The Laker/Lutz News

Lovie Smith

Florida Hospital stirring up ‘Bucs Fever’ across bay area

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Florida Hospital and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are spreading “Bucs Fever” across the Tampa Bay region with a series of community health events and a new television commercial featuring Bucs head coach Lovie Smith.

“We believe that Florida Hospital has an important role to play in creating a healthier community,” said Mike Schultz, president and chief executive of Florida Hospital West Florida Region, in a release. “We are excited to build on this partnership with the Bucs, and add new initiatives that will benefit communities that we serve.”

Florida Hospital officially launched its Bucs Babies program during the NFL draft in May, giving new moms and dads a “training camp” health and wellness package for their new little rookies, the hospital said. That program will continue on through the regular season as well, with all babies born at Florida Hospital campuses receiving a Bucs Babies T-shirt.

Florida Hospital will give away free Bucs bandanas at four locations outside of Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 14 when the Bucs take on the St. Louis Rams. In October, Florida Hospital will be one of the sponsors for the Buccaneers Treasure Chests 5k Run/Walk, which helps raise awareness and support patient treatment and research for breast cancer. This will be the first year where the Florida Hospital Foundation is a beneficiary of the proceeds raised at this event, which is expected to attract several thousand participants.

Florida Hospital also will be the presenting sponsor of the fitness challenge prior to the Nov. 9 game between the Bucs and the Atlanta Falcons.

To see the new commercial with Smith, visit CatchBucsFever.com.

Florida Hospital West Florida Region includes nine hospitals and 1,257 beds. That includes Florida Hospital at Connerton Long Term Acute Care, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. It’s part of the Adventist Health System, a network of 23 hospitals throughout Florida.

PPAL gets up close with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Football season is almost here, but for members of the Wesley Chapel Bulls, it got an early start during a recent visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at One Buc Place.

Zachary Wood, left, and Giovanni Irizarry of the Pasco Police Athletic League football team the Wesley Chapel Bulls, pose with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mascot during a visit to a preseason training session with the professional team. The event included autographs and some tips from some of the veteran players. (Courtesy of Mary Guyer)
Zachary Wood, left, and Giovanni Irizarry of the Pasco Police Athletic League football team the Wesley Chapel Bulls, pose with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mascot during a visit to a preseason training session with the professional team. The event included autographs and some tips from some of the veteran players.
(Courtesy of Mary Guyer)

Members of the Pasco Police Athletic League had a chance to watch the Buccaneers, under head coach Lovie Smith, practice, and then received some pointers from some of the players afterward. It’s the kind of access not every young football player gets, said Pasco County Sheriff’s Office liaison Cpl. Mary Guyer.

“On that Monday, we got rained out, so the kids didn’t get to go out on the field,” she said. “But on Tuesday, they were able to get out there again, and got autographs, pictures, and some training on the practice field.”

PPAL took several hundred kids from teams like the Bulls over a two-day period to meet and greet the Bucs before they start their 2014 season. The league got a boost this month when Wesley Chapel Toyota donated $5,000 to the league, which will help some of the underprivileged players who might not be able to afford uniforms to be able to do just that.

Guyer has her own connection with the Bucs. Former linebacker Derrick Brooks, who was recently elected as the third Buccaneer to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has given Guyer the title of “sheriff of football.” Guyer works closely with PPAL as representative of the sheriff’s office.

This weekend is a bye week for the league because of Labor Day, but games resume Sept. 6 with contests including Land O’ Lakes vs. Dade City, Trinity vs. Hudson and Wesley Chapel vs. Zephyrhills. Fields locally are located at Pasco High School in Dade City, the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway, Sam Pasco Park in Zephyrhills, and Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Road.

To learn more about the league, visit PascoPAL.com.

Published August 27, 2014

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Keystone Little League cap racks up frequent flyer miles

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It all started with a trip to Canton, Ohio, to watch Warren Sapp get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It was 2011, and newspaper sports reporter Joey Johnston had just walked into a Tilted Kilt restaurant after a long trip where he had a chance to watch his son, Joey Johnston Jr., pitch for the Keystone Little League team. He was proudly donning his Keystone baseball cap, and that gave one of his dinner companions an idea.

Joey Johnston poses with his well-traveled Keystone Little League baseball cap, which has been held by some of the bigger names in sports and entertainment. Johnston’s son, Joey Johnston Jr., is a pitcher on the team. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Joey Johnston poses with his well-traveled Keystone Little League baseball cap, which has been held by some of the bigger names in sports and entertainment. Johnston’s son, Joey Johnston Jr., is a pitcher on the team.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“One of my colleagues said, ‘Why don’t you ask the waitress to wear the cap, and I’ll take a picture of you,’” Johnston said. “She put it on her head, and we got a picture, and it was pretty funny.”

The next day, Johnston attended an event at the Hall of Fame where he had a chance to see some former Tampa Bay Buccaneers players he covered as a writer for The Tampa Tribune, like quarterback Brad Johnson.

“I got my cap on my head, and remembering the night before, thought it might be fun if I asked Brad to do the same thing,” Johnston said. And he did.

Seeing that the different sports celebrities in attendance were having fun with it, Johnston kept it going, asking people like ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to pose, and all of them do.

“I started putting the pictures on my Facebook page, and I knew the parents would get a kick out of it,” Johnston said.

However, the journey of the Keystone cap almost stopped right there. It was fun to do at the Hall of Fame event, but even celebrities wearing a baseball hat has to get stale at some point.

“I came back, and I sort of didn’t do it for a while,” Johnston said. “Then, several months later, I somehow got into the habit of taking that cap wherever I went. It didn’t take long, but if I ran into somebody, I would ask them to pose with the cap.”

It’s a tradition that continues to this day, giving Keystone Little League — which draws players from all over the surrounding area, including Pasco County — a chance to rival the exposure Plant High School received from baseball caps worn by Brad and Monica Culpepper in a season of “Survivor” on CBS.

Throughout all the famous people who have since posed with the Keystone cap, parents and friends on Facebook keep asking for more.

“It’s a lot of pressure, and I try to do my best while they patiently wait for the next one,” Johnston said. “I think they’re sort of amazed on who has worn it so far. They think it’s funny.”

Johnston keeps the photos in an album on his Facebook, but has plans for something a little bigger.

“I’m thinking I would like to do a little book on the team over the past two years, and maybe I can have it done in time for Christmas for the parents,” he said. “It wouldn’t be anything too major, but might be a nice keepsake for them.”

Johnston doesn’t let his hobby interfere with his work, but he’s always looking for an appropriate time somewhere to bring out his cap.

“It’s just pure fun,” he said. “We do it for laughs, and it’s great trying to find unusual people to wear the hat.”

He’s always scouting for new prospects.

“I’m going to try and milk it for a few more months,” he said. “I’ve got Lovie Smith on my radar.”

Getting to know Joey Johnston
Some of the people who have mugged it up with the Keystone Little League cap include:

  • Ronde Barber, retired cornerback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Derrick Brooks, Hall of Fame linebacker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Bob Buckhorn, mayor of Tampa
  • Billy Donovan, head coach of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team
  • Tony Dungy, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts
  • Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League
  • Jon Gruden, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • John Lynch, retired strong safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Joe Maddon, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays
  • Kelly Nash, Sun Sports broadcast team
  • Jerry Springer, syndicated talk show host
  • Stu Sternberg, principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders
  • Tim Tebow, free agent football quarterback
  • Dick Vitale, former coach and ESPN broadcaster

Published August 27, 2014

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