Page 25 - Florida Sentinel 12-14-18

Sports
Buccaneers Vs Ravens Sunday In
Rays Stadium Project Dead, Team Stuck In Tropicana Field Until 2027
Cold Baltimore
Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg appeared at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday and said that the project which was intended to result in a new ballpark for the team in Ybor City neigh- borhood of Tampa has fallen apart.
No new ballpark will be built and the three-year win- dow granted to the team by the City of St. Petersburg to negotiate for a new ballpark will come to a close without any deal. The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be stuck in Tropicana Field through 2027.
Sternberg’s statement came mere hours after it was reported that Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred sent a sternly- worded letter to Hillsbor- ough County officials, blasting the framework for the deal for the new stadium in Ybor City, saying it lacked specifics and criticized “the actual level commitment” from the public side.
In his comments this morning Sternberg noted that the Rays had worked “for ten years” to get a new sta- dium and that they’d con- tinue to try to work to that
Lamar Jackson To Start Over Joe Flacco For Ravens vs. Bucs
LAMAR JACKSON
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh an- nounced rookie Lamar Jack- son as his starting quarterback for Sunday's home game against the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers.
Harbaugh added that vet- eran Joe Flacco will serve as the backup.
Jackson has started each of the past four games, and Bal- timore has posted a 3-1 record during that stretch.
Jackson was thrust into the starting role in Week 11 when Flacco sat out because of a hip injury. Flacco has been on the shelf since then, but since he is healthy enough to serve as the backup Sunday, Harbaugh's announcement seems like a vote of confidence in Jackson's favor.
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers and star quarterback Jameis Winston will try to rebound against the Ravens, after falling to the Saints, Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX.
Baltimore nearly knocked off the first-place Kansas City Chiefs last week, but they can’t let a loss in an overtime thriller keep them down. The Ravens (7-6) must beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8) at home Sunday to remain in good position for a playoff run.
Even with tight end O.J. Howard on injured reserve and wide receiver DeSean Jackson nursing a thumb injury, the Buccaneers can surround quarterback Jameis Winston with a plethora of playmakers. Mike Evans, Adam Humphries and Chris Godwin all have more than 600 receiving yards this sea- son and have a range of skills that complement each other. This deep and talented set of pass catchers has allowed Tampa to put up some of the
TROPICANA FIELD
JAMEIS WINSTON
best passing numbers in the NFL with either Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick behind center.
The Ravens allow the fewest yards per pass attempt in the NFL in part because of the depth and versatility in their secondary. So Baltimore should be able to match up with the Bucs’ wideouts. But cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Tavon Young played through groin injuries last week, limiting their availability. Baltimore must be ready to cover and rush the passer Sunday with whoever’s healthy, because Tampa has the pieces to take advantage of any weakness.
end, but the team’s options are extremely limited. The Rays are party to what has been described as an iron- clad lease for Tropicana Field, lasting through 2027. Until three years ago the Rays were prohibited from even talking to anyone about building a new ballpark out-
side of St. Petersburg. In De- cember 2015 St. Pete granted the team a window to negoti- ate with Hillsborough County which Sternberg called “very generous.” It is now closing, however, and Stern- berg said that there are no plans to ask St. Petersburg officials for a new one.
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