Bucs Get No Love In Local Polls
May 31st, 2011
Update 12:49 p.m.: Josh Freeman, Ronde Barber, Mark Dominik and other Bucs are now leading in their respective categories. It seems Joe’s readers were outraged. Well done.
Once upon a time, the Tampa Bay area was a football town. Really. Joe swears.
Now Joe’s not too big on Internet polls, but sometimes they can tell a story, especially when there are six polls together and the Bucs are at the bottom of all of them. This is the case right now at TampaBay.com.
TampaBay.com asked readers to vote for one identified player among the Bucs, Rays and Lightning from the following categories:
Best owner
Best general manager
Best coach
Best young player
Best old player
Best import (free agent pickup)
The Bucs came in last place in every category. Now Joe understands that the Bucs are out of season and a little out of mind for some people, but to come in last across the board is outrageous.
Under “Best old player,” Ronde Barber is far behind Marty St. Louis and Johnny Damon. Ronde Barber? A true Bucs icon that can still play? Damon is batting .276 and can’t play the field.
Under “Best import,” Matt Joyce and Dwayne Roloson have a huge lead on LeGarrette Blount. Once a upon a time a 1,000-yard bruising rookie rusher that only started seven games would have been idolized in this town.
Joe is shaking his head.
May 31st, 2011 at 12:34 pm
We best young player in the bag.
Im wondering how the heck are the Rays’ owners more liked than the Glazers? I understand the Glazers are not very popular but at least they are not trying to move the Bucs out of the Tampa Bay area. Further, They did not purposely cut payroll because they were not selling out home games.
Strange, very strange.
May 31st, 2011 at 12:36 pm
I know the lightning are front and center now but how can a southern warm weather city like ice hockey more than football?
May 31st, 2011 at 12:39 pm
LaBlount just took first
May 31st, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Morris and Dominik too
May 31st, 2011 at 12:41 pm
..yeah i think joe was a bit premature, we ARE a football town.
May 31st, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Joe here,
@MVPFreeman – More like Joe’s readers changed the game. Very cool, folks.
May 31st, 2011 at 1:06 pm
It is all about the sample audience. The only people who saw the poll before it was linked from here are the doofuses who read tampabay.com for their primary source of news. Those are the same folks who eat up all the negative crap that local beat writers churn out about the Bucs.
May 31st, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Joe, your site undoubtedly made an impact.
I wish the same could have been said back when we were voting for rookie of the week/year. Must be too difficult to influence the national market with a local website.
May 31st, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Freeman currently voted best young player @ 70%
May 31st, 2011 at 1:17 pm
MVPFreeman:
The Rays want to stay in the area but they are being squeezed by the locals.
The Rays had a helluva plan for a new stadium, but the village idiots in St. Petersburg were able to con the citizens taxes would go up with a new stadium, which was patently false. The measure was roundly defeated and the message sent: We don’t want baseball.
Then the myopic mayor of St. Petersburg is trying to strongarm the Rays into staying in that dump of a stadium where people — for reasons that are truly unfathomable — will not drive across a bridge to watch and which greatly limits revenue.
The Rays took a team from the worst owner professional sports has ever known, and within a few months during it into a model franchise on a shoestring budget. How could people not like them?
The people and more specifically Foster have put the Rays in a no-win situation. Joe can’t blame them for looking to move to the northeast.
May 31st, 2011 at 1:32 pm
The Bucs are NOW leading in every poll category.
May 31st, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Wow! The JoeBucsFan gang destroyed that poll! Those numbers changed immediately after the post lol
May 31st, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Best owner = Lightning
Best general manager = Bucs
Best coach = Joe Maddon
Best young player = Josh Freeman
Best old player = Ronde Barber
Best import (free agent pickup) = Roloson
May 31st, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Bucs are my fav team but no way is Ronde the Best Old Player. Has Ronde ever won MVP or heck even Defensive Player of the Year?
Marty has a championship and a MVP and is on the ballot for MVP this year. Ronde I love him but his game has slipped a bit where Martys hasnt
May 31st, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Best owner = Vinik
Best general manager = Dominik
Best coach = Boucher
Best young player = Josh Freeman
Best old player = Martin St. Louis
Best import (free agent pickup) = Blount
May 31st, 2011 at 5:27 pm
I agree with all the results there, but come on, Morris better than Maddon? Not yet!
May 31st, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Best Owner-Vinik
Best GM-Dominik (Give Stevie Y a couple more years and he may pass him)
Best Coach-Maddon (Until Morris or Boucher get as close as Joe did to a Championship)
Best Young Player-Steven Stamkos(All Star, Top NHL Goal scorer over the last 2 years)Josh a very close second, then David Price.
Best Old Player-Barber and St.Louis tie (each had big plays in Championship runs and can still play)
Best Import- For a lack of anything better right now have to go with Blount.
May 31st, 2011 at 8:02 pm
And lets not forget the Marty St. Louis was also a free agent, released by the Flames.
May 31st, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Joe its simple – The Glazers sponsored this poll in order to present to the CBA/PAA that fans are dropping off. It’s a total sham but it will accomplish what the NFL owners want…..
June 1st, 2011 at 9:28 am
Best owner is now with the Bucs, as are all the polls.
@Mr. Lucky
Check again…no fan drop off, friend.
@Joe
Personally, I have nothing against the Rays in general, but as a guy that cannot stand baseball I could care less if the Rays left.
I would take a minor system for the NFL over baseball any time. Have minor games in the off season…man that would be sweet!
June 1st, 2011 at 9:30 am
Really? I admit, I love watching hockey, but I don’t know the second thing about it. The penalties completely confuse me.
But I thought St Louis was here last year?
June 1st, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Pete,
I didn’t see the pole, i was basing it off of what was on here. Marty has been here several years, but we did sign him as a free agent. If the pole was only for free agents prior to the last season my apologies, i misunderstood.