Takes from Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Unga worked out for 20 teams as part of his Pro Day and raised more than one eyebrow from scouts and coaches.

Michael Lombardio of speculates that Unga could go in the third-round and has drawn serious interest from the St. Louis Rams, new Tampa Bay Buccaneers jerseys and Miami Dolphins.

The Chicago Bears are also "very interested" in obtaining Unga.

The former Cougar met with team GM Jerry Angelo and director of player personnel Tim Ruskell recently in Chicago. It appearantly went very well.

 

Meanwhile, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, whose team shares the American League East division with the Yankees (who hold spring training in Tampa), said in a statement: "George Steinbrenner's impact on both the game of baseball and in the Tampa Bay community will have an everlasting effect on us all. We send our deepest sympathies to the Steinbrenner family and the Yankees organization."

 

"As I learn more about the Tampa Bay community, it's very evident that George Steinbrenner established a tremendous legacy here," said Jeff Vinik, new owner of the Lightning. "He was one of Tampa's greatest citizens and one of the most benevolent and successful owners in all of sports. We all can learn from his leadership in giving back to those less fortunate and those who mentor our young people. Collectively, we all need to work together to try to fill the void in the community his passing creates."

Thorn in their side

 

George Steinbrenner's impact as the most famous sports franchise owner is well-known. But his impact is still being felt by the city of St. Petersburg and the Rays, a front-runner this year in the standings but not when it comes to filling the Tropicana Field stands.

"Everyone wonders why the Rays don't have the undivided attention of the area," writer Peter Golenbock said. "The reason they don't have the undivided attention is because of the Yankees."

 

The Yankees remain Tampa's team to many, and Steinbrenner did everything he could to keep it that way. He tried to sabotage St. Petersburg's attempts to build a baseball stadium in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the city tried to recruit another franchise that didn't belong to him.

 

"He didn't have as much power as he thought he did because he tried everything he could to keep St. Pete from getting the Trop," Golenbock said. "He did everything he could to try and muck up St. Petersburg from getting that stadium."'I'm going to miss him'Yogi Berra heard the news from his wife, Carmen, who got a call from a reporter early Tuesday to say that George Steinbrenner had died.