Florida Sentinel Bulletin

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have opened their 2011 season with a road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bucs recorded a 25-0 pre-season victory and got a chance to look at a lot of players.

Rookie Mason Foster, who replaced Barrett Ruud at middle linebacker, turned in a stellar performance, recovering a fumble on his fourth play, and shutting down the Chiefs on a big third down play.

The Buccaneer defense had a dominant effort, forcing two first quarter fumbles, and scoring on a safety. They also held the Chiefs to 137 yards and six first downs for the game.
Bucs quarterback, Josh Freeman, was sharp with his passing, and scored the first touchdown of the game.

Freeman left in the second quarter after completing 9 of 13 passes for 73 yards and scoring on a 5-yard run.

Backup quarterback Josh Johnson also looked good, completing 7 of 12 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown. He also ran 5 times for 57 yards, and stood tall in the pocket under a tremendous pass rush from the Chiefs.

Next for the Bucs will be a Thursday night contest against the New England Patriots at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p. m.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Recognized for his basketball talents, Dennis Rodman instead talked about his personal shortcomings. He hasn’t been a very good husband or father. His relationship with his mother has been strained.

But he had four men he could turn to no matter how hard times got.

Choking up often during an emotional speech, Rodman was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night.

He thanked Commissioner David Stern and the NBA community “to even just have me in the building” and saved his deepest appreciation for coaches Phil Jackson and Chuck Daly, Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and James Rich, whose family took Rodman in after his mother threw him out of the house.

NEW YORK – An ex-con was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison after a teenage girl recounted how he forced her to have sex with NFL legend Lawrence Taylor last year in a hotel just outside of New York City.

Cristina Fierro said she was assaulted by Rasheed Davis before he dropped her off at Taylor’s room. She was 16 at the time.

Davis, 38, had pleaded guilty to transporting a minor for paid sex, but has objected to being labeled a pimp. He choked up and apologized to both his family and Fierro, now 18, before hearing the sentence in federal court in Manhattan.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” he said.

Prosecutors had sought up to 10 years for Davis, saying he lured Fierro off city streets and into prostitution by first telling her she could make good money as a stripper. “He sold her body like it was his property. … He worked as a pimp,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Kramer said Wednesday.

When the Green Bay Packers visited the White House on Friday to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl title, linebacker Desmond Bishop wasn’t with his teammates. He had forgotten his license on the team charter plane and without a license, there’s no getting past White House security.

The fifth-year veteran Tweeted about his disappointment while the Packers were at a South Lawn reception with President Barack Obama.

SOUTHWEST RANCHES – Broward Sheriff’s deputies responding to a domestic dispute at the Southwest Ranches home of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall on April 23 and came across a startling scene. A bloody knife and gun clip were recovered, according to never before released incident reports.

The reports say deputies came across a “significant pool of blood” and a “solid trail of blood” across the floors of several rooms throughout the home. Blood was also splattered on the walls. Marshall admitted he and his wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall, had engaged in an argument that became “physical.” Even with his admission and the fact that both suffered cuts and other injuries, only the wife was arrested.

Marshall had cuts to his palms and his wrists and a stab wound to his stomach. Nogami-Marshall had bruises on her cheek and cuts on her hand and foot. She also complained of injuries to her legs.

A large bloody knife, a bloody gun clip, and a handgun were recovered from the home.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who surprised everyone last year by finishing strong with a 10-6 record, will open their 2011 campaign on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs surprised everyone last year by winning the AFC West.

Buccaneer head coach, Raheem Morris, said he plans to give quarterback Josh Freeman 20 plays, and fans will get a good look at rookies Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers, as well as middle linebacker, Mason Foster.

Most of the Chief’s roster was reshuffled at wide receiver where they had a hard time developing a consistent threat opposite Pro Bowl honoree, Dwayne Bowe, last season. They picked up Pittsburgh’s Jonathan Baldwin in the first round of this year’s draft and landed veteran Steve Breaston.

The Chiefs will be out to avenge a 20-15 road loss against the Bucs last preseason. The Bucs hold a 4-1 record against the Chiefs in preseason games and has won the last three regular season games.

Kickoff will be at 8 p.m. Friday (tonight) at Arrowhead Stadium.

When your new job is to talk to a living, one way to impress your new employers is to rip one of the biggest names in the industry you are paid to talk about.

On the day former 49ers’ legend Jerry Rice became an ESPN analyst, the Hall of Fame wide receiver called recently retired Randy Moss lazy. Now Rice knows a thing or two about catching balls for a living and he didn’t say Moss was not talented.

In fact, the former NBC Bay Area analyst told ESPN Radio that Moss had more talent than him, but he didn’t use it to his full potential.

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County prosecutors have dropped the case against seven gang members accused of kidnapping a music producer who claimed to have a sex tape of Shaquille O’Neal.

At the prosecution’s request, a judge Tuesday dismissed kidnapping, assault and robbery charges.

District attorney’s spokeswoman Jane Robinson says prosecutors believed Robert Ross was attacked, but his credibility as a witness was undermined by some of his own testimony and behavior outside court. No details were provided.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Chad Ochocinco has found a new NFL home. He’s still looking for a place to stay.

The veteran wide receiver Tuesday said he still has a lot of work to do, but is starting to feel comfortable with his new teammates in the New England Patriots’ offense.

He gave fellow receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch and quarterback Tom Brady credit for his progress. “I’ve been able to assume a lot of information in a short period of time,” he said, while adding “there’s still a lot of work to do.”

His play during training camp has been inconsistent — a sensational catch followed by a drop – but he has had to get used to Brady and a new system without the benefit of offseason workouts.

Off the field, he still hasn’t found a home in the Foxborough area, but is toying with a novel way of getting to know the area.

“I’m going to do something different, I’m actually going to stay with a fan for the first two, three weeks of the season,” he said. “That should be fun, until I get myself acclimated and learn my way around.”