are on sale now at www.theroadtotampabay.com !

 

Look out for the Road To Tampa Bay street team in your city!

As a part of the promotional tour for the Under Armour Hillsborough County All-Star game, and the Under Armour Game Day of Champions, The Road To Tampa Bay street team was around the Tampa Bay area this past weekend. The group helped celebrate the 2008 ACC Football season and got fans ready for a 48-hour celebration of football in the ACC and in Hillsborough County.

The Road To Tampa Bay street team showcased the Championship trophy, and held enter to win contests at the Gaither versus Freedom high school football game on Friday night, and at the youth football New Tampa Wildcats organization season kickoff on Saturday.  This is the street team’s 6th stop at Hillsborough County high school football games. 

In Raymond James Stadium, the Under Armour Hillsborough All-Star Game will follow the ACC Championship game on December 6th, and will feature the top players in Hillsborough County. The 2008 Under Armour Game Day of Champions will take place on December 7th at Raymond James Stadium.

Admission to the 2008 Under Armour Hillsborough County All-Star game and the 2008 Under Armour Game Day of Champions are free to the general public.

Keep an eye out for the Road To Tampa Bay street team to take advantage of their special promotions and offers!

Tampa Bay we need your help!  Sports Travel magazine has nominated the 2008 Women’s Final Four as a finalist for World’s Best Sporting Events in the Best Sports Event Series or Circuit category.

The community has an opportunity to have a voice in recognizing the NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship and the efforts of the Tampa Bay community.  To enjoy the excitement and to cast your vote for this prestigious award, visit www.SportsTravelMagazine.com and click on the "SportsTravel Awards" button on the right-hand side of the home page. Be sure to do so before 12 midnight PDT on September 15.  

Through our strong efforts as a community and through your votes, this award can become a reality!  The awards will be presented on Friday, Oct. 24 at the TEAMS Conference & Expo in Pittsburgh, PA.  SIGN ON AND VOTE TODAY!!!

The inaugural USL W-League Combine held at the Ed Radice Sports Complex created an impressive display of the W-League’s standard of play represented by 128 of its best post-collegiate players.

Many coaches, players and staff members from Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) were on hand to evaluate the talent of each player.  Many scouts including Pali Blues Head Coach Charlie Naimo were impressed by the level of players during the W-League Combine.  “The overall quality is better than what we saw in another combine last week. And that’s not including the top players from my team and others who are not here,” commented Naimo as he relayed his projection that a lot of W-League players would move onto WPS. 

Professional teams’ rosters will begin to form this week with the allocation of national team players, with a draft taking place in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned for the upcoming posts to see who from the W-League Combine is selected in the draft…

The Tampa Bay area showcased two of the nation’s top soccer events over the past two weekends, with the annual Black Watch Labor Day Soccer Tournament and the inaugural United Soccer Leagues W-League Combine.

The 12th annual Black Watch Labor Day Soccer Tournament played host to 105 teams from around the state of Florida over Labor Day weekend.  Bringing in US Soccer club teams, boys and girls, ages 10-19 this event has become one of the premier soccer tournaments in the country.  Congratulations to all the Finalists and Champions:

            Finalists                                                Champions
U10b    Weston Fury SC                    Hunter's Creek SC Sharks
U11b    Hunter's Creek Barracudas      South Florida Elite
U12b    East Pasco Pirates                South Florida Elite
U13b    First Hernando Heat                Black Watch Rangers
U14b    Black Watch Victory Blade      East Lake Arsenal (Kennedy)
U15b    Coral Springs Storm                Palm Beach Hornets
U16b    Coral Springs Boys                 Brandon FC Flames
U17b    Rockledge Steelers                 West Pasco Futbol Thunder
U19b    Jax Jaguars                            Gainesville Soccer Alliance
U10g    Brandon FC Flames I               Wesley Chapel Flames
U12g    Everton Florida                        Largo United SC
U14g    Wesley Chapel Flames            Dunedin Stirling Hearts
U15g    East Orange EOS-CFU Real     HCUnited Red
U16g    Valrico A                                 BAYSL U-16 Girls
U19g    First Hernando Youth Soccer    Naples Youth Soccer Shark

If you got a chance to make it out, leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it!

It was a busy weekend to say the least for The Road To Tampa Bay street team. 

On Friday night, a representative attended the University of Maryland Tampa Bay alumni club ’s wine tasting event.  The event consisted of a night of networking, wine, Terrapin football, and Road to Tampa Bay talk.   Special thanks to Team Tampa Bay’s Regional Alumni Council Member and Maryland Tampa Bay alumni club president Tom Jefferys for the inclusion.

On Saturday, the street team brought the 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Trophy and the opportunity to speak at the annual Tampa ‘Noles pub crawl (FSU local alumni chapter) courtesy of another Team Tampa Bay Regional Alumni Council Member Mike Palios.  The event kicked off the season for the local chapter and included a guest speaking appearance from former Seminole great William Floyd.  Following this event on Saturday night, the street team ventured to the professional ranks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason home finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Look for the street team at your next stop down The Road To Tampa Bay.

Got an event the street team can be at?  Let us know!

This is Josh signing off!

Atlantic Coast Conference officials visited the Tampa Bay area this past weekend.   Accompanying them were marketing directors, development directors, and ticket managers from each of the 12 schools.  While they were here, the group studied the operations of Raymond James Stadium while attending the Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason game on Sunday night versus the New England Patriots. 

The visit continued Monday with a tour of the Tampa Bay area as well as marketing workshops relating to the 2008 ACC Football Championship Weekend.  Also visited was Channelside Bay Plaza, which is the designated spot for  "Channelside's Toast to the Atlantic Coast" on Friday, December 5th.  Guy Revelle, a Wake Forest Alumnus and member of Team Tampa Bay's Hospitality Committee, toured the group at  Channelside and painted the picture of what fans have to look forward to on Friday night of championship weekend.
 
As always, tickets to the 2008 ACC Football Championship are on sale now for only $25!  Purchase them at www.TheRoadToTampaBay.com.  
 
This is Josh Jones signing off!

Will you be at the end of the road?

Tampa, Florida was selected as a finalist to host the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four.   Check out the success Tampa had this past April as a host here.

The other finalists were:

• Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Arena

• Dallas, American Airlines Center

• Denver, Pepsi Center

• Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium

• Nashville, Sommet Center

• New Orleans, New Orleans Arena

• San Antonio, Alamodome

• Tampa Bay, St. Pete Times Forum

The 2012-2016 sites will be announced in Mid-November.  Tampa most recently hosted the event this past April.  Other finalist cities with past Women’s Final Four hosting histories include Indianapolis (2005), New Orleans (1991, 2004), and San Antonio (2002).  Stay tuned as the Tampa Bay Sports Commission receives the results in November.  www.TampaBaySports.org .

Can Tennessee maintain as a powerhouse in Women’s Basketball and return to Tampa in the future?  Let me know what you think.

This is Josh Jones signing off!

With promotions in place for the ACC Football Championship as well as up to the minute updates on tickets and events surrounding the game, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission has formed a committee to spearhead online promotions through social outlets. 

The Millennial Advisory Committee consisting of “under 30” business professionals in the bay area has already begun to make a huge impact and looks to increase the volume of traffic to various networking sites.  Ranging from MySpace and Facebook to Twitter and YouTube, sites are being used to target the Generation Y audience utilizing videos, slideshows, fight songs, and online contests.  With friends and fans ranging from the local Tampa Bay area to all twelve geographic locations that make up the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ability to obtain information is at the touch of your fingertips. 

Visit the different sites created by the ACC Football Championship’s Millennial Advisory Committee by clicking the links listed below:

Beginning this 2008 football season, the ACC will be the first conference to implement injury reports.  Coaches can now submit levels of injury in the twice-weekly release announcing their players’ injury status.  The list ranges from "out" to "probable" -- but will not address specific injuries. This type of system was adopted from the NFL who lists players as out, doubtful, questionable, and probable.  Both the ACC and its coaches agree it will benefit coaches and spokespersons who will no longer have to answer daily questions about player injuries and their specifics. 

Injury Report Key:

• Probable—Will most likely play

• Questionable—Possibility of playing

• Doubtful—Very bad chance of playing

• Out—Not playing

For all things 2008 ACC Football Championship turn down www.TheRoadToTampaBay.com

This is Josh Jones signing off!

Will the new rule change give coaches some relief?

The ACC kicked off its media coverage in Reynolds Plantation, GA on July 19th.  The day was full of print, radio, and television interviews from over 200 members of the media.  After answering questions all day and taking a few pictures, the players had a chance to relax.  Many miles are upcoming in the distance as all teams head down the Road To Tampa Bay in less than six weeks.  The student athletes tested themselves at numerous video and arcade games, as well as taking in a few lessons on golf at the driving range.
 
Check out pictures from the event (compliments of the ACC and Rivals.com)!  http://www.theacc.com/view.gal?id=30217
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=1144&fid=23554

If you run across any photos or stories you want to see posted down The Road To Tampa Bay, please post them in the following comments section! 

Log on to www.TheACC.com for more Reynolds Plantation coverage and stayed tuned to www.TheRoadToTampaBay.com for updates down the Road To Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission welcomes the Florida Sports Writers Association College Football Media Days to the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina on July 17-18.  Each of the 12 head football coaches in the state of Florida will be in attendance for this media exclusive event. Collectively, this group has combined for over 800 wins and 4 national championships. 

This marks the third year this event has taken place in Tampa. The coaches in attendance will be:

• Urban Meyer, University of Florida

• Jim Leavitt, University of South Florida

• Randy Shannon, University of Miami

• Bobby Bowden, Florida State  University       
  
• George O'Leary, University of Central Florida                                                                                                       

• Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic University

• Kerwin Bell, Jacksonville University

• Alvin Wyatt, Bethune Cookman University

• Kelly Scott, Webber International University

• Mario Cristobal, Florida International University

• Kevin Clark, Edward Waters College

• Joe Taylor, Florida A&M University

This may mark the first of two trips to Tampa this fall for both Bobby Bowden and Randy Shannon as both share hopes of returning December 6th for the 2008 ACC Football Championship.  Log on to www.TheRoadToTampaBay.com to follow the road to Tampa Bay.

Josh Jones signing off!

Question:  Do you know which these coaches has the highest winning percentage as a head coach?