A Bolts Life
May 21st, 2015
Contrary to popular opinion, Joe ventures from the JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters and enjoys what the Tampa Bay area has to offer outside of football, Hooters and Hooters Calendar shoots.
And Joe’s travels this morning revealed a town that had no use for football.
Everywhere Joe went, from two coffee shops, a car dealer, a school bus stop, Tampa airport and beyond, people of all ages and sexes were buzzing about the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Not a peep about Mike Evans’ big honor last night. Not a whisper about America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston. Joe couldn’t even find anyone celebrating Tavarres King.
Joe loves it. The Lightning success is good for the Buccaneers. Joe hopes the Bolts take their electric play all the way to Stanley Cup glory.
A Lightning championship would put extra pressure on the Bucs to win. It’s one thing to go 6-10 and be the best team in town. It’s another thing to be 6-10 in a city with a champion in another sport, a feisty entertaining champion that’s captured the hearts of fans.
Joe wants to see good football. As Joe Twittered last night, perhaps Lovie Smith could rope Tyler Johnson into talking to the Bucs offensive line about playing hungry and nasty.
May 21st, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Just continue posting…. football junkies like me need their fix! GO BUCS!!!
May 21st, 2015 at 1:12 pm
@ JoeJoes Fungi Nails — Joe was aware that you were the banned “RastaMon” but allowed you to reinvent yourself. But now you are gone again. Insulting Joe is not what the comment section is for. Joe has no interest in babysitting your comments.
May 21st, 2015 at 1:15 pm
Well said Joe. I kind of thought having the Bucs as world champions after the 2002 season fueled the Lightning on their historic 2004 Stanley Cup run back in the day. Now it has come full circle and it is time for the Lightning to show the way. Go Bucs! Go Bolts!
(Go Rays too, just try to keep at least 50% of your team or more off the injured reserve list – let’s just start there, k?)
May 21st, 2015 at 1:15 pm
Good point, be there tomorrow to watch.
May 21st, 2015 at 1:22 pm
If this article is about the YUCS being a loser and the BOLTS being a winner (this season) then I can see why Aunt Geraldine’s picture was used.
May 21st, 2015 at 1:27 pm
This is bad for the Bucs, since games like last night mean there will be fewer fans around after we all have heart attacks.
May 21st, 2015 at 1:36 pm
The Lightning are arguably the best run organization in the NHL, certainly in the top 5. The Bucs are arguably the worst run organizations in the NFL, certainly in the bottom 3. Not difficult to see why the Lightning are set up to contend for the next 5-10 years and why the Bucs could be in London in the next 5-10 years.
May 21st, 2015 at 1:38 pm
LMFAO! Fungus and all his Fungi got the boot!
May 21st, 2015 at 1:47 pm
Tampa will always be a football town. It just happens that we have team that has been lousy for years and we arent use to having anything to celebrate for. Love me some Bolts though!
May 21st, 2015 at 2:04 pm
JoeBoltsFan?
May 21st, 2015 at 2:15 pm
damn joe saying its the Stanley Cup Playoffs is as obvious as saying skydiving without a parachute is a once in a lifetime experience. baseball and hockey will never rule from end of july to mid may unless bolts are in the finals every year
May 21st, 2015 at 2:24 pm
You know who ran into Tavarres King? Charles Simms Bahhhhh
May 21st, 2015 at 3:19 pm
Somebody keeps telling me the NHL Eastern Conference is better than the Western side this year, I agree. If the Lightning get past the Rangers the Stanley Cup looks highly destined to arrive in Tampa. Cooper has led teams to the championships at every level. Tyler Johnson is 5′ 8″ of total dynamite, the surrounding players are playing great. I also think the Bolts will influence and push the Bucs to a better showing this season, the rub off effect.
May 21st, 2015 at 4:21 pm
I did not grow up watching Hockey since the Bolts did not exist when I was a kid and Football was my only sport and it was all about the Bucs. Once I started watching Hockey and actually understood the rules as well as having a home town team to root for, the sport came alive for me. I still love football and the Bucs, but now I have to say that hockey and the Bolts are a very close second. What an emotional roller coaster this post season has been. At times I was not sure we would make it past the Red Wings. This is a team of destiny and I think the Bolts are better this season than they were in 2004 when they last hoisted the Stanley Cup! Go Bolts!!! Also, Tyler Johnson is becoming my favorite player due to his humble beginnings and the fact that he is such a dynamic player. I hope we can retain these guys for years since most of them are young and be contenders every season.
May 21st, 2015 at 5:58 pm
I’ve watched or at least followed nearly every Bolts game including the regular season. This team has been amazing from Day 1. I love nothing more than to see an Undrafted Free Agent like Tyler Johnson who continually got snubbed because of his size, come in and dominate the league. Make no mistake, that is exactly what he has done and he’s opened eyes across the World in the NHL Playoffs. Stamkos is now cooking with fire as Jon Cooper wisely moved him to the Wing so he can be more involved in the offensive zone. Cooper has been amazing, Yzerman is by far the best GM in hockey and the whole organization from front to back is beautifully run. The best part: This team is very young and the core can be kept together for several years.
The Bucs certainly have a solid blueprint to follow with the Bolts but that’s about all I will say about the Bucs. Right now it’s all Bolts. After the Bolts shock the world again and capture the Stanley Cup, I’ll come around to diving into all things Bucs.
May 21st, 2015 at 6:30 pm
@bucsrightoff
Bro please get off the London gag. They are not leaving the 13 biggest media marketing the US. It would of happened in the 80’s if so.
May 21st, 2015 at 6:51 pm
Thanks for this post Joe. I’m a huge Bolts fan. Had season tickets during the 04 Cup run. Just amazing.
I was glad to see Fameis in attendance last night. Although Michelle Wie is a lot prettier. I’m sure Fameis had to be jacked by what can happen in Tampa if you win. The fans here go nuckin futs and I love it. I’m hoping this year’s Bucs are like last year’s Lightning. Make the playoffs and get swept but set the stage for the following year.
Again folks…it’s ten wins this season…one and done in the playoffs…and then with the right drafting next year who knows how far we can go.
May 21st, 2015 at 7:13 pm
All about ownership and hiring the right people. Vinik does it the Glazers fail horribly at it. Bucs have been 3rd fiddle in Tampa for a while and will continue to be until the Glazers get the right coach and gm hired
May 21st, 2015 at 7:50 pm
No more fungi. Its getting nicer around here every day… I’m still worn out from all that anti-Winston BS that was going on before the draft though. Glad most of those who were being such total Richards about Winston are gone.
May 21st, 2015 at 8:45 pm
TampaTony
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve written many posts that the very best draft choice…better even than Fameis..if it was only possible…is to draft Jeff Vinik.
He’s not a carpetbagging Goldman Sachs robber baron like Stuey Sternberg…an absentee owner who would have the Rays in Brooklyn tomorrow if the Yankees and Mets let him…he’s not incompetent like the Glazers.
I think Jeff Vinik is the best owner this community has ever had. He has made Tampa his home and his influence goes far beyond just the Lightning.
He has now assembled one of the very best GM’s in the NHL…one of the very best young coaches in the NHL…and clearly one of the very best young teams in the NHL. He’s upgraded the arena largely with his OWN money as “some” tax breaks.
I suspect Robert Kraft would get the nod as best owner in pro sports…or perhaps people would argue for the people in Green Bay who own their own team, but I think Jeff Vinik is the very best professional sports owner in America.
May 21st, 2015 at 8:47 pm
People love a winner, recall how big the Rays were on the SunCoast when they made the playoffs and how huge the buzz was back in 2008 when they made the world series; same thing can be said about the Lightning when Dave Andruchuk, Vinny LeCavalier and Nikolai Khabibulin won the cup in 2004. Joe knows that when the Bucs won Tampa talked Bucs ball, same thing goes for USF and the Gators and the silence can be very obvious when the Gators, Bulls and Bucs really suck as they all currently do… Winning is an attitude, we saw it in 2002 when the Bucs won it all and we have seen the opposite through most of the Culverhouse years (except ’79 to ’82 when Foghorn Leghorn chose not to re-sign Doug Williams) as well as the past 2 seasons. the Lightning buzz should reinforce in the Glazers’ minds how important winning is and hopefully they will reinforce the same upon L&L or make changes if the Bucs continue to lose 12+ games a ****ing season… Win and people will sell out RJS, just win baby!
May 21st, 2015 at 10:06 pm
Highest scoring team in the NHL… Wouldn’t that be nice to see an NFL offense cranking out points!