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The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club offered a variety of good deals at its annual Spring Flea Market fundraiser, attracting a steady crowd of bargain-hunters to the sale, held at the Boy Scout Pack 12 property, at 205 Second Ave., S.E., in Lutz. The event raises money for scholarships, said Annette Bellinger, club president.
There was so much uncertainty last year about COVID-19 that many churches changed up their Easter celebrations, to reduce potential spread of the disease.
A year later, many churches across the region continue to use a variety of approaches in celebrating Christianity’s most significant holy day.
Last year, for instance, Idlewild Baptist Church, at 18333 Exciting Idlewild Blvd., in Lutz, relied on online services to celebrate Easter. This year, it will be holding a number of in-person services.
The First United Methodist Church of Land O’ Lakes, at 6209 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., livestreamed its Easter service last year. This year, it will have an in-person service.
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, at 2348 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes, created a more personal touch for its online services last year, by attaching photographs of parishioners on chairs — so officiants could look at them, while saying Mass.
This year, the church will have in-person services — while limiting the size of the crowds.
Last year, Myrtle Lake Baptist Church, 2018 Riegler Road, in Land O’ Lakes had a drive-in Easter service and it will do that again this year, on April 4 at 10:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, Grace Community Church, at 7107 Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel, will switch from the drive-in service it had last year to an in-person worship service on April 4 at 10:30 a.m. After the service, families will be able to take advantage of a photo booth, to pose for their Easter pictures. Last year, families shot selfies in their cars.
AdventHealth Zephyrhills will have its 36th annual Easter Sunrise Service at 7 a.m., on April 4, virtually, via Facebook.com/adventhealthzephyrhills. The event was held virtually last year, too, after decades of conducting the service on the hospital’s lawn.
Meanwhile, across the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, Bishop Gregory Parkes has kept protocols in place for the nearly 500,000 Catholics in Tampa Bay Area, according to a Diocesan news release.
Those protective measures include social distancing, sanitizing and the use of face coverings.
Church holy water fonts remain empty and collection baskets are not circulated, the news release says.
Bishop Parkes also has kept in place the general dispensation from Sunday Mass at this time.
If you’re interested in attending an Easter service, be sure to check your local church to get the latest details on services. Many places of worship require reservations, so be sure to check soon to reserve your spot.
Published March 31, 2021
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has created the Deputy Michael J. Magli Memorial Fund, to assist the family of Deputy Magli, who was killed in the line of duty on Feb. 17.
This fund is open for all donations and serves as the officially recognized fund for the Magli family, according to the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office.
Those interested in donating are asked to visit any SunTrust banking location to contribute. Checks also can be sent to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Fiscal Division made payable to the memorial.
The deputy, who was 30, is survived by his wife, two young children, parents and other family members, according to Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who held a news conference on the day of the deputy’s death.
Gualtieri has since announced plans for a funeral service on Feb. 23, at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz. Immediately after the funeral, a special ceremony is planned, including a 21-gun salute, a riderless horse, a last call and a fly-over. After that, a law enforcement procession was planned to lead Deputy Magli from the church to Trinity Memorial Gardens, at 12609 Memorial Drive in Trinity.
All of those events were set to take place after The Laker/Lutz News went to press on Feb. 22.
Gualtieri detailed the events leading up to Magli’s death, during a Feb. 17 news conference.
A call came in at 4:25 p.m., about a driver passed out in a white pickup truck at Forelock Road and East Lake Road, the sheriff said.
The man was unresponsive, so the paramedics broke the window — and the driver took off.
Initially, an attempt was made to make a traffic stop, but the driver fled, the sheriff said.
“He was swerving all over the road, weaving, driving at a high rate of speed, engaged in very, very dangerous and extremely reckless driving,” Gualtieri added.
Magli was preparing to deploy stop sticks — which are devices used to deflate tires.
The driver lost control of the pickup truck, which flipped over and violently slammed into Magli and his cruiser, the sheriff said. Magli was pinned under the cruiser and succumbed to his injuries.
Deputy Magli had been with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office since 2013 and was assigned to the Patrol Operations Bureau.
The suspect, 33-year-old Robert Allen Holzaepfel, has been arrested on numerous charges, including first degree felony murder, DUI manslaughter, driving while license suspended or revoked and other charges, according to the sheriff’s office’s website.
If you would like to help
The Deputy Michael J. Magli Memorial Fund is the official memorial fund for the Magli family. Those interested in donating are asked to visit any SunTrust banking location or send checks to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Fiscal Affairs Bureau made payable to the memorial.
Published February 24, 2021
When conjuring up an image of a sports talent agent, the mind might wander to a sharp-tongued individual donning an expensive suit, wheeling deals and barking orders from an expensive downtown high-rise in Los Angeles, Miami or New York.
Think movies and television shows like “Jerry McGuire,” “Ballers,” and “Arliss.”
But, David Walkowiak and Andre Kirwan aim to defy that stereotype. They operate a boutique sports agency firm out of Walkowiak’s law office, off State Road 54 in Lutz.
Walkowiak and Kirwan partnered around 2014 to form DNA Sports Management, a full-service sports agency that primarily works with professional football and hockey players.
Kirwan jokes the firm’s name sometimes gives the impression the duo is in an entirely different line of work — with people frequently asking if it’s a medical tech company.
The DNA moniker takes on multiple meanings.
For one, it ties in the first initial of Dave and Andre.
And, like the biological DNA, the firm asserts the tagline: “With You for Life.”
It also signals the team is available to help their clients even after their athletic career — providing guidance into the public and private sectors.
They’ve helped clients break into coaching and scouting, have written law school recommendations, and have helped another launch a rap career and establish contacts in the music and entertainment industry.
They regularly assist with housing issues, financial literacy, athletic training programs and are just there, sometimes, to lend an ear.
“We stay with these guys, whether they’re making millions of dollars or nothing, because we take this seriously,” Walkowiak says.
Kirwan asserts the firm’s priority is “do the right thing by players and not compromise integrity.”
In essence, Kirwan and Walkowiak are on call 24/7, Kirwan says.
“It’s just a matter of when life happens, so when they need us, they need us,” he says of DNA’s athletic clientele. “We’re taking calls on weekends, on evenings. If they had a bad practice, they’ll call us for a pep talk, so really, we’re family. We tell the parents, ‘We’re an extension of you…’”
Modest beginnings
DNA Sports started from humble beginnings.
The very first negotiated deal was on behalf of a player for the Triangle Torches, a little-known and now defunct professional indoor football team based out of Raleigh, North Carolina.
It was far from a headline-grabbing, multimillion dollar deal.
League players made around $150 per week and were given a couple food vouchers.
Now, the pair is working with several athletes who’ve gone on to have stints or extended action in both the NFL and CFL.
A new addition to the DNA roster is former USF record-breaking quarterback Quinton Flowers, who plays in the Fan Controlled Football league. Flowers also enjoyed stints with the Cincinnati Bengals (2018), Indianapolis Colts (2019) and XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers (2020).
Another familiar face is former USF outside linebacker Nigel Harris. The former Hillsborough High standout is now on the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders negotiation list and has previous experience with the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans.
Walkowiak estimates DNA Sports has represented “close to 100 players” since its inception. He acknowledges many initial signings were reaches to have a legitimate shot in the pro football ranks, coming from the Division II and NAIA collegiate football ranks.
With time and experience, the firm now can be more selective with its client list.
“I think we learned a lot in the early years,” Walkowiak says. “We realized it’s not quantity. It’s not that you just sign everybody and hope one sticks, you know, it’s that we want to be a boutique agency, and one that really caters to all the needs.”
The firm has gone global to procure talent, too.
DNA Sports in November tabbed three Russian hockey player prospects to contracts — defenseman Artur Karmashkov, goaltender Ivan Veremchuk, and center Yuri Zholobov, respectively.
Karmashkov and Veremchuk have played in the KHL, the Soviet Union’s equivalent of the NHL, while Zholobov has had action in the Czech Republic’s premier professional leagues.
The signings were made possible with the help of former Tampa Bay Lightning winger Alexander Selivanov, the agency’s Director of European Scouting/European Agent.
Further beefing up its ice hockey portfolio, DNA Sports recently hired Adam Bennett, the No. 6 overall pick in the 1989 NHL Draft, to an advisory role.
Bennett, who bounced around professional leagues for six years, including playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, will be consulting primarily Florida-based hockey talent, helping them latch on with junior teams, colleges and so on.
The numbers guy
Walkowiak and Kirwan each bring their own set of unique backgrounds and experiences to the sports management firm.
Walkowiak is a self-professed “geek that loves numbers,” and describes himself as “the guy behind the scenes.” He previously worked closely with the Lightning’s former ownership group led by Henry Paul and Phil Esposito, assisting on tasks like arbitration, trades and player contract evaluations.
His career feats include facilitating the trade of then forward Jason Bonsignore and handling the arbitration case of then goaltender Daren Puppa.
On negotiating player contracts, Walkowiak calls the process “very similar to doing a comparative market analysis in real estate.”
With a passion for sports growing up and hockey in particular, Walkowiak “always wanted to be an agent.”
A practicing attorney since 1997 who specializes in real estate law, circuit civil and family law, Walkowiak figured he’d revisit this dream knowing pro athletes have landed larger and larger deals in recent years.
The tipping point came when Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog in 2013 signed a seven-year contract extension worth $39 million.
The report piqued Walkowiak’s interest.
Someone he never heard of was now “making Wayne Gretzky money,” he said, referring to arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, who retired in 1999.
“For a period of about 15 years, to go from the greatest player that ever played the game, to almost the same amount of money for a guy that I had never heard of,” Walkowiak says. “I wanted to revisit that.”
The mentor
Kirwan, meanwhile, takes on more of the role of relationship-builder and athlete mentor. He often reminds clients and others to “stay humble, stay hungry and prayed up.”
Kirwan was a decorated athlete in his own right. He played nearly nine seasons with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, where he won a Grey Cup Championship as a starting wide receiver in 1997. He even had an NFL training camp stint with the San Francisco 49ers after graduating from Stanford University.
Kirwan understands the importance of an agent being forthcoming, and transparent, with athletes.
He once had to fire an agent from a high-profile firm for lying to him about sending his highlight film to NFL teams who’d expressed interest at the height of his CFL career. It could’ve been what Kirwan needed to break into the NFL at the time.
Kirwan often ponders if he would have been better served by a smaller, more personable firm like DNA Sports.
“I’ve sat on both sides of the table now.
“The No. 1 question I’d always ask an agent when I was interviewing them was, ‘Who else do you represent?’ and a lot of times you go for the shiniest objects, the biggest names and that’s what I ended up doing,” Kirwan explains.
“In essence, I should’ve gone to a boutique firm like us that really fought for my cause. Having had to fire an agent for lying to me, it’s even that more personal to me to do what we say we’re going to do,” he said, noting athletes are placing their futures in the firm’s hands.
Keeping momentum
So, what does the future holds for DNA Sports?
Perhaps the firm will venture into additional professional sports, such as basketball, soccer or track and field.
“We’re not opposed to branching out,” Kirwan says, but, “we don’t want to be a jack-of-all trades and a master of none.”
Whatever path they take, Kirwan and Walkowiak are bullish on the agency’s future prospects.
“It’s just a matter of time before we start having those first-rounders, those second-rounders,” Kirwan says, referring to top-flight NFL Draft prospects.
Says Walkowiak: “We’re excited. We have a lot going on. We’ve picked up quite a bit of traction lately.”
For information on DNA Sports Management, visit DNASportsManagement.com, email , or call 813-962-3176.
Published February 24, 2021
New recreation facilities opened, prep teams competed for state titles and local athletes accomplished memorable achievements, despite challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Here is a look at some of the top moments in sports, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. (This is part two of a two-part series.)
Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus ready for play
Spacious, bio-cushioned hardwood floors sparkled under the lights.
Multisport electronic scoreboards operated without a hitch.
Myriad ceiling-hung basketball goals and volleyball nets were mechanically lowered and raised in minutes.
Centralized cheerleading/dance springboard floor was square for stunts and tumbling.
Adjacent outdoor multi-use grass fields were manicured and marked up for soccer, lacrosse and other events.
The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County was officially game ready upon an Aug. 27 ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the site, at 3211 Lajuana Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
Featuring 98,000 square feet of indoor space, the complex is hyped as a destination for local youth, school teams and adult athletes, while also playing host to a diverse set of regional, national and international level sports tournaments year-round, primarily in basketball, volleyball and cheerleading.
Underscoring its scope: the multi-use sports complex is large enough to hold either 16 volleyball games or eight full-court basketball games at any given time.
Two 35,500-square-foot gyms are separated by a cheer/dance studio, athletic training center and second-level mezzanine, set below 37-foot-high ceilings.
Furthermore, spacious floors can be converted to accommodate other sports, such as pickleball (up to 16 courts), futsal (up to eight courts), as well as large-scale wrestling, mixed martial arts (MMA) or karate tournaments.
The $29 million field house is the centerpiece of a $44 million public-private project.
In time, it will be phased to include seven outdoor multi-use fields and a 128-room hotel situated on 80 acres of land donated by the Porter family, one of the area’s leading cattle ranchers who established Wiregrass Ranch in 1942.
The athletics campus is a public-private partnership between the county, who owns the land and facility, and RADD Sports, a private sports management company tasked with handling day-to-day programming, maintenance and operations.
The complex is open for public use and local leagues Monday through Thursday, while Friday through Sunday will generally be reserved for attracting out-of-area tournaments.
Zephyrhills celebrates tennis center grand opening
An Oct. 17 grand opening celebration of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center was serenaded in maybe the most Zephyrhills way possible — with a slew of skydiving parachute landings on the nearly 10-acre property, at 6585 Simons Road.
If the special event was any indication — even with the COVID-19 pandemic — the state-of-the art tennis complex may put the city on the map not unlike how the airborne extreme sport has for decades.
Over 400 mask-wearing visitors turned out to get a firsthand look at a finished product five years in the making — accomplished through myriad partnerships between city, state, and private investment and donations.
The $4.9 million tennis complex is labeled, “Tampa’s first boutique-style racquet sports and wellness club.”
It lives up to the billing through:
Though membership-based, guest users are encouraged to make court rentals and partake in other frills.
Besides being a public asset, the complex is expected to draw regional, national and international amateur and professional tournaments in tennis, pickleball and padel.
The facility is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, on Oct. 11, 2015.
The tennis center venture is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor serving as the facility’s CEO.
The municipality owns the state-of-the-art tennis facility, but Collard is responsible for its day-to-day operations and programming.
Lutz native Kevin Cash manages Rays to World Series
Lutz native/Gaither High alum Kevin Cash came full circle with his baseball career when he managed the hometown Tampa Bay Rays to the sport’s grandest stage —the 2020 World Series.
The Rays did lose in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in late October at Globe Life Field, in Arlington, Texas.
The feat was still monumental, nonetheless.
The Rays manager had done yeoman’s work in guiding the squad to its second and deepest World Series appearance in franchise history — the other coming in 2008, where the team lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Amid a logistically, emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated historic feats out of a young, diverse team with a low payroll, dearth of superstars and household names that encountered a slew of injuries.
To place in perspective: Tampa Bay’s $28.3 million prorated payroll — third lowest in the Majors — paled in comparison to the $108.4 million sum of the Dodgers.
Also, the Rays had 15 different players serve a total of 20 injured-list stints. (On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying — not in a good way — 13 players unavailable for action.)
Weeks after guiding the Rays to the American League’s best regular season record (40-20) and the franchise’s second World Series berth in history, Cash deservedly was crowned 2020 AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
The 42-year-old Cash received 22 of 30 first-place votes and 126 total points in the BBWAA’s scoring to win over former Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria (61) and current Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo (47).
Cash’s ties to the local community run deep, meanwhile.
He grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.
He was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
He would later star at Gaither and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher.
Following his playing career, Cash became a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay managerial gig in 2015.
Toronto Raptors hold training camp at Saint Leo
While the COVID-19 pandemic brought much angst to the sports world and beyond in 2020, it also led to some unique, if not positive, occurrences.
One of the most notable was the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors hosting training camp at Saint Leo University’s Marion Bowman Activities Center, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 11.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the franchise was unable to start the 2020-2021 regular season in Toronto due to Canada-U.S. border restrictions.
Needing a temporary home in the states, Raptors players voted that they preferred to begin their 2020-2021 season in Tampa over cities such as Buffalo, Fort Lauderdale, Louisville, Nashville and Newark.
As the franchise readied its temporary home at Channelside’s Amalie Arena and makeshift practice facility at JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, the Raptors needed someplace nearby to hold its two weeklong training camp.
That’s when some deep coaching ties came to assist.
Saint Leo men’s basketball coach Lance Randall has known Raptors head coach Nick Nurse for over 20 years — a relationship dating back to when the pair were coaching against each other in Europe.
It was sometime in mid-November when Randall received a random text message from Nurse, inquiring about the college’s basketball facilities as a possible camp site as the team made preparations for a move stateside.
Randall subsequently went into recruiting pitch mode, self-assured the Bowman Center would be a slam dunk for the Raptors.
The Bowman Center has 10 basketball hoops, two-full sized courts and a 4,444 square-foot weight room.
The facility also has a balcony overlooking the practice gym, which allowed team scouts and management to get a bird’s-eye view of all the action.
Add to that a serene setting devoid of distractions in rural East Pasco County off State Road 52, some 35 miles north of the team’s downtown Tampa hotel stay.
Multiple in-person visits by Raptors officials to campus sealed the deal, the amenities clearly to their liking.
For the duration of Raptors training camp, buses shuttled players, coaches and officials to Saint Leo, generally between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., each day.
As many as four shuttle buses could be seen parked at any one time next to the Bowman Center.
Raptors management strived to normalize the temporary setting, wrapping the university’s fitness center, end mats and other portions of the arena in team logos and its signature red and black color scheme.
On the whole, the Raptors came away quite pleased with the university’s athletic facilities and community welcoming.
“I think it’s been great,” Raptors all-star power forward Pascal Siakam said of the training camp experience at Saint Leo. “I would say we’ve been blessed to be able to have a facility like that. Definitely a shoutout to Saint Leo for letting us use the gym and be a part of what they have here.
“I think it’s been great just being here and having everything under one roof. I just know, obviously, we appreciate it as a team.”
Published December 30, 2020
A hearing on a proposed rezoning that would allow a gas station and carwash on the east side of U.S. 41, about 900 feet north of Sunset Lane, has been postponed until next month.
The hearing had been set for Dec. 14, but has been rescheduled to Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. It will be held at Robert W. Saunders Sr. Public Library, 1505 N. Nebraska Ave., in Tampa.
Applicant RKM Development Corp., is seeking to rezone the 2.6-acre parcel at 18601 U.S. 41, to allow a 4,650-square-foot convenience store and 16 gas pumps, as well as a car wash.
The land, owned by Lutz Realty and Investment LLC, currently is zoned for agricultural and single-family conventional use. The request calls for rezoning the site to become a planned development zoning.
The request has attracted opposition.
“A number of Lutz residents do not like this proposal,” Jay Muffly, a longtime Lutz resident, wrote in an email to The Laker/Lutz News.
Thomas Pinta, of 405 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, has voiced his opposition in a document included in Hillsborough County’s file on the request.
“As a longtime, 30-plus years’ resident of Lutz, I have seen unnecessary development over and over,” Pinta wrote.
He recommended that the hearing be held in a more convenient location, to give Lutz residents an opportunity to voice their thoughts on the request. He suggested the Lutz Branch Library, at 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, in the heart of Lutz, as a better place to hold the meeting than a library located near Ybor City in Tampa.
Planners for the Planning Commission have reviewed the request.
In the rezoning file, Jiwuan Haley, senior planner, notes: “The site is not a qualifying intersection and does not meet commercial locational criteria.”
The zoning file indicates that the site of the proposed rezoning is outside of the Hillsborough County urban services area, but is next to a 12-inch county water line. There is no Hillsborough County wastewater line of adequate capacity currently available.
The property is subject to the Lutz Rural Development Standards, according to information included in the file.
Another detail reported in the file is that the applicant is proposing a reduction of the eastern perimeter buffer from the required 20 feet, down to 5 feet.
The reduction is needed, according to the file, to allow the maneuverability necessary for trucks to reach the proposed solid waste dumpster.
The transportation report, prepared by Palm Traffic of Tampa, shows the estimated daily trip ends at 3,697, including a substantial number of stops by motorists that already would be passing by the area.
The report estimates there would be 225 trip ends during the a.m. peak hours, including 83 new inbound trips and 84 new outbound trips.
During the p.m. peak hours, there would be 64 new inbound and 62 new outbound trips.
The report also notes that Hillsborough County’s capital improvement program calls for adding westbound and southbound dual left-turn lanes on Sunset Lane, and for a signal rebuild at the intersection. Construction of that project is expected to start in early 2021, the traffic analysis says.
The public hearing on the request will be conducted in a hybrid format, meaning those wishing to participate can do so virtually, through the use of technology, or in person.
Published December 09, 2020
The Metropolitan Ministries donation tent is open, and accepting food and donations at Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54 in Lutz.
The tent is open Nov. 20 to Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on weekdays and Saturdays, and noon to 3 p.m., on Sundays.
On Thanksgiving Day — a free take-out meal will be provided between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome.
Unlike the past 25 years, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida will not be hosting its annual community Thanksgiving meal, according to a newsletter published by the Sisters.
Instead of organizing the traditional gathering, the Sisters are involved in an effort to provide Thanksgiving baskets for those in need. They joined a collaboration formed with First Presbyterian Church, of Dade City. The idea for the baskets originated with Fr. Ed Lamb, of Saint Mark’s Parish. The Knights of Columbus donated $1,520 and gift cards, and the Benedictine Sisters of Florida donated $1,305 from their monthly personal allowances.
The Saint Leo University Social Service Club faculty advisor Dr. Veronika Ospina-Kammerer stepped up, as always, to raise money and supermarket gift cards for the cause.
Another outreach effort involves Life Church at 6224 Old Pasco Road. It is providing a turkey and box of food, on a first-come, first-served basis from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., on Nov. 24.
The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger also is doing its part to help brighten Thanksgiving for those in need.
The effort is expected to involve at least 300 volunteers to deliver more than 1,000 Thanksgiving meals, including turkey and stuffing.
The meals are being taken to families that are homebound or do not have access to transportation. Deliveries were set to begin at 10 a.m., on Nov. 17.
In addition to accepting donations for Thanksgiving, the Metropolitan Ministries tent at Keystone Community Church also will be accepting Christmas holiday donations, which will occur on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, and from Dec. 18 through Dec. 23.
Want to help?
Metropolitan Ministries has a donation tent at Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54 in Lutz.
Donations are being accepted Nov. 20 to Nov. 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on weekdays and Saturdays, and noon to 3 p.m., on Sundays. The tent will reopen for Christmas holiday donations on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, and from Dec. 18 through Dec. 23.
Items most needed are: Canned fruit, vegetables, beans, yams, stuffing, penne pasta, instant potatoes, rice, pasta sauces, canned tuna, chicken, boxed cereal, protein bars, frozen turkeys, hams and gift cards.
Published November 18, 2020
Tampa Bay Rays manager and Lutz native/Gaither High School alum Kevin Cash notched yet another feather in his proverbial ball cap.
Weeks after guiding the Rays to the American League’s best regular season record (40-20) and the franchise’s second World Series berth in history, Cash was crowned 2020 AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
The 42-year-old Cash received 22 of 30 first-place votes and 126 total points in the BBWAA’s scoring to win over former Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria (61) and current Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo (47).
The Rays skipper also was a finalist the previous two seasons, becoming just the fifth AL manager to record three consecutive top-three finishes.
The regular season-based managerial award was announced on a national television broadcast Nov. 10.
Cash called the accolade “a huge honor,” at a Zoom media briefing later that evening, adding the recognition is meaningful coming from local and national baseball writers.
“When you’re being voted (on) and appreciated by people that don’t always agree with your opinion, and there can be some back and forth, I think it says a lot,” said Cash, who wrapped up his sixth season as Tampa Bay’s top coach.
Within minutes of the award’s official announcement, Cash volunteered that he’d received some 140 congratulatory text messages from peers throughout the sport’s industry: “It felt like a World Series win, or clinching the ALCS (American League Championship Series), that’s what it felt like. …It means a lot when your peers and your friends throughout the game reach out.”
Cash mostly deflected his role in the team’s success to the organization as a whole, crediting the leadership of Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg, team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, and general manager Erik Neander, among others.
“It’s a really special group,” Cash said. “It’s a special place to work, led by Stu, Matt and Erik, Brian, everybody involved. …It certainly is a tremendous place to work.”
Cash, too, mentioned being “so lucky” to have a roster of ballplayers who are “very much team first” and embrace a “team-oriented approach.”
Hometown heroics
Cash becomes the fourth Tampa area product to win a Major League Baseball (MLB) Manager of the Year award — joining four-time winner Tony La Russa (St. Louis Cardinals in 2002; Oakland Athletics in 1988, 1992; Chicago White Sox in 1983), three-time winner Lou Piniella (Chicago Cubs in 2008; Seattle Mariners in 1995, 2001) and the one-time winner Al Lopez (Chicago White Sox in 1959, when the award was presented by the Associated Press).
La Russa was raised in West Tampa and graduated from Jefferson High School. Piniella likewise was raised in West Tampa, attending Jesuit High School and the University of Tampa. The late Lopez grew up in Ybor City and attended Jesuit High.
Cash, meanwhile, grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.
His baseball notoriety started young.
Some three decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
He would later star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher. As a pro, he spent time on the then Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.
Upon the end of his playing career, Cash in became a scout for the Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay gig in 2015.
Success on a shoestring budget
Amid a logistically emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated monumental feats out of a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.
Consider: Tampa Bay’s $28.3 million prorated payroll — third lowest in the Majors — paled in comparison to the $108.4 million sum of the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who the Rays ultimately lost to in six games in the Fall Classic.
Also consider: The Rays this season had 15 different players serve a total of 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.
Handling the team’s ballooning attrition rate was arguably the greatest challenge this year, Cash said.
“I think the injuries were up there, especially at the onset,” he said. “We all dealt with (COVID-19) protocols and we can’t talk about those enough, but I know that answer has gotten old. The injuries, for sure.”
On the whole, Cash is widely revered for putting players in position to prosper via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.
He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, was also represented by Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.
Some unique footnotes from the Rays 2020 season under Cash:
• 59 different lineups in 60 games (tied for most in MLB)
• Constructed the only all-lefty lineup in Major League history
• AL-best 20 come-from-behind wins
• MLB-best 14-5 mark in one-run games
• 12 different pitchers recorded a save (tied MLB record set by the 1973 Texas Rangers)
• Used 4.7 pitchers per game, more than the MLB average
• Used an AL-most 1.15 pinch-hitters per game
Cash’s essential managerial philosophy centers around openness and honesty with players regarding in-game and in-house decision-making. Keeping a level-headed approach in victory and defeat is crucial, too.
He observed of his role: “You’ve gotta make good decisions, there’s no doubt, but I think more times than not it’s being consistent and genuine, authentic with the people that you work with every day. It would be wrong of myself or any of our staff to change, depending on wins or losses. I don’t think you’re going to get players to really want to be in that environment, and our goal is to get them to want to be in that environment that we’re proud of, and I think you do that by consistency, and our staff is top-notch in that.”
The 2020 campaign represented a pinnacle of Cash’s run in Tampa Bay — as he now claims the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).
The team had a losing record in Cash’s first three seasons, but has enjoyed three straight winning campaigns since, one better than the next.
The team won 90 regular season games (.556 winning percentage) in 2018, then 96 games (.592) in 2019 — marking the franchise’s first playoff berth in six years.
Extrapolating this year’s 40 wins (.667) to a traditional 162-game season, the Rays would’ve been on pace to collect 108 victories. Its 20 postseason games (including reaching Game 6 of the World Series) was the deepest playoff run in franchise history.
“We had some ups and downs over the last years,” Cash sad. “I mean this year, 40 (wins) and 20 (losses), you can’t have too many downs. A lot of things went well. We got to the World Series, a lot of things went well. But, there were tough moments in there, but we owe it to the players to stay as consistent as possible.”
Looking back, Cash is fortunate the 2020 baseball season was even able to get off the ground, considering countless COVID-19 hurdles and fragmented negotiations between team owners and players on salary structures, gameplay, health and safety protocols, and so on.
“I wasn’t overly confident that we were going to get this thing up and running (this season). I don’t know of anybody that was,” he said. “So, there’s been a lot of head scratching, a lot of moments that it was really, really special, and really, really impressive what our team and organization accomplished this year, and hopefully as time continues, we’ll be able to appreciate it that much more.”
Published November 18, 2020
When people arrive on the campus of Sunlake Academy of Math & Science, in Lutz, they are greeted by a place that sets a positive tone.
“Welcome back Ravens, we missed you,” proclaims a sign near the school’s driveway.
“We support our students. We support teachers. We support our administration. We love our school,” a sign on a fence declares.
“Go Ravens!” a third sign encourages.
Sounds of children — playing outdoors— fill the air.
And, near the front door of the public charter school, there’s a reminder of today’s COVID-19 times. A sign reminds those entering that they must wear a face mask and maintain social distancing.
Inside, there are other clues regarding the ongoing pandemic.
There’s hand sanitizer on the counter, plexiglass separating office staff from visitors, and social distancing signs.
Children seem to be taking it all in stride as they walk down a corridor in single file, dressed in school uniforms and wearing their masks of various designs.
They wave to Principal Judy Moore, as they make their way to Spanish class.
Finding the balance between safety and normalcy has presented new challenges, but Moore said that adapting to change is part of an educator’s way of life.
As it relates to COVID-19, she said, “I think, like everybody else, you just take it as it comes, do the best job that you can.
“The challenge with COVID, all of the way back to March when it started — the information changes every 10 minutes. Whatever the standard is right now, is probably not going to be the standard tomorrow, or the day after,” she said.
That’s been a frustration for everyone, but the school has proceeded — giving parents an option for their children to learn at home or at school.
The children are assigned to a specific class, wherever they’re learning.
“If they happen to be at home, they’re basically on the screen and the teacher is interacting with the kids that are at home and the kids in the class, at the same time,” the principal said.
Teachers sometimes will group kids, so one teacher is working with the kids at school, while others instruct the online kids. And, then they will swap.
Some teachers feel they are better able to serve both groups that way, Moore said. But, other teachers are teaching both groups, simultaneously.
Moore knows that’s difficult to do, and she’s impressed.
Adapting to COVID-19 has required changes, but the school also is getting ready to embark on another big change — this one, of its own making.
Parents have raised $30,000 to pay for a new STEAM lab.
Initially, the hope was to open it at the beginning of this school year, but that was thrown off by COVID-19. Now, plans call for opening it within the next couple of months.
A space initially that was designed for a media center is being converted into the STEAM lab. (The acronym stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.)
A group, which Moore calls the STEAM Team, led the planning efforts. Moore joined that team, the executive area director from Charter School Associates and one of CSA’s math coaches during visits to STEAM labs at Corbett Prep, Jesuit High School and Academy of the Holy Names to glean ideas.
The lab will be equipped with Virtual Reality headsets, which individual classrooms can check out. It will have 3D printers, a 3D laser printer, tablets, and other devices and programs aimed at unleashing new ways of learning.
Children in kindergarten through fifth grade will visit once a week, and the technology will be incorporated into middle school classes.
The idea is to harness the power of technology to broaden learning experiences.
“You kind of have to change up the way you think, and the way you teach,” said Moore, who did her doctoral work in technology integration.
“It’s about higher order thinking skills. It’s about problem-solving. It’s about teamwork, creative thinking and creative problem-solving,” said Moore, who worked in the Gaston County school district in Charlotte, North Carolina, for 21 years before arriving last year at Sunlake Academy.
Educators must connect how they teach with how students learn, the principal added.
“For me, it became not so much about technology, not so much about how we teach, but it’s about how kids learn — and how they’re wired these days,” the principal added.
Today’s students are part of the digital native generation. They live in a world of Google, digital on-demand, virtual reality and other technical advances, Moore said.
Education must go deeper
“How do you make the students think through the problems versus the teacher just giving the question and the answer?” Moore said.
Students are challenged to consider: “How do you use your creativity to come to more than one solution, to the same problem?
“The truth of the matter is the jobs that we’re trying to prepare them for, don’t exist. And, they’re not going to exist anytime soon,” Moore said.
The principal and her husband moved to the area because he was offered a new job opportunity, and she set out seeking the right match for her interests and skills.
Moore said she was attracted to Sunlake Academy because she’s been interested for years in differentiated instruction and higher-order thinking skills.
“We’re (Sunlake Academy) very data-driven. Our teachers are constantly checking in on where kids are in terms of their proficiency and growth, on different curriculum strands and skill sets.
“We have differentiated groups,” she said, adding there are multi-tiered systems of support for students who need extra help.
“I had a lot of opportunity to go where I wanted,” Moore said. “I chose to come here because they’re speaking my vision.”
The promise of stability was attractive, too.
In her previous district, the management style involved transferring principals around a lot.
“I really want to be in a place where I can make some change and be long-term,” Moore said.
Students attending the school, at 18681 N. Dale Mabry Highway, come from Hillsborough and Pasco counties. It draws primarily from the communities of Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Tampa, Carrollwood, Cheval, Wesley Chapel and Odessa. It has some openings, so parents interested in learning more should contact the school.
Other details that may be of interest to parents of potential students:
For additional information about Sunlake Academy, visit SunlakeAcademy.org.
Published October 14, 2020
He’s the enduring voice you think about when watching the Tampa Bay Lightning on television. He’s the unflappable personality who always knows the right words, when to be serious, when to be dramatic, when to explain the situation and when to add a dash of humor.
Now, it’s time to put down the microphone, slow down a bit, count his blessings after 42 years in broadcasting and enjoy his life in Lutz.
It was Rick Peckham’s plan all along to call it quits after this past season with the Lightning, where he served as the television play-by-play announcer for 25 seasons.
Who knew he would have this kind of exit?
The National Hockey League season was halted in March by COVID-19, then resumed in August at the Canadian virus-bubble cities of Toronto and Edmonton. Peckham’s last official call — Brayden Point’s overtime game-winner at the clinching Game 5 against Columbus in the Eastern Conference first-round series — was working off a video screen from an Amalie Arena studio.
When NBC’s national team picked up the remainder of playoff coverage and the Lightning clinched the franchise’s second Stanley Cup championship, Peckham was exchanging high-fives with his postgame-show broadcast partners at Amalie, then on the air to provide perspective. And, when Lightning players returned to Tampa for the championship celebration, it was Peckham who emceed the proceedings at Raymond James Stadium.
“All of it was truly amazing and I consider myself so fortunate to have been a part of it all,’’ said Peckham, 65.
Peckham, a graduate of Kent State University, worked minor-league hockey in Rochester, New York, then with the NHL’s Hartford Whalers before joining the Lightning in 1995-1996. Peckham and his family — wife Vickie and their two sons — settled into Calusa Trace in 1996 and have lived on a lake at Wellington Manor for the past 13 years.
Lutz feels like home.
“When we got to the Tampa Bay area, everything seemed to be growing out in this direction,’’ Peckham said. “It seemed like a convenient place to be, and it turned out to be a great decision. Everything about it suggested a great family area — kids playing in the neighborhood and riding their bikes to school — and we have loved being here.
“There has been growth, maybe too much growth in the minds of some people, but it has brought a lot of conveniences. I’m so glad we chose this area because we have made a lot of memories and now I’m looking forward to what’s to come.’’
Peckham might still be involved with some special events with the Lightning and he could play a role with the franchise’s alumni player group. For the most part, though, he’s looking forward to picking up even more rounds of golf, his beloved pastime, and maybe discovering some new hobbies.
Either way, he’s ready for a change of pace.
“When you start in minor-league hockey, you’re doing broadcasting, sales, public relations, working about 80 hours a week in season, but it’s a wonderful learning experience,’’ Peckham said. “In the NHL, there’s the constant travel. I’ve ridden a lot of buses and planes.
“You leave after the game and you’re doing a lot of unpacking at 1:30 in the morning at a hotel. In your 30s, it’s cool. In your 40s, it’s OK. By your 50s, you’re getting tired of it. In your 60s, you’re not sure if you can keep doing it. So being at home will be just fine with me. I was fortunate to see about all I needed to see and meet some great people along the way.’’
Peckham, admittedly a creature of routine who’s accustomed to a hockey schedule, said the COVID-19 shutdown opened his eyes even more to the beauty of the Lutz area.
“The funny thing is, when hockey season is roaring along, you’re so busy that sometimes you don’t realize how fortunate you are to be in Florida,’’ Peckham said. “When the game’s weren’t being played, we could get outside and the weather was just gorgeous. I took full advantage of playing golf. Other than that, we coped the best we could, and it was great that the season was able to be finished.’’
Peckham said he’ll forever be grateful for the circumstances of his final call. It was an exciting game, a dramatic overtime winner from Point, and a swirl of gratitude and emotions from others that overwhelmed him.
“It was an announcer’s dream,’’ Peckham said. “To have a game like that, a clean game-winner and an exciting finish, it could not have worked out more perfectly. There were emotions for me, sure, but overall, I tried to approach it like any other game.’’
That approach has served Peckham well for decades.
“You always tried to be honest, accurate, under control, but you always wanted to be aware of the reaction of the fans,’’ Peckham said. “The fans here really care. They’ve gone through a lot to be recognized as a hockey market. They got to win the Stanley Cup in 2004 and they’ve been so close in recent years, then they got another one.
“All of those things go into how you present the game. I’ve been fortunate to have a great situation and lots of stability. Jeff Vinik (Lightning owner) and everyone in the organization make you proud to work for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Everything has been done in a first-class manner. The way it happened for me, I couldn’t write a story and have it end any better.’’
By Joey Johnston
Published October 07, 2020
